If you're into horror and haven't discovered KC Grifant yet you need to get with it. *sassy finger snaps*

"𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤."

This horror anthology was a wonderful mix ranging from zombies, psychological horror, and sci-fi aliens (to name a few). Grifant's imagination and ability to put it vividly onto the page blows me away.

Each story was unnerving and most ended with a twist or an open ending that left me ruminating about where it went from there. Several could be beefed up into novellas and I wouldn't be mad about it, yet none of them felt unfinished which is a hangup I usually experience reading anthologies. Literally zero complaints, loved it.

When I read K.C. Grifant's book Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger, I knew I found a new, amazing author that I will always watch for new releases. Then I see Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny available to read and review, I become so excited and couldn't wait to jump in. As I suspected, fantastic writing skills, amazing plots to these little bits of a stories, and the draw to keep going all the way to the end. It took me a quick two days to finish this collection, and it did not disappoint me at all!

Thank you so much for this amazing collection!

#NetGalley #ShroudedHorrorTalesoftheUncanny

A nice collection of short horror stories that became a mixed grab bag for me. Some hit, some missed. Ultimately, I was not too keen on continuing as some of the stories started to blur into one another. Maybe I was not in the right headspace to read a collection of shorts.

Really well done collection of unsettling horror stories. This is one of those collections I had to read in bits and pieces because some of the stories were too disturbing to simply follow up with another dash of potentially more disturbing. That being said, I couldn't stay away for long. Great stuff!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Dragon’s Roost Press for a copy.

I really enjoyed this collection of short horror stories, they were easy to read and each story had a vastly different but engaging plot.
The horror was engaging and thought provoking and there is something for everyone.
My favourite stories were Just Another Apocalypse, The Colour of Friendship and Macabre Elves

Oh my god! I have never read anything by the author until this collection of quick reading, short horror stories and let me say that I am appalled that I hadn’t read anything by her yet. They were extremely entertaining and each selected story is uniquely written and will grab you right from the start! Looking forward to her future releases!

3.75 stars

Reading this short story collection is like sitting down with a can of pringles. It's so easy to just keep going. With 20 stories in under 200 pages, these are real, true SHORT stories, and much like one-liner jokes, they tend to hinge on one significant plot point or development. Which makes it all the more impressive how many of these hooked me. There weren't any big misses in this collection, in my opinion, and several that I was super invested in. This runs the gamut from zombies to serial killers to post-apocalyptic horror, with a dozen more flavours of horror represented and I think the author did them all really well!

My favourites:
Just Another Apocalypse: After covid and climate change, droughts and wildfires, what's a few zombies shambling around?
Blessed: The world cowers in terror as aliens invade, but Carla has nothing to fear. She's blessed.
The U Train: How long would you wait for the subway before you give up and head back up?
Puddle of Comradely Despair: It's tough out there on the city streets. But you never know what one good turn could earn you in return.
The Color of Friendship: Brianna's the first to admit, she hasn't got her life together. But a weekend away with her high school besties is exactly what she needs to boost her morale.

Since reading Melinda West:Monster Gunslinger, I have been a fan of K. C. Grifant’s writing. Shrouded Horror collects a number of her short stories in one volume.

The collection has an array of styles and is highly enjoyable. There are a number of standout stories in the book. The first story Vermin plays on the cryptid trope, reminding me of the New York giant rats stories.

Another tale that I enjoyed was the story Gifting in which a woman who experiences domestic abuse finds a mysterious jewellery box which gifts her what she wishes for.

The Sighting is another one which plays with the cryptid trope, this time popular Bigfoot trope and manages to bring a clever and original spin on it.

I think my favourite was The Circus King which takes place in an interdimensional circus where the ringmaster undergoes a challenge to their supremacy.

Combining many different styles such as horror, weird, cosmic horror etc, Shrouded Horror is an enjoyable anthology of K.C. Grifant’s short stories. I really enjoy how she mixes traditional horror with the weird, at times reminding me of Bradbury, Dahl and Robert Aickman. I loved these tales of the uncanny that instead of being outright horror, bring the sense of unease of the shadows that hide in the periphery of your vision.

As always, a special mention has to be made of Luke Spooner’s cover art which is superb, bringing to mind horror art of yesteryear whilst giving it a modern edge.

Collections of short stories and anthologies fill a large space in the library of too many titles to choose. They showcase an author's skills and introduce readers to new to us authors that find their way to the top of many horror tbr lists. I have never read a KC Griffant title before cracking the cover on SHROUDED HORROR: TALES OF THE UNCANNY. If her back library is anything close to these excellent short stories, I'm going to have to give her a shelf to herself. Each story is different, but equally compelling enough to fall into each from the first paragraph. I typically keep a book of short stories with me everywhere in case I have a short time to read, too bad I've already finished this one this afternoon. If you love the horror genre or would like to try a few to see if you'd like them, try this one. It's a winner of 5 easy stars.

Wow, I'd never heard of this author before, and, captivated by the gorgeous cover, I thought I'd give the collection a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing, the concepts, the detailed setting of mood, and the wide-ranging themes! Varying both in length and kind of ending, the stories manage to capture something of both older and newer TV shows (from Twilight Zone to Black Mirror), without simply reproducing familiar, done-to-death story premises. I'd recommend the collection for three stories I loved: "The U Train" (sueprnatural horror), "The Night Call" (weird horror), and "The Peerlings" (sci-fi horror). But all nineteen stories (some bite-sized) deliver exciting and entertaining reads!

4.5/5 ✨
rounded up

This was such a refreshing horror read. All of the stories are short but snappy with a wonderful wrap-up. Grifant is an author going onto my list of those to follow and read everything, ha!

The only reason I technically rated this collection a 4.5 out of 5, but rounded up because I didn't love ALL of the stories, though I loved most. My favorites were Terror on the Boulevard and Gifting. I would love to read a novella or novel about either.

As always, thank you to NetGalley, K.C. Grifant, and Dragon's Roost Press for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very solid collection of horror stories. There's a nice variety of lengths, ranging from bites that are a couple pages long to slightly longer, more fleshed out pieces. There's a good mix of genre, as well, from sci-fi to apocalyptic to supernatural horror. It would be a good book to keep for your lunch breaks.

Im not that big of a short story person but the premise behind this sounded intriguing and I love the cover so I decided to pick it up. Overall I have to say that I’m underwhelmed by this. Most of the stories are far too short (even for short stories) and I had a hard time immersing myself in them. May or may not read more from the author, haven’t decided yet. I do think this is a me problem though. I would recommend this for people that are more into short form writing than I am.

There is something for every horror, eerie, absurd and uncanny lover here. I love writers who can write on many themes and in many genres.
Two of my favourite stories were the zombie-themed story and the one set in a train station.
I am not a big fan of out-of-nowhere, all unexpected twists, yet I expect to be at least a little surprised, stunned, or disoriented.
Grifant knows how to write mood and endings.
I would love to read something in the long form by this author.
What I am saying might be misleading however, in the case that there are Atlanta (the TV show) fans amongst the readers of this book, some stories gave me the eerie and uncanny vibes that Atlanta had in some of its episodes.

Gorey, unexpected, scif fi horror!
19 short stories that were truly uncanny!
The endings were unexpected and so well written!
Each story is individually unique but has tiny moments, descriptions and character interactions that kinda tie all the stories together.
They gave a post apocolyptic, other world vibes that keep you interested and in fear for the characters.
Again truly uncanny! You think you are in a regular horror story until your slapped with the reality of what horror is!

Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny by K.C. Grifant is such a fun collection of stories! The tales are all over the place when it comes to plot elements, creating a thrilling reading experience where surprises abound, promising both spookiness and enjoyment at every turn!

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny by K.C. Grifant –
I’m so excited I was able to snag an early copy of this one via NetGalley. While I took my sweet time reading though since my reading time was very scarce, I was so grateful for these short stories each time I picked up the book to read one when time allowed.

Right from the first tale, I knew this collection was going to be a hit for me.

My favorites include:

Gifting
Terror on the Boulevard
Just Another Apocalypse
The U Train
Puddle of Comradely Despair
Per usual, here are my thoughts on each tale!

Introduction –

This intro gives readers a peek into what’s to come in such a spooky way! And the last sentence… are you kidding me?! I was even more pumped to dive in after that! However, I paused for a moment to ask myself if I really wanted to start reading right before bed. (I did)

Vermin –

Determined to get pizza, but not wanting to wait in the long line, this crew decides to follow a creepy man into a tunnel after he promises them quick access to the pizza.

Following a creepy dude into a tunnel is never a grand idea! All the alarm bells were going off here but they were just too blinded by the smell of the food! Ugh, the claustrophobia this one gives for a bit!

Gifting –

Finding an old beat-up jewelry box in a shop, this woman is immediately drawn to it as she is a bit battered herself. Finding an impossible item inside, she’s shocked to find that’s not the only thing the box provides.

My heart hurts for this poor woman. The grief and blood-boiling unfairness makes the ending that much sweeter!

All Aboard –

When a sickness runs rampant, extreme quarantine measures are taken to keep people safe. But will this group of exposed be safe?

Oh my gosh, this is too real-world terrifying! Illness already terrifies me, but mob mentality especially freaks me out!

Terror on the Boulevard –

While on the set of a true crime film, this woman decides she has had enough of the expectations of sexual favors. When an unusual being appears, she’s offered another path.

Ugh, men that expect sexual favors. Congress! The turn this tale took was wonderfully satisfying! I would love a whole book dedicated to this woman and what comes next for her!

Just Another Apocalypse –

After getting picked up while hitchhiking, this character has bonded with the couple. But when a zombie sneaks up in them, will they stick together or split?

Oh my gosh! This is such a fun twist on the zombie element. I’m obsessed with this tale!

What Storms Bring –

When a terrible storm approaches, a man appears on her doorstep. Knowing that he needs shelter, she lets him into her basement to ride out the storm. But as soon as he’s through the doorway, strange things begin to occur.

How quickly things go sideways here is absolutely terrifying!

The Color of Friendship –

While on a weekend away, things with this group are tense. When the woman who organized overhears her friends talking about her, she finds a new friend to confide in.

Oh, this was so eerie! I love not knowing how to feel about the main character!

Lonely Arcade –

When a girl burdened with far too much is shown a dark path, it’s up to her to see which way she will go.

My heart broke for this poor girl. So much grief packed into such a short tale!

The Sighting –

Determined to prove that Bigfoot is real, this woman plans one more trip. If she doesn’t find anything this time, she promises she’ll move on.

Ah but of course she finds more than she hoped. That ending! It just begs for more! How did this end?!

The U Train –

Stuck waiting for the train, this random bunch soon realizes that they can’t leave and are about to be put to the test.

I loved this spooky real-world tale so much! Waiting certainly is the worst, but what came next for these folks was of true nightmare.

The Perfect Gift –

While out in his “space condo,” this man makes a connection with another life form. He thinks this will be his ticket into popularity with a better light, but he gets way more than he bargained for.

Anything around AI in horror tales freaks me out. This one continued that trend. The ending is terrifying.

Unrest –

Sent to finally allow a place to rest? This being must stay strong and do what needs to be done.

Oh, your blood will just boil over this man saying he just can’t help himself.

The Night Call –

Escaping his apartment and his fighting parents, this young man plays with his butterfly knife. When it slips and he feels it cut him, he waits for the pain to subside. While waiting, he gets a visitor.

Oh my gosh, I was so nervous throughout this one! As soon as he cut himself, I feared the worst.

Better Halves –

While away on a trip that’s supposed to be relaxing, this woman is more stressed than ever. When she feels that something g is off, she’s drawn to a mirror in their honeymoon suite…

This tale is such a quiet and slow-burn horror! I was so ready for something big to happen at any turn, but the pacing continued to crawl and add more and more unease!

From Sea to Shining Sea –

While fishing for jellyfish, this character gets a warning for something that may be to come.

Everything about this one is fast! Phew, what a tale!

Blessed –

When an invasion reaches them, one woman believes she is safe. Even swept up by the survivors, she keeps telling them she will be soared, but they don’t share that same faith…

What an intense start! I loved that we slowly learned what was going on!

The Circus King –

Working a strange and unusual circus with peculiar clowns, the Circus King is surprised when the act suddenly doesn’t go as planned.

Puddle of Comradely Despair –

Finding himself stuck in a helpless state, he begs anyone to help. When someone finally pauses to look at him, he promises them a wish.

This was so unsettling, strange, mysterious, and exciting all at once! I had so much fun reading this one. I’d love to see what these two got up to next!

Macabre Elves –

When a group of elves appears but are never quite captured on camera, these two teenage boys are intrigued. Whether they’re a gang or something else, the boys don’t care, they just want to join them. But little do they know, these elves have more with them than just their knives.

I love a good holiday-themed tale! This one reminded me of the year we had clowns randomly showing up in random places, just creepily standing there. The dark interest in learning who they are is strong!

The Peerlings –

Trying to start a colony in a new world, this crew soon learns that there’s something already there. As they start disappearing, the mayor is forced to face the beings or deal with the backlash from their people.

Oh my gosh, this one had a killer claustrophobia element to it mixed perfectly with the suspense.

My Favorite Passages from Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny –
It’s amazing how even in a span of two days you can get to know someone well enough that you don’t have to talk to communicate. One of the few perks of being in constant life-or-death situations, I guess.
— Just Another Apocalypse

They say waiting is its own kind of hell. Whoever said that was probably familiar with the NYC subway system.
— The U Train

So at night, we all pretend to be asleep though we’re far from it, willing ourselves not to peek as the buzzing intensifies. The curiosity almost kills you as much as the fear itself.
— The Peerlings

My Final Thoughts on Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny–
I can’t say enough how much fun reading this collection was! Each tale was so wonderfully unique. I’m already eager to delve into more of this author’s work!

Preorder your copy today!

Shrouded Horror by Casey Griffin, usually when reading a book summary it either exaggerates the story, it can also be misleading I think the summary for this book was spot on. The stories definitely reflect twilight zone, dark mirror, Creepshow ET see there was even one for all the feminist about an actress who gets tired of being hit on by the creepy group of men she’s forced to work with to be an actress. There’s one about zombies and found families which I think was my favorite but they had so many good ones I know a short story is good when I want it to be longer and that happened more than once with this book. I love short stories and think I would rather read a book of short stories than a full length novel and I think this one was an awesome one. A book I definitely recommend to all the Horror fans who also love short stories.#DragonRoostPress, #NetGalley, #CaseyGriffin, #ShroudedHorror,

This little short story collection has a wide variety of sources. Do you like ghosts, Bigfoot, aliens, etc? You will find something interesting here. My favorite was the group of people waiting for a train in an empty station they couldn't leave... Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

A great anthology of short stories! I felt like the last one went on and could have been cut down a bit but overall another solid anthology you want to add to your shelf!

This was a refreshing collection of weird and unexplained events that didn't try to explain itself or insist upon its logic. It was simply a series of bizarre vignettes and the reader is along for the ride, which I really enjoyed. I love horror/weird fic that's set in everyday situations and locations, and this certainly shines in that area -- from a subway station to an Instagram-famous pizza parlor, there is nothing out of the ordinary about these settings, which highlights the weirdness of the occurrences (and characters).