Where Willows Weep

by Luna Fiore

If these walls could talk…

Years ago, Jess ran away from her small Southern town and vowed to never return. But when her mother needs a caretaker, Jess is forced back into her childhood home with its rotting floors and growing stains. Reconnecting with her high school sweetheart, Sam, is the bright spot as Jess is haunted by disembodied cries, malicious shadows, and sleepwalking episodes. Will she survive the specters that haunt her home or will the house drown her in its secrets?

Genres: Horror, Lesbian, Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Adult

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2024

About the author

Luna Fiore is a genderfluid speculative fiction author from Eastern North Carolina with a MFA in Creative Writing from SNHU. WHERE WILLOWS WEEP is his debut horror, but he is also the author of dark fantasy series, The Underhill Saga. She’s dreamed of other worlds since she was a child making potions out of mud, sticks, and roly-polys. When he isn’t writing he is playing in video game worlds and corralling her small zoo of three cats and two St. Bernards.

Reviews

[bookster · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Morgan Dante · Rating 5 out of 5]

In WHERE WILLOWS WEEP, Fiore immaculately captures Southern gothic horror and romance with characters stained in both blood and red clay. At the core of this unnerving story about trauma and survival is a raw, vulnerable, and passionate romance between Jess and Sam. Highly recommended for fans of horror like THE BABADOOK and Mike Flanagan’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE.

[DC Guevara · Rating 5 out of 5]

[...Sam] Remembered being trapped in that gaze. Prey frozen in the presence of a predator. Sam never minded being hunted by Jess. She loved it. Craved it. And never once, had she been scared by it.

Dripping with gothic atmosphere, and vivid prose and plunged into the deepest parts of Southern heat, WHERE WILLOWS WEEP taps into the core ideas, themes, and motifs found in Southern Gothic literature and gives it an invigorating -- and much needed-- twist in which the mundanities of bigotry and cruelty are overcome by the loving and gentle guidance of tenderness and affection. For as much horror and violence that the narrative is laced with, the overall kindness embedded within the characters, their dynamics, and their complexities-- that's where Fiore shines the brightest.

Jess and her problems and situations are never shied away from nor brushed aside, taking equal amounts of care and consideration in giving Jess a lot of agency and complexity as she navigates her rocky family situation in the town where stepping outside from the norm is considered a crime. On the other side of the spectrum, we have our deuteragonist, Sam, who faces her own set of issues and problems within a town as poisonous and closeminded as Marisville, with so much grace and dignity that the reader is left rooting for her since her introduction through the end.

Jess and Sam's lives, as constricted and suffocating as they have been-- have had the bright spots of care that have saved them, both within Sam's family and the love that Jess and Sam have for each other, regardless of circumstances. These pillars of understanding and community would have been so easy to omit in any other novel, but through Juniper and Keith, through Jess and Sam's childhood-friends-to-lovers story, the reader understands that the author is aware that for as much horror there is in the world that love is good-- and that love endures. We can also see that care and compassion translated even to the harsher, more difficult characters throughout the narrative, such as Aveline and Celia. Luna Fiore is a masterful wordsmith, but they are also a beacon of hope in the horror genre.

From three-dimensional, multi-faceted characters to swelteringly vivid descriptions detailing the lush and hot atmosphere of Southern heat, Luna Fiore demonstrates that they are a force to be reckoned with as an author and I cannot wait to follow more of their career and delve into more of their back catalog.

I seriously read this entire book in one sitting-- I cannot recommend it enough. 5/5 stars.

[Dany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the premise of this book so much and it started off really strong. The first two thirds of the book are really well paced and the tension is really high and well done, but once the last third of the book begins to roll, it ends so quickly that it felt like everything was happening all at once and there wasn’t really any reprieve. I wanted to love this book because the vibes were really strong but it ended so quickly that I wasn’t too impressed.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family secrets long buried fuel a fantastic book by a master of Southern Horror.

As someone who grew up in a very rural, VERY religious part of Southeast Texas, this book hits home. The sweat, the damp, the unsettling reverend and his syrupy smiles. By chapter 2 I was convinced the author was a cousin or neighbor I went to church with. From the very beginning, this feels familiar in all the best and worst ways.

I really enjoyed the mix of metaphysical, mental, and small town horrors. Whether it's shadows creeping across Jess's wall, her own memories, or a bunch of small town assholes harassing them, this book can put a stone of dread in anyone's stomach.

Jess and Sam's first love scene is absolutely incredible- the mix of bone chilling horror and soft, sweet sex is perfectly balanced so that you couldn't stop reading if you wanted to. Which you absolutely will not, this book was made for hot, humid nights with frogs croaking and cicadas screaming.

[Johanna Goldenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

the writing style was really, really good. the book felt so uncomfortably humid and sweltering, like you were trapped in the town along with the characters and slowly suffocating. i also really enjoyed the overall imagery. it was a very fun read, and i loved the horror elements, especially towards the end when everyone is possessed and saying terrible things to each other, that was really scary and well done.
i wish i had gotten to know jess and sam a bit better. i felt as if they weren’t characterized all too much and i didn’t have a clear picture of them in my head. i also wish it had been longer and the whole story had been more of a slow burn, that would’ve felt more natural.
there were also some punctuation errors that stood out.

[Ladz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where Willows Weep is a sweltering Southern gothic horror romance that blends the swoony delights of childhood friends-to-lovers and the terror of a haunted house. A perfect read for fans of Mike Flanagan's stories, where the interpersonal might be just as terrifying as the things keeping Jessamine up at night.

[Ally]

I received an ARC of this book, the pitch on twitter immediately hooked me and I'm so glad I got to read this! The romance is sweet and lovely, a counterpoint to the truly horrifying images and discoveries Fiore brings. Whether its ghosts of the past or the very present dangers of hate, there were plenty of moments I was genuinely scared.

Definitely check it out.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty spooky. Which I know was the idea, but dang y'all! Honestly kind of nightmarish. I don't know if the ghost stuff or the family stuff was scarier, to be frank.

And then at the heart of this, there's a second chance romance for Jess and Sam. And I love Jess and Sam. Jess isn't good enough for Sam, and this town isn't good enough for Sam. But I love them so much.

[Kienn Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

southern gothic!! horror romance! wlw!! trans rep!! loved it. haunting and sweet and disturbing. abuse and love and rage and survival. amazing characters.

[Lily | The Bi Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marisville. A small southern town Jess never wanted to step back into. But life has never been good to Jess, so, here she is. Dragged back to her hometown to tend to her ailing mother.

When Jess finally accepted her reality and tried to find joy by reconnecting to her high school sweetheart, Sam, she learnt, it wouldn't be so easy. Something held on to her. Was it the ghosts of her past or was it the ghastly existence of something else entirely?


When Jess was back into the town and back in her arms, Sam was happy. The town hadn't been kind to her about her transition and hadn't been kind to her loved ones for various reasons. But she could make do till they earned enough to get out of this horrid place.

All was well in their own little bubble till she saw things. Things that led her into finding more horrifying things. Jess wasn't acting herself, her father was hiding something, who was Lottie and who was Jess' grandfather and what did he want?

We go along with them on their journey to find answers to the questions leading to uncovering the unspeakable mystery that is haunting them.


What a roller-coaster ride. I enjoyed every minute of it. The story is engaging. I loved the character-building. The characters are lovable and flawed (not referring to the townsfolk, they were all nasty people who I absolutely despised).

The mystery elements were awesome. I loved how little seeds of horror were planted throughout which bloomed into showing us the whole atrocious cruel truth that lied ahead.

And that final line. It literally gave me chills.

Putting aside the horror and mystery elements, I loved the romance too. What an adorable romance. Finding love amidst the horrors <3
I also love how Sam matched Jess' freak. They both are made for each other. We love slightly (or maybe not so slight) unhinged women 𖹭

Sam never minded being hunted by Jess. She loved it. Craved it. And never once, had she been scared by it.

I got alot of killing eve and the haunting of the bly manor vibes. Loved these bi women.

And the word bisexual was used on page! A win ♡

I enjoyed this book.
Thank you to the author for the ARC.