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Daymares
Daymares is a 230 page collection of seven disturbing little tales of terror by Kenya Moss-Dyme:
In Baby Mine, a woman faces the ultimate ‘morning-after’ following a lust-filled night with a brutish former lover;
A landlord rules his apartment building with sharp precision in 1st of the Month;
Junebug/The Flat Earth tells the story of a little boy who refuses to lie down and play nice with his tormented stepmother;
Ride takes you on a 911 call when a cop with a secret meets his karma in the cornfields;
A grieving widower mourns the loss of his selfish and controlling better half in Her Things;
An innocent game of Tag takes a frightening turn when the little ones hang out at the Playground; and,
A Colder Kind of Hell brings us the story of a crafty defense lawyer who is so good at his job that all hell breaks loose.
In Baby Mine, a woman faces the ultimate ‘morning-after’ following a lust-filled night with a brutish former lover;
A landlord rules his apartment building with sharp precision in 1st of the Month;
Junebug/The Flat Earth tells the story of a little boy who refuses to lie down and play nice with his tormented stepmother;
Ride takes you on a 911 call when a cop with a secret meets his karma in the cornfields;
A grieving widower mourns the loss of his selfish and controlling better half in Her Things;
An innocent game of Tag takes a frightening turn when the little ones hang out at the Playground; and,
A Colder Kind of Hell brings us the story of a crafty defense lawyer who is so good at his job that all hell breaks loose.
Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2014
35 people are currently reading
394 people want to read
About the author
Kenya Moss-Dyme
95 books113 followersKenya is the proud author of the collections Sick xoxo, Daymares, and The Mixtape. Her novels include Prey for Me, the hard-hitting story of a monstrous child-abusing preacher, the romantic thriller series A Good Wife, and Devil Inside, a disturbing tale about a cancer patient who morphs into something unrecognizable during treatment.
Dipping her toes into dark fantasy, Kenya debuted The Forever Souls, a bloody romantic series set in the distant future. A talented multi-genre writer, Kenya also appears in the Freestyle Cypher, a collection of urban drama/thrillers, with more volumes on the way.
Watch for her dark fantasy brand to emerge in 2024!
Find her short stories in other anthologies such as Forever Vacancy, Black Magic Women, and Deadly Bargain.
Dipping her toes into dark fantasy, Kenya debuted The Forever Souls, a bloody romantic series set in the distant future. A talented multi-genre writer, Kenya also appears in the Freestyle Cypher, a collection of urban drama/thrillers, with more volumes on the way.
Watch for her dark fantasy brand to emerge in 2024!
Find her short stories in other anthologies such as Forever Vacancy, Black Magic Women, and Deadly Bargain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 13, 2019
"End of the shift - the best part of the job. If you made it to the bottom half of the clock with all of your limbs and no brand new holes in your body, then you had a great day."
Daymares is a collection of 7 short stories from Kenya Moss-Dyme, and it was such a fun read. I was introduced to Kenya's work in the Black Magic Women anthology (edited by Sumiko Saulson), and I was so happy to find out that she had a collection.
Each story opens with an author's note, and I love having this insight into what the story means to the author, or where their head was at when they wrote it. I think it makes the collection feel a little more personal, even if it's just a small paragraph.
Daymares has a lot of child-based horror, so just be aware if you decide to pick this one up. I thought it was really interesting to weave creepy children into this collection in so many different ways - there's a lot of creativity here.
My top three stories in Daymares were Ride, Baby Mine, and 1st of the Month. Ride genuinely creeped me out, and I loved it. Baby Mine and 1st of the Month were more on the horror comedy side, and both were so much fun. I rated all of the stories in this collection between 3⭐ to 5⭐, so everything was good. I wish a few could have been longer so I could spend more time in them, and that's always a great sign for a short story collection.
As a whole these stories were pretty gruesome, and that's exactly what I was hoping for. Some of these will stick with me for a while, and I can't wait to read more from Kenya Moss-Dyme!
Daymares is a collection of 7 short stories from Kenya Moss-Dyme, and it was such a fun read. I was introduced to Kenya's work in the Black Magic Women anthology (edited by Sumiko Saulson), and I was so happy to find out that she had a collection.
Each story opens with an author's note, and I love having this insight into what the story means to the author, or where their head was at when they wrote it. I think it makes the collection feel a little more personal, even if it's just a small paragraph.
Daymares has a lot of child-based horror, so just be aware if you decide to pick this one up. I thought it was really interesting to weave creepy children into this collection in so many different ways - there's a lot of creativity here.
My top three stories in Daymares were Ride, Baby Mine, and 1st of the Month. Ride genuinely creeped me out, and I loved it. Baby Mine and 1st of the Month were more on the horror comedy side, and both were so much fun. I rated all of the stories in this collection between 3⭐ to 5⭐, so everything was good. I wish a few could have been longer so I could spend more time in them, and that's always a great sign for a short story collection.
As a whole these stories were pretty gruesome, and that's exactly what I was hoping for. Some of these will stick with me for a while, and I can't wait to read more from Kenya Moss-Dyme!
September 12, 2021
I enjoyed my introduction to this author. Loved the author notes and there are a few really great stories here. Collections are hard for me to review properly. My favorite stories were A Colder Kind of Hell, Playground, and Ride.
The other stories just didn’t work for me and that’s partly why decided to go with a 3 for this one. Heads up for a decent amount of child horror, some creepy and some disturbing. I love creepy kids stuff.
Ride is my favorite story and I highly recommend checking out this collection just for this one. I will definitely read more from this author and I’m glad I picked this book up.
The other stories just didn’t work for me and that’s partly why decided to go with a 3 for this one. Heads up for a decent amount of child horror, some creepy and some disturbing. I love creepy kids stuff.
Ride is my favorite story and I highly recommend checking out this collection just for this one. I will definitely read more from this author and I’m glad I picked this book up.
May 18, 2015
Daymares is a combination of supernatural beings who get what they want with little to no regard for humanity, and what we as humans can do if we’re pushed to our limits. And it’s disturbing how quickly some people are willing to set aside their personal code of decency, and throw off the cloak of their own humanity.
“A Colder Kind of Hell” spins the story of a brilliant defense lawyer whose skill at his job allows killers to go free. Finally, one victim refuses to accept the court’s decision.
In the world of horror, it can be easy to get desensitized—to violence and apathy on the screen and between the pages. Daymares is emotional horror that places character, ones that you know—Aunt Sarah or Brenda from the job—in hopeless situations. You hope they can get out, you want them to, but in the end… They are trapped in their lives. And that is the real horror.
- See more at: http://www.graveyardshiftsisters.com/...
“A Colder Kind of Hell” spins the story of a brilliant defense lawyer whose skill at his job allows killers to go free. Finally, one victim refuses to accept the court’s decision.
In the world of horror, it can be easy to get desensitized—to violence and apathy on the screen and between the pages. Daymares is emotional horror that places character, ones that you know—Aunt Sarah or Brenda from the job—in hopeless situations. You hope they can get out, you want them to, but in the end… They are trapped in their lives. And that is the real horror.
- See more at: http://www.graveyardshiftsisters.com/...
September 29, 2023
Interesting stories, but lots of grammatical errors that kept breaking my focus. My favorite story in the collection is hands-down "1st of the Month" so creepy and morbid!
TW (potential spoilers ahead, please read Trigger / Content Warnings at your own risk): gun violence, murder, murder of an infant, fatphobia, drug/alcohol use, body horror, loss of limb/amputation, child death
TW (potential spoilers ahead, please read Trigger / Content Warnings at your own risk): gun violence, murder, murder of an infant, fatphobia, drug/alcohol use, body horror, loss of limb/amputation, child death
September 26, 2024
Scary and Creepy!
Still wondering how they come up with this stuff!?
My favorites were: Playground, A Cold Kind of Hell, Ride and Baby Mine.
These short stories definitely earned these five stars!
Baby Mine will have you saying WTF over and over at the end!
Still wondering how they come up with this stuff!?
My favorites were: Playground, A Cold Kind of Hell, Ride and Baby Mine.
These short stories definitely earned these five stars!
Baby Mine will have you saying WTF over and over at the end!
June 14, 2015
A Disturbing Little Collection
First let me say this, I love chills and horror but the imagination of this author threw me for a loop story after story. Kenya Moss Dyme, an author I have never heard of, must have some vivid dreams at night to come up with the seven stories that make up this interesting read. The stories in “Daymares” were a little more chilling and horror filled than I was prepared to read. Some endings left me confused, I suppose because they ended so abruptly. I had to go back and read parts of the story again to make sense of the ending. ‘A Colder Kind of Hell’ and ‘1st of the Month’ were my two favorites. Once I finished reading the book I realized many of the stories actually had a message attached if you could get past the bizarre. The author calls this book ‘a disturbing little collection’ and it surely lives up to that.
Reviewed by: Rosa
First let me say this, I love chills and horror but the imagination of this author threw me for a loop story after story. Kenya Moss Dyme, an author I have never heard of, must have some vivid dreams at night to come up with the seven stories that make up this interesting read. The stories in “Daymares” were a little more chilling and horror filled than I was prepared to read. Some endings left me confused, I suppose because they ended so abruptly. I had to go back and read parts of the story again to make sense of the ending. ‘A Colder Kind of Hell’ and ‘1st of the Month’ were my two favorites. Once I finished reading the book I realized many of the stories actually had a message attached if you could get past the bizarre. The author calls this book ‘a disturbing little collection’ and it surely lives up to that.
Reviewed by: Rosa
August 16, 2016
Moss-Dyme's "Daymares" is comprised of a collection of short horror stories. I never, I can't emphasize this enough, read horror stories or watch horror movies. Okay, well, clearly that's not true because I read this book and have seen a few horror movies in my day--enough to know I'm a wuss. I'm easily creeped-out and grossed-out. Or just plain disturbed by the content because, when it comes to horrific tales, there are so many levels of wrong. Which, for horror, is right on target, and so was this collection. Moss-Dyme's stories hit all my wuss buttons. I kept waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop with each story, knowing that something bad was going to happen. Because yeah, in horror, something bad always happens. So, if you're a fan of tales of horror, this book is a good, quick fix you'll likely enjoy.
February 13, 2015
I loved this book. Each story in the collection engulfed me entirely. If I had to pick a favorite story in the book, I couldn't just pick one , but my top three where "A Colder Kind of Hell" (shocker ending!!) , "Ride" was masterfully woven creepiness, and omg "Baby Mine" was built up so well and the ending was not only unexpected but stuck with me for days on in after I finished this book. Daymares is going to be reread by me for ages.
Sentu Taylor
Sentu Taylor
January 20, 2018
Great collection of short creepy/scary supernatural stories. A few had me a little puzzled and others had me rushing to turn on the night-light! Lol. My favorite stories was,
- Baby Mine: - remind me of my 3rd pregnancy but with out the supernatural creature! Lol.
- Junebug/The Flat Earth: made me realize, why I NEVER dated men with children. This story hit the spot. Lol.
- Ride: For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with ghost stories and haunting (ghost getting revenge) and corn fields!
Mrs. Moss-Dyme, has a really good imagination but the endings could have been made a little clearer. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little scare.
- Baby Mine: - remind me of my 3rd pregnancy but with out the supernatural creature! Lol.
- Junebug/The Flat Earth: made me realize, why I NEVER dated men with children. This story hit the spot. Lol.
- Ride: For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with ghost stories and haunting (ghost getting revenge) and corn fields!
Mrs. Moss-Dyme, has a really good imagination but the endings could have been made a little clearer. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little scare.
February 18, 2023
this book was out of my comfort zone as i prefer to read more romance, and even though I don’t mind reading outside of my comfort zone ... this book was reaaaally outside of my comfort zone.
it was definitely creepy and a lot of the short stories were original and creative. but it was still too creepy for me and not something i would reread, but it definitely wasn’t a bad time reading them either.
the only thing I really disliked is that a lot of the short stories had abrupt ending? I really like closure then just random endings but I’m not sure if it’s something that’s common in the horror genre as this isn’t really a genre I read much of but wanted to try.
it was definitely creepy and a lot of the short stories were original and creative. but it was still too creepy for me and not something i would reread, but it definitely wasn’t a bad time reading them either.
the only thing I really disliked is that a lot of the short stories had abrupt ending? I really like closure then just random endings but I’m not sure if it’s something that’s common in the horror genre as this isn’t really a genre I read much of but wanted to try.
March 10, 2025
A compilation of craziness
Daymares is pure, unsettling brilliance—supernatural beings with no regard for humanity and
a haunting look at how easily people abandon their morals. I loved this book. With each story
I got pulled in more.
My top three would be:
"A Colder Kind of Hell"—That ending wrecked me.
"1st of the Month"—I'm baffled.I probably would have had to skip that apartment just from
the 1st conversation.
"Baby Mine"—I promise this is how I felt when I was pregnant lol. I love my kid but that
pregnancy was rough.
Daymares is pure, unsettling brilliance—supernatural beings with no regard for humanity and
a haunting look at how easily people abandon their morals. I loved this book. With each story
I got pulled in more.
My top three would be:
"A Colder Kind of Hell"—That ending wrecked me.
"1st of the Month"—I'm baffled.I probably would have had to skip that apartment just from
the 1st conversation.
"Baby Mine"—I promise this is how I felt when I was pregnant lol. I love my kid but that
pregnancy was rough.
May 19, 2017
WOW!
After reading Kenya Moss-Dyme’s bone chilling “Prey For Me” I was super siked to graduate to my first horror read, "Daymares." And let me tell you… This shocking page turner does not disappoint! Like watching a modern day “Tales of The Crypt”, each short story is captivating and disturbingly twisted. Both “A Colder Kind of Hell” & “Baby Mine” will forever be embedded in my memory bank.
Can’t wait to see what Kenya Moss-Dyme unleashes next!
Ebony
EyeCU Reading Approved
After reading Kenya Moss-Dyme’s bone chilling “Prey For Me” I was super siked to graduate to my first horror read, "Daymares." And let me tell you… This shocking page turner does not disappoint! Like watching a modern day “Tales of The Crypt”, each short story is captivating and disturbingly twisted. Both “A Colder Kind of Hell” & “Baby Mine” will forever be embedded in my memory bank.
Can’t wait to see what Kenya Moss-Dyme unleashes next!
Ebony
EyeCU Reading Approved
January 8, 2023
Closer to 3.5 stars, but still a good anthology if you like horror! Second story made me actually cry from shock, that one was by far the best. The others were a little choppy but enjoyable considering the length
July 25, 2024
Creepy and chilling...
As with all of her short stories, they're so creepy and twisted I want them to longer lol... I wanna know more and I want back stories lol... If it were up to me, she would be sitting in a room somewhere turning all of these into novellas.
As with all of her short stories, they're so creepy and twisted I want them to longer lol... I wanna know more and I want back stories lol... If it were up to me, she would be sitting in a room somewhere turning all of these into novellas.
November 22, 2024
Every story had a good ending
Different horror stories, all of them happen to be within stories, almost and some of them want mystery.That's why I gave this book a 4 starwell.It's more to enjoy during the daytime
Different horror stories, all of them happen to be within stories, almost and some of them want mystery.That's why I gave this book a 4 starwell.It's more to enjoy during the daytime
May 16, 2017
Daymares is a collection of horror stories that were full of surprises. Kenya Moss-Dyme shares seven stories each one a little more disturbing than the first one, but very enjoyable. My favorite is “Her Things” about a husband whose dead wife does not want others touching her things in the house.
The stories are well written, suspenseful with well-developed characters that love to scare you. The book has a wonderful cover, which truly captures the meaning of the title and content. Overall, it is an entertaining book worth reading especially if you love the horror genre. I would like to see “Her Things,” made into a short film; it would be exciting to see it play out on screen.
I look forward to reading more of this author’s work and definitely recommend Daymares to others.
A&RBC Reviews
4 Stars=Great Page Turner
The stories are well written, suspenseful with well-developed characters that love to scare you. The book has a wonderful cover, which truly captures the meaning of the title and content. Overall, it is an entertaining book worth reading especially if you love the horror genre. I would like to see “Her Things,” made into a short film; it would be exciting to see it play out on screen.
I look forward to reading more of this author’s work and definitely recommend Daymares to others.
A&RBC Reviews
4 Stars=Great Page Turner
June 10, 2019
Oh my gosh! All of the stories are so good! Leaving me wanting more! They were all my favorite!
April 4, 2021
Creepy
This book was creepy good. I just wanted the stories to be a little longer. I will be reading more from this Author.
This book was creepy good. I just wanted the stories to be a little longer. I will be reading more from this Author.
January 7, 2023
I love horror anthologies but this just sort of fell mid for me.
February 14, 2023
Enjoyable short story collection
March 4, 2023
Something Different
A good overall quick read. The stories held my attention even if some left be a bit up in the air, would still recommend
A good overall quick read. The stories held my attention even if some left be a bit up in the air, would still recommend
dnf
August 26, 2024DNF @ 20% ~
Decided the amount of errors in this book like it wasn’t even looked over a second time was enough for me to DNF. Nope. Not doing it.
Also, harsh move with the baby….
Decided the amount of errors in this book like it wasn’t even looked over a second time was enough for me to DNF. Nope. Not doing it.
Also, harsh move with the baby….
January 4, 2025
Just Ok
This book had many mistakes. None of the endings are finished but it was an ok read. Maybe I will try another of her books though
This book had many mistakes. None of the endings are finished but it was an ok read. Maybe I will try another of her books though
February 10, 2025
A good quick read
Read this during a flight and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the scrub Kenya Moss-Dyne book I’ve read and have enjoyed both of them
Read this during a flight and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the scrub Kenya Moss-Dyne book I’ve read and have enjoyed both of them
November 18, 2025
too many typos :( really ruins a book for me
March 9, 2017
WOW!!!
This collection of horror stories reaches deep within the reader's subconscious and pulls the fears to the surface. I am caught between praising this book and huddling in a corner! Get it Kenya!!
This collection of horror stories reaches deep within the reader's subconscious and pulls the fears to the surface. I am caught between praising this book and huddling in a corner! Get it Kenya!!
January 2, 2021
This is easily the most disappointing book I've read all year. I was so excited when I discovered it on a list of horror by Black women, a genre that I love and can't get enough of. But unfortunately Kenya Moss-Dyme can't write. She has no innate talent for it and no learned technical skills. The stories are missing huge chunks of plot and character development that would allow them to make sense, and when you can tell what's going on it's as trite and predictable as it can possibly be. It seems like she isn't even a reader, as she doesn't have the vocabulary for her own stories, where dogs "welp" in pain and guns have "handles" rather than butts or stocks. I don't even want to get into the many times she loses track of where characters are or how many limbs they have from one paragraph to the next. (If you're interested, see my Kindle Notes and Highlights.)
Normally my main question when this happens is where was the editor, but despite my (entirely valid) notes, no amount of SPAG and vocab hints would turn these half-formed, poorly executed ideas into anything like literature. Or even engaging genre fiction. The one area in which Moss-Dyme fits right in with the average horror writer is her biases. Evil people are morbidly obese, and one also suffers from a comic-disability-lisp that conveniently and unrealistically causes him to pronounce "rules" as "ruth"*. I finished it primarily because it was short and easy, and often even one good story can make an otherwise dismal collection worth reading. Also I had to buy it and I hate to give up on something I've paid for. But the unimaginatively titled Daymares lacked that one good story and I won't be buying any more.
*I ran this by my linguist cousin who explained in explicit technical terms how totally impossible and very not a thing that is.
Normally my main question when this happens is where was the editor, but despite my (entirely valid) notes, no amount of SPAG and vocab hints would turn these half-formed, poorly executed ideas into anything like literature. Or even engaging genre fiction. The one area in which Moss-Dyme fits right in with the average horror writer is her biases. Evil people are morbidly obese, and one also suffers from a comic-disability-lisp that conveniently and unrealistically causes him to pronounce "rules" as "ruth"*. I finished it primarily because it was short and easy, and often even one good story can make an otherwise dismal collection worth reading. Also I had to buy it and I hate to give up on something I've paid for. But the unimaginatively titled Daymares lacked that one good story and I won't be buying any more.
*I ran this by my linguist cousin who explained in explicit technical terms how totally impossible and very not a thing that is.
June 23, 2016
WOW! Graphic, disgusting, unnerving, shocking, yet completely delicious!
I was totally spellbound to each story. Each bursts with originality, excellence, and a level of horror that goes beyond excessive gore and too many pointless jumpy moments. The horror within this collection is frightfully realistic, in most cases.
The author has clearly spent a great deal of time both writing this collection and thinking of original stories that have either never been written before, or she gives an age-old tale a fresh new twist.
I could go through story by story and explain why they are so great, but that would be a long review! Instead, I will simply talk about my favourite of the bunch. The final story.
A woman who has a complex love life ends up becoming pregnant, despite not having sex around the assumed time of conception. She is having strange symptoms and becomes terrified that she isn't carrying a baby, but something more insidious. The Doctors won't offer any help, despite saying it is physically impossible to be pregnant as she had sex two weeks ago, and six months prior to that. She cannot be a few weeks pregnant. That in itself is unnerving, then it is the feeling that this baby has a mind of its own and senses her reluctance to give birth. But she is too far along to have an abortion, so what is she going to do?
This story was fantastic, a tough one to stomach at parts, but addictive!
Every tale was a page-turner, and despite being scared, uncomfortable or cringing, you cannot stop reading!
The writing flows poetically, suiting the speed of each individual story. Everything from sentence structure to descriptions is stellar.
All in all, a superb horror collection. I look forward to reading more from this talented, yet slightly demented, author. I highly urge ALL readers to pick up a copy today!
I was totally spellbound to each story. Each bursts with originality, excellence, and a level of horror that goes beyond excessive gore and too many pointless jumpy moments. The horror within this collection is frightfully realistic, in most cases.
The author has clearly spent a great deal of time both writing this collection and thinking of original stories that have either never been written before, or she gives an age-old tale a fresh new twist.
I could go through story by story and explain why they are so great, but that would be a long review! Instead, I will simply talk about my favourite of the bunch. The final story.
A woman who has a complex love life ends up becoming pregnant, despite not having sex around the assumed time of conception. She is having strange symptoms and becomes terrified that she isn't carrying a baby, but something more insidious. The Doctors won't offer any help, despite saying it is physically impossible to be pregnant as she had sex two weeks ago, and six months prior to that. She cannot be a few weeks pregnant. That in itself is unnerving, then it is the feeling that this baby has a mind of its own and senses her reluctance to give birth. But she is too far along to have an abortion, so what is she going to do?
This story was fantastic, a tough one to stomach at parts, but addictive!
Every tale was a page-turner, and despite being scared, uncomfortable or cringing, you cannot stop reading!
The writing flows poetically, suiting the speed of each individual story. Everything from sentence structure to descriptions is stellar.
All in all, a superb horror collection. I look forward to reading more from this talented, yet slightly demented, author. I highly urge ALL readers to pick up a copy today!
March 11, 2015
If I had a complaint about this wonderfully, chilling collection of horror stories, it would be that I couldn't help wanting more. Each tale is a unique glimpse into terror, some were blatant and shocking while others were subtle in their revelations, but Ms. Moss-Dyme certainly has a talent for blending the urban and horror genres perfectly. I don't want to post any spoilers but I will say that my favorite tales in the collection revolve around a young woman's attempt at getting out on her own, a shady lawyer who lacks a conscience and of course the first story to ever get me hooked on Moss-Dyme's work, about a women who gets more than she bargains for when she sleeps with the wrong man! I will most certainly be looking for the next collect from this talented writer.
November 26, 2015
There's nothing like a good horror anthology to take you to places that you've thought about, but never really traveled to. Daymares is an excellent collection of seven scary stories that go from body horror to zombie invasions with a little "BOO" in-between.
What scares you? Chances are, it'll be touched upon in some way, shape or form in this anthology. A particular story still gives me the shivers when I think about it, but I'm not going to give it away. Again, what scares you may be very different than what scares me.
I highly recommend this book to horror fans of all types. You will not be disappointed.
What scares you? Chances are, it'll be touched upon in some way, shape or form in this anthology. A particular story still gives me the shivers when I think about it, but I'm not going to give it away. Again, what scares you may be very different than what scares me.
I highly recommend this book to horror fans of all types. You will not be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews