I’m excited to share one-sentence reviews for my top 25 reads of first quarter 2021!

(In alphabetical order by author or editor.)

Wings & Fire: A horror anthology compiled by Dan Alatorre. There is such a wide variety of stories here, from dystopian to vampires, from not-so-interesting to excellent stories, the latter category making the anthology worth the read. (KU)

Hard for Hope to Flourish by Bell et al. In this anthology of three horror stories, all three tales (dark fable, African cosmic, and disappearance mystery) are sophisticated literary stories, heavy on character and theme, that make for satisfying reads. (KU)

Perfect prose.

“The Erstwhile Groom” by Laura Benedict is a domestic suspense short story with prose so perfect that it disappears and you end up existing inside the plot. (KU)

“The Ice Dream of the Crow” by Willow Croft is in an anthology called The Phantom Games edited…