In the interests of full disclosure, I have a story in this anthology. I always have second thoughts about reviewing a book that I’m a part of, but this is such a solid collection of excellent horror fiction that I want to tell the world about it. So I guess what I’m saying is, fuck second thoughts.

It Ends With Her deserves as wide an audience as possible.

The staff at Dead Fox Publishing—curation by Kelley York, editing by Kelley York, Kala Godin, and Syd Tomac—have put together a haunting anthology of sapphic horror that explores the beauty, terror, and tragedy of queer love through the unflinching lens of horror in all its permutations. Passion, obsession, desire, destruction, it’s all here. The stories range from supernatural nightmares to psychological dread, melancholy hopelessness to visceral body horror. If it’s that the deepest wounds are often inflicted by the people we love the most, there’s ample proof of that within these pages.

As with any quality anthology, your favorite stories may be different than mine. There’s not a dud in the bunch here, but for what it’s worth, these are a few of my favorites:

Salome by Mireya Higuera: A mysterious triptych of infamous paintings leads the reader on a dangerously seductive journey into the darkest corners of the art world.

The Lake Between Us by Ren Mercer: A couple rent a secluded cabin hoping to reignite their curdled relationship. Trust me when I say that if you think you know what happens next, you don’t.

Salt by Liz Pinto: This is an absolutely ravishing story that will make you taste the sea and feel the salt spray on your skin. And then your skin will begin to crawl…

Like the Flower of the Field by L.B. Waltz: First rate, squishy body horror. Also, it’s funny.

Riptide by C.A. Larkin: A story written in second person that pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

Home by Alchemy Dawn: A zombie story of sorts that manages to be fresh, original, and unexpected.

Again, these are the stories that sank their fangs into me the deepest, but all of them have something to offer. Dead Fox Publishing is a small but mighty indy publishing company, and with offerings like It Ends With Her, I think they’re going to make waves in the horror community.

Special callout to Dona Vaigand for the gorgeous cover art.

By the way, if you’re curious, my story here is titled A Scream Is a Sigh Turned Upside Down, and I think it’s one of my best. I also have an illustration in the book.

It Ends With Her is available in all the usual places, but you can purchase directly from the publisher and support a great team:
https://deadfoxpub.com/products/it-ends-with-her