Book Review | Seeing Things by Sonora Taylor

Seeing Things is a new horror release from Sonora Taylor.

Abby Gillman has discovered that with growing up, there comes a lot of blood. But nothing prepares her for the trail of blood she sees in the hallway after class - or the ghost she finds crammed inside an abandoned locker.

No one believes Abby, of course. She’s only seeing things. As much as Abby wants to be believed, what she wants more is to know why she can suddenly see the dead. Unfortunately, they won’t tell her. In fact, none of them will speak to her. At all.

Abby leaves for her annual summer visit to her uncle’s house with tons of questions. The visit will give her answers the ghosts won’t - but she may not like what she finds out.

Seeing Things is my third book to read by Sonora Taylor. Her previous releases Without Condition {review} and Little Paranoias {review} are favorites among the Ladies of Horror Fiction team.

I'm so happy Taylor has gifted us with a ghost story. Combining my favorite horror element (ghosts) with her storytelling really put me in my happy place with this one!

Seeing Things follows Abby Gillman as she begins "seeing things" that others claim are just her imagination. Weighing in at under 200 pages, Seeing Things is a quick read, but it packs in a full story of legends and family secrets.

I would be happy if Taylor decided to make a whole series following Abby and her family and how she copes with seeing things. I'll be reading what comes next either way.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

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Review copy provided by the author

Book Reviews | Little Paranoias: Stories by Sonora Taylor

Little Paranoias: Stories is a horror collection from Sonora Taylor.

Is it a knock on the door, or a gust of wind? A trick of the light, or someone who’ll see what you’ve done?

“Little Paranoias: Stories” features twenty tales of the little things that drive our deepest fears. It tells the stories of terror and sorrow, lust at the end of the world and death as an unwanted second chance. It dives into the darkest corners of the minds of men, women, and children. It wanders into the forest and touches every corner of the capital. Everyone has something to fear — but after all, it’s those little paranoias that drive our day-to-day.

I've been really excited to check out Little Paranoias. Earlier this year I read Sonora Taylor's novel Without Condition, and I was looking forward to checking out more of her work. (She also published a story on the Ladies of Horror Fiction podcast so be sure to check that out!)

One thing I really loved about this collection was the varying lengths of all of the stories. From flash fiction to poetry to longer stories, it never felt repetitive, and I never got bogged down. I have a hard time sitting down with a collection or an anthology and reading it straight through. I didn't have that trouble at all with Little Paranoias. Each of the stories held on to my attention, and I flew through the collection.

Fall is the best time of year for reading short stories, and Little Paranoias is a solid collection I would recommend putting on your list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Review copy provided by author

Book Review | Without Condition by Sonora Taylor

Without Condition is a horror/dark romance novel by Sonora Taylor.

Cara Vineyard lives a quiet life in rural North Carolina. She works for an emerging brewery, drives her truck late at night, and lives with her mother on a former pumpkin farm. Her mother is proud of her and keeps a wall displaying all of Cara’s accomplishments.

Cara isn’t so much proud as she is bored. She’s revitalized when she meets Jackson Price, a pharmacist in Raleigh. Every day they spend together, she falls for him a little more — which in turn makes her life more complicated. When Cara goes on her late-night drives, she often picks up men. Those men tend to die. And when Cara comes back to the farm, she brings a memento for her mother to add to her wall of accomplishments.

Cara’s mother loves her no matter what. But she doesn’t know if Jackson will feel the same — and she doesn’t want to find out.

I'm continuing my Women in Horror Month reviews with Without Condition by Sonora Taylor.

This is a tough review for me only because I was the wrong audience for this one.

The character development in Without Condition was great. I read this as a group read with several of the Ladies of Horror Fiction team, and we had some really great discussions after reading about the main character's childhood and experiences with bullying.

Without Condition was also well written and a quick read.

The only reason this wasn't a huge hit with me was it was less "horror" and more "dark romance". I'm just not a romance reader.

If you enjoy dark romance and need a great read for Women in Horror Month, Without Condition might be an excellent choice for you. I am definitely open to reading more of Sonora Taylor's work in the future.

⭐⭐⭐★★

Review copy provided by author