Posts Tagged ‘book review’

“Symphony for Walpurgis:” One Year Since Release!!!

Posted: May 1, 2026 in Living and Life, Novelette, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Happy Walpurgisnacht! Today, May 1st, is Witches Night (and day, apparently), as well as the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga. It’s a day where witches are at their most powerful, and where a saint with a reputation for fighting wishes gives people her protection. And, not coincidentally, it is the one-year release anniversary of Symphony for Walpurgis, my latest collection.*

Now, for those of you who don’t know, let’s do a little recap: back in 2023 or 2024, I could already feel the desire to write another collection of short stories, even though Hannah had just come out. And, because my shorter stories tend to be novelette length and novelettes are harder to find homes for, I decided to create a whole collection of novelettes! (For those unaware, novelettes are stories between 7,500 and 17,500 words.) I gathered some previously published novelettes, wrote some new ones for the collection, and, after changing the name and theme a thousand times, decided to name the book Symphony for Walpurgis and release it on Walpurgisnacht.

And yes, I’m pretty sure I named it that way just so I could release it on Walpurgisnacht.

And since the book was released, a number of people have picked it up, and some of those readers have even left reviews! Here are what some of those readers have said on the book:

All these stories are so very different, but they’re linked (in my mind anyway) by one common theme… that is, all these stories start out a certain way, but a turn of events during the narrative delivers a quite different story.

None of these stories are especially weak, but I have some stand out favourites: The House of Lafayette Square, Mother of Spiders, The Little Goddess of Horror, and Natural Predators. Even those I weren’t so keen on were solid, just a matter of personal taste.

Not my first outing reading this author, and it certainly won’t be my last.

M.G. Mason, author of Residents of the James Hotel, Goodreads

The best thing about this collection of stories is that I couldn’t predict what would happen next. For that, I give the book 5 stars. I enjoyed all of the stories, but it’s the “I didn’t think this was going to happen” fact that pushed them over the top.

Ruth Ann Nordin, author of The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife, Amazon

Bravo! This might just be Rami Ungar’s best work yet. Offering tales of unearthly retribution, dark mysteries, vampires re-imagined and blood curdling entities, Symphony is a gloriously ghoulish anthology with something for almost every kind of horror fan.

I absolutely adored the introduction; it creates a spooky atmosphere straight away and is so much fun, putting you in exactly the right mood for the horrors ahead. Each story is creative and the characters are so vivid and well crafted– Rami has done an incredible job of filling every page with witty prose, clever descriptions and emotions which pulled me right into the characters’ minds…100% recommend!

Louise Conway, Goodreads

That’s some lovely praise! And I’m especially touched, because these stories were a lot of fun to write and I feel they represent some of my best work. One of the best feelings I get as a writer is knowing people are reading and enjoying my work, and seeing the proof here just makes me want to write more and entertain those readers even more. With any luck, I’ll be doing that with new releases and acceptances this year.

Speaking of which, for the coming year, I’ve got high hopes for between now and May 1, 2027. Not only to get more people reading Symphony, but also to maybe produce an audiobook. Nothing concrete at the moment, but there might be an opportunity for it in the near future. I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, if you’re curious to check out Symphony, I’ll include links below. Like I said, it’s a collection filled with some of my best work (including a story featuring a Jewish exorcism, of all things), so I’d be really happy if you chose to celebrate with me and got a copy. And if you like what you read, I would be most honored if you wrote a review online somewhere. Positive or negative, I appreciate reader feedback. And not only do your reviews help me, but you help out other readers as well!

Amazon
Apple Books
Barnes & Noble
Goodreads
Kobo

Also, be sure to check out the book trailer for Symphony for Walpurgis. I worked really hard on it and think it totally gets to what I was going for with this book.

*Hannah and Other Stories was re-released last year in September, but it was originally released in September 2023. So, it’s not the latest, even though at times it feels like it. Just saying.

One more thing before I sign off, my Followers of Fear: tomorrow starts Columbus Horror Con! This is looking to be a fun con right here in my hometown, with celebrity guests, a film festival, and plenty of vendors. Plus, a scary karaoke afterparty on the first day! I will be there signing books and doing Tarot readings (as well as singing at the karaoke party). So, if you’re free and in Columbus tomorrow and Sunday, please stop by. I would love to see you.

You can purchase tickets here.

Review: “Coffin Moon” by Keith Rosson

Posted: March 12, 2026 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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Recently, Coffin Moon has been getting A LOT of mentions in a Facebook group I’m part of. What I’d heard sounded very interesting. Like that movie Near Dark, but good. So, when I had some saved credits on Audible, I got the audio book. And boy, was I not prepared for what I got.

Set in the mid-to-late 1970s, Coffin Moon follows Dwayne Miner, a Vietnam veteran who is trying to stay sober despite both PTSD and working in the bar owned by his in-laws. He’s also trying to be a good guardian to his wife’s niece, who is living with them after her own family is torn apart. And he’s holding onto secrets that could ruin more lives than just his. All this changes, though, when a couple of bikers try selling drugs through the bar…with Miner’s mother-in-law’s permission! When he objects, it sets off a chain of events that will change the course of Miner’s destiny, and throw him headlong into a world he never knew existed.

So, if you’re familiar with Near Dark, you’re aware that this is about vampires. Though honestly, the vampires feel closer to the ones from Sinners than from that weird-ass film. The main vampire, John Varley, is pure evil. He’s impulsive, incredibly selfish, and enjoys the violence and the chaos he causes. Even when he feels love, it’s twisted on so many levels. You’re at once both fascinated by him and repulsed by him, which, from a writer’s perspective, I just admire.

I also like the other characters. You really come to feel for both Dwayne and his niece, Julia. Both have been through the ringer during their short lives, and the events of the novel do not help. It really helps you empathize and want to root for them.

As for the story, the best way to describe it is twisty and unexpected. Several times, especially during the first third of the novel, I was surprised by the directions the story took, which I did not see coming. I think at one point, while I was listening in the car, my mouth fell open and I literally shouted, “What?!” I was that surprised.

Plus, the worldbuilding is done very lightly but effectively, and the stakes remain epic in a number of scenes (pun not intended).

My only criticisms are that when we finally find out the full details of the dark secret Dwight’s been holding onto the whole book, it’s told more as a story than as a flashback, which I would have expected. That, and I thought the final battle could’ve been drawn out a bit more. It just went too quickly for me.

However, as far as vampire stories go, this is definitely one I’m glad I read. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson a 4.5. Unexpected, full of pathos and masterful storytelling. Grab your red wine or tomato juice, and sit down with it today. You might find yourself, like a vampire, staying up all night long with it.

Review: “Fiend” by Alma Katsu

Posted: October 14, 2025 in Novel, Review, Scary Stuff
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Alma Katsu’s become one of those authors for me that, when I hear they have something new coming out, I immediately want to scoop up a copy and read it. And when I heard that, for the first time, she was releasing a horror novel set in our modern era, I was intrigued. When Fiend finally came out, I immediately went to the library to grab my copy (support your local libraries, kids!) and started reading as soon as I could.

That was about a week ago. I finished the book today. And now, I’m reporting my thoughts.

Set in our modern times and with some flashbacks to the past (which, based on the characters’ ages and context clues, I assume is somewhere between 2004-2015), Fiend follows the Berishas, a powerful family hailing from Albania that rules over a wide business empire. Specifically, it follows the youngest generation of the Berishas: Dardan, an anxious young man being groomed to run the family empire; Maris, who rebels against her father’s patriarchal views and wants to rule while also wanting to please him; and Nora, a wildcard who’s more than she seems. They are well aware that their family, ruled over by the tyrannical Zef, is rumored to be aided by a demon that keeps them rich and untouchable. But after a particular incident, the dominoes start falling. Dominoes that will change the family, and possibly bring down the dynasty, forever.

So, while this book has been marketed or compared to “Succession with a demon” (not sure how accurate that is, having never seen Succession, though I know the basic pitch), I would compare it more with 2015’s The Witch. The focus is on these characters, showing an intimate portrait of a family that is breaking down due to isolation, clashing egos, and external pressures closing in. The demon itself, like the witch in the movie, is just one of the catalysts that hastens the breakdown of the family.

And the way Fiend is written, it is hard to put down or look away. I was breezing through each chapter, just wanting to find out what happened next and how each of these fascinating, unhappy, often terrible people would hurt each other next. We spend the most time with Maris, and you can see Alma Katsu having a ball writing her and showing her trying to achieve what she thinks she wants. After her, we spend the most time with Dardan, who is desperately struggling under the weight of his destiny but too scared to find a way out of it.

My two criticisms are this: one, I would have liked to have spent more time with Nora. As I said, she’s a wildcard who’s more than she seems, and I would’ve liked to get further below the surface than what we got with her. I get why she’s the sibling we spend the least amount of time with, but I still wanted to know her. And two, I honestly wanted to see more interactions with Olga, the Berisha matriarch. She’s mentioned more often than seen, and I think it would have been fascinating to see how she’s weathered being part of this screwy family for most of her adult life.

But beyond that, Fiend is an excellent family drama/horror story. On a scale of 1 to 5, I’m giving it a 4.5. An enthralling deep dive into the world of corporate intrigue and what can occur from generations of abuse and trauma (plus a little demonic magic). If this sounds like it might be up your alley, grab a copy and get ready for one hell of a ride.