The deal: A collection of short stories set in Florida, focused on young folks in the midst of personal reckonings. This is Moniz’s first book. (Sidenote: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for this review.)
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Is it worth it?: Hell yeah. These stories were exceptional, debut or not. Moniz crafts moments with a mastery that’s neither pretentious nor overfly flowery/precious — she makes it look easy. Nearly every story left me wanting more in the best possible way. Absolutely endorse.
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Pairs well with: diner coffee, intergenerational tension, feeling your feelings
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B+

This is a powerhouse collection of short stories set in the Florida heat. In the opening story, “Milk Blood Heat” a thirteen-year-old explores the power dynamics in her relationship with her white best friend and they mix their blood in a bowl of milk, sealing the friendship. These stories about girls and women are dark and sad, thoughtful and complex. Many of these stories revolve around relationships between mothers and daughters and include themes of infidelity, identity, grief and death. This is a writer that takes care of her stories through her attention to detail and impressionistic prose. Want to feel connected to humanity and learn about empathy through reading? This is the book for you. Thank you to Grove and to NetGalley for the advanced review copy of this book.

this was far more morbid than i originally anticipated. the first story had my jaw glued to the ground and the rest was just a journey of recovery. moniz covers many different topics, such as girlhood and marriage and grief and loss and guilt. i kinda wish there was a more cohesive theme, rather than the broad ideas of sad things, but moniz still carries an emotional and sometimes violent impact with every single story. there are no conclusive resolutions or endings to any of the stories, which i found to be wonderfully engaging. her character development is remarkable; i always applaud writers who are able to bring their characters to life in short stories less than 20 pages. the imagery is top notch as well, from physical descriptions to the inner worlds of her characters. milk blood heat is a magnificent debut and i would absolutely love to read her future works.

A collection of short stories that I did not enjoy at all. The first story has the two main characters (teenage girls) mix blood with their cereal and milk and ingest it. It went downhill from there.

I find collection of short stories hard to judge. Most of the time it’s hit or miss, and this debut wasn’t an exception. People tend to relate to the stories when they resonate with them, when they spark some kind of emotion or a feeling. The first couple stories of this collection didn’t make me feel much, but then it just hit.

Although all of the short stories are pretty dark (what I love), there’s some sadness in each of them. The true sadness that makes you stop and think about your own life: mistakes you’ve made, people you’ve met, places you’ve seen.
Some stories made me pause and think for longer than others. Some stories made me think of particular people I know. Others made me think who I should recommend this to read.

I decided to mention stories that were the most memorable for me: “Snow” was so relatable, it hurt. “The Loss of Heaven” made me think about relationships and marriage. “The Hearts of Our Enemies” made me cringe in the end. “Necessary Bodies” made me think about my sister. “Outside the Raft” sparked memories about my childhood.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this collection. It was beautifully written and some stories touched my heart.

Incredible short stories. This is a debut?! Wow. The authors writing was so beautiful. The stories are all centered in Florida, each with a different focus. These stories are heavy and, at times, dark. These stories will stay with me for a while. Some I will revisit. Others not. I would absolutely recommend this book.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A dramatic, beautifully-written collection of short stories set in Florida. The stories were each thoughtful with relateable themes including relationships and struggles within. I think this collection would be more enjoyable with a few lighter stories included. Even for me, reading primarily books focusing on relationships and struggles, this book was a bit relentlessly dark for me. I had to put it down between stories to almost take a break. I will certainly read the next work Danitel Minus writes as the words and stories were layered and beautifully interesting.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Grove Press for this ARC. I am grateful.

This was an interesting read. These short stories offered a peak into several different lives of various characters. I didn't particularly care for not finding out how their stories ended after a while. WARNING: suicide, trauma, sex, drinking, drug use, etc.

Ava knows she really is a monster, or at least she feels like one; unnatural and unfamiliar in her body. Before thirteen, she hadn't realized empty was a thing you could carry. Bit who put it there? Sometimes she wonders if she will ever be rid of it, and other times she never wants to give it back. It is a thing she owns.


In Milk Blood Heat, Moniz explores so much of womanhood through a collection of short stories. From the beginnings of being a woman to motherhood and everything in between. All the stories are set to the backdrop of Florida and share a piece of what it is to be both a Person of Color and a woman.

This is not my first short story collection, but it is the first short story collection I really enjoyed from beginning to end. After finishing countless short story units in school, I think I am more used to short stories having a little bite to them in the last couple paragraphs. I like my short stories to feel like twilight zone episodes. I need That feeling of something being off, but you can't quite put your finger on it until the very end of the episode when everything comes to light in a disorienting way. Milk Blood Heat did this for me and I think that really added to my enjoyment of the collection. each story felt as effortless in its building of characters as it did in the flow and structure of the story. This was truly a collection of tiny masterpieces. It is filled with fleeting beauty that is eclipsed by something a little darker and more sinister in undertones.

This is Arlo, our father, and he is everywhere in me. He taught me how to cook, how to type, when walking, not to look at my feet. He had always been precise with me and did not treat me as a child. He told me the names of things; when there was death he called it death, and when he tucked me in at night he would say into my eat, por la sangre, and wouldn't leave until I repeated it back. Until I made him believe that I believed it. I had loved him and was frightened of him, as he thought all good daughters should be.
A story detailing the sadness of a young girl as she compares her life as a Black teen to that of her white friend, a story about a prestigious supper club made up of members with an insatiable appetite for exotic cooking, and a mother protecting her child from the grips of a sexual predator were among some of my favorites but I truly loved every story. I loved the way the stories of Milk Blood Heat fit together. The intentional way the author took so many ideas and stories and managed to piece them into this collection feels breathtaking in the scope of its success.

This collection was not very light in content, so if you are looking to settle in with something more delicate and comforting, this might not be for you. The topics this collection explores have a lot more grit to them. If you are a woman in the world I bet you can easily imagine what that "grit" encompasses.


From here, her mother looks young--could be any of the girls, making sure the face she's wearing is the one the world wants-- and at this thought, Frankie suddenly breaks through, not just a mother, but a whole person. Separate and full of awe. It dawns on Margot that, old as she is, it's her mother's first time on this earth, too. Against her will, she softens

Content warning:

suicide, miscarriage, implied rape, implied sexual abuse at the hands of a person in the position of trust, racism, religious abuse


Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic Publishing for an Advanced Readers Copy of Milk Blood Heat in exchange for an honest review.


You can find Milk Blood Heat on bookshelves near you on February 2nd 2021

"What is the nature of hate? What's it useful for? And Zey imagines the townspeople, their whispers, and cruel laws, their narrowed eyes. How they ostracized the women [The Scarlet Letter], conspired to contain her light.

They were scared of her, Zey tells the teacher, realizing it as she speaks, and he jabs a finger in her direction. Yes! Exactly that, he says. Now he's getting excited, pacing before their desks, and Zey tilts forward in her seat, angling closer to his truth. Hate, he continues is almost always a cover for some perceived psychological threat-- our guilt or pain. Our fear. And how do we treat things of which we are afraid?" from 'Tongues'

Review: I found this debut to be a remarkable, authentic, and poignant collection of moments, interactions, relationships, and individuals grounded in common situations, yet hidden in the dark spaces of what we keep out of public eyes. Written in a lyrical, truly raw, and unencumbered way it's impossible to not feel compelled and emotionally linked to these characters. Moniz, in so few pages, draws the reader in and develops foundational relationships, in many ways better and stronger than many 200+ page novels do. Many of these stories, although ambiguous in nature and lacking traditional resolutions, find great success in the emotional transference to readers of what the characters are going through, how they are attempting to navigate life, and the impact of their relationships.

As with most short story collections, some stories were stronger than others. 'Milk Blood Heat' the first story presented and from which the whole collection is named, is one of the stronger pieces. Additionally, 'Tongues' and 'The Hearts of Our Enemies' stood out to me, though none of the stories stood out as a true "week link", the entire collection is strong. I personally loved the darkness of these stories, to me that darkness mimicked true life and meant there was no shying away from the truth of difficult situations and the impact of mental health.

Rating: 4.25 / 5 stars
CW: suicidal ideation, rape, sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion, cannibalism, suicide, grief

*Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advanced e-copy in exchange for a fair review*

“The water became a vast expanse of pocked, green-tinted mirror, our plastic raft anchored on its surface. We dangled our fingers over the side, imagining they were shark bait. Our hands were blades slicing apart the water and the sky; they were telescopes spying treasures ashore that were ripe for plunkering—a shovel and pail, a Barbie beach blanket. The waves we craved frolicked ahead, forgetting us.”

In most of these stories, Moniz writes about mothers and daughters. There’s the intense friendship formed by two thirteen-year-old girls; a mother who had an affair and is now trying to mend her relationship with her teenage daughter; two young cousins whose bond will be broken after an unforgivable act.

When I think of this collection, I think of sweltering heat (yes, even in “Snow”), of feet on hot pavement, of the comforting shade of a tree on a summer day, of children in the water and their distracted parents on the shore, taking in the sun.

Moniz writes sentences you’ll want to remember and go back to. Her writing is unique in a way that’s still accessible; you want to spend time with her sentences, and not because they’re convoluted or overwritten. Her writing is precise, but it asks for your full attention—as it should.

I will say, the first story, Milk Blood Heat, was by far my favorite. I spent the rest of the collection waiting for stories that would hit as hard, but nothing topped it for me. I still very much enjoyed the rest though.

The very first story in this collection is jarring, to say the absolute least. It sneaks up on you, and yet I also felt like I knew it was coming but refused to believe it. The rest of the stories follow suit in how they seem largely tame until, BAM, Moniz hits you with a sentence that makes things fall into place... or maybe fall apart? It's a style that works for her, and I'd be curious to see if she could sustain that in a novel. Curiosity aside, this book is a good kind of sucker punch to the gut.

A debut collection so well written so unique set in Florida.Characters you will not forget involved in situations that surprise shock kept me turning the pages.A. New author so talented this book will be on reviewers must read list.#netgalley #grovepress

Dantiel W. Moniz is a phenomenal writer. Her ability to so realistically portray living, life and the heaviness that comes with it in this short story collection is nothing short of incredible.

C/W: Suicidal idealisation, character death, miscarriage, racism, cannibalism, underage sex, infidelity (Basically I need you to know that this collection of short stories gets really dark)

I made the mistake of trying to finish this in one day and I shouldn't have. These stories demand to have your full attention, to sit and ponder. I don't think a single one left me with wanting any more than I was given.

Most of the stories are character-driven in this collection rather than plot-driven. While the writing can get flowery at times, I really enjoyed the stories and could find myself rereading them.

I think what I would like to see from Moniz is a story of joy. She writes realism, unhappiness and dark moments so well that I would really like to know is what a story of joy looks like from her perspective. This collection holds a variety of styles and story techniques while showcasing a dark realism.

What stands out to me the most about this collection was the lack of "male gaze" in the stories and the use of innocence in many of them. It was such a raw way to look at growing up and, to an extent, truthful. I think it is also worth noting that all the stories most (if not all) the stories had Black characters leading the story.

I definitely think this book is a good spooky read if you aren't into traditional horror and are a fan of short stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for allowing me to read an e-arc of "Milk Blood Heat" in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

Milk Blood Heat is filled with the kinds of stories that make you trip over mental speedbumps, doing double-takes over what you just read. Even "Exotic", the shortest passage at just four pages, is strong enough to instill a horrific unsettling inside you that is guaranteed to last awhile. This collection often focuses on intense, instinctual women and bold, unflinching girls-- which, if you ask me, are usually the best kinds of short stories. There's blood pacts, romantic and parental betrayals, near-death experiences, as well as death itself. Full of ominous tension and sharp, vibrant prose, Milk Blood Heat is seriously outstanding, especially for a debut collection.

This is such a good debut collection of short stories. I especially liked the focus on girlhood and thought Moniz captures that particular time of life incredibly well – with all the inherent darkness a focus on girls can lead to. And dark these stories are – but I did not find them hopeless even if Moniz refuses to give her stories neat endings. I found this impeccably written, the metaphor heavy language a perfect fit for the format, and her characterization incredibly well-done. Some stories veered too much into darkness for me (I did not love “Tongues” and thought “Exotics” wasn’t half as clever as it should have been), but others were near pitch perfect (the collection starts incredibly strong with “Milk Blood Heat” which broke my heart but in a good way; “Thicker Than Water” with its examination of sibling relationships, guilt and grief was my favourite).

Content warning: rape, child sexual abuse, miscarriage, abortion, cannibalism, suicide, suicidal ideation, grief induced hallucinations

Moniz's debut short story collecting is raw and stunning. Her writing style often took on a lyrical manner, yet never felt overdone or took away from the whole of each story. At times, it was hard not to stop and admire her prose, as with sentences like "so high that her nose grazed the green of the tree, and the leaves all fell around her, turning red, turning brown, leaving the shriveled skeletons of their former selves underneath her feet."

My favorite by far was the first short story, "Milk Blood Heat," but Moniz's ability to craft compelling stories didn't stop there. "Outside the Raft," "An Almanac of Bones," and "Snow" were a few others that stuck out to me, and each story I finished made me eager to read the next.

I look forward to reading what Moniz writes next, and if it's written with the same level of emotion and complexity as Milk Blood Heat, I'm sure it will be incredible.

A stellar collection of short stories. Moniz is a writer of great promise, and the book is likely to be one of the most celebrated of the year.

Dantiel W. Moniz proves that the short story is alive, raw, and well with Milk Blood Heat. The stories in this collection grip, engage, and fly by as they demonstrate this author's perceptibility and bracing view of life. Well worth the read.

This is an exquisite book--the best short story collection I've read in awhile. Moniz's character development is astounding--in pretty much every one of these stories, I was immediately drawn in and invested in the people she created. Many of these stories are dark--some are borderline devastating--but all of them deal with harm (of oneself, of others) and perverse or perversely powerful relationships. They also deal with desire==not just sexual by any means--and resist neat ending or any full sense of closure. The stories are generally fairly literary, but never in a pretentious way--Moniz's prose is striking but still immersive. It never snags you in unintentional ways.