horrorholly
35 | she/her | Baker by day reader/gamer/crafter by night | 2026 is all about horror books!
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1h
Cum Shot: An Extreme Horror
Matt Shaw
The classic story of the Ugly Duckling.
At school, no one looked at Steve unless it was to mock him. He was awkward, clumsy and a child cursed with acne.
Years later and school is over and Steve has grown into a fine, handsome man. Now when he walks down the streets, he doesn't get people crossing the road to avoid him, he doesn't get people mocking him or quietly laughing behind his back. They still look but for far different reasons. Men are jealous of him and his model-like looks and seemingly successful life and women want to bed him.
There's more to Steve than meets the eye though. His insides aren't quite wired the same way as other men and, despite the smiles and outwardly friendly personality that he gives off, he hasn't forgotten how people used to treat him. He hasn't forgiven them either and soon, all will regret laughing at him.
Warning: This is a messed-up extreme horror story. It is not for those of a sensitive nature.
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horrorholly TBR'd a book
1h
Penpal
Dathan Auerbach
Penpal began as a series of short and interconnected stories posted on an online horror forum. Before long, it was adapted into illustrations, audio recordings, and short films; and that was before it was revised and expanded into a novel!
How much do you remember about your childhood?
In Penpal, a man investigates the seemingly unrelated bizarre, tragic, and horrific occurrences of his childhood in an attempt to finally understand them. Beginning with only fragments of his earliest years, you'll follow the narrator as he discovers that these strange and horrible events are actually part of a single terrifying story that has shaped the entirety of his life and the lives of those around him. If you've ever stayed in the woods just a little too long after dark, if you've ever had the feeling that someone or something was trying to hurt you, if you remember the first friend you ever made and how strong that bond was, then Penpal is a story that you won't soon forget, despite how you might try.
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horrorholly commented on a post
2h
Thoughts from 36% (page 156)
It’s so refreshing to see illustrations in a thriller 🤌🏻
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horrorholly commented on a post
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horrorholly commented on horrorholly's update
2h
Post from the Hidden Pictures forum
10h
Post from the Hidden Pictures forum
11h
horrorholly commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum
18h
Bluehairedboy
Edited
End of the year book tag 2025
Hey guys. So we're nearing the end of the year. So I thought I'd do an end of the year book tag and ask you guys to participate as well! I know it's just November, but the chances of us finding a different answer to these questions is very unlikely. But if you think your answers might change, save this post and then come back later and edit it! I would highly suggest you exclude re-reads but that's just optional! And it's okay if some answers are the same for different questions!
Okay some questions I'd like you to answer are:
1. What's the best book you've read in 2025? 2. What's the worst book you read in 2025 (please exclude DNFs!) 3. A book that you were looking forward to and ended up being disappointed by? 4. Which book surprised you this year? 5. What are some books you'd like to read before this year ends?! 6. Which new author did you discover this year and did you love them? 7. Which book made you laugh and which book made you cry? 8. Favourite book cover of 2025? 9. A quote that has stuck with you? 10. Which character became your favourite? 11. Best series you've read this year?
Okay I'll go first!
- It's hard to pick one, but gun to my head, a standalone that I would choose would be Watermoon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
- The worst book I've read this year? There are two: My Vampire Plus One by Jenna levine and A Summer of Broken rules by KL walthers
- I was most disappointed by Alchemy of secrets by Stephanie Garber. She's an author that I'd actually quite enjoyed but I was left wanting with this one.
- The flatshare by Beth O'leary surprised me so fucking much. I did not expect to love a contemporary romance novel that much.
- I would love to finish lightbreakers by Aja Gabel before this year ends!
- I discovered A.B poranek and Antonia Hodgson (The Raven Scholar) this year and I have been absolutely in love with their writing. I can't wait to read their other novels as well!
- I did not expect to laugh that much in You deserve each other by Sarah Hogle and I cried multiple times reading The Passion Project by London Sperry
- I think A dark and drowning tide by Alison Saft has an incredibly gorgeous cover. Both the cover and the book are beautiful.
- A quote that has stuck with me would probably be "I flew to my feet, but it was the gargoyle who spoke. “That is unkind and unworthy, Bartholomew.” He’d been quietly crying in the corner of the room, and now appeared the spirit of righteous anger. “If you value your friend when he fights your battles for you—when he is rogue and ruthless—you must value him when he is gentle, too. Otherwise you do not value him at all.”
- from The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig. I keep thinking about this quote because I love the way it makes us think about friendships and the way we see our friends.
- Cain and The Gargoyle from The Raven Scholar and The knight and the moth respectively.
- You know what my answer will be. The scorched throne series by Sara Hashem most definitely.
I can't wait to see your answers!
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Post from the Don't Let the Forest In forum
20h
Thoughts from 21% (page 69)
I love the imagery in this book, it's beautiful! I will say, I'm getting a bit tired of everyone having thorns in their mouths, but I love that metaphor so maybe I'll let it slide... depending on how much more it shows up 😅
I'm excited to see what's haunting Andrew and I hope Thomas can open up a little, I'm scared that I'm already too invested in them, I'm only 21% in!!
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horrorholly commented on horrorholly's update
23h
horrorholly TBR'd a book
1d
Cum Shot: An Extreme Horror
Matt Shaw
The classic story of the Ugly Duckling.
At school, no one looked at Steve unless it was to mock him. He was awkward, clumsy and a child cursed with acne.
Years later and school is over and Steve has grown into a fine, handsome man. Now when he walks down the streets, he doesn't get people crossing the road to avoid him, he doesn't get people mocking him or quietly laughing behind his back. They still look but for far different reasons. Men are jealous of him and his model-like looks and seemingly successful life and women want to bed him.
There's more to Steve than meets the eye though. His insides aren't quite wired the same way as other men and, despite the smiles and outwardly friendly personality that he gives off, he hasn't forgotten how people used to treat him. He hasn't forgiven them either and soon, all will regret laughing at him.
Warning: This is a messed-up extreme horror story. It is not for those of a sensitive nature.
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3Reply
horrorholly TBR'd a book
1d
Cum Shot: An Extreme Horror
Matt Shaw
The classic story of the Ugly Duckling.
At school, no one looked at Steve unless it was to mock him. He was awkward, clumsy and a child cursed with acne.
Years later and school is over and Steve has grown into a fine, handsome man. Now when he walks down the streets, he doesn't get people crossing the road to avoid him, he doesn't get people mocking him or quietly laughing behind his back. They still look but for far different reasons. Men are jealous of him and his model-like looks and seemingly successful life and women want to bed him.
There's more to Steve than meets the eye though. His insides aren't quite wired the same way as other men and, despite the smiles and outwardly friendly personality that he gives off, he hasn't forgotten how people used to treat him. He hasn't forgiven them either and soon, all will regret laughing at him.
Warning: This is a messed-up extreme horror story. It is not for those of a sensitive nature.
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3Reply
horrorholly TBR'd a book
1d
Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology
Ellen Datlow
Hugo Award winning editor, and horror legend, Ellen Datlow presents a terrifying and chilling horror anthology of original short stories exploring the endless terrors of winter solstice traditions across the globe, featuring chillers by Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu and many more.
The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world—yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites you to huddle around the fire and revel in the unholy, the dangerous, the horrific aspects of a time when families and friends come together—for better and for worse.
From the eerie Austrian Schnabelperchten to the skeletal Welsh Mari Lwyd, by way of ravenous golems, uncanny neighbors, and unwelcome visitors, Christmas and Other Horrors captures the heart and horror of the festive season.
Because the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is hungry...
Featuring stories by:
Nadia Bulkin
Terry Dowling
Tananarive Due
Jeffrey Ford
Christopher Golden
Stephen Graham Jones
Glen Hirshberg
Richard Kadrey
Alma Katsu
Cassandra Khaw
John Langan
Josh Malerman
Nick Mamatas
Garth Nix
Benjamin Percy
M. Rickert
Kaaron Warren
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horrorholly TBR'd a book
1d
Holly Horror: The Longest Night (Holly Horror, #2)
Michelle Jabès Corpora
In this terrifying sequel, Evie Archer and her friends face a new evil ready to devour their town whole.Find him, find me. It's been two weeks since Evie escaped the mines after solving the mystery of Holly's disappearance only to discover that Desmond followed her but never came back. Evie knows he’s alive, lost wherever the Patchwork Girl resides. When Evie tries to reach out to Holly again for help, she realizes that her connection to the Lost Girl—and the shadow world itself—has been severed. Desmond is gone, and it’s all her fault.Ravenglass slowly begins to move on from the tragedy of losing Desmond, but as winter creeps closer and the days grow shorter, a sinister being begins to threaten the lives of Ravenglass residents, stealing them away and bringing them back different. Wrong.Evie knows that the only way to stop it is to connect to Holly again. With the help of her friend Tina, and the troubled newcomer Sai, Evie begins to follow the clues Holly left behind, determined to find the Lost Girl once more, at any cost.
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horrorholly TBR'd a book
1d
Holly Horror (Holly Horror, #1)
Michelle Jabès Corpora
"Playmate, come and play with me..."
A beloved classic reimagined with a dark twist.
After her parents' painful divorce, Evie Archer hopes that moving to Ravenglass, Massachusetts, is the fresh start that her family needs. But Evie quickly realizes that her new home—known by locals as the Horror House—carries its own dark past after learning about Holly Hobbie, who mysteriously vanished in her bedroom one night.
But traces of Holly linger in the Horror House and slowly begin to take over Evie's life. A strange shadow follows her everywhere she goes, and Evie starts to lose sight of what's real and what isn't the more she learns about The Lost Girl.
Can Evie find out what happened the night of Holly's disappearance? Or is history doomed to repeat itself in the Horror House?
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horrorholly TBR'd a book
1d
The Atlas of Hell
Nathan Ballingrud
In New Orleans a rare bookdealer is forced to track down an infernal atlas dragged from hell itself and now stashed in the swamps of the bayou. A dive bartender picks up a phone left behind after a brawl and is pulled into a waking nightmare. On a sea voyage, a decadent group of diabolists are intent on an audience with the Devil himself. Across six tales The Atlas of Hell takes us to the fringe of sanity, the limit of infernal ambition, and the very border of our reality. Nathan Ballingrud has earned a reputation as one of the leading voices in contemporary horror fiction and in The Atlas of Hell he shows us the deepest and darkest recesses of his imagination. Ballingrud probes the wounds that are the human condition and peels back the skin to reveal the monstrous and miraculous beneath. From the author of North American Lake Monsters, this is a collection for readers unafraid to gaze into the abyss and meet the eyes of what stares back.
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horrorholly started reading...
1d
Wit'ch Fire (The Banned and the Banished, #1)
James Clemens
From a brilliant new voice in fantasy comes a band of heroes, a world in peril, and an unforgettable heroine whose unexpected gift of magic awakens an ancient, slumbering evil.
On a fateful night five centuries ago, three made a desperate last stand, sacrificing everything to preserve the only hope of goodness in the beautiful, doomed land of Alasea. Now, on the anniversary of that ominous night, a girl-child ripens into the heritage of lost power. But before she can even comprehend her terrible new gift, the Dark Lord dispatches his winged monsters to capture her and bring him the embryonic magic she embodies.
Fleeing the minions of darkness, Elena is swept toward certain doom-and into the company of unexpected allies. Aided by a one-armed warrior and a strange seer, she forms a band of the hunted and the cursed, the outcasts and the outlaws, to battle the unstoppable forces of evil and rescue a once-glorious empire...
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