As I read this story, I learned that Ghost Camera is one of the author’s older stories and is now being rereleased alongside some new short stories. It was interesting to see the difference in the author’s older writing vs. her newer writing - it’s clear that she’s really honed her writing ability and has come into her own in the past decade. I wasn’t a fan of the original story (Ghost Camera) but I did really appreciate the short stories that were released with it. The short stories are only 10-60 pages long and I enjoyed seeing the methods the author used in order to resolve the plot in that short of a timeframe. My favorite of the short stories was Untamed Things, though I really enjoyed the concept that was played with in Death Birds.

I requested a copy of the ARC from the publisher, Black Owl Books, on NetGalley and was approved in exchange for consideration of a review. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.

I admit, it was the cover that initially caught my interest for this collection, but once I read the book description about the featured story - it sounded way too good to pass up the opportunity, even though I'd only read one other book by this author. (DEAD OF WINTER)

That line in the description that says "Discover chilling new bonus stories"? ACCURATE. One got under my skin so thoroughly that I had to put it down for the night and pick it back up the next afternoon to finish in the daylight. (Wouldn't you know a random thunderstorm popped up?! Coincidence? UNLIKELY.)

+ A polaroid camera that captures the images of ghosts
+ Graverobbers who should have questioned why they were getting paid double their standard fee
+ Ghostly birds that feast on the newly departed
+ A house that eats children
+ An urban legend
+ A woman who survives a plane crash in a remote part of the arctic
+ An abandoned Cathedral...or is it?
+ A grieving widow who can't let go of her beloved husband
+ A woman finds a box of VHS tapes in her new home with a note "Don't watch. You'll regret it."

Darcy Coates blew me away with this collection. I loved every single story - which is rare. Think about it - how many collections by a single author have you read where you loved every single story? I can only think of a handful myself. I found each story intriguing and loved how the author built up the suspense and maintained that sort of breathless anticipation you get when you're expecting a jump scare in a horror movie.

This is a properly scary collection. Each story is either unsettling in some fashion or will have you snapping to attention to any wayward sound you hear in your house. I couldn't even go to sleep last night until I had both dogs and my husband there with me. (Stinking Elsbeth!) WORTH IT.

I am officially a Darcy Coates fan after this one. I've already purchased another collection of hers to read next: SMALL HORRORS. After that one, I'll work through her back log until her next new release!

Okay, I didn't know this was a novella anf several short stories, so that kind of took me by surprise. But, I have to say, it was a pleasant surprise. The novella was quite spooky, and it came to a nice conclusion. The short stories honestly seem like beginnings of a horror novel, I found myself wanting way more there. Which means they pack quite a hook. A good, spooky read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poison Pen Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Darcy Coates is an automatic read for me. It was nice to have some other short stories to read, but ultimately it just didn’t do it for me.

Darcy Coates is always so creative, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the camera being able to capture ghosts but also as a way to have spirits come after the living. While the story may not be super believable, it was still really fun to read. I always enjoy new takes on ghost stories and this one did that. I can't wait to buy a physical copy and share with my friends. Thanks, Netgalley for a fun read!!

Darcy Coates is a must read horror author for me, and GHOST CAMERA was a fun opportunity to 1) go back and read one of her stories that was published years ago that I hadn't read yet, and 2) to see what she can do with a short story collection and the constraints of the short story as a whole. I'm happy to report that not only did I really enjoy the titular story GHOST CAMERA, which was very creepy and tense from the jump, I also really liked most of the stories in the collection and found all of them to be incredibly effective, whether by being straight up terrifying or more on the unsettling creepy side. I should probably be on the look out for more of her short stories! This will be perfect reading for the upcoming spooky season.

I didn't realize this was a short story collection - I saw the author and sent a request because I had previously enjoyed their books - and it was a pleasant surprise and welcome addition to my summer reading list. With frequent interruptions (kids being home for the summer vacation isn't conducive to hours-long reading marathons), the short story aspect was perfect and I found them all thoroughly enjoyable. Overall, my favourite was the final story: a solid, creepy tale for a strong finish.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review.

🅐 🅡 🅒 • 🅡 🅔 🅥 🅘 🅔 🅦

#tropes

🖤 Dark
🖤 Tense
🖤 Short Stories
🖤 Eerie
🖤 Medium Paced
🖤 Revenge

Per usual…I ate this short story up. I will forever be a Darcy Coates fan no matter. This gave you the eerie vibes and is the perfect nighttime read. I loved the goosebumps feel that it gave off. A great fast short read for any time honestly. I think if you love creepy short stories AND Darcy you will go feral over this. :)

Thank you @netgalley , @poisonedpenpress and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Didn't realize it was a short story collection. Not for me.

Fun Darcy Coates writing as per usual.

DNF

I've read a few books by Darcy Coates and was excited to see a new book on Netgalley and instantly requested it.

Unfortunately I really couldn't get into the story and didn't like the main characters so it felt more of a struggle to read and I felt reluctant to want to read it.

It was fun reading Darcy Coates first book of short stories. The stories in Ghost Camera were much scarier than I expected but I had a great time. I can appreciate and recognize the growth Darcy has had since the creation of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

4 stars.

This collection of short stories are scarier than most that I have read. I am a huge fan of Stephen King, but I find most of his stories much fluffier than these. Spooky and creepy, most of these stories were too short. Ghost Camera could have been expanded into a full length novel, while A Box of Tapes could probably be made into a horror film (which I wouldn't be able to watch). Overall, this was a solid and entertaining read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a short story so a lot happened in a short time but I did get spooked and was perfect to read during a thunderstorm. Darcy Coates has been a favorite of mine for years and have had family/friends also read some of her books and enjoy them as well.

If you like ghost stories and a short story I think you will enjoy this. There are other short stories that are good as well included in her new release book.

Thank you NetGalley and Darcy Coates for the privilege to read this book!!!

Ghost Camera is a wonderfully spooky short story collection. I enjoyed reading one of Coates' first stories as well as several of her newest ones. It shows how she has grown as a storyteller and writer. The titular story and all the stories following it were extremely atmospheric and unsettling. Darcy Coates has a way of setting the scene and making it feel like you are there. The last story, The Box of Tapes, was especially creepy and kept me guessing. It was my favorite of the collection. I also thoroughly enjoyed Untamed Things and not just because the MC has the same name as me (lol).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited about this book, it looks so good. But unfortunately it ended up just being meh. The dialogue in the book was strange and well the whole story was a little strange. It was an okay read. It had the right amount of spooky and ghost but in the end It just wasn't for me.

I always know that when I pick up a Darcy Coates book that I’m going to have a good time and this was no exception. It was eerie and I enjoyed every second of it.

This was the first book by Darcy Coates that I have ever read. I think it’s fitting, being able to read one of her older pieces (Ghost Camera) followed by many of her newer ones. I’ll leave my Ghost Camera story review for last.

For starters, I enjoyed every single story in this book. At the top of the list was the last story, A Box of Tapes. It was creepy, atmospheric, and had me flinching at random noises in my house while I was reading. I was flip flopping between thinking there was something paranormal going on and it just being a person almost the entire thing, it had me tense until the last sentence. And honestly a little after.

Payment For the Dead & Remains were perfect short stories. The other were entirely enjoyable as well, and I will probably write more indetail reflections on them all later.

Lastly, Ghost Camera was an excellent starting story. I genuinely enjoyed the storyline, the utilization of the polaroids to elicit jump scares and establish a creepy environment, and the quick pace. The descriptions of the polaroids gave me goosebumps and built suspense well. My only complaints come from 1- Jenine and Bree waiting WAY too long to look at the polaroids and 2- you can really see how much her writing has grown in the last 10-15 years after reading the rest of the her short stories, so looking back the writing lacks a bit. But that, I think, is a positive. I adored seeing how much her writing has developed over the years.

I can’t believe this was the first piece I’ve read from Coates. I look forward to making my way through her previous works.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates is a short story collection with the first story being the titular story. This one was originally written several years ago but due to fan popularity, it is making a comeback in this collection.

I really enjoy this author. She is somehow able to perfectly capture the vibe of “cozy horror” and this collection really exemplifies that. I think the strongest story is the first story. It was the most interesting and fun for me to read but the subsequent short stories were nice too. I love a short story collection. Something about short horror really works well for me.

I don’t think all the stories were amazing but there were at least a fun time. Most of them were about a three star read for me. The first story was definitely a solid four which leaves this collection at about a 3.5 star overall, rounded up. I would highly recommend this collection to anyone trying to get into horror or to anyone who can’t handle super scary things but once something a little on the creepy side.

I haven't read another book this year that matched my tasted so perfectly. As always I love darcey coates writing - the concept for the stories, the setting, the characters, the spookiness, all perfection!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review Ghost Camera by Darcy Coates! While I loved the main story, the others were just okay in my opinion and weren’t as entertaining.