Welcome back, Spooky Season readers! My goal this month was to read at least three spooky books. I’ll admit, I only read ½ of this book. I’m currently deep in the horror anthology called “The Black Girl Survives at the End”. It’s a collection of horror and suspense short stories where every main character is a Black girl, and each one is fighting to make it to the final page. I love that premise. So far I have read about 60% of the book. To post this on Halloween, I’m splitting my review in two. Part one is today, and part two comes next week.
The Foreword
The book opens with a foreword by Tananarive Due, author of The Reformatory and My Soul to Keep. She’s at the forefront of Black horror, with excellent world-building and compelling characters who stay with you long after you finish. Her foreword was immaculate and thought-provoking. She breaks down the history of horror and the tropes Black women get stuck in, like the savior or the spiritual advisor who gets killed by the demon. She also explains how typecasting keeps Black women from being shown in all the richness of their lives.
The Verdict So Far
I’ve finished 10 stories, and I’m giving the book a 4.3 out of 5. If you’re nervous about horror, know that this isn’t a slasher collection. There may be one slasher story in here, but mostly these stories are more suspenseful and speculative than gory. Below are the ones that stood out to me and how they resonated.
The Stories
1. “The Harvesters” by L.L. McKinney. Imagine going to a party with friends, losing your ride home, taking another ride, and ending up in the middle of a cornfield. I loved how McKinney used imagery and setting to build the moment of horror. When it hit, I thought, oh my God, what is happening? The character development was strong, and there’s one character who seems to be there just to be there but turns out to be needed for the secondary tension. It leans more speculative fiction than pure horror, but I’d recommend it.
2. “Welcome Back to the Cosmos” by Kortney Nash. This one takes on something that has happened to so many African Americans: being told that the military is the best way to secure your future. Here, young people between 16 and 20 are sent into space to clean up debris. It asks a haunting question: if you die in space, where does your soul go? This one was scary. It had a good jump scare, and I actually screamed. If you’re a science fiction horror girlie, this is a 10 out of 10.
3. “Ghost Light” by Erin E. Adams. This one resonated with my theater kids. In high school, I did theater, mostly stage crew (I have no musical talent, but I’m dramatic), and you hear a lot of stage crew horror stories. Here you get one with a ghost tied to a stage crew member. Great build-up, great climax, and that “no, no, is she going to get you?” feeling. It has a real Poltergeist vibe, so if you like ghost stories, this is yours.
I also want to point out something I enjoyed across these stories: none of the girls have been traumatized. Maybe one or two later in the book, but so far they come from two-parent homes with parents who let them live and be girls without over-sexualizing them. They’re just doing teenage things, and that’s refreshing.
4. “The Brides of Devil’s Bayou” by Desiree S. Evans. A few stories in this book deal with ancestral lineage and ancestral horror, and this one is a generational curse story. It’s about breaking the curse to save your life, with the ancestors helping you because they’re still stuck in it. I loved the imagery. At one point, the family tries everything to protect the next girl in line, and she still feels the call to go back and break the curse. I was rooting for her the whole way.
Also, a quick shout-out to the ride-or-die best friends. They can be annoying, but I enjoyed the stories where the besties stick together (this one and “The Harvesters,” unlike the girls in “Welcome Back to the Cosmos,” who were haters).
5. “TMI” by Zakiya Dalila Harris. I can totally see this as a Black Mirror episode. It’s psychological horror, touching on phones, social media, and possibly psychic abilities. It’s not the weakest of the bunch, but it’s the one that made me think the most. If you like Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone, this is right up your alley.
6. “Black Pride” by Justina Ireland. Set in the late ’70s or early ’80s. Imagine you finally decide to go on a weekend getaway with your friends. During the mini getaways, your friends are trying to take you out of existence. This is a different take on werewolves and on making decisions about your life. It didn’t feel horrifying to me. It felt more speculative, blending in African folklore, with a nice little twist. If you like speculative fiction with African or Caribbean folklore, this is one for you, and another is coming up.
7. “The Screamers” by Daka Hermon. If you like horror that deals with family, this is it. It’s about grief, pain, and what happens when grief doesn’t die and keeps coming back. The whole family survives, but the girl has to do some things to make that happen (nothing crazy). If you love haunted houses, family drama, and not knowing whether the family will make it, this one’s for you. I won’t spoil why they ended up in that house, but once the pieces come together, you’ll go, “Oh, oh, oh.” I had a slight jump scare or two.
8. “Queeniums for Greenium” by Brittney Morris. This is the one everyone with allergies fears and needs an EpiPen for in an emergency. It’s more suspense and speculative than horror, with a what is going on? energy. It’s about what happens when you don’t listen to someone saying, “I’m allergic to this and I could die,” and it also looks at people who refuse doctors and medicine. Personally, I believe you should go to the doctor, and a holistic approach can complement that (a nutritionist, an herbalist, even Eastern medicine). I ain’t never gonna tell you all you need is tea to cure cancer! The story shows how not listening affects other people, not just the main character. Top-tier storytelling, and I was rooting for it.
9. “The Inheritance” by Camara Aaron. Another story rooted in Caribbean folklore, similar in theme to “The Brides of Devil’s Bayou” and “Black Pride”: ancestral lineage and having a connection to something bigger than yourself. When you realize you have that connection, will you use it to save your family and yourself, or let it die? It features lougarou lore, and it also deals with colonization and gentrification, with people knowingly hurting you to take what you have. The main character visits her aunt and sees how a beloved childhood beach was taken away, and how the aunt is being harassed and her reputation ruined. There’s more going on than meets the eye, and the story flips between the present and what happened a few days earlier, which I really liked. It has horror elements but felt more speculative to me.
10. “Black Girl Nature Group” by Maika and Maritza Moulite. I love a good Black girl run club, Black girl wine club, whatever it is. It’s a way to feel safe in community, though it can also be isolating. This story shows why Black girls need those spaces. Two best friends are beefing over typical teenage stuff (plus a crush), and one makes a new friend and joins a Black girls’ nature group, built on the idea that we deserve to be outside, enjoy green spaces, and take up space. Then the clues start piling up: wait, what do you mean people disappeared in this same area? Like several others, it deals with ancestry and breaking ancestral curses.
This story also reminded me of my grandmother. Whenever I see a child in my community, I say the prayer she used to say over me: May she return to me safely and sound, whole in body, mind, and spirit. It’s righteous, and I need to keep saying it to the people I love. I was a little scared at the end, but not scared scared, and I loved the get-back.
Final Thoughts
These 10 stories made me really enjoy the book. I’ll finish it hopefully by the end of next week, with part two to follow. It’s such a joy to read horror where, as the title promises, the Black girl survives at the end, and not only survives but thrives.
Since it’s getting nippy outside, grab a hot apple cider or something warm (I saw a spooky Halloween drink with green apple syrup that I want to try, but I might not have time), and read this book. By the time you read this, Halloween will be over, but the book will still be there, and fall nights are getting darker sooner. Take your time and have a good time.
Happy Halloween!!!!
Until Next Time,
Che Michelle
