Sonora Taylor

Step into the dark mind of award-winning horror author Sonora Taylor with this chilling anthology, All the Pieces Coming Together. This 14-story collection features some of the most unsettling works from Taylor's impressive career, along with two terrifying tales that have never been seen before.

From the very first story, it’s clear that Taylor has a talent for stirring deep fears and anxieties in the reader. Each piece is like a poisoned dagger striking straight into your mind. The dread show more seeps from every page, making your skin crawl and filling your thoughts with disturbing images.

Taylor's writing combines psychological depth with brutal imagery. She takes care to create relatable, flawed characters, only to place them in the most nightmarish, gruesome situations. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion—you know you shouldn’t look, but you can’t look away.

A key theme in these stories is the malevolent spirits that haunt the characters. From vengeful ghosts to demonic beings, Taylor brings forth all kinds of evil forces intent on tormenting her characters. She has a talent for making the supernatural feel entirely real and unavoidable.

Taylor's understanding of the darkest sides of human nature sets this anthology apart from typical jump-scare horror. Below the supernatural threats lie universal fears about death, loneliness, and the harshness of life. Taylor gazes into the abyss without flinching and reveals its terrible secrets.

The two new, unpublished stories serve as a wicked topping on this haunted cake. One explores grief and guilt, while the other delves into pagan cults and sacrifice. Both fit seamlessly with the rest of the collection and deliver top-notch terror.

If you enjoy stories that will keep you up all night, feeling paranoid and scared, then Sonora Taylor's All the Pieces Coming Together is a must-read. But be warned—the horrors inside will linger in your nightmares and affect your waking life. This anthology is not for the faint of heart and will leave you deeply unsettled. show less

"𝘋𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 show more 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴. Errant Roots is a story of confronting the past, generational violence and trauma, and survival.

Yet another from the "Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena" series! This would have fit right in with the "Bound in Blood" anthology, that I loved, as not only a plant-themed story but also a book-themed one. I couldn't give it a higher rating for a couple of reasons. First it was a bit spoiled in the flashback of Chapter 1. I thought, "ok, men don't survive, got it." So when Deirdre's boyfriend Tom is killed, I already knew it was coming. Although, he wasn't developed nearly enough for it to be a shock regardless. Minor quibble, there is also mention of ghosts of those that have met their violent end. I was slightly disappointed that it was only lore, imagined by her grandmother Yvonne for the ritual.

But I genuinely enjoyed the story's premise of a matriarchal, almost coven-like family that seek to maintain a precious blood line. It does make one wonder what was really behind her great-grandmother's "visions." Deirdre places the blame on grief and loss, but I'm not so sure and I'm glad the author kept it vague. Deirdre's mother actually managed to escape when she was pregnant, but returned once she learned of Deirdre's pregnancy. "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨." Sonora Taylor definitely has my attention! show less

Thank you NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Deirdre, our main character, finds herself unexpectedly expecting at the age of 24. Raised by a single mother and not in a serious relationship herself, she confides in her mom and she's encouraged to see where things go with the baby's father. Then seemingly out of nowhere, Harriet insists they hold the gender reveal party with her estranged family: them and only them. What happens once show more they arrive at the Croft family's ancestral home is beyond what anyone could possibly imagine -- aside from Sonora Taylor, of course.

Errant Roots, though only a novella, is steeped in the rich lore of the Croft family to paint a picture of what it's like when one's indoctrinated beliefs go unquestioned. If we're not careful, there's a real chance for them to be influenced by our own selfish desires and turn sinister. I almost wish we could've had more, if only for a chance to learn more about the extended family members and the paths their lives had taken being outside of the honored Daylight Branch. show less