04/11/2026 - Danielle's Dark Corners

Happy Saturday! Today I did things a little differently than usual. Kinda. I feel as though these reviews get a little wild and unhinged, but in the best ways possible—and when I say unhinged, I mean that I went ahead and used multiple quotes for several of the books and censored some of the quotes. If you know me, you know I don’t censor anything. So, that alone should say something. Anyway, I went a bit longer on these, so let’s skip the small talk and dive right in! Enjoy!

DIE AND ROT IN HELL

by Harrison Phillips

“The earth moved below her once again. This time, something emerged from the dirt, bursting out of the ground and taking ahold of her. Whatever it was that now had her in its grasp, it felt cold and slimy, like the tentacles of an octopus wrapping around her limbs and her abdomen.”

“I want you to take this pencil,” he said. “I want you to push it into my …, then I want you to…” (yep, even I’m censoring this quote, lol).

“Ever since you were a boy, you’ve been in pain. But now, you’ve learned to love it. You’ve embraced the darkness. And now, I can give you what you so desire. I can give you the ultimate pleasure … and the ultimate pain.”

I honestly do not even know where to begin with this one. I mean, yes, I absolutely did start with THREE quotes from the book. So I suppose we start there. Anyway, DIE AND ROT IN HELL was absolutely amazing, which is no surprise given that Harrison Phillips is easily one of my top five favorite writers in the community. For two... going on three years in a row, he has had books that have topped my lists for favorite books. I became a huge fan of his writing after just two short stories that were in anthologies, and both STILL live rent-free in my head. Anyway, I always talk about how I go into books blind. At this point authors don’t even bother sending me a synopsis because they know I don’t want to know anything about what I'm about to get into. This time Harrison Phillips did give me a slight heads up. His exact words were: “It’s a weird one, kind of like a Lucio Fulci movie.” – Naturally, my response was: “Omg yes, all day! Yes!” Meanwhile, I have not one clue who Lucio Fulci is or what movies he may have been speaking about, lol. As I write this review, I still have no idea, and I’m actually going to switch over to Google and look them up.

Ok, I am back and still have zero clue who this film director is nor am I familiar with any of his movies. In my defense, as much as you see me read horror, I actually don’t watch a ton of it. The cult classics and such, yes, but my movie knowledge is quite embarrassing, but I fully own that. Anyway, the titles and movie posters look pretty damn unhinged, so if that’s the case then that totally tracks because DIE AND ROT IN HELL was unhinged. Absolutely bonkers at times. By page 20, I almost tapped out because I could literally feel the pain of what I was reading. By page 30, I placed my Kindle upside down and stared at the wall in silence for a solid half hour. (This is why I used three quotes to start my review. You all needed to be SLIGHTLY aware of the wild ride you’re about to get on with this story!)

But the one thing I REALLY love about this book and all of Phillips books, is that no matter how much I may cringe, clutch my pearls, gag, contemplate what I've gotten myself into, etc., the storytelling is top-tier and the characters alongside the entire storyline are divine! You can tell when authors take their time and put their all into a book… this is definitely one of those times!

This is one of those books that’s hard for me to describe. There are a lot of elements in this one (I should’ve binged that director's movies ahead of time, lol). So, we have some top-tier body horror, a few grossout moments, demons, possession, religion (kind of), and a whole lot of gore. The book follows a few different characters, and their development and personal stories are told really well, and everything is easy to keep track of without getting lost. Yet another book that I can already guarantee will end up on my top reads of 2026 list.

DIE AND ROT IN HELL releases April 12^th, and I highly encourage everyone to go ahead and move it to the top of your TBR and dive right in.

This book is definitely on the more extreme side. Not his most extreme by any means, but there are some pretty brutal parts. But I also want to make a note that when you read the synopsis, you might get the vibe that there’s CSA, etc., involved, and I want to go ahead and let everyone know that if that’s a trigger for you, don’t worry. It’s not like that. You’re safe to proceed. But any other triggers? Good luck. I have never tapped out of a book, so for one to tempt me at 20 pages in when it sits at just under 200 pages is REALLY impressive. Okay, enough rambling from me. I can’t wait to see the reviews start pouring in for this because I am beyond curious what everyone else is going to say. I know it’ll be love, but I am curious, given all the different elements in play!

SYNOPSIS:

Something is very wrong in the town of Dunswell.

At only seventeen years of age, Liv feels as though she has lost everything. But she will come to learn there is always something more to lose.

Leonard is a sexual deviant. Although he doesn't yet know it, the dark visions plaguing his dreams have been guiding him towards this town.

Father Matthews witnesses a miracle. Does this have any connection to the catacomb recently unearthed beneath his church?

We all die eventually. We just have to pray we don't rot in hell...

WARNING: This book contains scenes of explicit violence and gore.

Grab it on Amazon.

*Releases 4/12 but is available for preorder.

SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MADDIE

by Taylor Z. Adams

“I swallowed hard, looking down at the book in my lap. The pages weren’t blurred, weren’t shifting, weren’t unraveling anymore. They were just… pages. Just ink on paper. Just an old book in an old language, worn at the edges, yellowed with time.”

I’m going to go ahead and start this one with a spoiler. There is DEFINITELY something wrong with Maddie. So, heads up… or off. Because… zombies. Adams isn’t a new-to-me author per se. I read her book BELOW THE BURROW last year and enjoyed it a lot! Enough that I actually read SOMETHINGS WRONG WITH MADDIE last year as well and then revisited it before finalizing this review. That should say quite a bit in itself because I tend to read so many books that it gets hard to revisit them at times. And to be completely honest, I am not much of a zombie girl, but I had no clue what I was even getting into and I’m glad because I may have gone in with preconceived notions which would’ve been damn near sinful given how INCREDIBLE this freaking book is!!!

It’s quite honestly everything I look for in a solid Splatterpunk book that I don’t seem to find a ton of anymore. It’s exactly what a well-rounded Splatterpunk book should have, in my opinion. I actually wasn’t expecting that aspect either, so that was a very nice surprise. This entire book is a freaking gem and a half, so if I went through EVERY detail that caught my attention, this would end up being a novella-sized review. Taylor Z. Adams has this superbly talented way of taking some tough topics and sprinkling some humor and lightheartedness to them. All while staying true to the gore and body horror. But also mix in some love alongside grief. See? That’s a lot. But in the best way possible. I know I said it above, but I really want to reiterate that this book has it all PLUS some and I really can't think of a horror reader who wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy the hell out of this book from cover to cover.

Characters? Curated beautifully. Tone and overall vibe? Unmatched. Gore? Yup! Some black-comedy horror? You betcha! OH, OH, OH, and do NOT forget to sprinkle the Sapphic romance part in there, either. Because not only is it very prevalent in the story, but it’s also done flawlessly. I don’t even know the last time I used the word flawless in a review, but here we are. I can’t think of a better word to describe this story and the writing style any other way.

Taylor Z. Adams is definitely an author to keep your eye on around here because she is going to be doing big things. If her first two books that I’ve read are a glimpse of what she’s capable of, then there is no limit to where she can go and what she can do with her future endeavors. Because this story and the author have everything someone could want, plus a bunch more.

If Adams is a new-to-you author, I highly recommend reading this book. If she’s not a new-to-you author, I still highly recommend reading this book. And if it’s been something that’s been sitting in your TBR pile for a while, I highly recommend moving it to the top and reading it asap.

*I also want to take this opportunity to welcome Taylor to the UDH family. When I saw she was being signed with UDH for an upcoming book, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. And I promise I had zero idea until the announcement was made publicly alongside everyone else. So, welcome to the family and congratulations! I can’t wait to see what glass ceilings you break around here!

SYNOPSIS:

Maddie died. Piper refused to accept it.

One blood ritual later and Maddie is back—undead, starving and nothing close to resembling human. Despite her deceased girlfriend reeking of rotting flesh, Piper decides she’ll do anything to keep her zombie girlfriend: lie to suspicious neighbors, outwit a nosy cop, and make sure the apartment complex’s missing-person flyers don’t point to their kitchen.

As scraps of the old Maddie surface, so do the hunger pangs. The body count begins to pile up, and Piper has to decide what she's willing to do to keep her girlfriend fed.

Part Sapphic dark romance, part black-comedy horror, Something’s Wrong With Maddie is a gore-slick tale of grief, obsession, and devotion with sharp Splatterpunk bite, body-horror set pieces, and a love story that refuses to die—even when it really should.

Grab it on Godless.

Grab it on Amazon.

RANCHMAN

by Derek Thomas

“Bobby goes to the back, gets the water bottle he brought with him from his locker, and mixes up a small batch for Mr. Farina. Bobby serves it with the requested garlic knots.”

“Mr. Farina dunks the bread into the *** and *** tainted dressing, being sure to get an ample amount for the tasting. He bites a chunk, sits back, and chews thoroughly. After swallowing, he smiles at Bobby.”

Welp, if the cover of RANCHMAN doesn’t hint towards how foul this book is, don’t worry, I am going to tell you. RANCHMAN is FOUL. Straight up gag worthy. I don’t know if I’m becoming soft, or if the gross-outs are getting grosser. It’s probably a mix of both. That and the fact that Thomas is a phenomenal storyteller, so regardless of how many times I put this book down, I kept going back for more! In fact, I definitely read this book twice. Once last year, when Derek Thomas was kind enough to send me a physical copy, and again on my Kindle this week when I decided to revisit it for this review.

Gross-outs and extreme horrors like this are hard for me to review. I tend to keep them super short and super unhinged. But this book deserves more praise and hype than that. I remember when it was released and seeing everyone talk about it, so I hope to convince you to take the plunge and see how your gag reflex is working by taking a chance on this one!

This was the first book I have read by Derek Thomas, despite knowing who he is in the community for years now. But I am so glad I finally was able to dive into his work because he has accrued a fan for life.

Look, there isn’t a ton I can say about this book without giving away the entire plot. But hear me out, I literally censored one of the quotes I used above, and if there’s one thing about me… I don’t do censors, lol. So that should also tell you something. (In a GOOD way!) Derek Thomas is a really great storyteller, and yes, as unhinged as this book is, from cover to cover—quite literally. It is REALLY damn good and one of my new staples in the extreme horror realm!

SYNOPSIS:

Bobby Sims is a former high school star athlete. Now, in his mid-thirties, he is down on his luck and full of rage. So much hate that he begins a series of violent acts just because he doesn't like the way people use a very popular condiment.

Suddenly, he has a chance to get back with his lost love. He knows this will fix all his problems. His once-promising life will be back on track ... finally.

A tragic tale of lost love, reconciliation, revenge and murder.

Warning: This is extreme horror. It is not for everyone.

Grab it on Amazon.

MENTAL: Book 3 of the DEMONS AMONG US series

by Justin Boote

“But, of course, in such a small village the news that someone was digging up the deceased and doing unspeakable things to their corpses travelled fast. It was surely only a matter of time before…”

MENTAL is the third book in The Demons Among Us series, and while I may have said the second one was my favorite, this one could very well top it. But I will hold off on making that an official claim since there’s a total of five books in the series.

Justin Boote is one of those authors who, no matter what I pick up from him, I know it’s going to be a really good story, and that’s something I love. Especially with his range of going from extreme horror to something less extreme, like this series. MENTAL is a total page turner that you cannot put down. The dread builds and builds and builds and you just have to know what happens next. And each thing that happens next is more MENTAL than the previous thing. I know, that’s super vague, but I also know you guys know what I mean. I think. Just trust me on this. I don’t really read other reviews because I don’t want to skew my own thoughts, but the rating on this bad boy is damn near five stars with a solid number of ratings/reviews.

You can technically read this as a standalone, BUT I highly encourage reading the previous two beforehand so you get the best reading experience and will have zero confusion about who is who and the reason behind what happens throughout the plot, etc. I have already read book four, but I won't speak on that yet; all I will say is that I think this will be one of the best series I have read in general. Yet another well-rounded book from start to finish. The characters are done really well. The plot is fantastic. The vibe is totally vibing.

Boote is an author whose books I can’t praise enough. But based on his presence within the community, and the reviews I constantly see, I doubt any of what I am saying is a surprise. I tend not to be a series gal because of the pressure I put on myself to binge them all in a short time, but this is a series I simply cannot get enough of and cannot recommend enough. Do yourself a favor and go read the first two, then binge-read this one. You will not regret it, and it’s suitable for essentially every horror fan out there.

SYNOPSIS:

Andrew Forsyth is a psychopath, a sadistic killer without remorse terrorising the small village of Bradwell in eastern England. On the verge of killing victim number 13, he is captured by undercover police. When he is sentenced to an indefinite time in Northgate Hospital for the Criminally Insane, at first he welcomes it; surely, it has to be better than spending the rest of his life in prison.

And yet, on his first day inside, he realises his mistake. Surrounded by some of the most twisted, sick individuals known to man, he tries to escape.

But no one escapes Northgate. Not since the last time when a brutal series of events occurred causing widespread death and terror. Then, as if things couldn't get any worse, Andrew hears his son has died tragically, and everything changes. Inmates start talking of ghostly noises, something stalking them at night when everyone is supposed to be sedated and asleep. The inmates talk of seeing ghosts and far worse. Things that attack them in their sleep...

Terry does not want to set foot in Northgate ever again. Nobody on the outside does. But soon, he will be left with no choice. Only this time it's going to get personal. Very personal.

Grab it on Amazon.

Check out the five book series here.