Hecate’s Labyrinth by Michael Lightsey Genre: Fantasy ISBN: 9781794867437 Print Length: 234 pages Buy from Amazon Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell An eclectic web of ideas come together to take a Russian witch on a transformational journey in this unique fantasy novel. With a writing style that beckons you to pay attention, Hecate’s Labyrinth is a venture through the past leading to an epic showdown. A young witch, Helena, travels through time and different dimensions as she inches closer to the answers she’s been seeking as well as answers to questions she never thought to ask. Anticipate ..read more

The Monsters In Our Shadows by Edward J. Cembal Genre: Horror / Dark Fantasy ISBN: 9781738707409 Print Length: 400 pages Buy from Amazon Buy from Bookshop Reviewed by Jadidsa Perez A hair-raising story about the struggle to accept your monstrous side, lest it consume you Edward J. Cembal’s debut novel, The Monsters in Our Shadows, details a dystopian world filled with the “afflicted:” humans who have parasitic, amorphous monsters tethered to them.  As time goes on, the monsters—called “Shivers”—become so malnourished that they devour their human host and anyone around. Humanit ..read more

Sunrays Among Shadows by H. Dawn Hunter Genre: Fantasy / Dark ISBN: 9798987533505 Print Length: 530 pages Buy from Amazon Buy from Bookshop Reviewed by Timothy Thomas | Content Warnings: abuse, suicide Darkness entwines with hope, romance, and destiny to weave this beautifully crafted story of resistance and perseverance.  Sunrays Among Shadows may be billed as a dark fantasy, but the fantasy elements take a backseat to a rich plot grounded in the realities of life.  Of course, there are the obligatory mythical creatures (fairies, harpies, etc.), magic, and other worlds, b ..read more

Grief by Robert Caufield Genre: Fantasy / Horror ISBN: N/A Print Length: 264 pages Reviewer: Alexandria Ducksworth Like Hocus Pocus for adults, Grief is the wild supernatural ride you didn’t know you needed. If you’re a fan of the paranormal, author Robert Caufield delivers it all in Grief. It has witches, dark magic, zombies, and even a gargoyle. With barely a slow movement present, this fast-paced fantasy novel will shock you and hit you with something strange. The fictional New England town of Ravensden carries a dark secret buried deep beneath its streets. People are mysteriously disa ..read more

The Chains of Fate by A.A. Night Genre: Fantasy / Grimdark ISBN: 9780578978109 Print Length: 364 pages Buy from Amazon Buy from Bookshop Reviewed by Melissa Suggitt A dark and epic fantasy story that explores fate, destiny, and human suffering In the far reaches of the east, DarHel is born and immediately labelled as cursed: an albino child deemed a bringer of famine, plague, and suffering.  Unloved, cast out of society, and raised in darkness and isolation, can he possibly rise above it? Or will his path be one of destruction and vengeance? In the west, a once devout member of ..read more

Seasons of the Blue Pearl by Nicholas Varner Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy ISBN: 978-1039160163 Print Length: 288 pages Publisher: Friesen Press Buy from Amazon Buy from Bookshop Reviewed by Toni Woodruff  Earthly, imaginative, dark—Seasons of the Blue Pearl is a song to save the world. This young adult fantasy takes you on an adventure through desert landscapes and changing seasons. It’s a long and arduous journey full of demons and evil creatures, but it’s a journey of risks worth taking—in order to save the world. Mia lives in a dangerous world, but she doesn’t know it yet. H ..read more

Book Review: A Maze of Glass Reviewed by Toni Woodruff  A hauntingly realistic horror-fantasy that reflects more than just terrifying monsters S.R. Hughes pulls out all the stops in this terror-inducing mystical horror novel about two loving and brave witch sisters who must escape secret societies, overcome their anxieties and fears, and defeat grotesque monsters.  Told in parallel timelines—1997, 2006, & 2017—this  psych-horror story is, at its heart, a story about sisters sticking together, no matter how many years it’s been since they’ve seen each other.  Zoe Briar ..read more

Book Review: Requiem for a Queen Reviewed by Manik Chaturmutha A captivating story of love, struggle, and a mother’s fight for her son Kaylin McFarren conjures up a mind-boggling fantasy world with Requiem for a Queen. Samara Daemonium is a Nephalem, part-demon and part-angel. Pregnant with the son of Lucifer, the King of Hell, Samara is determined to escape his armies. All she wants is for Papillon to grow up as righteous and kind, away from the demonic influence of his father.  With the help of Onoskelis, Samara manages to keep him hidden from Lucifer for six years. But when the power ..read more

Book Review: Calixta Reviewed by Manik Chaturmutha An enchanting tale of magic and demons Calixta by Omaya Vélez is a dark fantasy about love and loss, about good and evil.  The novel follows a woman who was sold into slavery by her father at the age of eight. It focuses mainly on Calixtas’s adult life, where we see her as the Madame of the most successful brothel in town.  Calixta’s masters educated her profoundly so that she could be an exquisite exotic, the best of her kind in her profession, and bring money to the brothel. But this is all before she saves her pregnant best ..read more

Book Review: A Perfect Night Reviewed by Alexandria Ducksworth I cannot get enough of Joseph Stone’s dark fiction. A Perfect Night is Joseph Stone’s unforgettable story about a young girl and the terrible secrets tied to her gift of seeing spirits. You think your family has dark secrets. You’ll be glad you don’t have any like Fran.  Fran Tarantino lives with her Aunt Laura and her family after her mother dies in a terrible car accident. Fran’s father gives her only daughter to Laura’s family and is never seen again. Fran tries to adjust to life with her new family; some things don’t rema ..read more