#BookReview - Shadows and Teeth: Ten Terrifying Tales of Horror and Suspense - Book 1

Title:  Shadows and Teeth: Ten Terrifying Tales of Horror and Suspense - Volume One
Authors:  Antonio Simon, Jr, Trevor Boelter, Mia Bravo, Mark Meier, J.S. Watts, Paige Reiring, Rich Phelanl, Viktoria Faust, Brittany Gonzalez, Darren Worrow
Narrator:  Wyatt S. Gray
Genre:  Anthology, Fiction, Horror
Release Date:  April 30, 2016

About the Book:

Prepare for extreme horror. You have in your hands the first volume in our award-winning series. This unique collection of ten stories features a range of international talent: award-winning authors, masters of horror, rising stars, and fresh new voices in the genre. Take care as you reach into these dark places, for the things here bite, and you may withdraw a hand short of a few fingers.

Water, Ice, And Vice, by Antonio Simon, Jr.
– Jeremy's new apartment harbors a demonic wish-granting fridge, which he uses to exact bloody vengeance on his obnoxious roommate.

The Dinner Party, by Trevor Boelter
– A dinner party devolves into a massacre when the blood flows as freely as the wine.

Routine, by Mia Bravo
– Edward's life is neat and orderly, just the way he likes it. It doesn't stay that way for long once bizarre apparitions threaten to end his life, and worse – break his daily routine.

The Final Spell, by Mark Meier
– Ken, a modern-day wizard, risks life and liberty in pursuit of the ultimate magick. How far will he go to obtain limitless power?

Back Through The Mist, by J.S. Watts
– Police Sergeant Comberton's investigation of a baffling murder strains her resolve to its breaking point. When the enquiry takes an otherworldly turn, she questions whether the past holds the key to her future.

Spawn, by Paige Reiring
– Assassin-for-hire Alice's personality is so keen, it can kill. She'll need every edge she can get when the hunter becomes the hunted.

The Pied Piper's Appetite, by Rich Phelan
– A competitive eater leads a ghastly double life in pursuit of a gruesome personal crusade.

Riana In The Gray Dusk, by Viktoria Faust
– A hastily taken photograph leads to a shocking revelation and a rare glimpse at a singular individual.

The Autobiography Of An Unsuccessful Author, by Brittany Gonzalez
– A one-hit-wonder's search for inspiration blurs the line between reality and insanity, with horrifying results.


Crying, by Darren Worrow
– Vinny's research into an urban legend about a haunted painting reveals more about himself than he ever dared to ask.

Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

I can't wait for my next camping trip!  As we are all sitting around the campfire, roasting s'mores and getting ready to tell ghost stories, I'm going to pull out my Audible version of Shadows and Teeth and terrify all the campers!  Then I'm going to crawl into my sleeping bag, zip it up tight, and try to sleep without having nightmares.

I'm not generally a big fan of anthologies, but this was PERFECT!  Ten terrifying tales, just long enough for you to sink your teeth into and send chills down your spine, by ten fabulous authors.  Hat's off to Darkwater Syndicate, Inc. for bringing this together!


Water, Ice, And Vice, by Antonio Simon, Jr.:  This one will make your stomach churn as two college roommates discover what appears to be a demonically possessed refrigerator in their new apartment.  It will make you think twice before dispensing ice and water from your own fridge.

The Dinner Party, by Trevor Boelter:  This tale was just... weird.  It took me a while to grasp what was happening.  Not as scarey as it was... weird, and it all occurred at an unplanned dinner party.

Routine, by Mia Bravo:  I was surprised to discover that this was Mia Bravo's first published work.  This is definitely a tale I will read at the next campfire, although it may cause my camping friends to choke on their s'mores.  Good job, Mia Bravo!  I hope to read more from you in the future!  Excellent visualization... almost too good (trying to keep the shiver from going down my spine).  Edward is a bit OCD, but the new events in his life are anything BUT routine.

The Final Spell, by Mark Meier:  Magic, Magic, Magic.  Ken wants it so badly he will give up more than he could ever imagine.  Is it ever too late to ask for forgiveness?  This story was good, but not one I would tell around the campfire, unless it was a church retreat.  A bit of religion and philosophy are at the heart of The Final Spell.

Back Through The Mist, by J.S. Watts:  Set in the U.K., this murder mystery takes on the supernatural.  Headless bodies, blood and major creepiness!  What will Police Sergeant Comberton do?  "Time" will tell.  Well written and totally creepy!

Spawn, by Paige Reiring:  The Spawn was truly creative and certainly kept my attention. What happens when someone wants to assassinate the assassin?  This isn't just someone out to murder.  We have Spawn's involved!  Creepy Spawn's!  Great characters!  I'd love to read more from this author.

The Pied Piper's Appetite, by Rich Phelan:  Okay, this is the first time I ever heard of a professional eater.  Strange.  And what is even more strange is what this guy does in his off time.  As morbid as this story was, I have to say that the writing was great.

Riana In The Gray Dusk, by Viktoria Faust:  When a photographer is hired to take an ID photo of a bland, sickly girl, he is somewhat annoyed but takes several photo's and allows Riana, his client, to choose the one she wants.  The rest were stored away.  Years later the photographer discovers something strange.

The Autobiography Of An Unsuccessful Author, by Brittany Gonzalez:  Wow!  Talk about writer's block!  And then when the words begin to flow, the horror begins.  This tale was REALLY creepy, but REALLY good.  Great writing!  

Crying, by Darren Worrow:  Remembering his childhood, Vinny decides to research a song his grandmother used to sing to him to comfort him.  He remembers a painting of a crying child and a wardrobe.   Can Gran, who is now in a nursing home, give him the answers?  The visualization created by Darren Worrow was amazing!

Like I said, I'm not normally a fan of anthologies, but these were quite entertaining!

Disclosure:  A complimentary copy of the Audible version was provided by Antonio Simon, Jr. and Darkwater Syndicate in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

My Rating:

About the Authors:

Antonio Simon, Jr. is an award-winning author of several books. His debut fantasy/comedy adventure novel, "The Gullwing Odyssey" was an instant hit in 2013. He has won the prestigious Royal Palm Literary Award; the Pacific Book Award; Indie Book of the Day; and the Reader's Favorite Five-Star seal.

Antonio’s interests are as varied as his literary repertoire. He is a local historian and has written "Miami Is Missing", which delves into the hidden history of the Magic City, with all its glitz and scandal. His public appearances on Miami’s history never fail to enlighten and entertain. He is also an avid tabletop gamer and the author of "R.A.G.E.: Roleplay Adventure Gaming Engine", a fun, innovative, and original roleplaying game system.

He holds a law degree from Saint Thomas University School of Law and two undergraduate degrees (Political Science and History) from the University of Miami. He lives in Miami, Florida.

Trevor Boelter is a writer living in Los Angeles. He has been published in Chilling Ghost Stories, Shadows and Teeth, Peachfish Magazine, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Indiana Crime Review and Crimson Streets. A Beatles expert, Trevor wrote a one-act play called, "And Now It's All This" which details John Lennon's disastrous comment about the Beatles "being bigger than Jesus." It premiered at the Ticket To Write Festival in Liverpool, England in 2014. Trevor is the creator of October Ghosts (www.octoberghosts.com), a challenge to write a scary story a day throughout the month of October.

Mia Bravo is a talented young writer.  She is keenly interested in forensics and psychology, and knows how to use both in her stories to twist the commonplace and familiar into the extraordinary and horrifying.  She is a contributing author of the horror anthology, Shadows and Teeth, Volume 1.

Mark Meier lives in Western Wisconsin where he produces a local talk show, LaCrosse Talk, on WIZM 1410 AM.  He holds a degree in Philosophy in addition to a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a pilot's license.  He is also the inventor of the crochet stitch known as the "Siberian Stitch".  Mr. Meier has published many stories in the Ebony Sea series, writing under the pen name "Marc Meiner".

J.S. Watts is a British writer.  Her poetry, short stories and book reviews appear in a wide variety of publications in Britain, Canada, Austgralia, New Zealand and the States, including Acumen, Mslexia and Popshot and have been broadcast on BBC and Independent Radio.  She has been Poetry Reviews Editor for Open Wide Magazine and Poetry Editor for Ethereal Tales.

J.S's debut poetry collection, Cats and Other Myths, and her latest collection, Years Ago You Coloured Me, are published by Lapwing Publications, as her multi-award nominated poetry pamphlet, Songs of Steelyard Sue.  Her novels, A Darker Moon - dark literary fiction and Witchlight - a paranormal tale with a touch of romance, are published in the US and UK by Vagabondage Press.

Paige Reiring is a graduate of the Ohio State University, having focused her studies in the fields of English and creative writing.  She loves all types of media focusing on stories - novels, television, film, video games, anything.  Professionally, she dedicates herself and her writing to representing those with marginalized identities.  All of her works focus on character and always hold a dash of the fantastic.  In 2014 she self-published her full-length novel, Death Defiant.

Rich Phelan is the author of several published short stories and novels.  He is best known for the sci-fi young adult novel series, The Colleen Colgan Chronicles.  He lives in Canton, Massachusetts with his lovely wife, three great children, and a diabetic puggle.  In the winter he can often be found enjoying his two favorite activities:  snow skiing and enjoying a local IPA.

Viktoria Faust is pen name for Croatian horror, SF, and children's/fantasy writer.

Her first short story was published 1996 in literary magazine 'Plima'. Her first novel 'Beauty of The Beast', written in 1994, was first published in the year 2000. Since then, over the years, she won the title of Croatian Queen of horror novels. She won four Croatian SF and horror awards.

She began to write as an experiment, when she was thirteen. She liked the experiment, so by now her name (as author or translator) is in more than fifty books.  She was born in Pozega, Croatia and since 2003 lives in Samobor, Croatia.

Brittany Rose Gonzalez is a rising star in the world of literature, having written an award-winning plat at the age of sixteen.  Her passion for writing ignited when she was young and reflects today in the outstanding quality of her work.

I was born in the Fling Dynasty of a small planet known as Duncan in a galaxy far, far away. My humble parents, believing the planet was on the eve of destruction, sent me off as a baby in an egg-shaped craft and I landed here on planet Earth in the spring of 1973. I was later to discover through a cavern of ice, as you do, that the planet was fine all the time and it was just a particularly nasty prank by my father’s mates down the pub.

I landed in a deep jungle and was raised by a company of wolves, learning to live as they did. Until one day when a naughty tiger with a very English accent came along and I was whisked away by a black panther and a jazz singing bear to a man-village. It wasn’t the tiger I was worried about; it was the American cartoon producer following on behind him.

It was at the village that I won a golden ticket to visit a chocolate factory where I fell into a river made of chocolate and was sucked up a pipe into a fudge room; happy days. It could have been worse; I heard some other kid turned into an exploding blueberry.

I lived at a coastal Inn for a while until an old sailor paid me a penny to look out for a legless seadog. In finding him I discovered a treasure map and was promptly whisked away by a sailor to a Caribbean island where I got into a bit of a rumble with some pirate radio DJ called Captain Tony Blackbeard. It was that or another holiday in Clacton.

At eleven I was taken away by a man with an uncanny resemblance to actor and comedian Robbie Coltrane to a school for wizards where I had to battle it out with some bald blue bloke who killed my parents, said he was a lawyer working for an author called JK Rolling or something. That wasn’t as bad as the frog flavoured semolina we had to eat for school dinner.

As I grew up and went to college I decided to give my favourite toys, a cowboy and a space ranger, away to a snotty girl from around the corner, nobody told me the cowboy was really Tom Hanks otherwise I would have given them away a lot sooner.

So, other than the time I was bitten by a rare spider and found myself with special arachnid powers which I used to defeat an evil leprechaun, I left college and it was all very uneventful.
Nowadays I have settled down to a family life and enjoy writing books, striving to be more like Bruce Bogtrotter every day. People say “where do you get your ideas from?” I tell them I have no idea, I've had such a boring, everyday life.

If you really can be bothered to know more about me why don’t you visit my website at www.darrenworrow.webs.com and find out even more honest facts?