Slasher girls and Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

Publisher: Dial Books

Publication Date: August 18th, 2015

Pages: 385

Song I Played While Reading: Control by Halsey

Rating: 3 stars

A host of the sharpest young adult authors come together in this collection of terrifying tales and psychological thrillers. Each story draws from a mix of literature, film, television, or even music to offer something new and fresh and unsettling. Even better? After you've teased out each tale's reference, satisfy your curiosity at the end, where the inspiration is revealed. There are no superficial scares here. These are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror, to the supernatural, to unnerving all-to-possible realism, this collection has something for anyone looking for an absolute thrill.

I don't get scared easily from books. Creeped out a little, sure, but never absolutely freaked out where I have to sleep with the lights on. Since this isn't a visual thing, it doesn't scare me. Now, movies? Don't even get me started on those. I refuse to watch scary movies because they freak me out so badly afterwards. So I wasn't expecting much from this book, and that was exactly what I got. 

There are 14 short stories in this collection, and only two gave me the heebie jeebies, which was Marie Lu's The Girl Without a Face and Carrie Ryan's In the Forest Dark and Deep. Lu's was straight out of a horror movie, and like I said, I don't fuck with those, NO SIR, while Ryan's dealt with a creepy twist on Alice in Wonderland.

Most of these were enjoyable, a little strange or startling or even fascinating at times, with only one really boring me to tears, which was M by Stefan Bachman. 

Overall, I was a little let down with how not scary this was. There was too much supernatural stuff in here, which is something I don't find frightening at all. But I definitely recommend picking this one up to get into the Halloween mood! Some of my favorites, bedsides Lu's and Ryan's, where Hide-and-Seek by Megan Shepherd, Fat Girl with a Knife by Jonathan Maberry (this one was hilarious), and Sleepless by Jay Kristoff.