This short story collection, written by BIPOC authors, is exactly how I like my horror reads served up.

In bite-sized pieces.

(I can’t handle a whole book. My bladder can’t take it.)

This assemblage was fantastic. Dense, and disturbing, and mostly open-ended, leaving a tonne to the imagination. The narration was also spot-on.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Macmillan audio for this creeptastic ARC.

I needed to read this because there’s so many amazing authors in here. There were some that I liked, some I didn’t love, and some I will probably think about for a really long time. I really enjoyed all of the different perspectives that were in here, all of the stories, and backgrounds. I’d love to see some of these stories become movies or something. The stories definitely had range, between post apocalyptic world with possible monsters from the deep to letters from a girl who might have killed a bunch a people to a classic high school revenge slasher.

This was a super exciting ARC for me to get my hands on - horror anthologies are a great way to absorb some near instant gratification, as the stories can often be fast paced and hard hitting.

However, I found many of the stories included lacking that "uhmp" and I just wasn't satisfied with the build ups or endings altogether. The primary deaths felt uneventful much of the time and there wasn't always a redemption for the main characters.

I absolutely loved the diversity of the story selections - my favorites were "Docile Girls" by Chloe Gong, "Gray Grove" by Alexis Henderson, and "Everything's Coming Up Roses" by Tiffany D. Jackson.

There are so many different writing styles and the stories are versatile enough to keep you moving along with each story, but I did feel like some didn't fit as well with the overarching theme even if they technically fulfilled the title.

I have been really loving all the anthologies that have been coming out in the last while. I'm especially excited to see more bipoc and queer anthologies, I even had the pleasure of reading a Native American anthology of stories last year! I enjoyed that this anthology featured a wider range of genres than typical, and I enjoyed all of the stories. Some I connected with more than others, but each story was well-crafted and picked with intention for the anthology. I really loved this, and I can't wait to get copies for my library and a copy for my own personal library, too!

I have been enjoying black/POC horror anthologies this year. There are a spectrum of genres and stories included and it was a fun, interesting read. Some of the stories like WASPS and Break Through our Skin resonated strongly with me. Overall, strong representation and a display of writing our own stories and the power that comes with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed all the many short stories. I was very excited to get to the next, new story. I will say some of the stories were hard to follow without looking up what it meant like the one about Persian history. Other than that, great reads.

This collection of thrilling, horror stories give me the chills. From suspicious topiary gardens to unsettling circuses. this collection of stories is not one you'll soon forget.

The title may be off-putting for some, but it is truly the theme of each of the 13 stories. The premise is that a world famous horror director went missing and left behind thirteen scary stories of fear and powers. They were discovered by a horror blogger and shared on their platform.

Though each story has its own unique set of circumstances, every one deals with crippling fear and abused power.

So if you're ready for a challenge. read these 13 stories on a late night and see if you can go to sleep without thinking of at least one.

Astonishing! Breathtaking! Downright scary! These stories are everything you could ask for in a horror anthology. Each one is unique in its own way—not only because of their topics but also their perspectives and writing styles. I found myself not wanting to put these stories down. I loved so many of these authors before I began this collection and will definitely be checking out the novels of the authors I did not know. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you are looking for liberating yet terrifying stories, look no further. Know that yes, the White Guy Dies First, but it does not mean he also dies last.

My favorites in the book were "All Eyes on Me," "The Protege," and "Everything's Coming Up Roses."

Not my favorite horror anthology but it wasn’t bad at all just some stories were not my jam and two triggered me.

I’ll give ratings for each:

Ghoul friends online blog: 4 stars! What a good way to start the book off but with some speculation of all of these stories and 13 white guys.

All eyes on me: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 this started off so strong but so many ways this could have gone. And out of all of white guys he was the least that deserved what happened..yikes. The ending was not so good.

Hedge: ⭐️⭐️ i got lost in this so much and I went over twice. The ending was a wow moment but it kinda defeated the purpose of the story and also the plot just didn’t really make sense.

The Golden Dragon: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this was one of my favs. Although the ending was a little weird I still loved it. Now this baby I’m talking about.

Best served cold: favorite story of the series!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i read this twice! So twisty and yuckie. I loved it.

The Protege:⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love Mr. Giles and this was so intriguing. It did get a bit weird and confusing but solid.

Docile Girls: ⭐️⭐️ meh story, meh dialogue

Gray Grove: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i wanted more but it was still solid. Mrs Henderson can do no wrong

Everything’s coming up roses: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 although predictable in a sense of where it was going after a few journal entries, this was good. But your mind has to go to a twisted place to be Tiffany d Jackson. She always coming with heat!

Heaven: ⭐️ ok this is where I started to get triggered. A place that lies about what it is and gates to enter. As someone that grew up Baptist i was triggered.

Breakthrough our skin: ⭐️ i have no clue what was going on here. And the echoed voice 🫤

Wasps: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ great! We’re back on track. Horror and white men dying for being horrible.

Hell is other demons: no thanks I had to skip when the audio version of this wouldn’t say the demons name out loud. That means I shouldn’t be reading it.

The road to hell: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ man this house and spirit was madddddd lol

Epilogue; great way to wrap up.

Ghoulfriends Online Blog is a fantastic opener for this collection. It establishes the concept for this anthology & adds an extra thread that can be connected through the stories following it. All of the stories I would rate between 4 and 5 stars. Overall this is a fantastic short story collection

Loved this so so so much will recommend it was different and enjoying able the cover is so amazing.

This is a memorable and thought-provoking read that pushes the boundaries of the horror genre. This compelling anthology redefines horror by centering marginalized voices.

I usually don't love short stories, but this was a great compilation. It was a blockbuster cast of writers, so I took a shot, and am so glad I did! This will be such a great read for spooky season. I'm not a big fan of creepy/horror stories, and I still really enjoyed this. I highly recommend to give this a shot!

This was a fun anthology of short, spooky stories, spinning a common horror trope on its head. Some stories were stronger than others, and several swayed away from horror, venturing more into thriller, or science fiction territory. I picked up this book mainly because I love anything Tiffany D. Jackson writes, and she is still excellent. The story Heaven, by Adiba Jaigirdar also stood out to me; I could have read an entire book about this one short story, I couldn't put it down. I think everyone will resonate with something different from this book, which is part of the fun of reading short stories. It also introduced me to a lot of authors I haven't read before - win!

A horror anthology by writers of colour where the white guy does indeed die first. There is a mix of all kinds of horror, from slashers to cannibals and paranormal activities, with central themes of racism and white supremacy.

I really enjoyed the concept of each short story, although some definitely were executed better than others. There were a couple of stories that were too convoluted or disorganized for my liking, particularly The Protégé by Lamar Giles (even though the concept was extremely fascinating).

My personal favourites were Best Served Cold by H.E. Edgmon and Everything’s Coming Up Roses by Tiffany D. Jackson (with Break Through Our Skin by Naseem Jamnia as a close second!). These particular writing styles were the most suited to my tastes, and I enjoy body horror out of everything the most. These stories kept me on my toes and filled me with a sense of dread I didn't get from the other stories.

Thank you to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Each story brings you to a different place, each terrifying in its own unique way. A Korean girl wrestles with a Japanese ghost, mysterious cabals reign free, you never know where a story will take you and wherever it is, it will be scary!

The moment I saw this collection even talked about, I ran to NetGalley to request! All of these authors are amazing and some were already my favorites, like Lamar Giles, Chloe Gong, Tiffany Jackson, and Mark Oshiro. To have all their voices in one book is perfect! And I took my time with this, reading a story and then letting it sit with me for a bit before jumping into the next one. The title tells you there is going to be diversity, but each story is so culturally unique. And yes, the white guy dies first, but it’s not about the white folks! They just happen to be the ones who die. I would definitely recommend this to my YA readers, in whole or the individual stories.

This anthology is inclusive, fun, and downright addictive. Fans of Jordan Peele and "elevated" horror will absolutely love this combination of stories. Each story had it's own little unique twist and was definitely so much fun to pick up and read. If you're looking for a YA horror anthology to kick off this year's spooky season, look no further.

Bone chilling haunts written by some of the BEST YA authors of today’s horror stories. I loved how this story allows BIPOC characters to take back their power. I felt like I was a part of their retribution. Each story was symbolically different and left me spooked.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The White Guy Dies First releases July 16, 2024

2.5

This anthology is comprised of 13 horror short stories, all written by bipoc authors.
The concept (and title) is brazenly bold, and while I enjoyed the first four stories, the rest that followed fell flat in terms of sticking to a more widespread theme that was cohesive. I found that the depictions of racism and microaggressions were pretty stereotypical, which ended up being underwhelming as a bipoc reader.

All Eyes on Me: queer awakening, circus clowns, mirror fun house.
Hedge: grief, loss of a parent, sibling dynamic, hedge maze.
The Golden Dragon: family restaurant, sibling dynamic, attempted SA, multi-pov, revenge ghost.
Best Served Cold: ancestral trauma, cannibalism.
The Protégé: magic, next door neighbour.
Docile Girls: school dance committee, slasher.
Gray Cove: podcast episode.
Everything’s Coming up Roses: journal entries, restraining order, serial killer.
Heaven: gated community, dystopian, did not feel YA or on theme with any of the other stories.
Break Through Our Skin: transgender/nonbinary, academic, archaeology.
Wasps: residential dispute.
Hell Is Other Demons: demon summoning.
The Road to Hell: ghosts, sentient haunted house.