Matt Serafini

My jaw is on the floor, dragged there by equal parts disgust and awe. Disgusted by what I just read, in awe of its dark, twisting brilliance. I went into this story completely unprepared and was taken on a shocking, thrilling ride, spit out the other side transmuted, never to be the same again. And that's exactly how I recommend you approach this novella as well.

How to review RITES OF EXTINCTION without revealing too much of its multilayered magnificence?

It's a tale of loss, obsession, possession, revenge, and madness. It's grief horror, folk horror, cult horror, and psychological horror. It's brutal, disturbing, mind-bending, hilarious, full of turns I didn't expect, and extremely well written - I couldn't put it down and eagerly ate up every word. It's all of these things and still something I can't quite put my finger on. It has a loose, dream-like quality to many of its scenes, where the characters and the reader both become unmoored from time and space. So. Good.

This was my first book by Matt Serafini, and I can't wait to read more of his work!… (meer)

Serafini's UNDER THE BLADE is a well-told tale of intrigue, serial killers, final girls, and cult curses. Based on the synopsis, you might think this is an ordinary slasher story, but it's not. This is what happens when the final girl returns to the scene of the crime as part of an effort to find meaning in her current life. Really, it's everything HALLOWEEN 2018 should have wanted to be.

The author's narrative is tight and flows easily. I was even able to overlook the single instance of my most annoying grammar pet peeve (the misuse of "myriad") because the rest of the novel truly outshines such nit-pickery.

I listened to the audiobook edition narrated by Chloe Cannon, who did a tremendous job not only in conveying the author's story but also in portraying the various characters.… (meer)

Warning: this is an anthology you shouldn't read before bedtime. There were scary stories in this one. Some of the best stories: David Wellington - Hunter's Moon. There is something to say about a combination of werewolves and vampires: they are both really scary. And I liked vampire hunter Laura.
David Watkins - The original. Really interesting because of the Roman look to werewolves, a direction I never thought of.
Jonathan Janz - The Kiss of Divna Antonov. The ladies are werewolves.
Thomas Emson - The Hunt. Set in 1995 with Laura and in 60AD with the Roman Marius Victor, who hunts werewolves especially the she-wolves. This one I thought was really creepy.
Paul Kane - Lifeline. About Beth who came out of an abusive relationship and lives alone with her son Robbie. She is someone else and that story is told in a pretty good way. I liked this one.
Some stories I really didn't like, some were the beginning of a longer story told in a book. But the whole anthology was pretty good.
Disclaimer: I got this book in the Librarything Early Reviewers.… (meer)