self published

Short Story Review – SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE by Ruth Anna Evans

SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE is a great medical horror that makes all your WebMD nightmares come true.

Laura has come to a point of her life that she is unhappy with her appearance, her marriage..pretty much everything. Laura tries to fix one “issue” but slowly falls into an abyss of symptoms that are out of her control.

I really enjoyed this super short story! This poor character is stuck on a slippery slope and goes through A LOT. I thought the ending was great. I wasn’t expecting it to go the route it did but I’m happy it did.

There is body horror and gory moments so look up the CWs if you need to.

I think this is my favorite Ruth Anna Evans story so far. Brava!

5/5

Synopsis:

Middle age is hitting Laura hard: her husband has lost interest; her hair is thinning; she’s gaining weight. But when she seeks medical help, the side effects are so much worse.

A disgusting 6,000 word medical horror story, Side Effects Include will have you squirming in your seat. Everyone promises Laura she’ll feel better, but before long she finds herself tied to a hospital bed with a needle in her neck. For Laura, it’s hell. For the horror lover, it’s a bloody good time.

This story contains topics that will be disturbing for some readers.

Content Warnings can be found at: ruthannaevans.com/content-warnings.

KU Ebook – 30 pages

Author: Ruth Anna Evans

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Short Story Review – DOGS by Mike Sullivan

DOGS is an interesting take on animal horror and what it would possibly be like if we were their prey.

A guy travels back home after his mother’s passing in order to help his father out. Once he gets there, he has to fight an unsuspecting enemy.

This had some fun action scenes and interesting twists. I really enjoyed a nightmare scene the mc would have–one specific moment was very eerie and dark..loved it.

DOGS also has a bit of an open ending that leaves you with more questions than answers.

Overall, I thought it was a fun, quick read. There is CW but specifically, if you are sensitive to animals getting hurt on the page..here’s your heads up.

This is a mix between CUJO and DAWN OF THE DEAD (no there aren’t zombies..lol).

4/5

*Thank you to the author for an ecopy in exchange for my honest opinion.

KU Ebook – 63 pages

Author: Mike Sullivan

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Short Story Review – THE GLOBSTER OF CAPE FRANKFORT by C.F. PAGE

Damn..this author is such a great storyteller.

This is such a doom filled short story that is told in such a intricant way. I am currently a third of the way through his debut (NATIVE FEAR..loving it) and after reading this, I think I just jive with his writing style.

THE GLOBSTER OF CAPE FRANKFORT is about a mysterious thing that washes up on a shore and slowly bad things begin to happen. The little hints that are revealed and then the full scene being shown, I love this way of storytelling. It hooked me right away and I easily read it in one sitting.

I think this would be a great story to read from this author to see if you would vibe with his novel. If you liked THE GULP by Alan Baxter then you will most likely like TGOCF. This story also gave me a similar feeling as MIDNIGHT MASS but without the vampiric genre but that mood of doom.

The ending of this had a great mini twist and had the kind of conclusion that I love. I recommend this to readers who like gloom, mysterious creatures and the unknown. Perfection.

5/5

KU Ebook – 28 pages

Author: C.F. Page

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Short Story Review – IT’S ME, CHARLIE by C.M. Guidroz

I think I’m triggered by Taco Bell cups now..

I finished this in one sitting and wow..it’s gross.

It’s about a man obsessed with a woman online and takes things into his own hands to make their paths cross.

I loved the fact that this is based around a bookish online community since I also have met quite a few people online but not in person. This is mostly where the horror is–you really don’t know who you are talking to online.

I enjoyed being in the mind of the main character ‘Charlie’ and seeing his rationale behind doing horrific things. It’s wild. I don’t normally get a physical reaction from gross stuff in books but I now know what can do that to me thanks to this writer.😅 Once this dark foreshadowing was shown, I dreaded the moment it would happen and even though it was absolutely disgusting, I loved it gave me such a strong reaction.

Overall, this is fairly fast paced and a solid story. This trope never gets old for me and the fact that the MC seems like your average type of person..it adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

I think I wanted more gore to balance out the gross but really it’s a pretty decent read if you like to be shocked and grossed out.

4.5/5

Watch my mini TikTok Review for this as well: Click Here

Ebook – 55 pages

Author: C.M. Guidroz

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Short Story Collection Review – DEATH IS FUNNY SOMETIMES by MC August

“Death is funny sometimes”

I really enjoyed this book from a new to me author. A lot of the stories were funny or had elements of irony which worked well for this collection. It has bits of revenge, thriller, mafia, sci-fi-ish, supernatural and body horror elements. It really does a little bit of everything.

The author’s writing style is easy to read and the storylines are straight forward which is great for short stories. Some of them are comical and others are actually thought provoking. So much fun!

Out of the collection, I believe my favorite stories were:

– MIKE & MANDY FIGHT THROUGH THE END OF THE WORLD, which is a couple who find themselves in the start of the apocalypse while getting divorced. Super funny.

– DEAD KID AT A SLEEPOVER, a group of kids have a sleepover and a school bully invites himself over to cause trouble. This ending was so wild, absolutely loved it.

– HOW TO CATCH CRAWFISH AS TOLD BY RUFUS WHEELER, a father and son catch a mysterious animal while fishing for crawfish. The father will do anything to get out of poverty. This is a great concept for a story and a little bit sad–perfect for me.

– HIDDEN HILLS, a young man confronts his celebrity father who abandoned him. The ending was unpredictable and done really well.

I would recommend this collection to fans of Tales from the Crypt or Donnie Goodman’s collection, The Razorblades in My Head.

4/5

*Tons of CW–look them up
**Thank you again to the author for this review ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Ebook – 145 pages

Author: MC August

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