Interesting concept but suffers from clunky writing, particularly an overly heavy hand with similes and dialogue tags, and wholy unnecessary epigraphs that make a short book drag. There are also spelling and grammar errors that should have been caught. It feels like a first draft that would have benefited from revisions and a heavier copyedit.

On a more personal preference note, I struggle with horror where the action/decisions make no sense. How did you manage to empty your wife's blood bag all over the cabbage? Strange things growing from the plants and you feed it to your terminally ill wife? After you contaminated it with her own blood? There's an element of horror in that second choice that I thought was deliberate but it wasn't, which is honestly frustrating. It's borderline farcical horror at times with how easily the characters accept things, but it's played straight and comes off weaker for it.

There are concepts and ideas here that are very interesting but they need room to grow. Either prune it back to fit the length or cultivate it so that the elements have the proper room to grow. Ok I'll stop now.

*Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

When Nature Turns Nightmarish

C.S. Fritz, the mastermind behind "A Fig For All The Devils," once again invites us into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the mundane transforms into the macabre. "CABBAGE" is a chilling short story that burrows deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of grief, guilt, and the unsettling power of the natural world.

Thomas, driven by love and loss, embarks on a mission to fulfill his wife's dying wish: a dream garden. But in a moment of distraction, he unwittingly sows the seeds of his own undoing. What sprouts from the earth is not just a garden, but a monstrous manifestation of unresolved emotions and festering secrets.

Fritz's prose is both poetic and visceral, weaving a tale that is as beautiful as it is unsettling. The story unfolds with a creeping sense of dread, each page drawing the reader deeper into Thomas's unraveling reality. The cabbage patch becomes a symbol of his despair, a physical manifestation of his inability to control the forces he has unleashed.

"CABBAGE" is a testament to Fritz's ability to craft stories that linger long after the final page is turned. It's a haunting exploration of the fragility of the human spirit and the terrifying consequences of tampering with the delicate balance of nature. If you're a fan of dark fiction that leaves you pondering the mysteries of life and death, this short story is a must-read.

This was sooooo weird lol. Well obviously I expected that when I requested this book so it was a welcome weirdness. It was a very thought out and prepared concept - that a husband creates the garden of his wifes dreams. Yes, little shop of horror vibes incoming. It was really enjoyable!

Aw, this was such a weird and wonderful short horror story! I loved the writing (not always a given for an indie author!), it was surprisingly well-fitting for the story, as it follows grief and tragedy. I didn't see the ending coming, so that was a terrifying surprise! I'd recommend this short book to everyone who loves horror.

This was so refreshingly strange and unique. It's not a premise I had ever seen before, and probably won't again. I highly recommend this unique read.

A creepy quick read that had some great illustrations included.

The imagery was something else, nightmarish really, I don't think I'll be able to get that horse out of my head. It's not only a horror but also quite a sad tale about grief too. The ending was terrifying too, though I did wonder what happened afterwards...

I felt it abruptly changed pace, even as a novella, it could have been slightly longer to set the scene first. I also don't know if something happened with the husband or it's just the wife's grief talking.

Overall, a good short story mixing realistic grief with a world of horror - plus I love that cover.

Super weird in some of the best ways. This is ecological horror meets grief in a way I didn't expect to be so beautifully done. This is a quick read but absolutely worth the time of a horror lover looking for something a bit different.

This was an interesting wtf did I just read book. It’s a short quick read. The storyline was curiously strange and well written. This was a page turner and held my interest. Overall, liked this read.

Great for a quick read. Lots of enjoyable stuff for the right reader.
Was quite easy and quick to get through, but I found it rather enjoyable and somewhat different.

Whilst short, ‘Cabbage’ was a really enjoyable little read. The atmospheric build up to the ending was perfectly executed.

Absolutely loved this. It will be one I think for a long time. I’ve already told our book club about it and am looking forward to them reading it as well. I can’t wait to discuss it with them. Thank you for letting me read it!
Fantastic!

This is the weirdest book I have ever read in my life. I love horror and I love all things paranormal but this fell short in many areas - the writing, the characters, and the plot. I was so disappointed by this book.

Loved this creepy little book! Excellent characters and one of the most unique worlds I've ever seen. Can't wait for more from the author!

Does the seed know it must die?

CW: child loss, character dying of cancer

A fantastic story! This blend of grief horror and ecological horror is unexpected and dark. I'm not really sure what to say without spoiling it but its certainly worth the read.

a dark exploration of grief wherein an elderly man gifts his terminally ill wife the garden of her dreams and horror ensues when it provides her with everything she has ever wanted. interesting imagery and beautiful illustrations but due to the nature of the short format everything happened very quickly and i wished i understood the characters and their motivations better. i just felt like there was a sudden switch in characterisation without warning but it was still an interesting read nonetheless and i enjoyed the quotes dotted throughout.

Great short horror story. Easy-read page-turner. Took about 20 minutes to read. The suspense is unsettling. The concept is fairly unique and the writing is excellent. A lot of ideas and possibilities went through my mind about how this would end, but I didn't guess it completely. I loved that there is a playlist to accompany the reading experience, which I listened to while I read this.

I love horror, plants, and books, and so I loved this experience. The quotes worked very well in adding to the atmosphere of this story, as did the gorgeous artwork. This is a really hauntingly beautiful novella, and I enjoyed it very much. I will likely buy a physical copy of this gorgeous book to add to my home library.

Thank you to C. S. Fritz, Albatross Book Company, and NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review was written on May 12, 2024
This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, Bookmory, & Tiktok

Thomas has gotten his wife home. Rosemary is dying but still has days to live. Her husband givers her a jar of seeds that has Rosemary smiling with delight. He tells her he has a surprise for her but must blindfold her first. As he takes her out of the house in her wheelchair, he finally stops and takes off the blindfold for her to see all the flow. :::.ers in bloom. She is delighted! The next day, Thomas takes a blood sample. When he leaves with the blood samples to deliver them he accidentally drops the blood which splash over the plants in the garden. He discovers a baby. Thomas takes the baby to Rosemary. Rosemary takes the baby telling Thomas he cant have anything to do with the baby. Why?

When I picked this book to read, I did so as I couldn’t imagine a novel with that title. What was it going to be about — people eating cabbage and turning into cabbage monsters? I didn’t want to give you any spoilers but I did want you to be intrigued enough to read it.

This was a very short and unique book,

I loved the images that were in the book. Most of them were creepy and helped set the scene. The ending was genuinely so weird but I think it worked well with the rest of the book.

It was short enough that I don’t have much to say on it but I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if the pacing was a bit more even.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A dying wife gets more than she bargained for when the cabbage patch in her garden starts growing unexpected gifts.
Branching out in horror can be tough for me after being raised reading authors like King, Koontz, and R.L. Stine. But ever since discovering C.S. Fritz two years ago when I read, A Fig For All the Devils, I’ve been obsessed with the way he tells a story. Not only that, but his phenomenal artwork, since he also illustrates his own books. I’ve been keeping his other stories on my TBR for October, but when I saw, Cabbage, the cover was too tempting to resist.

His books feel so original and creepy to me, and are always a pleasure to read. Cabbage is just that! For a short story, it’s perfectly paced and I ended up reading it in one sitting. The characters were authentic and I liked them both. The setting was immersive and the threat of their garden was unnerving. Every scene was vivid and the twist at the end was reminiscent of The Body Snatchers.

4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy creepy horror, binge-worthy books, and dark themes.

Cabbage was an odd story that was unsettling and also sad. The strangeness of it is obvious from the cover but I wasn’t expecting it to also be so much about grief. Really well done.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.