Book Spotlight | We Are Wolves: A Horror Anthology

Today the spotlight is on We Are Wolves, a horror anthology edited by Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower and Cynthia Pelayo!

This collection aims to raise money for causes benefiting survivors of assault and abuse. You can purchase a paperback or digital copy here.

Here’s the synopsis and my review:

Publication Date: 4 December 2020
Page Count: 200 pages
Genre: Horror
Edited by: Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower, Cynthia Pelayo

Synopsis:

Once upon a time, there was a woman, and she was tired. Tired of pushing. Tired of being pushed. Tired of feeling alone. Tired of so much.

So she gathered together a pack of wolves, a band of mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, partners, friends, lovers, survivors, victors and brilliant, shining things, and she told them to sing.

And sing they did.

The result is We Are Wolves, a chorus of of terrifying, moving and heart-breaking stories from some of horror’s finest contemporary writers including Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower, Cina Pelayo, Sarah Read, Hailey Piper, V Castro, Sara Tantlinger, Sonora Taylor and many more.

All proceeds from the sale of this charity anthology will go towards helping the survivors of abuse and assault.

Review:

“And to the women. All women. We see you, we honor you, we are you. Tell your stories, refuse to be silenced, and run with the pack.“

When I first heard about this project, I couldn’t be more excited. Some of the best horror authors today contributed to We Are Wolves, conjuring a range of stories and poems that highlights the courage, survival, weariness, and anger of women. This is a response to all the times when women are told to smile, to be silent, to be dutiful, to be beautiful, because they are not worth more than that. But as this collection brilliantly shows, women are a force to be reckoned with and those who stand in their way will pay the price.

The authors have tapped into that well of understanding what it feels like to be a woman, which make the stories compelling and relatable. By no means is this an easy read. The pain is evident. Abusive husbands, neglectful parents, societal expectations all play a part in shackling these women. They respond with rage, more necessary than gleeful, in order to survive. Not all of them are innocent. Some turn their own hurt towards others, and it’s a tragedy. Yet there is also joy for those who have clawed their way out of the darkness. I couldn’t help but cheer for their freedom.

Cynthia Pelayo’s The Black Wallpaper is a haunting look at a woman’s cry for help with a shocking ending. Sonora Taylor’s The Parrot takes on the grieving husband trope and gives it a delightful twist with technology’s help. Gemma Amor’s Angel is a heartbreaking portrayal of the unfairness of motherhood. S.H. Cooper’s A Key For Any Lock brings a familiar tale of male privilege with a brutally satisfying solution. Hailey Piper’s The Curse of She, Part 6: The Final Girlfriend details the way women are portrayed on the silver screen and how the narrative has changed. My favourite story of the collection is Laurel Hightower’s Though Your Heart Is Breaking, a beautiful, harrowing tale that declares: enough is enough. But the rest of the collection is superb in their own right, featuring authors such as Sara Tantlinger, Sarah Read, V. Castro, The Sisters of Slaughter, and more.

We Are Wolves is a powerful anthology filled with stories that will shake you to your core and make you want to howl with rage, or maybe relief, or even happiness. But it’s alright. For the wolves are waiting, and they will answer your call.

CW: sexual assault, rape, infant death, child abuse, suicide

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Cover photo by Jannik Selz