10/05/2026 Kerry E.B. Black Binges Books

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (which runs from 15 September until 15 October), Kerry E.B. Black is posting two reviews of works by her favorite Puerto Rican author, Cynthia Pelayo. For those who don't know this soft-spoken, elegant, intellectual, Ms. Pelayo is the first Puerto Rican to win the Bram Stoker Award. She writes fairy tales that blend genre and explore grief, mourning, and cycles of violence. Her love of Chicago, which she described as her "cosmology," is evident in almost all of her works. This scholastic, poet, and journalist has also won the International Latino Book Award. She's also an editor, content creator, and devoted mom.

Book Review: Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

Ever wonder what happened to the kids the Pied Piper led away from their Hamelin homes? Cynthia Pelayo incorporates this Grimm fairy tale into her novel, Children of Chicago. The lead POV character is a distrusted Chicago homicide detective who notices something strange at the sites of a recent rash of murdered children. They're all tagged with graffiti naming the Pied Piper. This sends a chill up her spine. With a heavy sense of foreboding, her investigation leads to some dark discoveries, indeed, which reminds people to be careful when making deals and to remember to always pay the Piper!

Book Review: Snow White's Shattered Coffin by Cynthia Pelayo, illustrated by Vheto Gutierrez Vazquez

Cynthia Pelayo writes a moving story of a young woman fascinated by an unusual Chicago funerary sculpture of a seated little girl surrounded by glass in a special release, limited edition novella/short story, Snow White's Shattered Coffin. Beautifully illustrated by Vheto Gutierrez Vazquez, the statue in this quick tale leaves her throne to enact a curse, one the narrator hopes to mitigate by facing her fears.

The story is dedicated to Cynthia Pelayo's beloved city of Chicago. Her adoration for the place is obvious. Through her writing, readers are transported to the unusual cemetery with its gluts of lady bugs and famous occupants.

The art punctuates and accents the reading experience. The one drawings are intricate, compelling, and gorgeous. In truth, I'd love to see this collaboration further expand. This duo would create a kick-butt graphic novel! Still, for those lucky (or insightful) enough to snag one of the only 200 copies of this second "It Came From Beyond" Pulp Illustrated Chapbook series, it is sure to be a treasure.

Kerry E.B. Black, crazy cat mom of felines named for great authors and nearly grown children who are not, writes an eclectic collection of tales from an itty, bitty house (which is for sale, if you’re interested) outside of the city of steel, three rivers, and zombies. This author of two paranormal thrillers (Awakening at Equinox and Spring of Spirits), four collections of short scares (Herd of Nightmares, Carousel of Nightmares, Nightmares on Holidays, and Fairy Herds and Mythscapes), two poetry collections (Poetic Nightmares and Witches in the Air) and a pseudo-historical novella (Wolves at Bay) is a member of the HWA. Please follow her social media, including her website https://www.KerryEBBlack.com