DNF @ 52 %
I knew it was different stores in this book, but i did not think it was that many and they all were extremely short. I felt like when i had sort of gotten into the story it was done and it happend i think 99% of it. I didn`t enjoy that and some of the stories was sort of interesting as i stated but then it got done and i was like hey! why? then another story i had to get to know the characters all over again. This just was not for me.

4 STARS

It took me a bit to get into this one! I wasn’t a fan of the first two stories, and that’s not saying they weren’t well written but they just weren’t MY taste. Especially the second because I just wasn’t a fan of how the transgender MC was spoken about, that was the biggest issue for me. I absolutely loved The Retiree though! That was really a standout for me and what made me get into the book. It was well written, and it really made you feel for Gideon AND his daughter. Gideon was such an wonderful character, and I genuinely wish it was longer.

There were so many novellas in this that I wish were expanded on more, or had their own book to shine! I loved so so many of them, especially the ones that actually focused on vampires in those settings rather than the humans.

I think the only reason I’m giving it 4 stars is because of the issues I had getting into it, and there were a few stories that didn’t necessarily feel...genuine, is probably the closest word I can think. As far as the characters and their relationships; but that’s understandable as it’s a anthology, you only get so much space to tell your story.

But, overall, I so so enjoyed this book. It really made me fall in love with the vampire genre all over again, and breathed a bit of life back into it. It had horror, romance, a bit of sci-fi, and just overall has a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy.

All in all, this was a good collection of stories, though some were better than others. It is always interesting to read a different perspective on vampires than the usual, Dracula inspired retailing of the myth. So I especially loved the stories that incorporated African mythology.

This is quite a lengthy book with many stories, so after a while they tend to blur a bit, so I would recommend reading this one story at a time as a palate cleanser between other books.

My only complaint is that you can clearly see that some authors gave their best work to the compilation... and some didn't. Some of the stories are lackluster at best, mediocre at the worst. All in all, however, this is a good anthology, especially if you take your time with it and read a few stories now and then.

I was provided with an eARC of this book by the publishers and netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I couldn’t like this even though I really wanted to. Some of the stories were great, others awful. The different levels of writing made that really difficult to want to continue. Anthologies should be edited to the same standard but some stories were full of errors - typos or tense issues, and others lacked flow. Especially the ones with older characters and children who all talked like adults from our generation. The same with the characters from the 1920s. There were some stand out stories but ultimately I would be disappointed to buy this anthology and to find it so inconsistent in quality.

I love the idea and themes here, but I’d almost prefer less stories but longer ones? I’m not sure how this could be better. I’d also say one character is trans and is deadnamed within the story which I found concerning. Also use of some archaic terms for Black people which some may find offensive even if accurate to the time period.

Please take this review with a grain of salt. Anthologies are a hit or miss for me and unfortunately this one was the latter. I'm rating this 4 stars instead of 3 because I didn't finish the book in it's entirety and I do not like having to give stars ratings for book I didn't complete.

This has been one of my favorite short horror stories about vampires.

They are all so different and unique and include so much culture that it is a treat to discover the different takes on vampirism.

There will be something for everyone and it is one of those rare occasions in which I really loved nearly all of the stories.

This is a very mixed bag of stories from authors of varying skill levels. If you're a casual reader just picking this up for your vampire and/or horror fix it's still worthwhile, but you have to do a bit of excavating.

From reviews I read no one is in agreement about what the best stories are--everyone has their tastes, and a good thing about the variety is there is something for everyone. However I still think it would have been helped by sliming down a bit. The stronger pieces are outnumbered by the ones that could be workshopped a little more, and it was a little overwhelming getting to them.

I'm not usually one for anthologies, but this one really got me. For anyone who's into Vampire fiction, this is one that shouldn't be missed.

I have discovered a whole new line of authors to follow. Highly recommend. It was an interesting way to read. I dont normally go for anthologys but im so glad i picked thiss one up

If you enjoy vampire fiction, don't let this one slip under the radar.
I've been enjoying vampire fiction for many years, everything from Bram Stoker to Charlaine Harris to Octavia E. Butler, and yet this anthology was chock full of things new to me. New stories, new authors, new ideas, new perspectives.
As with all anthologies, some stories are stronger than others, but overall it is a beautifully varied and nicely structured book, with some exciting digressions from the usual vampire tropes.

I really liked going through these short stories! Each had something to add to the usual trope and the different takes are so refreshing!

I love a good vampire story. And I mean good. Say the word ‘vampire’ and I’m interested, and it’s always better when there’s something different done with the monster. Luckily, SLAY is full of good and great vampire stories.

SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire focuses purely on African and Afrodiasporic voices, with Black protagonists at its centre. The stories – and vampires themselves – are inspired by a wide range of mythology and folklore, and it all weaves together well to give a truly unique anthology.

The book is split into three sections: US & Britain, Africa, and The Future. Some think it’s time for the vampire trope to be buried and staked, but books like SLAY, with so many different voices and takes on this monster, proves those people wrong. It’s the kind of anthology where every story is strong and draws you deeper and deeper in.

The first story in the anthology, “Desiccant”, follows Tituba, as she moves into a new apartment complex where something strange is happening to the residents. It’s a really solid start to the whole book, with a unique voice and a really fascinating take on vampires. “The Retiree” focuses on an older protagonist, as he settles into a care home. Witty and dark, and very chilling. “Diary of a Mad Black Vampire” uses the epistolary format to great effect, utilizing it to give us an insight into this vampire’s mind and “Encounters” is a really wonderful, sweet tale.

Other standouts were “The Last Vampire Huntress”, “Di Conjuring Nectar of Di Blood” and “His Destroyer”.

The stories aren’t all horror focused, and there’s a variety of different genres and subgenres here, though the majority do carry an undercurrent of fear. There are a lot of different stories, and each one is worth the price of admission. There’s a little something here for every kind of vampire fan, while presenting different takes on the blood-sucking monsters.

As long as books like SLAY keep coming out, I’ll keep reading, and these authors prove vampires aren’t going away any time soon.

Vampire stories from the African diaspora? Hell yes! Sign me up. This anthology is a brilliant mix of 28 short stories. There were definitely some that I enjoyed more than others, but overall these short stories are well worth a read especially if you're looking for some extra horror for spooky season.

Technical issues (on my end) stopped me from reading this as quickly as I would like, and I lost my notes as a result of this, but this anthology is most assuredly unique and interesting. Like most people who were reading paranormal romance pre- and post-twilight, I have read a huge amount of vampire fiction, so I loved the idea of focussing a vampire anthology on African diaspora. Fantasy in general doesn’t have very much racial diversity, and black and Afro-descended people are by far the least represented. The anthology also included LGBT+ characters; finding an anthology that showcases well-written gender and sexual minorities, as well as people of colour, was a nice surprise.
Dessicant by Craig Laurence Gidney was an original take on vampirism, with some obvious parallels between the way POC and other marginalised people are fed on in society, it was also a classic horror story. While it had less dialogue and character development than I usually prefer in short stories, Dessicant stuck with me in a way that well-written horror often does.
Love Hangover by Sheree Renee Johnson is closer to what I usually read, and reminded me at times of Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series (one of my favourites), I didn’t connect to the characters or the story as much as I would like. The story is richly told and full of emotion, though, and perhaps those who’ve been caught up in a toxic relationship (or properly experienced the dance/club scene) will find the story more evocative than I did. I did enjoy the 70s feel of the story, and another very take on vampires.
As I’m writing from memory, I only have a detailed review of two of the stories, but if you’re at all a fan of vampires or urban fantasy/horror, you will find something to enjoy in Slay. I enjoyed reading this anthology, and hope to see more collections of this kind in the future. I enjoyed the variety of authors and tones included in Slay, and I think this collection of stories is a great jumping off point for people seeking out vampire fiction from authors, or focussing on characters, that they might not have heard of before.

Slay, Edited by Nicole Givens Kurtz
Available October 13, 2020

Slay is an excellent collection of vampire short stories from around the world and set throughout time. Each short story was fascinating and wonderful on it's own, but more powerful and exciting when placed within this collection. Covering a broad array of vampire lore and origin stories, there is definitely a story to hook every vampire loving reader..

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

There are so many good short stories in this anthology! I like that they don’t all start by telling you what kind of creature is in the story. The Editor did a great job picking stories that really had similar feels to them without being cookie cutter.

The characters and stories are well written. There is diversity in the characters. Some of the plots are close to what you’d expect in a vampire story, others have you guessing.

I am happy to say that I found some mythologies in here that I want to learn more about. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a quick supernatural story or a fantastic vampire novel. I read a few stories at a time because I wanted to write short reviews of each for myself, so it took me a little longer to read than if it wasn’t an anthology. The beauty of anthologies is you don’t have to read them in one sitting, but you definitely could.

I am looking forward to finding out more about these authors!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review voluntarily. I will be adding this review to my website EveHallows.com.

#Slay #NetGalley

First of all, thank you for the digital arc of this book!
I have been a vampire fan since I was a little girl. I was too young really, but the stories helped me get through some really dark times in my own life. I wish I would’ve had this book.
Each story has a different way of telling a story of an age old creature. I don’t have a favorite yet but I’ll read these again in the future for sure. I absolutely recommend this book to vampire fans and anyone who is looking to be introduced to the world of vampire lore.

An anthology wonderful in concept and execution. SLAY shows the versatility of vampire stories as well as its contributors. There was a bevy of familiar names in the author list and just as many names that were new to me. The vampires in these stories take a multitude of forms, and their strengths and weaknesses are just as varied, as are those who hunt and oppose them. The vampires' motivations range from blood lust to ethics to love to desires for freedom. Generally, I preferred the stories where the vampires were sensual and sadistic and shied away from the stories that felt like action movies. My personal favorites of the collection were Dessicant by Craig Laurance Gidney, Diary of a Mad Black Vampire by Dicey Grenor, Snake Hill Blues by John Linwood Grant, Asi's Horror and Delight by Sumiko Saulson, Love Hangover by Sheree Renee Thomas, and The Dance by L. Marie Wood. A must-read for lovers of vampire stories.

A great collection of short stories and one I would happily recommend to anyone who is a fan of Vampires.. This collection has interesting mix of stories and portrayals of Vampires. Each story kept me interested and held my attention.
A short story collection I can see myself returning back to (especially in those October months). I particularly enjoyed Love Hangover by Sheree Renee Thomas and In Egypt’s Shadows by Vonnie Winslow Crist. Nicole Kurtz has done a great job with the editing and flow of the stories.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A nice mix of short stories. I would have liked for the stories to be more spread out through the three categories - Americas/Europe, Africa, and Future. I would have loved to see more in the future category as I think they were my favourite overall.

There were plenty of great stories in this book, but still a handful I didn't really like and another handful of "okay" stories (mostly in the first section).

I will make sure to check out the authors of the stories I really liked.