Title: Slasher Girls & Monster BoysAuthor: Selected by April Genevieve Tucholke
Pages: 385
Format: Hardback
Rating: 4/5
Blurb: A host of the sharpest young adult authors come together in this collection of terrifying tales and psychological thrillers. Each story draws from a mix of literature, film, television or even music to offer something new and fresh and unsettling. Even better? After you've teased out each tale's references satisfy your curiosity at the end, where the inspiration is revealed. There are no superficial scares here. These are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror, to the supernatural, to unnerving, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for anyone looking for an absolute thrill.
The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Ren Suma: 3/5, I really liked the concept of the story but I don't think Nova Ren Suma's writing style is really for me. There was a definite sense of tension though and I was very interested to see what happened. However in the end I felt like the climax was rushed and everything else was drawn out, so whilst the build of suspense was good it kind of fell flat for me at the end. Also, how sad is it that their parents didn't believe them?
In the Forest Dark and Deep by Carrie Ryan: 4/5, This was way darker than I could have imagined and I'm not sure I can see Alice in Wonderland the same way ever again! I'm not sure I necessarily liked it, it's more the sort of story that deeply unsettles you. It got creepier and more compelling the longer I read it.
Emmeline by Cat Winters: 4.5/5, this was the story in the anthology I was most looking forward to. I thought the twist was pretty obvious but that only added to the tension. It was really beautifully written and it left me thinking about it.
Verse Chorus Verse by Leigh Bardugo: 3/5, it had its creepy moments but I'm still not entirely sure what happened. I liked the flashback parts but it just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me I guess.
Hide-And-Seek by Megan Shepherd: 4/5, really tense. I'm not familiar with the mythology of it but I loved the game of hide and seek and the main character was very interesting. I really liked the ending as well.
The Dark, Scary Parts and All by Danielle Paige: 3/5, I didn't love this one but I liked the ending. I didn't connect with the characters really though. An interesting ending as well.
The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sigh by April Genevieve Tucholke: 4/5, I love the atmosphere of this one. The characters are not remotely likable but I liked that this kind of had a I Know What You Did Last Summer feel to it. The four characters were very horror movie stereotype which was interesting.
Fat Girl with a Knife by Jonathan Maberry: 3/5, not my favourite. Like with The Dark, Scary Parts and All I just didn't connect with the characters that much. The first half bored me a little but I liked the second half.
Sleepless by Jay Kristoff: 3.5/5, this succeeded in disturbing the heck out of me. Not the most comfortable read but there were great twists and lots of disturbing halloween-ness. Scarier because these are humans doing descpicable things and not monsters.
M by Stefan Bachmann: 4/5, A little less scary than some of the others. I liked Misha and Kerstin and the mystery was definitely interesting. I would have liked more closure at the end though.
The Girl Without a Face by Marie Lu: 4/5, I started out super creeped out (and slightly worried about my own closet) and then when the revelation happened - I have never been so wholeheartedly on the ghosts side before!
A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow by McCormick Templeman: 3/5, a very beautifully written story with a good twist but I wasn't totally enthralled.
Stitches by A.G. Howard: 2/5, this just wasn't my cup of tea. I don't know. It was disturbing and weird and I didn't especially like the writing style or the characters.
On the I-5 by Kendare Blake: 4/5, I liked this one, there was tension and creepiness and I liked the protagonist. Interesting concept as well, this would almost make a good start to a novel.
In total I really enjoyed this anthology, there was a great selection of authors I already loved and some from authors I will definitely be checking out in the future. There were all sorts of stories ranging from mildly creepy to outright scary/disturbing and I really loved that. I read a story each day so I got to really savour each story but there were so many absorbing reads you could easily read it cover to cover!
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