6-28-25 — Danielle’s Dark Corners
- Christina Pfeiffer
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
THE HORROR COLLECTION: AMBER EDITION
Edited by: Kevin J. Kennedy
When I see that KJK is putting out an antho, I always know it’s going to be a good one. The TOC always hits, and the stories never disappoint. This is yet another example of that. This anthology is jam-packed with 18 amazing short stories. If I tried to review every single one, it’d be novel length, so I’m going to highlight a few standout reads for me:
Misty’s Vision
By Mark Lukens
“She didn’t need to console me; she didn’t need to inspire me—she knew that. Just a look from her could calm me down.”
This was one hell of a way to start an anthology. Home invasion. Completely thrilling. Total page turner from the FIRST sentence. An absolutely BRUTAL story. Not one thing about this one was happy… and I mean that in the best way possible. Toxic love gone rogue.
Black Beauty
By Mark Towse
“hastobeagoodending”
This story was absolutely chaotic, and I’m obsessed. You literally feel manic, and scatter brained reading it. Super impressive writing. When a writer goes mad and a typewriter goes rogue… yeah… imagine.
Trapped in the Birth Canal
By Sheri White
“You’re right, killing won’t make him thinner. Cutting pieces of him will.”
Friends from high school get together and decide to go explore a cave. What could possibly go wrong?! This one was phenomenal. Have a TINY bit of Lord of the Flies vibes. Some cannibalism. And an ending that will make you say “DAMN.”
Torture Porn for Prudes
By Jeff Strand
“I said, I shall do the unthinkable. I shall cut off your ding-dong.”
I’m not sure how this is the first story I’ve read by Strand, but lol. I went from gagging to laughing. This one was so enjoyable. The characters were done REALLY well. I think this is going to be a standout for a lot of readers.
One Last Kill
By Christina Bergling
"My anger is pure, young, the most elemental part of me. It is the first sensation I ever remember. My lifelong companion."
Yassss. I love a good first person POV. This one takes on a geriatric serial killer who is in a nursing home but just can’t shake the fact that his final girl got away… or does she?! The plot twist in this one was chefs kiss!
Telling the Bees
By Ju Collins
“Bees have such an intricate relationship with the ones who care for them that there’s an entire collection of lore surrounding it.”
I had NO clue where this story was going to go at any given time. And wow, it went ROGUE. This story was incredibly unhinged in the most amazing ways possible. A total mind penetration of WTF’s. I absolutely loved everything about this one.
Overall, as I said before, this entire anthology was great. I highly recommend it to all horror readers. There’s really something for everything. And it’s available on KU! So run to Amazon and grab it now. It’s certainly one you want on your shelves.
HEADLESS
By: Scott Cole
“To those of you who remain, for now, prepare yourselves. For you are about to witness true majesty. Your new god arrives. Bow down.”
Another perfect read for the summer! This book was a lot of fun! I’ll be completely honest, it’s not typically a trope I go to, but that being said, I absolutely enjoyed the hell out of this one. Weather mixed with sci-fi, mixed with even more supernatural, and then add some violent Headless people and you have yourself one heck of a horror story.
I loved the writing style. The characters were done really well. Some had a ton of relatability factors which I enjoyed a lot. The plot was solid and executed really well. Overall, I absolutely recommend this book to any horror reader!! Especially those who are into the tropes I mentioned above.
This book is available on Amazon and KU! Grab it now!
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
By: Rob Smales
“We were hiding in the deep shadows—but if we could do it, others could too, and my imagination populated the dark places around us with all kinds of things, angry carnies the least of them.”
Oh, heck yes. This is the perfect summer read!! This is such a random claim, but I feel like this book could be a staple read for indie horror, and how to just write a damn good story and have it be creepy and an absolute page turner. At just over 160 pages, I read this book in two sittings. I HAD to know what was going to happen next and with every turn of the page I was more and more engulfed in the story. There’s also a coming of age feel to the whole vibe which was a nice change of pace for me as well.
This was my first time reading something by Smales, but it certainly won’t be my last. Highest of recommendations to all. Especially those looking for an overall solid story without going too over the top.
Friends in High Places is available on Godless. Grab it now!
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