This book is literally ✨perfection✨.

We all know the nature of anthologies. You usually get a handful of stories you really like, a handful you really don't, and then the rest sort of float in that in-between land. Not so with OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS! It is honestly the most consistently good short story anthology I have read in years.

[Content warnings: Body horror, death, murder, racism, and homophobia.]

OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS is a thoughtfully compiled anthology, featuring a great mix of horror stories, and the illustrations that were present in my eARC did a fantastic job of evoking the atmospheres of the different stories. (Shoutout to the illustration for “¿Dónde Está El Duende?”, which is going to haunt me for a while.) There are monster hunters falling for monster rehabilitators, characters discovering their supernatural heritages, and several variations on being haunted or stalked by the otherworldly. There are triumphant stories, ambiguously ended stories, and downer ending stories, and the anthology felt very cohesive even with its broad theme of anything monster-adjacent in Latin America and its diaspora.

While not present in all of the stories, this anthology has a recurring theme of turning to supernatural elements to exact justice, whether that’s to protect land rights or end a predator’s hold on a neighborhood. (And, you know, sometimes it’s just satisfying for a cheating boyfriend to run into a monster who really doesn’t like men who disparage their girlfriends.) There are also multiple stories that touch on rediscovering or reuniting with your (supernatural) family or heritage, which will likely resonate with diaspora readers.

There is a lot to love about the stories in OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS, and even the ones that didn’t speak to me had interesting elements that I enjoyed. A few of the standout stories for me were “¿Dónde Está El Duende?” by Jenny Torres Sanchez, for its chilling descriptions of what happens when el duende has you in its thrall; “La Madrina” by Yamile Saied Méndez for its lovely depiction of death and a second chance; and “Blood Kin” by Ari Tison for its portrayal of resisting global, corporate evils.

Recommendation: Get it soon if you’re a fan of monsters or horror in general. OUR SHADOWS HAVE CLAWS is an imaginative anthology that draws upon Latin America and its diaspora. The anthology is out just in time for Halloween, too, so it would be a great addition to a personal, classroom, or public library.

Our Shadows Have Claws is a short story collection containing 15 tales of monsters, myths and legends from and about different parts of Latin America. There's a few familiar to me monsters/myths but most were new and all of the stories were thrilling! My particular favorite was 'Beware the Empty Subway Car' by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite. In many of the stories, the monster was certainly scary but sometimes the most thrilling part was the ending. Several times the story just ended and left the reader to wonder about what could possibly be next! I greatly enjoyed this, it's a must have for my library!

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Enhorabuena! The latinx horror anthology the world didn't know it always needed. Read it or the shadows may just come for you!

The premise of horror stories is something that chills my bones. I am not normally someone who can read horror stories, but fall is approaching. And what that seems to mean is that it's beginning to be spooky season. So I re-organized my reading schedule to read these scary stories during the daylight and I'm so glad I did! Because Our Shadows Have Claws is a fabulous anthology! This is one of those anthologies where I knew of almost all of the authors!

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of tales! Just looking at the cover, I love that it's colorful and vibrant, and then a closer look shows the claws coming through the page.

All of the stories in the collection feature a monster of some kind, although the type of monster varies from vampires, to the undead, to forest spirits. The stories are a great mix; some are eerie, some are spooky, some are romantic, and a few are downright terrifying (at least, they were to me). Not being Latinx, I also enjoyed the glimpse into myths and monsters from other countries and cultures. I like to examine common narrative threads with my students, and the ways that cultures use stories for a variety of purposes. I can definitely see using these stories in my 10th grade ELA class as a way of talking about the monsters that scare us, why, and what they might represent.

Beware if reading late at night - you don't know what might lurk in the shadows. 3.5/5 stars

Specific favorite stories: "Donde Esta el Duende?" (Sanchez) and "Beware the Empty Subway Car" (Moulite & Moulite)

Thank you so much to Algonquin Young Readers for the arc!

Our Shadows Have Claws features 15 stories from different parts of Latin America featuring monsters, myths and legends. I absolutely loved this collection and I have to admit that, as a Puerto Rican, I was biased towards the Puerto Rican characters and settings. While I truly enjoyed the majority of the stories featured in Our Shadows Have Claws, my absolute favorite was Sugary Deaths by Lilliam Rivera. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to read it all over again. The only reason I'm giving this a 4 star rating is because some of the stories felt incomplete. It was as though they were meant to be part of larger books, but they just gave us slight glimpses so the story ended just as the action was beginning. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm really happy to know there's a collection for Latinx horror lovers who wants to see themselves represented in the pages of a book.

I loved this anthology so much! It features several authors that I already enjoy, along with some who were new to me. Each of these stories features a delightfully creepy tale of monsters, and they often feature something to make you sit and think as well. Each was very unique but also blended together into a seamless whole.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

I always find it really hard to review anthologies, because I feel like I need to review each and every story, but I also read these piecemeal but also in chunks of time, so I tend to blur the stories together.

Regardless, I really appreciated and loved the diversity and cultural perspectives this brought in the stories. I've read many of the authors individually, but I loved reading these monster stories. I'm also not a big fan of horror or thriller stories, but none of these were too much where I felt like I couldn't keep reading and none of them kept me up at night.

Overall, I think this collection also supplies a good look at the latinx diaspora, as many of the stories combine traditional story elements, being an immigrant or a member of a diaspora, and more contemporary issues. I also loved the emphasis on Latinx Indigenous populations and their individual stories. Many of the stories also had societal connections, such as environmental protection, misogyny, racism, and colorism.

While I most likely missed a lot in the stories due to me being white and a non-spanish speaker, I found it insightful to a variety of monster stories and cultural aspects. I definitely will put this in my classroom library for my students.

Loved this anthology! The stories will certainly satisfy horror fans and the incorporation of latinx mythology was incredible. This is an essential edition to any library. Highly recommended!

This is an awesome anthology! I highly recommend this book for fans of monster stories, strong female protagonists, Latin American folklore, and queer romance. It is a great way to discover amazing Latin American writers and learn more about Latine mythology.

This was an excellent collection of Latinx horror. It has the perfect blend of scary with images that stay with you, but not enough to keep you up at night.

The authors in this collection are all female which also gives an interesting insight into monsters in Latinx culture, a culture known for being predominantly machismo. While many of the normal chaotic monsters are male, the wrathful ones are almost all female. Many of the protagonists in these short stories are female as well, giving voice to young women from many walks of life in Latin American countries and into the US.

Some of the stories that really stuck out to me from this collection were "Donde Esta el Duende?" by Jenny Torres Sanchez, "Dismembered," by Ann Davila Cardinal, "La Madrina," by Yamile Saied Mendez, and "Leave No Tracks," by Julia Alvarez. The overall collection is phenomenal, but for various reasons, these were the stories that stayed with me a bit longer.

"Donde Esta el Duende?" focuses on el duende, a forest goblin who feeds on the memories of children - some of the descriptions in this story really got into my core, mostly because it seems as though once you are in el duende's thrall, there is not much that can be done to save you.

"Dismembered" is the story of a girl grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother, who offered her a safe shelter from the cruelties of the real world. This story made me examine my own family in a different light.

"La Madrina" is a depiction of the godmother that ushers us off into death or sends us back to the world of the living. I have always been fascinated with the fact that so many cultures around the world depict death as a female divinity. I think overall this makes more sense than a male one, as women are also the force that brings forth life. Having them also usher us to death completes the circle.

Last but not least, "Leave no Tracks" explores the idea of what happens to forest spirits and guardians when the forest is disappearing? Indigenous cultures all over the world had maintained a delicate balance within their ecosystems, but the rise of industrialism and capitalism pushed the old ways to the side in the name of progress.

Many of these stories are laced with politics, war, protests, and the feeling of disconnectedness that many people of diasporas feel. While I can not personally relate to these stories, I find them to be a fascinating window into a culture that I only have the privilege of reading about.

None of the short stories in this book were lower than a 4 star, which is incredible! This book is well composed with a great blend of short stories, starcrossed love with extra elements, monsters, lore, and horror mixed with Latino culture. They casually showed me the dynamics of family and traditions, and the monster lore was fascinating to read!

My favourites were "Beware the empty Subway Cars", "The Boy from Hell", "La Madrina", & "Leave no Tracks."
They have an excellent element to them!

Also, the art header for each short story is incredible!

Thank you, Algonquin Young Readers, for allowing me to read Our Shadows Have Claws early

As with all anthologies, not all stories will resonate with readers, but everyone is bound to find at least one they are going to enjoy. I found several, namely the ones penned by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite, Claribel A. Ortega, Amparo Ortiz, Alexandra Villasante, Racquel Marie and Gabriela Martins.