The Exchange & Other Calamities by Mallory McCartney is a chilling collection of five horror stories that blur the line between reality and nightmare. Each tale, inspired by real-life events, drops ordinary people into terrifying encounters—from cursed artifacts and urban legends to haunted wilderness and monstrous transformations. With visceral atmosphere and creeping dread, McCartney proves she can deliver scares just as powerfully as she does fantasy. Gripping, imaginative, and haunting, this collection will leave readers breathless long after the last page.

If you need some good horror to get you in the mood for spooky season, add this to your list right now!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC. Unfortunately this one wasn’t really for me. That said, I appreciated the concept, and I can see many other readers connecting with it more than I did.

This book was amazing. I went into it relatively blind, but I've loved everything McCartney has written in the past, so I was excited to see her branch into another genre, especially when its one of my favourite genres. It made me even more excited to read my hometown, Sarnia, mentioned. The writing was fluid and easy to follow, all while creating a great atmosphere that had me furiously flipping pages until the end. McCartney excels at horror and I hope to read more from her in this style!

DNF

The premise of chronic illness horror made me pick up the book, but unfortunately McCartney’s writing quality left me feeling cold—and not with horrified gooseflesh. The prose in this collection comes off as clumsy, tears and blood flowing from every page as if to cover up for the lack of quality, dread-inducing sentences. Worst, though, was how over-explained the metaphor of chronic illness as monster was presented. I did not enjoy this collection and would not recommend it either to horror readers or to literary-inclined members of the chronic illness community.

This was a very personal collection of stories. Although fictional, it is inspired by real life events. The authors note at the beginning is a look into the stories you’ll find and realize how personal these stories really are and I feel makes the experience that much more palpable. Each story was haunting and the perfect length to spook and satisfy your need for a scare. If you enjoy books you can binge in one sitting and stories that offer a way to connect with the writer, The Exchange and Other Calamities is a good one! And it is out

The Exchange And Other Calamities by Mallory McCartney is a short story collection all set in the same place in Canada the horror goes from body horror to the paranormal and everything in between. I really liked most of the stories especially the haunted house time slip/distortion story And I also liked the one in the ocean and some other ones they really do have some great stories in this collection my only complaint is there’s a topic she talks about throughout the book I just thought could’ve been mentioned in the preamble to the book but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy them because I enjoyed most of them although they do seem to have a similar Something about the stories I just can’t put my finger on that made them Feel similar despite the fact they’re pretty different. I would definitely recommend this book for those who like new riders because she absolutely has great potential and imagination and I would definitely read another book by her in the future. #NedGalley#TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #MalloryMcCartney,#TheExchangeAndOtherCalamities,

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC.

Much like every collection of short stories, there were some I preferred more than others.

This is not for the faint of heart.

I enjoyed this collection of stories so much! They were all interconnected which increased the enjoyment throughout the whole reading experience.

The atmosphere was 👌
And the body horror had my skin crawling when I was reading this outside alone in the dark.

The authors note from Mallory helped me understand the head space that I need to go into these stories with, and I can't wait to read what comes next from them.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced ebook copy.

” Ghosts are isolating, and ravenous.”

Knowing Mal’s previous work, I was not prepared for The Exchange & Other Calamities in the best way possible.

Mal delivers us five equally terrifying, intertwining stories with a side of body horror, flesh-eating bugs, hometown nostalgia and chronic illness representation.

Being from Sarnia, I loved all of the mentions of my little hometown Mal included in the book. It’s nice to share such a special place with an amazing author and friend.

”I was like Persephone in a withered garden, breathing and echoing the life all around me”

Mal’s writing is dark, atmospheric and poetic. She managed to not only thoroughly keep me engaged with the story, but at times I had to stop and look over my shoulder to make sure none of *my* nightmares were waiting for me. 👀

I absolutely loved this story, especially with the nods to some of my favourite horror legends like Mike Flanagan. Fans of him, and otherworldy horror will enjoy The Exchange & Other Calamities.

Thank you to Mal, Netgalley and Anucci Press for an early eARC copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The second story was enjoyable but I couldn't complete, or even get interested in the other stories. The Exchange, itself, felt more like a lecture than a story.

"The Exchange & Other Calamities" is like hosting a ghost for tea where it seems eerie yet oddly soothing. The book's author creates five twisted tales which are infused with grief, dread, and just the right amount of supernatural flair to make you peek into the shadows. The writing is crisp, the emotions hit hard, and the horror subtly sneaks in like an impossible to get rid of guest. A couple of stories left me craving a little more, but maybe that's the vibe the author intended! After all, horror is meant to linger, right? Am I right 😱

5 stars

If these stories truly are based on real-life events then I am NEVER going back to Sarnia again!!

Seriously though, as a fellow Southern Ontario small-town girl who's a big fan of horror and also deals with multiple chronic illnesses, I felt absolutely seen by this author as I read this book. And being able to immerse myself in the nuances of the rural setting, as someone who also lives close to Lake Huron, made these stories so much more of a visceral experience overall. I love that each of the stories are loosely bound together by time and space (and that's all I'll say about that.) The descriptions of the horrors that descend upon these characters in each story are terrifyingly vivid and deliciously scary.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Mallory McCartney, and Anuci Press for granting me access to a free digital ARC of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

I enjoyed this read. It is not for the light of heart, It is both heart wrenching and reflective. When I picked this book I didn't realize it was going to be comprised of short stories.

Fantastically horror-filled and incredibly well-done. McCartney is masterful in the way that she can create an unsettling atmosphere and tell an equally disturbing and compelling story. Bonus points for the song playlist, I think that many writers use music as a muse and this was an excellent way to share that part of the process with the reader and provide an extra level of immersion within the story.
Overall a great collection, I will be looking forward to more work from this author.

Usually when I read a collection of short stories I always find some of them boring. This collection was all good! Great creepy horror short stories.

I have mixed feelings about this collection of short stories. I really liked and appreciated how all of the short stories had a connection, which wasn't something I initially expected. I didn't love the super strong connections to chronic illness, especially in the first and last stories. They were just a bit too triggering for me, personally, but others might feel a strong connection to their message. I also felt like the last story was a bit too long for being a short story. I found myself hoping to get to the end and it seemed to just keep going and going. Overall, these could be some fun spooky short reads, but they would need to be directed at the right audience. I just don't think that was me! 3 stars overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anuci Press for an ARC of this collection of short stories.

This book was made up of multiple horror stories, and each story was connected.
I found the stories to be very emotionally driven. While the author managed to create some very scary situations, she also created so much of an emotional roller-coaster that it was actually exhausting to read.

I really did appreciate the creepy world that the author created. I also appreciated the fact that one MC had Fibromyalgia, a very painful chronic condition that I also suffer from. It was nice to see my pain reflected in this book. I felt seen, and that's a very rare thing.

Altogether, I enjoyed these stories, but it was a lot to get through emotionally. I gave this 3.5⭐️

As always, I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an advanced ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this collection! It's not just focused on the scares but also good characters and a depth to the stories that is not that ususal in horror novellas.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc in exchange for my honest opinions.

this book kept me glued to my seat. i just could not stop reading. this author really knows how to tell a story and i want to read more.

The Exchange & Other Calamities is a sharp, suspenseful collection of horror stories that blend the supernatural with emotional depth. Mallory McCartney delivers eerie, fast-paced tales with memorable twists, grounded in relatable fears and real-life struggles. A solid pick for fans of accessible, character-driven horror.