4-26-26 — Christina Critiques (Indie, Mainstream and Splatterpunk Award Nominees)

CROSSROADS

By: Laurel Hightower

Release: (re-released) 4/21/26

Page count: 126

KU: No         Hoopla: No

Synopsis: When does a mother’s sacrifice turn to pure selfishness? Can Chris realize she may be crossing the line before it’s too late?

First line: “The first time Chris buried a part of herself by her son’s roadside cross, it was an accident.”

Favorite line: “She believed in a smiling sacrifice.”

Thoughts: Well, I needed a good cry and to renew my stock in Kleenex. What I loved the most is the different ways the reader can interpret the story - is Chris selfish? Selfless? Experiencing a mental breakdown? Completely sane? Or an odd mixture of everything? My heart broke mostly for Dan and Bo. Both of their love for Chris and Trey were so pure and honest. Enjoy being heartbroken and emotionally destroyed. It’s totally worth it.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: THE DAY OF THE DOOR, SILENT KEY

Find it here: https://a.co/d/01oRhUuN

STATUES

By: Junji Ito

Release: 3/24/26

Page count: 330

KU: No          Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Ten short stories that will unnerve, induce nightmares, and turn your stomach the only way Ito can.

First line: “Don’t ever talk to me again, Ishii!”

Favorite line: “Any treasure that comes out of the town belongs to the town.”

Thoughts: Ito, can anyone do horror manga (graphic novels) better than he can? There are drawings that caused me to cringe - even in black and white, they seemed so real. “Scarecrow” was the most twisted and made my skin crawl because while it couldn’t really happens, the obsession depicted is all too relatable.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: DISSOLVING CLASSROOM, ALLEYS

Find it here: https://a.co/d/0dQOszZP

SPLATTERPUNK AWARD NOMINEES - Best Short Story

“And She Was Made of Glass”

From: FULL THROTTLE

By: Lucas Millirion

Release: 3/31/25

KU: No       Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Tracey lost her daughter to cruelty and she’s going to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else no matter what the cost.

First line: “I was made in a place I cannot go.”

Favorite line: “Dead is such a slow death.”

Thoughts: A story of sadness, deception, isolation, and revenge - Milliron puts the reader behind the screen of his making and refuses to allow us to look away. Social commentary and a moral gives this tale an added depth.

Find the full collection here: https://a.co/d/09Fxoohl

“Executive Decision”

From: FULL THROTTLE

By: Christine Morgan

Release: 3/31/25

KU: No         Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Carol must listen to other employees on the way to an unknown destination for their company retreat of sorts. But how can one not talk about the way they would want to die when on such a trip?

First line: “Guillotine!”

Favorite line: “This is a non-smoking facility…”

Thoughts: Morgan can do no wrong and this story only solidifies that. Taking a corporate “retreat” and putting such a spin on it, what to any other author would be a harmless conversation becomes anarchy with Morgan’s brilliance. Hilarious with eye rolling moments from embarrassing characters make it seem all too short of a story. This would be a killer novella.

Find the full collection here: https://a.co/d/09Fxoohl

RED WOMB

By: C.M. Guidroz

Release: 3/15/25

Page count: 53

KU: Yes       Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Maddox has zero regrets for the suffering he has inflicted… until he meets Mother, then he begins to have one or two.

First line: “The stench of the antiseptic and sweat thickens the air, clinging to the back of Maddox Barbo’s throat.”Favorite line: “Oh Maddox… you always thought you were the big bad wolf. But you’ve never even seen a real beast.”

Thoughts: While this is a story of female revenge and is 100% gruesome, it’s also quite erotic. (Which was emotionally confusing - trust me.) Guidroz nails that power women can feel at times when they know there is hell to be inflicted. I don’t know if I’ve said this before but it would make one hell (ha) of a short film in the right hands. I’m more than impressed and can see this as the top contender for the win in this category.

Find it here: https://a.co/d/09paiRGl

“The Tripps”

From: THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: New Tales of Stephen King’s THE STAND

By: Wrath James White

Release: 8/19/25

KU: No          Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Talik has seen too many deaths in his short life but the amount of emotional damage coming his way is more than anything anyone should experience.

First line: “Ay, yo!”

Favorite line: “The City of Brotherly Love had become the City of Bodily Harm.”

Thoughts: gasp That should be the entire review but I will give a bit more. White quickly builds a world within THE STAND universe and it sucks the reader in so well. A look at how The Tripps could have affected a lower-income area was an interesting direction to go with a short story.

Find the full collection here: https://a.co/d/0cwXvua7

“Wrong Fucking Place, Wrong Fucking Time”

From: THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: New Tales is Stephen King’s THE STAND

By: C. Robert Cargill

Release: 8/19/25

KU: No        Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Alan and Derek believed they were the only ones left alive in their town after a flu like illness wipes out the town but Alan was a surprise in more ways than one.

First line: “Derek Cerny and Alan Mahr had always joked that Roosevelt, Texas, would be a great town if it weren’t for all the people, and as it turned out, they were pretty much right.”

Favorite line: “Do you always talk so fucking much, you fucking fuck…”

Thoughts: I adored these three slashing musketeers. The immediate camaraderie and eventual openness and respect made the world seem more intimate and hopeful. And talk about cathartic! I also loved all the movies mentioned - everything worked perfectly with this short story.

Find the full collection here: https://a.co/d/0cwXvua7