A glamorous actress whose very flesh is reanimated by a beloved Hollywood icon- A Boy Scout Troup encounters a frightening mythological creature in an American forest- A lonely woman finds a home among a group of lost-and-found souls, all cared for by a tentacled sea-creature called Mother- A Faceless Woman attacks like a virus and takes on the identities of her victims- A post-apocalyptic … A post-apocalyptic battle for survival rages between human and insect
– A Shadow Woman leads the spirits of the murdered to take revenge in the desert
These are just some of the stories nineteen women came up with when tasked with creating their own Women Monsters. Step inside and experience tales of bloodsucking entities in the jungles of Southeast Asia, Cuban river goddesses, an Aztec bruja, werewolves, mermaids, soul-stealers, obsessive lovers, furious spurned wives, bloody murder in Gothic manors and on Southern plantations… and so much more…
With Foreword by Brandon Scott (Author of Vodou and Sleight, Devil Dog Press)
more
Kandisha Press put out its first anthology, Under Her Black Wings, in January, 2020, highlighting nineteen short stories by women writing horror. The title reminded me of the similarly-named Danzig song, which suits. Engaging cover art by Corinne Halbert looms like a demonic Little Orphan Annie, pupil-less and all!
International legends involving and written by women, some translated into English, rub shoulders. Demons with seductive faces, shape shifters, a “necromantic” serial killer, and other horrors stalk the pages.
As with any such grouping, some voices resonate more strongly than others. For me, the cornball humor of Somer Canon’s “The Riddle” brought some needed levity to our present Covid-miring experience. Somehow, Stevie Kopas’ twisty tale “The Darkness” felt strangely timely, and I enjoyed the good last line of Sharon Frame Gay’s “Road Rage.” There’s a certain sadness to Yolanda Sfetsos’ “Somewhere to Belong,” and “The Aztec” by Carmen Baca haunts. With such a diverse sampling of voices, readers are sure to find favorites, and one must wonder, when’s Kandisha Press publishing its next anthology?
Some of my favorite things this horror anthology contained:
Desolate Desert Landscapes- I absolutely loved the scenery of many of these stories. I live in the desert, therefore, I highly appreciated these little attention to detail moments. The smell of a monsoon, the humid rain heavy in the air, ugh the feels it evoked left my heart empty, covered in thick settled dust.
An Ocean Kingdom- I love mermaid horror stories. Horror and iridescent scales go so well together.
Revenge Parties- It’s all fun and games until you find out why you truly are the center of attention.
Creepy Phone Calls- Always make for a good psychological adventure.
Creepy Children- Let’s face it, children can be extra creepy, especially the on purpose creepy ones.
Other elements I enjoyed:
Revenge- All the fun ways revenge was taken… super fun! Morbid fun, but still. 🙂
Monsters- Supposed myths but these ladies brought them to life!
Evil- Who doesn’t love evil twisted stories?
I’m a sensitivity reader. I knew going into this horror anthology that I would not be able to read it at night once it got dark. I also knew I couldn’t read this while eating because of blood and gore.
So why did I read this?
A couple of reasons:
1. The cover looked sweet! I thought it was unique, pretty, and the colors popped right out at me. Most demons I’ve read about seem to have a male presence, I’m elated to see female demons getting more popular. (Probably because women are working towards equality still.)
2. It was free the day I found the sweet cover on Amazon. Lucky me!
3. I learned this was an ALL WOMEN horror anthology and I definitely wanted to support that. Women live with deep horrors, oftentimes even scaring the outside of the skin, if anyone should be writing about horror, it’s those who have lived it and keep on living. Women who write horror, ugh ya I’m here for even if I am a little sensitive. The horror community had remained mostly male in the past. I love that this is an all-women edition. Can I fangirl over that enough? Not really.
4. Some of the authors I follow on Twitter were featured- I was excited to see what they came up with.
5. As I was reading these stories I became more and more inspired and encouraged to write about my own horrors I’ve lived to tell, in a creative way. Anything I can refer to over and over and draw inspiration from is something I can appreciate, even being a sensitivity reader.
If you enjoy the horror genre, you’ll definitely find multiple, if not all of the authors you’ll want to follow. I know I’m going to.
As I stated before, I downloaded this while it was free on Amazon. I was under no obligation to write a review, my honest opinion is given freely.
It’s odd sometimes in the book world how things can get missed. Somehow, I completely missed checking this anthology out when it was announced at the start of the year. Now, whether that was because it was offered up on Kendall Reviews and someone else snagged it, or simply because there is SO MUCH amazing work coming out, for whatever reason, this wasn’t even on my radar until just last week, when Sonora Taylor put me in touch with Jill Girardi of Kandisha Press about reviewing Vol. 2. Jill asked if I’d like to check out Vol. 1, which I happily agreed to read. I devoured Vol. 2 in one sitting. It was amazing. I immediately dove into Vol. 1 once finished and over the course of a few days, cruised through this anthology as well.
What I liked: ‘Under Her Black Wings’ brings a stunning variety of women authors, who all put their soul into creating some truly bleak stories.
The anthology opens with the amazing ‘What You Eat’ by Alys Hobbs. Much like Vol. 2 opened with a fantastically strong story, Vol. 1 uses that story to spring board into tale after tale of blackness and biting scenarios.
‘The Riddled Path’ by Somer Canon creeped me the hell out, ‘Desert Kisses’ by Michelle Garza & Melissa Lason reinforced why the Sisters of Slaughter are a force to be reckoned with (and I still need to get to their long work, sheesh!). In Vol. 2 one of the strongest stories was ‘Love You to Death’ by Yolanda Sfetsos. Here she is, featured in Vol. 1 as well and her story ‘Somewhere to Belong’ once again stands as one of the top dogs. Seriously, give her work a read. Her Short! Sharp! Shocks! release was outstanding as well.
‘Cold Calling’ by Paula R.C. Readman had me completely captivated. Readman also was in Vol. 2 and again – another of the S!S!S! family you should read.
Personally, I think my favorite was Jill Girardi’s. Her story ‘Firstborn’ was not only super intense and emotionally ravaging, but the subject matter was very refreshing. It’s not often we get middle eastern based horror stories (and I probably messed up on my region labeling) but wow! Loved that bit of folklore!
What I didn’t like: Much like Vol. 2, this will feel like a cop out, but there really isn’t anything I wasn’t a fan of. While Vol. 2 was so strong I had suggested it might’ve made sense to cut it into two releases, Vol. 1 felt perfect in it’s story quantity and the flow was done just right.
So, to be fair to my own reviews, I’ll give the company line of “some stories that I liked may not be the ones other readers like.”
There!
Why you should buy it: Look, I’ve been singing this loud and clear for what? two years now? SUPPORT WOMEN AUTHORS IN THE DARK FICTIONS! These stories were fantastic and there is some theme or narrative that will make each reader go “WOW!”
I absolutely dropped the ball here. I should’ve read this when it came out, but I have now and for those out there who have also missed it – time to fix that.
I would highly recommend you pair Vol 1. with Vol 2. They work so well as a pair and I think seeing as Vol. 2 is arriving in four days now, I can’t imagine we won’t get a Vol. 3.
Kudos again to Kandisha Press for their diligence in putting together two truly amazing anthologies.
After having the honored privilege of reading and reviewing a complimentary copy of ‘The One That Got Away : Women of Horror Anthology Volume 3’, I spoiled myself by purchasing the other 2. No regrets!
Forward by Brandon Scott
Published by Kandisha Press
Theme: Woman Monsters
What You Eat by Lays Hobbs
The Aztec by Carmen Baca
The Riddled Path by Comer Canon
Desert Kisses by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason
Somewhere to Belong by Yolanda Sfetsos
Heart for the Heartless by Charlotte Munro
The Darkness by Stevie Kopas
Sarah Smiles by Christy Aldridge
Goddess of the Lake by Malena Salazar Macia
Abigail’s Army by Sharon Frame Gay
Road Rage by Sharon Frame Gray
Cold Calling by Paula R.C. Readman
Upon Acceptance by Cooper Rose
The Faceless Woman by Maria Lanza
Unplugged by Dawn DeBraal
Firstborn by Jill Girardi
Sadie by Lydia Prime
Pontianak by Tina Isaacs
As with all anthologies, there will be stories that will be captivating and some that are not as much. That certainly is not a particularly bad thing at all. It’s all in ones own perspective, likes and dislikes.
Each and every story is unique and creative, the voices of these authors shine through. So much amazing diversity. Intense and emotional, creepy and twisted, all gushing with personality.
Deliciously Gratifying!
I was excited to have the opportunity to read this, the 2020 Women of Horror Anthology! Nineteen stories by some authors I am familiar with and most being my first chance for reading their works! This holds tales of strange appetites, woman scorned and the revenge they take, monsters both in physical form and monsters of the mind.
As each of us is different, each of these stories will horrify us differently! A couple that stuck with me were:Unplugged by Dawn DeBraal-woman wants to unplug from her former life so she begins to get rid of everyone close to her. The Riddled Path by Somer Canon-boyscout troop comes upon a part beast, part woman during a hike in the mountains, asks riddles of them, wrong answer gets them killed, right answers she allows them to pass. Also Desert Kisses by Sisters of Slaughter, Road Rage by Sharon Frame Gay and The Darkness by Stevie Kopas! This is well worth the read to see which stories push your personnel horror button!