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.

This was the perfect read to get me out of a slump. I really enjoyed that this is a book of short stories, so there is a variety of the spooky vibes for this book. I'm not one who gets creeped out when reading a book, but a couple of these stories had me get a chill down my back. I will say there were a few that didn't hit the mark but others most certainly did. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for some spooky vibes or put it on your list to read closer to Halloween to get you into the season.

I first fell in love with Darcy Coates' writing with "Dead of Winter," which I was fortunate enough to receive as an ARC. Her ability to weave creepy tones into her narrative is absolutely unmatched. The chills and overall eerie feelings I experienced while reading this book were everything I look for and want in a horror/thriller.

The horror elements are skillfully balanced with moments of quiet introspection, allowing the characters—and the reader—a brief respite before plunging back into the terror. This ebb and flow of tension kept me glued to the pages, eagerly anticipating what would happen next. If you're a fan of horror and thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a book you do not want to miss. It’s a chilling, atmospheric tale that will linger in your mind, making you look over your shoulder long after you've turned the last page.

We’re going to need a bigger thesaurus. How many ways can you say creepy? You’ll need them all when you read this excellent collection of stories. In the titular novella, a woman finds a polaroid camera that can take pictures of the dead. The descriptions of what she sees can give anyone nightmares. The rest of the tales are equally spooky. Whether it’s supernatural birds that predict death, a woman who survives a plane crash only to be chased by unbearably horrific creatures, a teenage dare with deadly consequences or a wife who won’t let her husband go; every single one of these stories gave me goosebumps. The last one, A box of tapes, was probably my favorite. It is so terrifying that I had to turn on the lights. I’ve been watching horror movies since I was ten, so I’m not easily scared. I’m a fan of the author and I’m always surprised at how easily she plants images in the reader’s mind. Story collections are sometimes uneven but there isn’t a single bad one here. Truly, every story gets five stars.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press.

This book was too scary for me and I was not a fan. The plot was interesting but it wasn’t an enjoyable read for me. Unfortunately I will not be recommending further.

I loved this book, I loved how creepy each sorry was. It was also fun to see how Darcy had evolved as a writer through time, from her earlier works until now, you can see just how much passion is poured into everything

The main story itself was real good, the mini stores after were ok. Some stores had a funny ending but others were good. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to try this story, if one of my favorite suspense authors.

Darcy Coates was part of my Halloween read-a-thon in 2023 and I loved her book "From Below". It was everything I had hoped for, so I was excited to see this anthology pop-up on NetGalley. I'm truly grateful that I got approved to read it.

It's interesting to see an author at the beginning of their craft and that's what this anthology gives us a glimpse of. The titled story, "Ghost Camera", is from her early career and is now being republished along with a list of new short stories.

While all the stories were enjoyable, I was partial to the longer short stories which were nicely spread out through the book. I think with longer stories it gives the spookiness and psychological horror time to set in. Not to say the short stories weren't enjoyable but they created an itch and then just left me hanging, they left me wanting more, in a good way. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys Darcy Coates other works or just want some quick slices of horror before bedtime.

I was unable to get into this book. For some reason it just didn't hold my attention. I kept putting it down and not picking it back up. I DNF'd at 25%

If you are a huge Darcey fan, I think you'll love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Darcy Coates for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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@poisonedpenpress
@darcybooks 👻👏👏👏👏👏

Estimated Publish date: 7/30/24

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jenine is at a friend’s wedding and finds an old abandoned Polaroid camera in the lighthouse. She wanted to take some pictures of the wedding and the camera still had some film in it. She discovers a ghostly figure standing in the background of each photo she takes. In each picture it moves closer fixated on her, watching her.

The Queen of hauntings has done it again! If you have never read a book by Darcy Coates you need to. It was a great collection of spooky stories!!! I loved it!! It left me really creeped out! An absolute must read!!

#spookyseason #netgalley #poisonedpenpress #darcycoates #haunted #ghost #scary #spooky #creepy #readmore #bookstagram #bookishlove #booksbooksbooks #bookstafriends #tbr #mustread #bookworm #booklover #bookfan #bookme #chills #horror #ghostcamera

This is a re-release of the author’s first novella with added stories! It gave me major “Scary Stories to Read in the Dark” vibes, and I loved it! 😍 I haven’t read a collection of stories since probably middle school, so it was nostalgic on top of creepy. It had a good mix of longer and short stories, and there were some that definitely gave me the heebie jeebies!

This is a perfect Fall/Halloween read and will be out July 30, 2024!

Thank you so much to @netgalley , @poisonedpenpress , and @darcybooks for the ARC!

Holy moly! I have been a fan of Darcy's for years and this is by far the one book that creeped me out the most! I'll forever be checking every single one of my pictures from here on out! The chills and over all creepy feelings I got from reading this were everything I look for and want out of a horror/thriller. Even though this is one of her earlier works that she's brought back, it's truly one of her best!

Fun horror - more YA than a creepy vibe.

Darcy Coates is a known horror writing superstar! In Ghost Camera she builds a great mythology in which Jenine finds an old polaroid camera and she and her best friend Bree begin to use. The story plays on the idea that a camera can steal your soul as the two begin to lose sense of themselves but are simultaneously addicted to using a camera that can take photos of the unseen. The thrills are tied in with young adult fears and a fun scare for all.

Great idea, fun story!

Wow! This book drew me in immediately. The tales are mysterious and spooky. I picture reading this on a summer night. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

<i>Ghost Camera</i> follows Jenine who discovers an abandoned old Polaroid camera and decides to take it home with her. What she wasn’t expecting was the vengeful spirits that came with it.

I am slowly starting to work my way through Coates’ books because I have absolutely loved the previous ones that I have picked up.

This was a quick and easy read. It was eerie but it wasn’t frightening in a way that I wouldnt recommend this to people who usually don’t read the genre.

This is definitely a good read to pick up to get closer to your reading goal or venture into the genre.

A group of short stories begins with the title story. A woman finds an old Polaroid camera at an old lighthouse where a young boy was found dead. When the photos from the camera show ghosts getting increasingly close to the woman, she begins to fear she is a marked target. The other stories are just as entertaining and scary/creepy as the first one. I think I have found a new horror author! Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC.