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Moonflowers and Nightshade: An Anthology of Sapphic Horror
Moonflowers and Nightshade presents eighteen original sapphic horror stories, including works by: Alex Luceli Jiménez, Christina Ladd, G.B. Lindsey, Kat Siddle, G.E. Woods, Rae Knowles, Lowry Poletti, Cyrus Amelia Fisher, Jade Lancaster, Archita Mittra, Ali Seay, Christina Ladd, Anastasia Dziekan, E.F. Schraeder, Tiffany Morris, Nicoletta Giuseffi, Avra Margariti, and Annabeth Leong.
Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2022
8 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Kolesnik
15 books447 followersSamantha Kolesnik is a retired author, filmmaker, and artist. She is best known for her books Waif (2021) and True Crime (2020).
She is also the author of the YA novella Elogona (Weirdpunk Books) and the short fiction collection Tales From Between Presents: Samantha Kolesnik’s Lonesome Haunts.
Her short films have screened at festivals internationally. Her directorial debut, Mama's Boy, premiered at the Telluride Horror Show.
After enduring significant trauma and focusing on recovery from PTSD, Kolesnik has chosen to step away from writing and publishing.
She is also the author of the YA novella Elogona (Weirdpunk Books) and the short fiction collection Tales From Between Presents: Samantha Kolesnik’s Lonesome Haunts.
Her short films have screened at festivals internationally. Her directorial debut, Mama's Boy, premiered at the Telluride Horror Show.
After enduring significant trauma and focusing on recovery from PTSD, Kolesnik has chosen to step away from writing and publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Want to read
May 26, 2022my lesbian “doll comes to life” short story is in this anthology and i am SO excited to read the rest of the sapphic stories featured in this! now available for preorder on amazon, check it out!
October 13, 2022
read my full review on my blog!
i may not have loved each and every story, but the themes, tones, and overall vibe of this collection made me really happy. there's something to be said about representation in horror, and this anthology of stories came through.
each story has an interesting wlw twist to it, on TOP of spooky stories, it's everything a girl like me could want.
there was only a few stories i didn't totally enjoy, and that's due to the abstract nature of them. even then though, the writing was well done.
overall i'd definitely recommend this to any horror lovers.
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///4 stars
//rtc
i may not have loved each and every story, but the themes, tones, and overall vibe of this collection made me really happy. there's something to be said about representation in horror, and this anthology of stories came through.
each story has an interesting wlw twist to it, on TOP of spooky stories, it's everything a girl like me could want.
there was only a few stories i didn't totally enjoy, and that's due to the abstract nature of them. even then though, the writing was well done.
overall i'd definitely recommend this to any horror lovers.
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///4 stars
//rtc
October 30, 2023
Excellent collection of sapphic horror by a great selection of writers. Kolesnik has chosen the best of the best.
There are a lot of stories about dating/new relationships, as well as being consumed or being the consumer. I couldn't read this collection fast enough!
There are a lot of stories about dating/new relationships, as well as being consumed or being the consumer. I couldn't read this collection fast enough!
December 14, 2022
4 stars. I meant to get to this in October but whatever I’m just glad that I finally got around to it and it was an excellent in between book for all of my holiday romances. This is a very interesting collection of short stories and while not all eighteen of them were hits a good majority of them were. Some were bizarre and others were down right creepy and made me feel a bit uneasy. My absolute favorites of the bunch were:
‘Fingers’ by E.F. Scraeder
‘Dex’ by Ali Seay
‘Fathomless Things’ by Avra Margariti
Those three really stood out to me but again the entire collection is really good and a very entertaining read. If you’re in the mood for sapphic horror stories this collection definitely hits the spot.
‘Fingers’ by E.F. Scraeder
‘Dex’ by Ali Seay
‘Fathomless Things’ by Avra Margariti
Those three really stood out to me but again the entire collection is really good and a very entertaining read. If you’re in the mood for sapphic horror stories this collection definitely hits the spot.
December 17, 2022
Picked this up because a friend's story is included in it! Hers is one of the better ones, but there's a good mix of different horror and spooks, love and longing and doomed romance. There are werewolves, changelings, poisonings, and the final story is a particularly unpleasant and gore-soaked fantasy tale of cannibalism and dark magic.
June 15, 2023
Horror comes in all genders, all sexualities. Sometimes, horror is the person you meet at the bar, even as they save your life. Sometimes, it's the communities we live in, and the lengths we will go to to make sure that our oleander is award-winning. Sometimes, it's standing between life and death, and learning you don't know everything about the person you choose to spend the rest of eternity with.
Check out the rest of my review on my blog, Reed Faster's Recommendation Corner
Check out the rest of my review on my blog, Reed Faster's Recommendation Corner
February 4, 2023
i'm extremely sentimental. it was so good to see women like me in so many different horror stories. some of them are really really good in a "i wont ever forget that" way, some are really disturbing and some are even funny.
now i have to google all the writers to know more about their work.
now i have to google all the writers to know more about their work.
December 31, 2022
this was an incredibly fun collection! but i want to give a special mention to Beaded is the Water upon My Wing by G.E. Woods, which is the most stunning short story i have ever read. it's everything to me, and has become my new all-time favorite short story. i didn't think a piece of horror fiction could make me so emotional.
May 28, 2023
Ahhhh don't you LOVE when you finish an anthology and have a whole slew of amazing, new-to-you authors to look up?? This is one of those short story collections that just simply doesn't have a bad one in the bunch. Each of these stories were so unique and beautiful and fucked up.
While I truly enjoyed each and every story included, the ones that have stuck with me since are both Little Red Friend by Jade Lancaster and Consummation of the Wasp by Christina Ladd. If you're looking for some dark Sapphic stories to keep you up at night, I highly recommend this collection!
While I truly enjoyed each and every story included, the ones that have stuck with me since are both Little Red Friend by Jade Lancaster and Consummation of the Wasp by Christina Ladd. If you're looking for some dark Sapphic stories to keep you up at night, I highly recommend this collection!
Read
May 20, 2023My story is in this so I'm going to refrain from rating it. But I really enjoyed reading these. What a trip!
July 1, 2023
While I didn't love every story in this anthology, I think it was amazing overall. The quality of prose was there, even in the pieces that didn't resonate with me personally, and I think it made me feel all the more strongly about the pieces that I adored.
I was particularly fond of "Common Oleander" by Rae Knowles and "Dex" by Ali Seay. Normally I'd feel bad that the two stories I selected were by two authors I already followed and appreciated, but that would have been virtually impossible to avoid with this amazing table of contents.
These stories were beautiful, haunting, and perfectly executed in a way that highlighted the wide range of voices that contributed.
I am so glad I got the opportunity to read and review this collection, and I would love to see more work from every single one of these contributors -- as well as more anthologies curated by Samantha Kolesnik, who it seems has excellent taste.
I was particularly fond of "Common Oleander" by Rae Knowles and "Dex" by Ali Seay. Normally I'd feel bad that the two stories I selected were by two authors I already followed and appreciated, but that would have been virtually impossible to avoid with this amazing table of contents.
These stories were beautiful, haunting, and perfectly executed in a way that highlighted the wide range of voices that contributed.
I am so glad I got the opportunity to read and review this collection, and I would love to see more work from every single one of these contributors -- as well as more anthologies curated by Samantha Kolesnik, who it seems has excellent taste.
April 30, 2023
Average 2.8 ⭐ rounded up to 3 ⭐
This anthology was a bit too short for some of these stories to really breathe. Many could have done with another few pages.
===INDIVIDUAL RATINGS===
Little Red Friend - 2 ⭐
Common Oleander - 3 ⭐
Fingers - 2 ⭐
Consummation of the Wasp - 3 ⭐
Dex - 2 ⭐
A Change in Universal Flavor - 2 ⭐
We Have Made a Home Beyond Death - 3 ⭐
Sirena's Collection of Tarot Cards - 4 ⭐
Beaded is the Water Upon My Wing - 3 ⭐
The Blessing - 4 ⭐
She Lingers Like Smoke - 2 ⭐
Stains - 2 ⭐
Dinner Date - 2 ⭐
The White Room - 3 ⭐
Fathomless Things - 3 ⭐
Sisters in Safe Deliverance - 3 ⭐
Parts - 4 ⭐
The Court of Mouths - 4 ⭐
This anthology was a bit too short for some of these stories to really breathe. Many could have done with another few pages.
===INDIVIDUAL RATINGS===
Little Red Friend - 2 ⭐
Common Oleander - 3 ⭐
Fingers - 2 ⭐
Consummation of the Wasp - 3 ⭐
Dex - 2 ⭐
A Change in Universal Flavor - 2 ⭐
We Have Made a Home Beyond Death - 3 ⭐
Sirena's Collection of Tarot Cards - 4 ⭐
Beaded is the Water Upon My Wing - 3 ⭐
The Blessing - 4 ⭐
She Lingers Like Smoke - 2 ⭐
Stains - 2 ⭐
Dinner Date - 2 ⭐
The White Room - 3 ⭐
Fathomless Things - 3 ⭐
Sisters in Safe Deliverance - 3 ⭐
Parts - 4 ⭐
The Court of Mouths - 4 ⭐
June 22, 2023
This sapphic collection is filled with polite, eerie, haunting, lite-psychological horror that will worm its way into your head and your heart. I particularly fell in love with Rae Knowles garden lesbians in "Common Oleander".
Other great stories included "Sirena's Collection of Tarot Cards" by Archita Mittra, which will have you fearing tarot in a whole new way you might have never imagined, and "The Court of Mouths" by Cyrus Ameilia Fisher, which builds SUCH a rich world in such a short story that you can't help but be awed.
Other great stories included "Sirena's Collection of Tarot Cards" by Archita Mittra, which will have you fearing tarot in a whole new way you might have never imagined, and "The Court of Mouths" by Cyrus Ameilia Fisher, which builds SUCH a rich world in such a short story that you can't help but be awed.
July 28, 2023
This was a lovely collection of sapphic horror stories. The variety in the types of stories told, incredible writing, and the overall vibe of the book is something special. I’m so glad something like this exists, and I want more! 💜🏳️🌈
February 23, 2023
Rat girlie you should've seen that coming
Love how short these stories are
Love how short these stories are
May 20, 2023
A great anthology that is beautifully written. Werewolves, cannibals, cults, witches, and more. I enjoyed every story. Lesbian horror is rare, and I love it!
June 28, 2023
Creepy and great!
Such a good mix of classic horror, supernatural, and just plain gross. I love it. I think every book needs lesbians eating each other ;)
Such a good mix of classic horror, supernatural, and just plain gross. I love it. I think every book needs lesbians eating each other ;)
July 12, 2025
This was quite an amazing set of horror novellas. Most of these are appealing in what isn’t revealed. I definitely wanted fuller, deeper, and longer novels from many!
April 24, 2023
A fantastic collection filled with horror, romance, tradgedy, cannibalism, magic, gore and monsters every one featuring a lesbian or sapphic mc, what more could I possibly ask for.
As an anthology collection it, as per the standard, has it's ups and downs but overall this is an absolute wonderful collection. (4.5 Stars)
As an anthology collection it, as per the standard, has it's ups and downs but overall this is an absolute wonderful collection. (4.5 Stars)
December 11, 2023
A collection of Sapphic horror that is both beautifully haunting and crawling with gore. The stories range from the dreadful and chilling to the fantastic and bizarre.
I can't help but comment on the common thread of oral symbolism that binds almost all the stories together. As any good Sapphic collection would. ;-)
Some of my favorite stories include:
Common Oleander by Rae Knowles
Sirena's Collection of Tarot Cards by Archita Mittra
The Court of Mouths by Cyrus Amelia Fisher
A perfect way to celebrate Pride.
Or Halloween.
Or any day ending in "y".
I can't help but comment on the common thread of oral symbolism that binds almost all the stories together. As any good Sapphic collection would. ;-)
Some of my favorite stories include:
Common Oleander by Rae Knowles
Sirena's Collection of Tarot Cards by Archita Mittra
The Court of Mouths by Cyrus Amelia Fisher
A perfect way to celebrate Pride.
Or Halloween.
Or any day ending in "y".
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews