Ali Seay

Hysteria: Lolly & Lady Vanity is a gripping collection of two darkly compelling stories that delve into the depths of human psyche and societal pressures.

Lolly: This story follows Lolly, who, after being diagnosed with the flu and taking antivirals, starts seeing disturbing halos around certain people's heads. These people turn out to be child predators. The narrative explores themes of justice and trauma, blending horror with a sense of moral reckoning.

Lady Vanity: The second tale centers show more on Frankie, who is grappling with the physical and mental challenges of perimenopause. Her discovery of a vintage electric knife, dubbed Lady Vanity, leads her down a path of self-improvement that quickly turns into a macabre obsession. This story is a chilling commentary on body image and the lengths one might go to achieve perceived perfection.

Both stories are rich with emotion, gore, and a sense of catharsis. Ali Seay masterfully combines horror with relatable struggles. show less

Loved this dark novella! Stories about libraries and books (especially powerful books that can do shit) are among some of my favorites. When I found out this one was about an entity in an old book I had to read it. So glad I did. Wonderful writing, stunning descriptions of the book and the terrifying lady with antlers and claws, and a really interesting plot really cemented my enjoyment of this book. Personally think this is a story that could be revisited by the author as the ending is left show more wide open. If that happens I will absolutely be here for it.

Also, I will be adopting a black cat some day and I will 100% be naming it Solace. Such a great name! I would like to personally thank Ali Seay for keeping the violence that we were shown be against the humans only.

Would recommend! show less

Great book. Just what I needed to read to kick off 2021

Dieses Buch macht genau das, was es soll – und zwar ohne Umwege: Es unterhält. Schnell, dreckig, kompromisslos.

Wer Tiefgang sucht, ist hier falsch – wer aber sehen will, wie eine verdammt abgebrühte Frau sadistischen Drecksäcken zeigt, wo der Hammer hängt, wird bestens bedient.

Die Protagonistin ist kein nettes Mädchen von nebenan, sondern eine, die zurückschlägt – und zwar richtig. Moralisch sauber? Sicher nicht. Aber ganz ehrlich: Bei dem, was ihr da gegenübersteht, hält sich show more mein Mitleid sehr in Grenzen. Im Gegenteil, ich hatte richtig Spaß daran

Die Gegenspieler sind so unsympathisch, dass man ihnen wirklich nichts Gutes wünscht. Und das ist auch der Punkt: Das Buch will nicht fein sein, es will knallen – und das tut es.
Kurz gesagt: Kein literarischer Höhenflug, aber ein verdammt unterhaltsamer Ritt. Wer hier meckert, hat das falsche Buch in der Hand. show less