It took me a few stories to really get into this collection but once I did, I was hooked. This was a powerful collection of indigenous stories, reminiscent of How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu. I particularly enjoyed Deer Woman and some of the other later stories, set in more modern times. I loved this collection and would love to see more short story sets like this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!!!!

I am truly truly honored and excited I got to experience @andrealrogers art!!

This is my first time experiencing this Author and with #manmademonsters , I am hooked on their writing!!

Shout out to @hearourvoicestours for this tour, and introducing me to an author that has now become one of my faves!

Speaking of tours, here is my reading journal for this lit! !

The experience of this novel will stick with me for life!

#hov #hearourvoices

I loved this collection, it was so interesting and spooky. I thought it was very well written and I intend on buying a physical copy for my shelves. Definitely one I will be recommending to friends!

An indigenous horror story that spans multiple generations, Man Made Monsters is a beautifully crafted and chilling novel.

Really cool theme and way to tie the stories together. I liked the way it tracked the family over generations and tied things together. I think it would have been more enjoyable if the formatting on the arc were better and if I had followed the family tree.

I loved learning more about Cherokee culture and the way it spoke about and highlighted Cherokee women and how colonialism has impacted indigenous peoples.

Although I did enjoy each I was kind of wishing for a longer story at the end of every chapter. I wanted more depth and detail and just more in general. Some stories were also kind of lacking compared to others and I found myself just wishing certain chapters would end because I was not being drawn into the story enough. I had really big hopes for this, since I am partially Indigenous and I am always seeking to learn more about Indigenous culture and read books by Indigenous authors however, this just did not hit the spot for me. I honestly found myself somewhat bored throughout majority of the book.

Man Made Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers is a captivating collection of dark, atmospheric stories that explore the intersection of myth, culture, and identity. With rich prose and a unique blend of horror and folklore, Rogers delves into the monstrous and the human, crafting narratives that are both chilling and thought-provoking. A must-read for fans of indigenous horror and powerful storytelling.

Manmade Monsters by Andrea L. Rogers is a dark and captivating collection of interconnected stories that masterfully blends horror with a rich exploration of Cherokee history and identity. The writing is haunting and vivid, with each story offering a chilling yet thought-provoking glimpse into the ways fear, survival, and tradition shape lives across generations.

What sets this collection apart is its ability to weave supernatural elements with real-life horrors, from colonization to family struggles, making the monsters feel all too real. The pacing of the stories can vary, and a few felt a bit abrupt, but overall, the book is a gripping read that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this unique and unforgettable collection. I highly recommend it to fans of literary horror and Indigenous storytelling.

I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

Oh this is good. The first story hooked me and dug deep into my heart. I couldn't get over it and had to put the book down for a while, then I came back and devoured the book. It was so good! I would buy this for a friend.

Man-Made Monsters by Andrea Rogers is a chilling, thought-provoking collection that merges supernatural horror with the real-life terrors faced by Cherokee families across generations. Blending folklore with American history, Rogers introduces classic monsters like vampires and werewolves alongside the horrors of colonization and violence, creating an eerie, culturally resonant experience. Jeff Edwards’ haunting illustrations add depth to each story, making this a standout work in contemporary horror.

Loved it!

Like with all anthologies, some stories work better than others. Overall this was a thought provoking and interesting collection of stories.

This short story collection is very interesting and I love the Cherokee parts. Every story is not that good and it makes the whole collection a bit subpar. Thank you to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Levine Querido for the ARC.

This book took some extra time for me to process. The premise of following a Cherokee bloodline with stories over a few hundred years was intriguing and exciting. I felt that although the familial connection was there in name, it wasn’t explored nearly as much as I anticipated. The author was able to make the characters in the short story associated with the bloodlines very distinct and varied from each other which I thought was excellent.

As with most short story collections, I found that I loved a few of the stories, with the larger share as being very good, and a few that were just ok. The horror elements in each story were varied and did not feel the same or like the same author wrote them. I have read other anthologies by a single author and not all authors are capable of achieving autonomy with each of the stories. They can also tend to be formulaic and seem too similar. That is not the case with this volume. A very enjoyable, interesting read.

At the end of the book is a dictionary/pronunciation guide for many of the Cherokee words used in the book. I wish I had found that before reading the stories, it would have helped to understand some situations a little better. I also would have liked to spend more time viewing the family tree as I was reading. I believe this would have helped me feel the familial connection stronger than I did in each story.

This was a unique book in so many ways for me. First, the format: the pages were a blend of standard black font on white page, plus white font on black pages. These mixed with two-page spreads that introduced the next story, with illustrations done in white against the black. It was so cool, both the blend of pages and the creative, almost title-card style presenting the next story.

Second, I'm usually annoyed at family trees at the start of books; they're often unnecessary or over-complicated to understand anyways. This one was different; the different stories follow different generations of the same family, so that tree was helpful and tying it all together. But there's another chilling aspect to including it: in a horror anthology, you can't help but wonder at the branches of the tree that end with no offspring stemming from them.

Third, the use of an anthology to explore a linear timeline of inter-generational trauma, particularly that of an Indigenous family, was an excellent choice. I understand the various stories were submitted to different publications at some points, but tying them all together like this was to great effect for me as a reader. Ama was an amazing character and a somber thread to tie together two centuries of lineage complicated by racism, domestic and male violence, and apocalyptic plagues.

And lastly, the stories were all equally intriguing but varied widely from creature features, to ghost stories, to sad teen tragedies, to a modern setting in an era of regular school shootings, to a zombie apocalypse. I highly recommend reading every story, in order, for full effect.

Jeff Edwards' artwork was a fantastic inclusion to flesh out the stories. The growing Indigenous horror genre is amazing.

This was a great October read, just the right amount of creepiness for me. I thought the balance of supernatural and more realistic horror was really well done, and the circularity of the stories felt very fitting. The family thread running through the book worked well also, enough to make me want to re-read the stories just to retrace the pattern. The illustrations are really beautiful and I enjoyed seeing how they would fit in with each story. Altogether, a well-written collection with a strong concept.

A lot of incredibly intriguing stories in the set about a family's intergenerational trauma! My favorites were Me and My Monster, Maria Most Likely, and An Old Fashioned Girl, although many of them were quite strong. At times disappointing, but good. 3.5 stars. Tysm for the arc.

Far deeper than your conventional horror book can sometimes be, this book sinks its claws into the very real and very visceral fears in our reality. The bloody histories and the current chainlink effects of that sordid past - all are on display in this collection. It warrants a true deeper look and yet doesn’t get caught up in its larger narrative that each turn of the page feels heavy. It’s still a very entertaining read. Wonderful use of the genre and display of how to elevate it.

I loved how while each story in this book was completely different creatures and vibes; the family tree is also intertwined throughout. I particularly enjoyed Ama showing up in such a meaningful way in the last couple stories.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

Thank you for the ARC

This was such a wild ride, and a fun story that crosses such a long period of time, and still uses horror and trauma to tell the story of a family. Supernatural elements laced with a family epic.