Thank you Netgalley and Page Street YA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“These Bodies Ain’t Broken” is a bold and refreshing YA horror anthology that unapologetically places disabled and chronically ill teens at the center of the nightmare and shows that survival, resilience, and power come in many forms. With content warnings for each story and thoughtful author notes explaining the depiction of disabilities, the collection is as conscientious as it is chilling.

From battling monsters and ancient evils to confronting ignorance, ableism, and internal fears, these stories stretch across subgenres—ghost tales, body horror, historical horror, and even experimental second-person narratives. While not every story lands perfectly, the range is impressive, and the characters’ voices feel authentic and deeply human. Themes of acceptance, empowerment, and refusing to be underestimated thread through the anthology, with many characters embracing their disabilities as unique strengths in the fight for survival.

One standout opener, “Baby Teeth,” delivers a short but powerful punch, setting the tone for what’s to come: horror that is rooted as much in human prejudice as in supernatural threat. Historical pieces offer a fascinating lens on how invisible disabilities might have been misunderstood—feared, cursed, or explained away—before modern knowledge, adding layers of social commentary to the scares. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) appears in multiple stories, raising awareness while showing the varied ways it can shape, but never define, a character’s life.

While a few experimental approaches (like second-person POV) may not work for every reader, the anthology shines in its emotional range as the stories balance moments of grief and isolation with connection, triumph, and hope. Remarkably for horror, nearly every story ends on a positive or empowering note, with the final tale closing the collection on a strong, satisfying beat.

Overall, “These Bodies Ain’t Broken” doesn’t just add disability representation to horror—it makes it integral. A must-read for anyone looking for diverse voices, fresh takes on the genre, and stories where the heroes’ strengths are inseparable from who they are.

I really enjoyed this as a horror anthology, I appreciated the spotlight on people with disabilities and them winning in a horror setting. Each story was so well written and enjoyed how everything worked together in the horror genre to tell the story. It was everything that I was wanting in this type of book and from the description. I'm glad I got to read this and am excited for more like this book.

This YA Horror Anthology champions chronically ill and disabled teens. Chronical illness and disability hardly ever have a place in stories, especially horror stories. All of the 13 stories in this anthology centre around a teen and their chronical illness or disability, it's what allows them to overcome odds others wouldn't have been able to.

The cast of authors is also diverse, which is visible in the stories they've written. Baby Teeth, the first story in the anthology, remains my favorite. The body horror is strong in this one. It also definitely sets the tone for the rest of the anthology.

I'd highly recommend this anthology to anyone.

Thank you to Page Street YA for the eArc.

I thought I knew what I was getting into and it just starts with teeth. The most effective kind of body horror for me at least. That was the only story that had me squirming but the rest of the stories are at least fun or interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for the opportunity to read this before release.

This read was not only a horror anthology but a lesson on disabilities of all types. I have learned so much about disabilities that I frankly didn’t even know existed. Each story has its own unique way of explaining the feeling of being disabled. It compares the feelings that come with being disabled to horror stories that we are familiar with: curses, supernatural beings, claustrophobia, and more.

This is a very solid anthology. I have had some bad luck with them in the past, with some stories I loved and others I really disliked, but this one has a great amount of really well written stories.

Below I have gathered some quotes and comments I have regarding each story.

Baby teeth:
“From somewhere deep inside me — rather, I could swear it came from the very back of my jaw — I heard a distinct whisper. Yes. More, please.”

“Baby Teeth” starts with a nightmare that I think we all have had at some point: teeth falling out. But, this story is so much more. Bullies get what they deserve in a satisfying albeit grisly manor.

Thy creature:
“The hardest part about coming back to life is remembering how to breathe.”

A modern retelling of Frankenstein, “Thy creature” studies the mortality of bringing someone back from the dead. Is that what they really wanted? Would they want to “live” on as merely pieces of others, no matter how much they might have disliked their body in life? The parallels of Frankenstein’s monster and not feeling like you have control over your disabled body are explored beautifully by the author in this short story.

Us of The Water

“The curse took it from me, the ability to be one of them.”

“Us of the Water” follows a character in which her disability is being manifested as a curse. It highlights the “otherness” that those of us with disabilities often feel. Others do not understand us, therefore we are isolated and treated as if we have a curse. But, there are amazing people out there, who will accept us as we are and help us navigate a world that wasn’t built for us.

House of Hades

“Death is already so big. Why is everything associated with death so big?”

This story highlights how escapism can be an addiction for those of us with depression and disabilities. I can very much relate to the main character in this story. Escapism is why I’m still here, but I also can’t go too deep for my own mental health. We have to confront our past to be able to move on.

I really enjoyed this story.

Kissed by Death

“The memory of Ilana was just like when you pulled a sticker off something. It left its residue behind, and no matter how hard you scrubbed, there were still pieces clinging to the surface, unwilling to let go.”

A vampire love story with a dash of revenge. Explores the “intersection of queerness, trans identity and disability”, according to the author’s note.

A great quote from the author: “You may choose to interpret vampirism as a metaphor for queerness, transness, disability, or vice versa. The real metaphors are the friends we loved and killed for along the way.”

Within the Walls

“You’ve been battling your body for so long, viewing it as an enemy, when all it’s ever tried to do is survive, to rid itself of what it can’t tolerate.”

Okay this one was immediately terrifying for me. Being stuck and/or lost are my top fears! True horror! Especially being in first person.. ahhh!

This really hit home for me. Hating your body and feeling like you are trapped in a loop of pain is very relatable.

The Worst of It

“They’ve made me a monster”

Omg. If you’re claustrophobic in any way, avoid this one. Ahhh! Also if you have any medical trauma, this story probably isn’t for you. I struggled through it for these reasons but it was very well written.

The Weepers and Washer-women of Loch Lomond

“And that’s how I’m alive. Because I’m disabled.”

A mystery about a disabled sister taking part in a kickboxing tournament to discover what happened to her late cousin.

Using a crutch as a weapon… huge fan of that.

When your disability actually saves you.

What This Locket Holds

“Pain. I don’t know life without it.”

This story is about a teen going off to college who feels too smothered by her mother who has regressed since her husband died. Grief can turn you into a monster, literally.

Very eerie and spooky ending. Chills.

When the Night Calls

“The trees loom, their skeletal fingers reaching out as if trying to snatch anyone who dares to wander.”

This story is very poetic and well written. A woman scorned will…. Eat a man’s heart? Heck yeah.

The author’s note mentioned that this story featured a main character with ADHD and looking back onto the story I could really see where that was being utilized.

The Ruins You’ve Made

“You showed that it could be broken. And maybe, next time, they’ll leave enough cracks to let the light in.”

When the college building you move to is plotting your downfall. The building isn’t disability friendly and therefore is figuratively pushing the protagonist out.

The Fig Tree

“The silence felt more like a threat than it did salvation.”

Not gonna lie, this one confused the heck out of me. No clue what is going on.

I did like that the protagonist used their disability to escape certain death!

Ravenous

“Linden imagined her emotions like her blood sugar graph. If she had a sensor for her feelings, it would be a flat line — no ups or downs — an endless stretch of indifference.”

Love the diabetes representation in this story as I do not often see it represented in many stories I read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoy unique horror anthologies like these so I was very excited for this one. Disabled/chronically ill kids are rarely seen as the heroes. A free at the beginning I tuned out a little, but I did enjoy the vastness of the stories and the explanations for the conditions at the end of each one. My favorite stories in the bunch were: The Creature by Lillie Lainoff, The Weepers and Washerwomen of Loch Lomond by Madeline Dyer, When the Night Calls by Soumi Roy, & The Fig Tree by K Ancrum.

So many new authors as well as some I was super glad to see! This was a super fun collection and I can’t wait for more like this!