This author has a knack for creating beautiful imagery, but I just wish I had gotten more. I would love to know more backstory between this couple and the pains they’ve endured. Regardless, this was an entertaining read. This would make for a killer animated or live action short!

I’m going on a carnivore diet now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Albatross Book Co. for the ARC!

I usually have trouble getting into short stories because more often than not there's a lack of character depth and action. This short story delivered on both of those things! I was immediately drawn to the idea of a supernatural garden and the author did a great job of building a sense of dread throughout the entire story.

Such a brilliant little read. The descriptions were incredible and the story was visceral. A great short read. Will definitely be on the lookout for this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this horror novella

This was my introduction to Fritz's writing and while I didn't fully get into this eerie story, I am interested enough by the pacing and ending to check out his other works in the future. Because it's so short, I don't have a lot to note on aside from it being an easy read which was super helpful as I'm trying to get out of a reading slump. It didn't feel rushed in it's progression but I could tell that things were getting slowly worse which was fun.

Short sweet and horrid. I loved this book and I am so thank to be able to have read this ARC. Everyone should take half a day and read this book.

I randomly saw this one available in the horror genre, and was a “read now” and short story. I figured “why not?” and am happy I did. It was a very quick read. I see reviews mentioning illustrations, but my copy did not have any. It did have quotes in between chapters, which I can comment on. (I don’t think the quotes were really necessary to the story).

When I first started, the writing felt a little flowery at first, but I quickly settled into a rhythm, and no longer noticed it. As a whole I really liked the overall story. I would love to have learned the history of the garden and how it came to be. But I do understand that’s not the objective of a short story. I think that what you get in these short pages is a quick and deeply creepy read.

I felt vibes of “little shop of horrors” and honestly a little “Pet Sematary” two of my favs.


I think this would be a great addition to a short story collection, as it is a bit short to sell as a novella / solo book.
I’d love to see what else this author could do

This is a horror short story, started off with a husband who wants to actualize his sick wife's last wish and build her the garden of her dream.
Okay, that sounds heartwarming and sad, so where's the horror? That's exactly what I thought at first!
But just read, and you'll find this morbid, weird, frightening, and curious what's going to happen with the characters.
So, why do I like this book so much? Because it's not as simple as just horror and frightening and weird or keeping you on edge, it tells more on grief and longing.

This is so short, so I don't want to say much about it. I think it'd be perfect if you don't really know a thing and just jump right in. All I can say is, I can't see cabbages the same way as before.

If you feel like you're in a book slump or just wanna some quick reads and an engaging one, this one is for you! Also, the author kindly provided the reader with a playlist to listen to while reading this!

Thank you NetGalley, Albatross Book Co, and C. S. Fritz for the ARC.

I found myself incredibly frustrated with both main characters, but mostly with the husband.
Warning: spoilers ahead.
While I appreciate him not keeping it a secret that the garden came to life, I feel like he could have been more careful, maybe even test the waters first.
Secondly, doing whatever the hell your wife wants you to, even on her death bed, is not .. ok.
But I do feel bad for both of them, and the situation they are in is incredibly painful, so I do understand the difficult position they are in.
This short story really made me think, and for that it gets 4 stars.
1 star down because I would have liked it to be longer, possibly even a whole novel, since it has so much potential.

Cabbage is strange little story about an elderly couple and their extraordinary garden, where miracles seem to sprout alongside the cabbage heads.

It was a fast paced, quick read but I think it would have benefited from being slightly longer. As you make your way through the pages, you get these little breadcrumbs about the couple's backstory and relationship. However the story goes from 0 - 100 very quickly in terms of the scale of the miracles the garden is performing and I feel it needed something in the middle to make it feel more complete.

Overall, Cabbage is a fun read, but it could've used a bit more time to let things simmer and develop.

A demonic garden horror story that will have you questioning miracles.

I really liked C.S Fritz' debut novel, A Fig For All The Devils; so when I saw his new short story and the unsettling cover I knew I had to read it immediately. This story did not disappoint.

I love that our main characters are an older, married couple with a past that is slowly revealed through this story. So many horror stories feature younger characters, so I thought this was refreshing. The wife has terminal cancer and her husband grows her a garden in their humble cottage-like home to keep her company for the time she has left. After accidentally mixing her blood in the cabbage patch, unusual creatures start to form from the garden.

The story weaves together miracles with the tragic past of our main characters with brutal results.

Thank you to NetGalley and C.S. Fritz for this ARC.

This book is best read while eating cabbage rolls the size of a baby's arm.

This book was interesting but not my cup of tea. For a short story, it took me a while to get through. I would encourage others to read and form their opinions.

This was such an odd and unsettling little story! I've never read anything like it, unique and creative. A strange blend of sickly blood and cabbage grown with love could be the difference between life and death. Definitely recommend if you enjoy bizarro/cosmic horror.

2.5 - wanted more!

Now I understand why Charlie Bucket was tired of cabbage soup….
Great writing and enjoyed how quickly the atmosphere of the story was developed. I could see this being a great twilight zone episode.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

You know when you start a book and you can tell it is going to be special? For me, I could tell CABBAGE by C.S. Fritz was going to be one of those books.
I adored this old couple right from the first paragraph. I was hooked, I knew that there was nothing bad that could happen to these sweethearts that their love couldn’t overcome.
But then…WEIRD HORROR BLOSSOMED FORTH and shot everything to hell. No more info, you don’t get anymore than that. This book is short and you don’t get all the answers. But I tell you what, that not knowing will pull you along in tension filled misery.

This book was definitely a plot I've never seen before. Blood sacrifice? Sure. A cabbage-ified horse and people? NEVER.

Easy to read, unique plot line and great descriptions of the surroundings which allowed me to create my own little world even if it was <200 pages. I love it as a short story but it has the potential to be a full novel, which in turn means this author definitely has ideas that could be 300> pages and not just short stories. I do feel that some of it was slightly rushed, that may be because they wanted to keep it really short, which is fine - but I kinda wish it was drawn out some more.

Star rating - 4 - unique plots, great writing style, visual, but missing a little something for me

An original new take on the be-careful-what-you-wish-for trope!

Cabbage is beautifully written and illustrated. Never has a head of cabbage or a garden been so creepy! The husband and wife in the story are well-developed and have interesting arcs which is all the more impressive considering the page length.

A must-read for anyone looking for an horrifying allegory exploring grief and guilt that reads like a Grimm’s fairy tale. I highly recommend this one to fans of body horror and Clive Barker.

This was a super quick, super weird, super dark read. It follows an elderly couple. The wife is sick and as they are trying to deal with this, weird things start happening in the garden. As it is very short I will not say anything more. This was my first time reading anything by the author, but I like his creativity and vivid descriptions. Recommended if you want a quick, unique horror read

I loved 'Cabbage' so much that I find it hard to put into words, but I'll give it a try.

The story delves into grief and the extreme lengths we go for our loved ones. I'm a sucker for grief-driven narratives where protagonists venture into forbidden territories, and 'Cabbage' encapsulates that beautifully.

The writing was immaculate; I felt an instant connection with Rosemary and Thomas, as if I'd known them my whole life.

My only nitpick is that I wish the story were longer so that I could have romped in the garden.

~

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You to NetGalley, Albatross Book Co., and C. S. Fritz for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was more sorrowful than scary, a most eccentric tale told with an abundance of poetic prose. To be able to write of evil vegetation with a serious undertone takes a skill that is unique to this author. I can't wait to read more by C.S. Fritz, the narration feels tailored to my interests!

Never have I felt so unnerved whilst reading a book.
Though not my usual go to genre, I decided to give this a shot, and I definitely wasn't disappointed.
At first, I thought it was going to be a short story about a loving husband and wife making the most of the time they had left with maybe a little supernaturalness sprinkled in, but my god was I shocked by the body horror and weirdness of the way it panned out.
If you're looking for something that will make you think twice about the blessing of "miracles," and make you contemplate whether gardening is for you then look no further.
Would definitely read something like this again!