Vicious Traditions : Tales of Terror and the Grotesque

by Azzurra Nox

Love. Betrayal. Murder.

A girl's curiosity leads her to a vampire coven.

A lonely driver searches the night for runaway girls with devastating consequences.

An aging actress will do anything to preserve her beauty.

A child's tale about a witch in a forest proves to be more than a simple tale.

VICIOUS TRADITIONS is a collection of short stories about dark and twisted encounters with the supernatural and the unexplained. Sometimes the line between reality and madness is razor thin. You will be lead on a dark and creepy journey where you'll constantly look behind your back. What's that unexpected sound? Is that a shadow or a creature? Delve into the darkness if you dare.

Genres: Horror, Mystery

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2022

About the author

Born in Catania, Sicily, she has led a nomadic life since birth. She has lived in various European cities and Cuba, and currently resides in the Los Angeles area. Always an avid reader and writer from a young age, she loved entertaining her friends with ghost stories. She loves horror movies, cats, and a good rock show. She dislikes Mondays and chick-flicks. CUT HERE, her debut paranormal urban fantasy was inspired by a nightmare the writer had a few years ago. Some of her favourite authors include Anne Rice, Oscar Wilde, Chuck Palahniuk, and Isabella Santacroce.

Reviews

[Lil Bookish Dragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Okay so I haven’t read any horror for a long time and I was excited to dip my toes back into the genre with a short story collection.
I unfortunately was a little underwhelmed. While this book isn’t bad, it isn’t good either. There is some LGBT+ and Muslim representation though I can’t comment on if it’s good rep or not.
There was a couple stories that manages to give me the creeps which is what I was looking for and I did enjoy the stories.
I found that the big reveal in some of the stories to be either predictable or just a bit like “oh okay then” if you catch my drift.
I think I’ll have a look at this authors other works and see how I find them.

[bookish bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is full of unique and spooky short stories. It reminds me of Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung, but with a western traditional horror twist. Some of the stories I liked a lot more than others, like Good Sister, Bad Sister. Many of these would honestly be interesting as novellas or even full length novels, others seemed very clunky and repetitive.

The main character of each story felt very similar to each other. It was almost jarring to start the next story with a new horror scenario but still feel like I’m reading the same/similar character.

The horror or fear aspect of a few of these stories is a big reveal which feels a little underwhelming in comparison to the length of the story. While they will make you curious to discover what is going on, I feel like there could’ve been a touch more suspense or darkness. Based on the cover and the trigger warnings I honestly expected most of these stories to be a bit darker, creepier, and twisted.

Not very character driven at all, if you like that it’s probably be better. I don’t mind plot stories but they feel unfinished (like I mentioned earlier- they could be great full length experiences I think!).

I received an eArc of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Staci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review..

Really loved the ideas behind these short stories, but the execution on some was hit or miss.

Boys of Summer is an absolutely awful story to start off on- pacing and juvenile writing made me hate it and seriously question the quality of this anthology, but the rest of the collection does get better.

There were also a lot of silly typos all throughout the book that makes enjoying the act of reading difficult.

[iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ARC thank you so much to the published and Netgalley for this opportunity!
This collection of short stories were were not short of the grotesque!

[Gab · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Vicious Traditions' by Azzurra Nox is a collection of stories which are good taken by themselves but create a very nice collection when pieced together.
I think what I liked the most about them were the premises, as they were very original and I kept asking myself what the next story would be about.
With a very well fleshed-out cast of characters, this is a very good read for the fans of the genre, as they could be "consumed" as quick bites of horror or all in a go.
My one criticism is that I felt that, at times, the pacing was a little too fast. Still, I'm happy I read it!

[Caryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I accessed a free copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was interested to try a horror anthology but this perhaps wasn’t the best example to start with.

I had intended to individually rate and review each story however once I was about 4 or 5 stories deep, I realised they would all say the same thing.

The author has some interesting ideas, intriguing concepts, but what’s really missing is the development. Each story feels like it could really be fleshed out into something a lot bigger - and indeed a lot of them feel like they NEED that. Perhaps I’m not familiar enough with short stories and anthologies, maybe these are actually concise and effective in their entirety but I personally was left with a lot of questions after reading some, especially those which are really short like ‘Driver, Surprise Me’.

Another criticism would be that it’s in desperate need of a good editor. The texts were riddled with grammatical errors and unnecessary syntax. A competent line editor would be able to tidy the stories up well and hopefully they’d be a lot more effective for it.

My one last gripe, I have to say, is I don’t think it’s smart to open an anthology with effectively a fanfiction. I have nothing against fanfiction; I used to write it myself about 10 years ago. But the first story in this anthology is so very clearly taken from the ‘80s film The Lost Boys, updated and modified. Unless it’s explicitly stated somewhere within the anthology that the stories would feature heavy inspiration from existing fiction, I don’t believe a story like that belongs in this kind of format. This is probably just a very personal opinion.

I would be interested to read more from this author in the future once they’ve honed their craft more. I do feel they have some unique and interesting ideas that just require more work to become something special.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

14 stories that will creep you out!

I really enjoyed this collection, I had 7 favourites in total…

* Boys Of Summer
* Fields Of Blood
* Driver, Surprise Me
* My Tears Ricochet
* Good Sister, Bad Sister

My absolute two favourites were:

* Baby Teeth 5⭐️
* One for the Money, Two for the Shoe 5⭐️

Perfect read for horror fans.

There was some issues with the writing such as, missing words and spelling mistakes but it didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

3.5 ⭐️

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short horror stories that would be great to tell in the dark or around a campfire.

While not super scary some of them definitely got my heart racing and some didn't scare me at all but definitely infiltrated my brain. (I haven't stopped thinking about the desert one, and the cursed lake would make an excellent movie.)
A lot of this book was made of original stories which I enjoyed but I found that while these were entertaining they didn't quite quite complete in the sense that some of them were quite a few pages when they didn't need to be and some were very short and I would have loved more detail.
If you like scary but not the kind that makes you check your closets before bed then this is for you. I would love another collection to read and I imagine they would be even scarier.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I would love to see some of these as full book to be honest, I know they are short stories but there are a few that could have definitely been an amazing full length book!

Boys of summer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fields of blood
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Baby teeth
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One for the money, two for the show
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Red snow
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Driver, surprise me
⭐️⭐️ far too short to really have an idea about what’s happening.

Silent ivy hotel
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Comet tear the skies
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Green gloves
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Across the woods
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The invasion
⭐️⭐️

My tears ricochet
⭐️⭐️

Lake of sin
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good sister, bad sister
⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Isobel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Putting together a short story collection is not an easy task, and Azzurra Nox was smart in beginning hers with five short stories previously published and then layering on an additional nine. I liked many of the ideas in Nox's stories, but this collection was not my favorite. You can see Nox starting to play with concepts like story and ethics and belief, but most of the stories feel unfinished. Like they needed another round or two (or forty, if you write like Hemingway) of editing. The flash fiction works best, for me, potentially because I expect a lot less from flash fiction than I do from something appropriately called a short story.

Let me caveat this by saying I think the point of Nox's stories is generally story, or plot-driven. We all know I'm a character reader who's a sucker for beautiful sentences, but that's not what Azzurra's focusing on - which is fine, but it also means I'm not really her intended audience.

So if you like idea-driven, short fiction and don't really give a damn about characters or writing style (no judgment, we all like different things in our reading material), and are a horror fan, it's worth checking this collection out.

[Catherine Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was quite fascinating.It's a bunch of scary short stories. There were a couple stories that disappointed me. I felt it just needed more to the stories. I have a few favorites , and those were the more exciting stories. My most favorite story of all was the very last story and it was a long short story.. The cover itself was what made me get the book. Plus I am always looking for a few scary stories to read.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that are scary, gruesome, mysterious, and not for the faint of heart. Paranormal, and the unexplained are explored in this horror anthology.

I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review. Thank you!!

I loved this!! I love all things horror and gore and this was fantastic. I did think the stories in the beginning of the anthology were better than the end but I still really enjoyed it! Really really good horror stories in there and I loved the diversity of topics!! There’s a little something for every horror buff in this one!

[Shelby Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection could definitely benefit from a proofreader, and the writing quality is not the best. The stories aren’t perfect, but I had lots of fun reading them and was never bored. I really enjoyed this overall. I will say “Good Sister, Bad Sister” could probably benefit from being reviewed by a Muslim woman for sensitivity, as the portrayal of the mother’s anger over the hijab felt a bit off.

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

*thanks netgalley and publishers for providing me with an earc in exchange for an honest review*

An anthology of very short "horror" stories.

Most of these stories left me feeling confused, they are really really short and a lot felt like they were companion pieces to full books, rather than short stories.
There were a few that I would have loved to continue but most failed to capture my interest.

[Holly Dimitrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great collection of creepy/horror short stories.
Def. a great read for horror fans.
These stories would be really good also if they made full length novels out of them. Maybe it is something that the authors will think about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC and for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

[Catarina Prata · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Copy provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Vicious traditions was a really fun and somewhat creepy fairy tale like collection of short stories, most of them reinventing another older stories but with different twists and many of them with a good amount of blood added to the mix. It was an enjoyable read!

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an anthology, I expected some stories to be better than others. But the first left me with a bad taste in my mouth as it was a good idea that read like fanfiction. The author isn’t bad, but I think some of these stories need expanding into longer works with editorial advice; others just didn’t work for me. Sorry!

[Margin of Terror · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m going to go with a 3 on this one. It’s a little clumsy in parts, and I had to deduct because I found myself thinking the stories were very predictable. That being said, there are some decent stories in the collection.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vicous traditions by Azzurra Nox.
VICIOUS TRADITIONS is a collection of short stories about dark and twisted encounters with the supernatural and the unexplained. Sometimes the line between reality and madness is razor thin. You will be lead on a dark and creepy journey where you'll constantly look behind your back. What's that unexpected sound? Is that a shadow or a creature? Delve into the darkness if you dare.
A good collection of tales. The first one was my favourite. 4*.

[J'Naia Stepp · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories were unique and spooky. However, they were underwhelming and the protagonists all felt very similar to each other.

[Pauline Stout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vicious Traditions is a horror anthology which has collected many different types of stories between its covers. Tales range from supernatural creatures to encounters with the worst of humanity.

The trigger warning that you get at the start of this is very well placed. Most of the stories involve extreme violence and gore. Several of them also feature some kind of assault (physical and sexual). Take this warning very seriously. If you cannot handle that kind of reading please do not read this.

There are a lot of stories in this short book. Most of them are a good length. You get enough story to satisfy you but they don't linger for too long. There are several stories that are only a couple of pages long however (Driver Surprise Me and Across the Woods in particular) and that is just way to short for me. It's unsatisfying. I think I would have liked those if I had more background and had more time to spend in the world of the stories.

My favorites were Fields of Blood (really quite excellent. I can see this as a short movie in a horror anthology. I would love to see how the visuals would translate from page to screen), One For the Money (very short and somewhat predictable but very well done), and Good Sister, Bad Sister (I just straight up think this would be a fantastic movie I would pay to see this in the theater).

My least favorites were Red Snow (mental illness is not a plot twist), Green Gloves (story moved way too quickly for me. I think it would have been much better if it had taken it's time in a longer story), and Lake of Sin (my least favorite. Main character makes incredibly stupid choices for no reason and is very lucky),

The way I rate anthologies and short story collections is to rate each story and then average it out at the end. As a result this is getting 3 stars. I really liked some of the stories but the really bad ones dragged the overall rating down with them.

I'm not going to say that I don't recommend this book. The good stories really were amazing. Once again, do not ignore the trigger warning at the start of the book. It is there for a very good reason. Recommend this for fans of horror and horror shorts of an appropriate age to handle the content.

[Sarika Patkotwar · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This review was initially published at The Readdicts Book Blog. For more book related content, go here .

Another book full of interesting, spine-chilling, gorgeous and absolutely well written short stories by Azzurra Nox, Vicious Traditions is unputdownable and full of surprises in the most positive way possible, because no story is even slightly similar. Azzurra honestly creates magic with the way she writes women centric horror stories that are grotesque, raw, dangerous and easy to read with her brilliant writing and impeccable storytelling.

Every story in this collection takes up a theme that is unique in its own way and has something intriguing to recount and contemplate in terms of the way stuff generally is, in the sense of how there is always a back story behind why someone is the way they are. While each and every story in this collection is worth it, some favourites that stood out are: Baby Teeth, Silent Ivy Hotel, The Invasion, Lake of Sin and Good Sister, Bad Sister. Even these five stories are so different from each other that it doesn’t seem like they’d fit in the same collection, but everything about the entire book is perfect.

A highly recommended if you’re a fan of horror, Vicious Traditions is a quick read that is bound to leave you feeling afraid in the most brilliant way possible. Another gem by the diva that is Azzurra!

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Azzurra Nox in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.

[HoodJoshi666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this eARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The cover, the cover! It’s too good. I liked the collection of stories. The writing was good and the stories were ripe with revenge, horror, blood and centered on women. Sadly, only a few of the short stories stood out but I did love the varying lengths of each story. It made the reading fresh. I will be on the look out for this author in the future…

[Holly Dimitrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great collection of creepy/horror short stories.
Def. a great read for horror fans.
These stories would be really good also if they made full length novels out of them. Maybe it is something that the authors will think about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC and for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.