Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this short horror story! It has the type of horror vibes that I enjoy where it is a little bit twisted but also has some dark fairy-tale type of elements to it. I also believe that there is some social commentary that can be had about what consequences actions have as well as more philosophical questions of what is it to be alive. I would recommend this to others!

If you’re in a mood for some plant-based nightmares, here’s Cabbage. Profoundly underrated in average American diet, yet rather amusing in book form. This is a story of love, gardening, and other terrors. An easy one sitting read with excellent artwork, this was pretty entertaining. In fact, the art might have been the star of the production here for me. Kudos to the author for doing double duty and writer and artist, I didn’t realize you can do that much with cabbage. Pretty good job for a self-pub. Fun quick read. Thanks Netgalley.

This short story quickly goes from beautiful and tragic to macabre and horrifying in the best possible way. Thomas plants a garden for his dying wife, Rosemary, but the things that grow from the cabbage patch are not winning any prizes at the local fair. Quick to read, but lingering long after the final page, this novella will leave you terrified of what can be bred from the soil.

This short little story was so good. The best way I could describe it is cozy horror. The setting feels warm and welcoming but when things start to go wrong it mixing really well with the supernatural elements giving a false sense of peace. The illustrations in this book are both beautiful and disturbing, helping to add to the cozy horror vibes. Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest review,

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!
3 stars!

Ooo this was really creepy and really wrll described with the body horror and the garden!
I felt really bad for Thomas and I wanted to know what happened to their daughter but for a short story I really enjoyed it. Not too gruesome for those who don't like that sort of stuff, but really carried an unsettling atmosphere

This was such a creative little short story

Cabbage follows Thomas and his wife Rosemary as some chaos ensues after an incident occurs in their garden.

If you love horror that leaves you with an uneasy feeling without having to read pages of nothing but gore and violence, This is for you. I love extreme horror but it’s nice to have a story that fully relies on that uneasy feeling to spook you instead of over the top gore every once in a while and I feel like this is exactly that type of story

Overall, I really love the premise of this story I just wish the backstory hinted in this was given more time. I think that it could’ve added emotion to it (especially with the ending) . I also think some more explanation into how the incident occurred could’ve really elevated this story. Because of these things the story felt abrupt like the author had more to say

The author really does have such a unique and fun story I just wish we were given a little more

Thanks to Albatross Book Co. + Netgalley for this ARC !

I was pleasantly surprised by this short story.
I think the playlist that accompanied this was a fantastic backdrop to the story. It added to the overall ominous feeling.
I do agree that this is one of those stories that would have benefited from being slightly longer. The story alluded to a tragedy in the couple’s past and while that was likely left out to add to the mystery, it left something to be desired. Clearly the wife was resentful after all these years and a few more details would have made me understand why she choose to do what she did in the end. Overall, a solid read. Thank you NetGalley for putting this on my radar.

3.5 stars

When I saw the cover on Netgalley I knew I had to read it and it definitely met my expectations for how weird it was going to be. It certainly made me want to stay away from cabbages for a while. At only 56 pages long, the author does an amazing job at creating such a creepy atmosphere in such a short space, which was also helped by the playlist at the beginning of the story. Although this worked as a short story, I wish it would've been a bit longer to answer some of the questions that it was a bit vague about. I had worked out part of the ending but I still found it quite unsettling and I would like to read more from this author in the future.

This was a quick and wild ride. The imagery is spectacular and reminded me a little of VanderMeer’s mutant plant people - but this was much darker. There is a lot packed into this macabre short story, including impending loss, sorrow, and desperation. Very well written, I liked it a lot.

Cabbage by C.S. Fritz is a fun little twisted tale. Rosemary is reaching the end of her life, but before she sheds her mortal coil, her husband has decided to give her a final gift, the little garden she always dreamed of having. An odd accident reveals the garden to be magic, but the gifts it gives aren’t harmless, and Rosemary has secretly been harboring anger and resentment and now it’s about to come out. 3.5 stars. Thanks so much to Albatross Book Co. and NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read and review an ARC of Cabbage.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cabbage-cs-fritz/1144215377?ean=9781959153108&bvnotificationId=76ff6694-ced1-11ee-acf5-0eccd1a3084f&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/272006516

The Q code directing you to the author’s playlist at the beginning is a fun idea, however that was really all I liked.

The writing itself seemed juvenile and the characters weren’t really fleshed out, even for a short story. The husband laments at one point that he’s disappointed about the “life they could have had” when they were married for 53 years. It wasn’t like his wife was ill that entire time and to completely disregard her feelings over dying to focus on his disappointment in her getting cancer is gross. If it was supposed to make us feel empathetic towards him, it failed. Complaining about things not going your way when the supposed love of your life is dying comes across incredibly selfish and tone deaf, and that alone put me off the story.

There’s too much repetition happening in regard to the characters reactions; three times mouths were cupped. Then we have the Greek mythology metaphors (“A mystical warning from the throat of the barn, like the sound of a minotaur hiding from the light.”) which not only seemed out of place and unnecessary, but amateurish as well.

There’s weird religious undertones throughout yet near the end Rosemary says something about the gods which doesn’t really track with things she’s previously said. Then Rosemary is randomly standing and walking at one point which doesn’t seem to strike her husband as odd. Since ambulatory wheelchair users exist it’s not an issue, except that it’s made to seem like she’s not merely dependent upon the wheelchair but is confined to it due to the cancer. There’s inconsistencies which should have been addressed during editing.

The interspersing of poetry, quotations or illustrations is wonderful when it’s not every few pages. Cabbage contains 37.5 pages of story, and 19 pages of
other people’s words and illustrations, which is entirely too much.

Based on the premise, Cabbage should be creepy if not outright scary, but it’s not. It’s not even laughable in a camp way, it’s just cringeworthy and poorly written.
1 star

A solid horror short story centered around an older couple, grief, and their haunted past..

Thomas' wife is dying; his last gift to her is a garden blooming with all her favorite flowers and vegetables. After taking Rosemary's blood for a test, Thomas accidentally spills it over the cabbage patch. The next day, the cabbage produces a stew from the past from it's leaves. The day after that, something stranger.

This short story had great imagery and a unique concept-- garden horror is cool as fuck. However, the writing could have been a bit tighter, and. I wish more of the past was revealed. The dialogue felt a bit stilted, as well. Overall, this was a fun and quick read. The strongest parts of this short story reminded me of a A24 film in the best way.

Big thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a review copy for an honest review.

This is weird horror at its finest. Incredibly unsettling and strange in the best ways.

You get a strong sense of unease and foreboding from the first page and that just grows as the story unfolds. The only downside for me is that because it is a short story, you don't get a chance to get to grips with the characters, which means that the wife's sudden transformation was really jarring and didn't seem to work.

You also don't get all the info, but in this case I really think it works. What happened to Anna? How was it the main character's fault? Not knowing genuinely makes this story creepier.

This was a great short read between more in-depth books and was a lot of fun.

This was weird and I loved every bit of it.

As a gift to his wife Rosemary, Thomas creates the garden of her dreams. But one incident involving blood and cabbages opened up a door of unnerving mystic. Is it a miracle? Or a curse?

A very detailed concept with fantastical elements. I like that the whole thing was short and abrupt, I think that the book accomplished its purpose, it gave me the creeps and I think I'll stay away from Cabbages for a while. Haha.

I had guessed the ending but it didn't take away the terror I felt when the fate of the characters were sealed. That last page was utterly terrifying.

Thank you Albatross Book Co. & Netgalley for the ARC!

This is such an interesting short story! I love that it takes gardening (including planting cabbages) to the absurd to explore themes like grief, life and death, resentment, and letting go.

It's only 46 pages, but it's written really well, and even though I didn't make a deep emotional connection with the characters, this felt very unique and well done for what it is.

I have to admit I very rarely read short stories, and especially not one of this genre. My knowledge of horror/gore in books is very limited, so I didn’t really know what to expect going into this. It was so hard to rate this because it felt like just as I was getting into the story, it was over. That’s probably indicative of me not having the span for short stories as much as full-length novels. However, I still have thoughts about this, positive ones too

I think the only reason I didn’t put this higher than a 3-star rating is because of the fact that the story ended before I was able to connect with it and the characters. It felt cut short and I wished it was a little longer, but that’s a personal preference.

The thing that I loved most about Cabbage was its beauty. Holy shit, the writing was so good and so lush. The garden, the vegetables, the soup, and the monsters — all of the descriptions were so incredibly well written. The purple cabbage being at the center of this story was so random it worked in the kind of whimsical way this story unfurled.

As for the ending, it left me so unsettled in a good way. It was so abrupt and I was so engrossed in the story at that point and just needed to know what would happen next. And then it was over !! Wow, a gorgeous tale and just stunning imagery. It wasn’t my typical taste, hence a personal disconnect, but this book is really good for the genre it captures.

When I read Cabbage yesterday morning, I thought “Welp, that’s going to give me nightmares,” and then it actually did. That’s not something that has ever happened before!

In this short horror story, an elderly couple discovers a miracle in their garden, but is it truly a gift, or is it in fact a curse? It’s somehow both charming and frightening, and the entire last page gave me the chills. C.S. Fritz is a fantastic artist, wordsmith, and I haven’t read any of his other horror books (yet!), but if this one is any indication, he’s also a master of incredible imagery. His descriptions of… literally everything were *chef’s kiss* so when I woke up from that nightmare I knew my own brain had nothing to do with it - it was all Fritz’s fault.

When (not if) you grab this book, grab your headphones too, because it includes a QR code to a Spotify playlist curated by Fritz himself that you can listen to as you read. I don’t typically listen to music while reading but this was such a novel idea, I had to give it a go and I was immediately happy with my decision. The playlist is absolutely perfect. It fit the tone of the story so well, and though I finished the book before the it was complete, I always felt like the music matched up well with what I was reading. Fritz made a playlist for another of his books, A Fig for All the Devils, and I can’t wait to listen while I read that one too!

I’ve always been a bit selective when it comes to my favorite books, but I’ve had the very rare and highly-sought after Book Adding Ceremony and Cabbage is now on the list. Time to buy a physical copy!

Many thanks to @netgalley and @albatross_book_co, from whom I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Cabbage is already out. Go get it! 🥬

#Bookstagram #Books #Cabbage #NetGalley #CSFritz #AlbatrossBookCo

3/5
Wow I was not expecting this at all. The story was so intriguing and I couldn't put it down, it helped that it was a short story. I loved this concept and think it was executed so well.

My only complaint is I wish it was a bit longer I wish I just had more of the story. But totally understand that the mystic around it is how much is given. If this author ever came out with a collection of short stories I would definitely pick it up so quickly.

Would recommend this to anyone who wants a bit of horror without the traditional blood and gore. I was thoroughly entertained and am glad that someone took such a fresh look at what is scary about our world.

I was drawn to this book by the cover. Once I started reading, I could not stop. I was intrigued by the storyline. It was not what I was expecting in a good way. The horror aspect of this story is one that slowly creeps up on you.

Instantly, I felt an emotional connection towards Rosemary and her husband. You could feel the love he had for his wife in the way that he cared for her. He did so without complaint.

The mystery that is the garden is one of amazement and horror. Still undecided on if I would want a garden like this or not. All I can say is that I did not see the ending coming. I do want to check out more books by this author.

This was my first horror read and I enjoyed it up until I got to the end; a bit sad. Surely, the devil shows no mercy.
I’m curious about Rosemary and Thomas’ past lives and their child, Anna.
I would have loved for the story to be longer; it was a nice read anyway👍
P.S. The cover is attractive.