Monstrous Angels: An Anthology of Religious Horror

by Arwyn Sherman, William R.D. Wood

Monstrous Angels is an anthology that will explore one of the most enduring questions of religious horror-why are angels so compelling as anti-heroes and/or villains? We've seen it time and time Angelfall, Constantine, Legion, Angelology, the list goes on.

We love our dark angels.

All proceeds will be donated to the Avian Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Freedom, Maine

Genres: Horror

234 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Arwyn Sherman lives in the woods of Maine where they tend to their menagerie of animals and write fiction. Their work has appeared in anthologies, on a few stages, and is probably tucked away in a chapbook you forgot you bought at a late night poetry show.

Thanks for coming to my page and I'm happy you're here.


<3

Regarding reviews: I will occasionally review indie authors as a reader but do not use Goodreads to give general reviews. I have deleted the reviews I made when I was solely in this space as a reader, save the ones I did in exchange for ARCs.

Reviews

[bookslayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not all of these are horrific and even less are interesting but I had a lot of fun with the ides tossed around. I'll probably never get another Murder Mysteries, and yet I shall be looking.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the use of the idea of religious horrors and was invested in this anthology collection. Each story was so well written and enjoyed how it took the religious aspect of it and enjoyed getting to read this. It left me wanting to read more like this and was glad I was able to read this collection.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mireya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to BookSirens for the ARC copy of this anthology. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

This anthology features a variety of stories involving angels, mostly biblical, sometimes more mythical, but always monstrous. Delivering cruelty to humans a kin alike, sometimes fatal, sometimes for entertainment, sometimes out of necessity, with God's guidance. From blasphemous to feverish-ly religious, passing through cannibalistic and glorious.

All of the stories surprised me for good or for bad, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would be "Azaza" by Hannah K. Zhang, for the most emotional story of the whole of them, and, of course, "The Importance of Words" by Cliff Mcnish, for the most unexpected ending of them all.

Azaza just delivered a punch to my guts and left me on the verge of tears. No more words needed, but, wow, bowing to the author, 'cause you need good skills to pull off such a emotional response from readers in such a tight space, in my opinion. The second story leaves rent free on my mind after the ending, which left me speechless and, with its last line, re-thinking the whole story, unable to find a detail to refute it.

Overall, an anthology for angel lovers, not afraid of the extreme that these beings can reach and that are more than willing to find a new side to them and to humanity. I'm not really a fan of anthologies, mostly because I don't tend to know the authors involved, but this one caught my attention with its premise, so I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did, so I'll be recommending it for a while, and definitely check out its authors, as y'all should if you read it. Hope y'all enjoy my review and I'll see you in the next one ;)

[Pierce King · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't had the privilege of reading Angel Horror until this anthology, but Monsterous Angels opened up a whole new world of fiction for me to explore!

When I started reading, I thought to myself, "How much could you actually do with angels?" This anthology answered with "a lot." The unique twists each author adds to the divine creatures kept me engaged throughout the whole book. From cannibals to bounty hunters, each story is truly its own.

I would recommend this to any horror or fantasy fans who just can't get enough angel content in their life.

I made this review by reading an ARC copy from the author. This review embodies my own opinion about the book.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent collection of religious horror short stories. Most are based in the Christian or Mormon faith. All involve angels or demons of some sort. Each author brings a great example to the collection.

Ranging from creepy to philosophical and esoteric, to completely blasphemous and appalling. Each story has something to offer. These are stories I will return to at a later date. I also have a new list of authors to look into.

Solid 3.5 stars, wanting to be 4.



I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the concept for this anthology, and it has been a long time since I've read religious horror anthologies. My favourite story was Robert Arjoyan's which takes such traditional and deeply rooted beliefs of Christianity in Armenia, especially the ones we conveniently forget, and puts them on full display in an amazing, creative, creepy, and horrifying way. Worth the price of admission to this book! The other stories also presented interesting ideas and concepts and some had cool vibes.

[Collie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's utter perfection, but I am biased because I have a story in it

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The religious horror anthology I never knew I needed!
There are some truly terrifying tales in this collection. Each author brought some fresh new horror to the collection.
These tales aren't about cute little angelic cherubs. No, these are biblically accurate angels made of eyes and flaming wings. There is even a story about the Nephilim!
Huge thank you to Conquest Publishing for this ARC and for donating all proceeds to the Avian Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Freedom, Maine.