5-10-26 Christina Critiques: Early Reviews for Bryan Smith, Jeff Strand, and Emma Osborne

EARLY REVIEW

ONE NIGHT AT THE SKULL SPARK CLUB

By: Bryan Smith

Release: 6/26

Page count:

KU: TBD       Hoopla: TBD

Synopsis: Three friends take the night to come together in order to watch one of their favorite bands. A night of drinking, music, and reconciling life… oh, and a bit of blood here and there. Also includes - two stories previously only on his Patreon (which you should ABSOLUTELY join).

First line: “One minute Craig King had his eyes fixed on the dark road ahead, feeling good from the three strong craft beers circulating in his system and the rock and roll music playing loud enough to make the windows of his Corolla vibrate, and then at some indistinct point, he slipped into blackness.”

Favorite line: “What a fucking thing, to feel so good and so bad at the same time.”

Thoughts: Where do I start with this one?! Bryan is known for his blood, gory, and world building - and for good reason. But ONE NIGHT… feels like he’s taking the gloves off. No more handing the readers death and destruction the way we have come to know it. No, Smith forces his readers to slow down. Take a breath. And look in the past with his characters. Yes, there is still blood, death, and stomach-churning moments but this just hits different. Maybe because of the situations the three main characters are in and going through or how growing up and old isn’t as easy as it looked when we were kids.

Smith has something special here and I can’t wait for others to see it, too.

Rating: 10/5

Other recommendations: MERCILESS, THE FREAKSHOW

EARLY REVIEW

FUN TIME AT THE BLOODBATH

By: Jeff Strand

Release: 7/7/26

Page count: 240

KU: No     Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: Remember when your parents told you video games would rot your brain? Well, imagine that but with a but of gory, violent deaths.

First line: “Margot’s younger brother was the kind of person who could die alone in his apartment without anyone noticing.”

Favorite line: “She took a shower and masturbated to memories of the tacos.”

Thoughts: With all of the stories/novels/novellas I have read by Jeff, this is hands down the bloodiest and most depraved. Plus, some of the kills/maiming are creative. Honestly, the whole premise is fascinating. A video game that takes all of your time - physically, mentally, socially and you HAVE to beat it. Otherwise, you’re just a failure. It comments on the social media trend of not knowing what is real and what isn’t, the addictive nature of video games, and the lengths people would go to save strangers. I’ve never been so happy to be a terrible video game player - it may have kept me alive.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: DEATHLESS, CLOWNS VS. SPIDERS

Pre-order here: https://a.co/d/0iXHFR6i

AVAILABLE FOR REQUEST ON NETGALLEY

EARLY REVIEW

GRIEF EATER

By: Emma Osborne

Release: 6/1/26

Page count: 94

KU: TBD       Hoopla: TBD

Synopsis: Kristina, a newly turned zombie, must decide if getting back to her family is worth how it will end.

First line: “I die alone in the back of an abandoned car.”

Favorite line: “My heart hurt more than my face.”

“I am a devil of vengeance, and I am hunting.”

“My last thought is how I didn’t call my family when the world ended.”

Thoughts: Friends, I had to sit with this one for a while. I know, I know, the more boring readers refuse to read zombie stories but for the cool kids like us, (I KNOW you aren’t boring), this is what we crave. Something different, something new to the trope. Kristina aches for love - alive and dead and somehow that breaks something in the reader. With LGBT+ representation, this is a novella that will be sure to make my Top Ten this year.

Rating: 10/5

Pre-order it here: https://a.co/d/0fIYMI45

AVAILABLE FOR REQUEST ON NETGALLEY