3.9 rounded up to 4/5.

"The White Guy Dies First: 13 Scary Stories of Fear and Power" is a powerful and diverse anthology featuring a collection of chilling tales written by thirteen authors of color. Each story offers a unique perspective on horror, weaving together themes of fear, power, and survival in a captivating and thought-provoking manner.

The anthology begins with an engaging "intro" story that sets the mood for what's to come, drawing readers into a world where the unexpected and the terrifying lurk around every corner. From there, readers are treated to a variety of stories, each with its own distinct voice and style.

Standout stories include "All Eyes on Me," which explores sapphic elements and the consequences of actions without moral repercussions, and "Best Served Cold," which offers chilling commentary on whiteness through a Hannibal Lecter-esque narrative.

However, not every story hits the mark. "The Protege" falls short with its disjointed and confusing plot, while "Docile Girls" feels too on the nose in its exploration of revenge against white people.

Despite some unevenness, the anthology delivers strong entries like "Break Through Our Skin," a gripping monster transformation revenge story, and "Wasps," which offers a cosmic horror experience with a satisfying ending.

Overall, "The White Guy Dies First" is a compelling collection that showcases the talent and diversity of its contributors. While some stories may not resonate as strongly as others, the anthology as a whole offers an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of fear and power. Whether you're a fan of horror or simply appreciate diverse storytelling, this anthology is sure to leave a lasting impression.

"The White Guy Dies First" is a groundbreaking anthology that breathes new life into the horror and thriller genres. Curated by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, this collection brings together an impressive array of talent, including Kalynn Bayron, Kendare Blake, H.E. Edgmon, Lamar Giles, Chloe Gong, Alexis Henderson, Tiffany D. Jackson, Adiba Jaigirdar, Naseem Jamnia, Karen Strong, Mark Oshiro, and Terry J. Benton-Walker. Each author contributes their unique voice and perspective, collectively challenging traditional horror tropes and the genre's historically monolithic portrayal of characters and narratives.

At its core, "The White Guy Dies First" is a celebration of diversity and creativity, showcasing stories that place characters of color at the forefront of suspenseful, eerie, and sometimes downright terrifying tales. The anthology refuses to stick to a single type of horror story, instead offering a kaleidoscope of horrors that range from the supernatural to the all-too-real, ensuring that there's something to unsettle every reader.

The strength of this collection lies in its ability to subvert expectations. In traditional horror narratives, characters of color often find themselves relegated to supporting roles, frequently meeting untimely ends. This anthology flips that script, giving these characters agency, depth, and stories where they're not just survivors but stars. The varied backgrounds and experiences of the characters add layers of complexity and richness to each story, pushing the boundaries of the genre in exciting new directions.

What sets "The White Guy Dies First" apart is not just its commitment to diversity but the quality of storytelling. Each author brings their A-game, crafting tales that are as thought-provoking as they are chilling. From Bayron's gripping narrative to Blake's haunting prose, and from Giles's suspenseful plot twists to Gong's atmospheric world-building, the collection is a masterclass in horror writing. The inclusion of emerging voices alongside established names creates a dynamic and fresh reading experience, highlighting the depth and breadth of talent within the genre.

Moreover, the anthology doesn't shy away from tackling heavy themes such as racism, identity, and social injustice, weaving these into the fabric of its stories in ways that are both natural and impactful. The result is a collection that is not only entertaining but also meaningful, encouraging readers to reflect on the world around them and the ways in which fear is both a universal and uniquely personal experience.

In conclusion, "The White Guy Dies First" is a seminal work that marks an important moment in the evolution of the horror genre. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and the contributing authors have created an anthology that is thrilling, innovative, and profoundly resonant. This collection is a must-read for fans of horror and thriller genres, as well as anyone looking for stories that challenge conventions and celebrate diversity. It's a powerful reminder that the most compelling tales are those that reflect the full spectrum of human experience, in all its terrifying and beautiful complexity.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to review for my honest opinion.

I always talk about how I don't like to read horror or spooky things, but I think maybe I've been lying to myself, because I could not stop with these creepy as hell stories!

Like some kind of glutton for punishment, I'd read two or three each night before bed and always wanted to keep going. I stayed up til way passed my bedtime and slept with lights on multiple nights because I am a coward, but it was WORTH it.

Each story took on another aspect for racism and hatred that people of color often face, and throughout each story the theme of being an outsider and alone simply because the characters weren't white prevailed. I loved the way the issues were tackled and resolved (here's a hint: murder!) and as much of a chicken as I am, really enjoyed this anthology.

A short story horror anthology where (no spoilers) the white guy always dies first. Tons of fun and a great mix of genres and styles in this collection. The characters aloft squarely into the YA space, with a broad range of ethnic and cultural representations.

Stories that stood out to me:
“Hedge” by Kalynn Bayron
“The Golden Dragon” by Kendare Blake
“The Protégé” by Lamar Giles
“Wasps” by Mark Oshiro

Among a company of great stories, these were memorable for their subject matter, their ability to capture weird or creepy in the best ways, and their examination of race/class in the context of horror.

As a librarian, I’ll add this book to my YA collection and recommend it to lovers of horror and lovers of diverse stories.

Such a fun, insightful, and creepy collection of short stories by some amazing authors! Couldn’t put this down, and I’m not a huge short story fan but I sped through this!

This was so good and creepy. These stories took you through very different scenarios with ghosts, haunted houses and self reflection can get you killed. My top three stories were: Docile Girls, Everything’s Coming Up Roses and The Golden Dragon.

I really wanted to love this one but unfortunately a lot of the stories fell flat for me. There were a few I really enjoyed but it seemed like a lot of the stories felt rushed or ended abruptly. Overall, it was entertaining and a quick read. Definitely good for horror fans, especially teen/YA horror readers.

We love the premise of this one, a collection of short horror stories by well-known YA authors that challenge stereotypes about race, gender, and sexuality. The stories felt very modern, tackling issues we read about in the headlines every day—climate change, privilege, sexual violence—and universal emotions like fear and anger, especially in the face of injustice and oppression. We liked some stories better than others (“The Golden Dragon” and “Docile Girls” were our favorites), but we think there is something here for everyone: the stories present a wide range of situations and voices that will appeal to a wide range of students.

For students who like horror, there’s a lot of gore and creepiness (and plenty of supernatural creatures), and the settings include a circus, a hedge maze, a suburban home with no parents for the weekend, a haunted house, a dystopian world covered in water, a high school gymnasium, and a creepy basement (to name a few).

This collection is probably most appropriate for older teens, given the amount of gore (including cannibalism) and profanity, but it’s a little hard to make recommendations about what’s appropriate in the horror genre given that the point of it is to be scared, creeped out, and a little disgusted. Students who watch a lot of horror movies already will find it right in line with what they’re used to; those who are just sampling the genre might want to stick to the options we’ve identified as appropriate for middle school students.

Thank you NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Tor Teen for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

(3.5 stars, rounded up in an acknowledgement that this is not my personally preferred genre!)

Review will be posted on https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on April 8.

Fantastic horror anthology. YA readers craving stories that are actually creepy and scary will love this book. There was great variety among the stories and I appreciated that the authors came from a good range of POC backgrounds. Highly recommend.

Such a fun read! 13 scary stories from 13 authors of color covering a full gambit of existential horror to the good old fashion slasher. Highly recommend !

I received this as an ARC - thank you for the opportunity to review.

Since this is a collection of short stories, my rating is the overall review of them. There are obviously some stories that I enjoyed more than others. I am not typically a reader of this genre, but having it broken down in short stories made it easy to read. I could get through one or more stories as I wanted or as time allowed.

I definitely recommend this book, especially to those like me, who don't read this usually.

A wonderfully delicious anthology that left me wanting MORE (positive connotation) the editors did an exceptional job of gathering the best of the best for this anthology and I can’t wait to have my own hard copy!

Thanks so much to Tor Teen for the review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review❤️

5.0⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a eARC of this novel!

The white guy dies first Hass to be one of my favorite anthology books I have ever read. This story takes classic horror movie tropes and turns them on their head. We all know in most horror, movies, and novels. The white guy is always the one that lives and gets away with everything but in these stories, it’s different. we get to see people of color, and queer people win and become leaders of their own stories, which is what drew me into this book so much. This anthology had an A-list cast of authors, which made it even more fantastic!

My two favorite stories were Docile girls by Chloe Gong and Best served by H.E. Edgmon. Docile girls stood out to me and became one of my favorites because obviously it’s written by the incredible Chloe gong but also it gives a new twist and intriguing storyline to a locked room, murder mystery which who doesn’t love. Best served cold became my other favorite, because it was the one that spooked and creeped me out the most. The author had a way of seeking the cold into your bones and keeping it there who knew writing could give you the heebie-jeebies so much.

I love some more than others, but each one was exciting to read, and had me rooting for the main characters even though I probably shouldn’t have because they were committing some crazy things! Each story was so different and impressively creative. You had some supernatural, some science fiction and some just straight up murder!

All Eyes on Me 3/5
Hedge 3/5
The Golden Dragon 4/5
Best Served Cold 5/5
The Protégé 3/5
Docile Girls 5/5
Gray Grove 4/5
Everything’s Coming Up Roses 4/5
Heaven 3/5
Break through Our Skin 1/5
wasps 2.5/5
Hell Is Other Demons 3.5/5
The Road to Hell 3.5/5

This YA horror anthology was sick. As the title states, the white guy dies first, literally. He dies first in every story. These stories are written by some top tier authors and they are so diverse. Every story was a unique experience.

A lot of the stories reminded me of Are You Afraid of the Dark and Goosebumps episodes, but much more mature and gory.

I’m going to review my favorite stories below:

All Eyes on Me by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé was about clowns (which we can all unanimously agree are horrifying) and it had a lot of build up, but the ending of the story fell very flat for me. I liked it, and enjoyed the sexuality and identity exploration, but I wanted more. This was such a fresh take on a clown story, so it got bonus points for ingenuity.

Hedge by Kalynn Bayron was genuinely creepy & I liked it a lot. Such a unique story about plants. I know that sounds odd and short, but trust me. It was insane.

The Golden Dragon by Kendare Blake was also great. I loved this Korean feminine rage story, and it even made me laugh at some points. The entire story was entertaining (and dark) from start to finish.

Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon was an indigenous story and soooo disgusting, but well done. Absolutely disturbing. I liked it lol. I cannot guarantee everyone will like it, but it sent chills down my spine and shocked me.

The Protege by Lamar Giles was wilddddd. It’s a magician story so it made me think about the episodes in Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark with magicians, but this was so much darker than I expected. This story was intense and very fast paced. It had me on the edge of my seat and freaked me out a bit!

Docile Girls by Chloe Gong was SO FUN. It’s a locked room murder mystery about an Asian girl who is stuck with her boyfriend who dumped her and the friends who exiled her from their friend group. As head of the dance committee, she’s forced to spend a few hours one night with them decorating the school for the upcoming dance. However, things do not go as planned when kids start getting murdered. This was fairly predictable, but definitely had some twists that were crazy!

Gray Grove by Alexis Henderson is about two friends who are vlogging in an abandoned plantation and things become sinister as they’re filming. Eery, poignant, and packs a punch.

Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson was soooo crazy. This is told in journal entries about an unhinged girl working in a Home Depot who has some obsessive tendencies. This is the shortest story of them all, but it was gripping & disorienting to say the least.

I also really liked Hell is Other Demons by Karen Strong. This is a story about some kids summoning a demon and shit hits the fan FAST. It’s gory, it’s outrageous, and it was clever.

Also special shout out to The Road to Hell by Terry J. Benton-Walker - that was deranged and reminded me of Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey… but this one is best described as “WTF”.

Overall, of the 13 short stories I was really impressed by 10 of them, which is a winner in my book! This is YA so keep in mind that these are all told from a teenager’s perspective and through their eyes. They all explored race, culture, identity, sexuality, socioeconomic class, and more. It was full of social commentary and it was a horror delight. I am so glad the white guy died in all the stories!! 😅


Thank you so much NetGalley and Tor Teen for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank You, Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group, for my early copy of "The White Guy Dies First." I am enjoying these spooky stories by my favorite authors. Most of these stories gave me goosebumps, and I try not to read them at night.

This is only my third short story collection and I loved it! The collection of stories by authors that I truly loved was a great read. This book gave me so much thrills and horror but with a little bit a mystery. I was happy to have been given an arc and discover new authors to me. Thank you Netgalley!

I love short stories from different authors. I enjoyed the view point from so many of these authors. There wasn’t a standout story but the quality of the stories was there. As always I took away new to me authors. If I had to pick I loved Alexis Henderson, Chloe gong & TDJ stories.

3.5⭐️

This was a mix of stories I really liked a lot and others that I really didn't. I thought the overall theme of this short story collection was great. I found some new to me authors that I'd like to read from again.

I have provided mini reviews of each story below.

┊All Eyes on Me 4⭐️
I really thought this one actually would have been fantastic as a literary story. The horror piece felt a bit forced In. I would read this one in a longer format.

┊Hedge 5⭐️
This was my favorite. Reminded me of the ring or the grudge.

┊The Golden Dragon: 2⭐️
This one didn't really resonate with me.

┊Best Served Cold: 4⭐️
This one was so horrific and I will be thinking about this one for a long time. Cannibalism and lgbqt representation.

┊The Protégé: 4⭐️
This was a fun fantasy horror story With magic and cults. It was a great time.

┊Docile Girls: 2⭐️
I barely remember this one. It didn't really stand out,

┊Gray Grove : 4⭐️
I really liked this podcast ghost hunter like story. Fun with lore.

┊Everything’s Coming Up Roses: 3⭐️
I really enjoyed the writing style of this one with journal entries and the revel at the end.

┊Heaven: 1⭐️
I really didn't enjoy this one sadly. I couldn't connect with horror in heaven.

┊Break Through Our Skin: 4⭐️

┊Wasps: 3⭐️
I enjoyed the paranormal elements of this story. The wasp detail was terrifying.

┊Hell is Other Demons : 2.5⭐️
Demon possession and a job working in hell.

┊The Road to Hell : 3⭐️
Writing style and pov was tough for me. But it was an interesting take.

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Overall, this anthology was okay.
I will be honest and say that the I judged the book by its cover and wanted to dive into the anthology.


The standouts that I enjoyed the most were these short stories:
Ghoulfriends Online Blog by Terry J. Benton-Walker
All Eyes on Me by Farida Ábíké-Íyímídé
Hedge by Kaylynn Baylon
Wasps by Mark Oshiro

(2 stars ★)

that was interesting 😭 i don't usually venture into horror/comedy so i can't really formulate that much of an opinion, but the golden dragon short story by kendara blake (sisters helping each other get revenge) and docile girls by chloe gong were my favourites. it's refreshing to not see poc characters getting killed off first.