Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

Cover image and summary from Goodreads:

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. 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 supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:

Stefan Bachmann
Leigh Bardugo
Kendare Blake
A. G. Howard
Jay Kristoff
Marie Lu
Jonathan Maberry
Danielle Paige
Carrie Ryan
Megan Shepherd
Nova Ren Suma
McCormick Templeman
April Genevieve Tucholke
Cat Winters

I was so excited when I heard about this book! It’s a book of short stories – horror stories – by YA authors, many of whom have written books I’ve loved. It was fun to try and figure out the inspiration(s) behind each story, and then check to see at the end if I was right.

I read this in October, thinking it would make for some good spooky Halloween reading. Overall, there was nothing truly scary in this collection, but I did enjoy a bunch of the stories. As I read, I made brief notes on each story:

The Birds of Azalea Street, by Nova Ren Suma

-Leonard is the creepiest thing in this story

-It frustrates me to read about the girls not being believed by the adults

In the Forest Dark and Deep, by Carrie Ryan

-I like the way the story jumps back and forth in time

-Creepy! I like the strange, spooky twist on a familiar story

Emmeline, by Cat Winters

-Yay historical fiction!

-Spoiler – highlight after the semicolon to read: ghost story from the ghost’s perspective – very cool!

Verse Chorus Verse, by Leigh Bardugo

-Wonderful and creepy

Hide and Seek, by Megan Shepherd

-Love the concept

-Not scary, but interesting

The Dark, Scary Parts and All, by Danielle Paige

-This story was a dud, for me. I wasn’t interested.

The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, and The Sigh, by April Genevieve Tucholke

-This was a fairly good story

-Carrie-esque; I Know What You Did Last Summer-esque

Fat Girl with a Knife, by Jonathan Maberry

-Zombies! Yay!

-Not scary, but fun to read

Sleepless, by Jay Kristoff

-Creepy!

-Really good! So far, this is the stand-out story

M., by Stefan Bachmann

-I don’t really have strong feelings about this story. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t feel particularly interested in the story or characters

The Girl Without a Face, by Marie Lu

-Again, I don’t really feel one way or the other about this story

A Girl Who Dreamed of Snow, by McCormick Templeman

-I really liked this, and kind of wish it could be a full-length novel! So interesting!

Stitches, by A.G. Howard

-This is another story that was just okay for me.

On the I-5, by Kendare Blake

-This was the other stand-out story for me! This was great!

Overall, there were some great short stories in this collection, and a couple that didn’t work for me.

I didn’t find any of these stories scary the way that I hoped I would, but there seemed to be a common thread running through many of them, about girls and how they’re treated – ignored, used, etc. – and in some stories this was turned on its head in a great way.

This was a really good book. If you scare easily, you might be frightened by some of the tales contained herein, but if you’re like me, perhaps what you’ll find scarier than the ghosts and monsters is the sad but true depiction of a world that, as Kendare Blake’s excellent story puts it, eats girls alive. Recommended.