BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Where The Daybreak Ends' by Brennan LaFaro.

OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK, AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, GRIPPING AND PAGE TURNING EXPLOSIVE MUST READ!!

This book is the third book in Brennan's 'Buzzard's Edge Saga'. At the start of the book it does suggest you read Noose (book 1) and 'The Demon Of Devil's Cavern' before this book but I didn't and did not have any problems. I will most definitely be going back to read them more as I absolutely loved exploring the horrific Buzzard's Edge and am looking forward to reading more stories from there and meeting more characters!!

'Where The Daybreak Ends' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this p out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. These stories discuss/include child murder, murder of a spouse, animal attack, ableism, child abuse, domestic abuse, implied sexual abuse, sexual assault, extreme violence, homophobia, religious zealotry, death by flaying, suicide and sex work. I have written which stories contain these contents so you can decide which to avoid if necessary. All stories contain elements of profanity, violence, murder and gore.

This book is very well written with vivid descriptions that absolutely grip the readers attention and puts them right in the middle of it all making your heart pound and you constantly second guessing.

An addictive and horrific collection of 19 short stories filled with blood, gore, western society, karma, twists, horror and absolutely everything you could ask for in a gripping page turner. 9 of these short stories are one that has been split into 9 parts and I will review it as one. As I always do with books of short stories or poems I will rate them individually and then give an overall rating at the end. Although these stories all have a western theme, if you are not a fan of westerns please do not let that put you off. I am not a fan of westerns at all and never have been but I absolutely love horror and I am so glad I picked this book up as it is ram packed with it!! These are the stories that are included in order, a short description of what they are about and my rating:

Pick A Card: This story is an introduction to 'Where The Daybreak Ends'. It is written by Tyler Jones who used to play guitar in a rock 'n' roll band many years ago. During this time they played in a club with another band where the bass player "Paul" was also a magician. Our protagonist asks him to show them his best trick but he is told to wait until the last night of the tour as after they wouldn't want to be around Paul anymore. "Paul" did his trick and was right in his statement that many could not get their head around what he did or how. Tyler then goes on to discuss magic and explain about what to expect in these stories.

The Reaping (Parts 1-9): This short story contains/discusses child murder, murder of a spouse and an animal attack. This story is the main story with all the others being told within this story. I love it when books do that as it is as if you have a bonus with several stories instead of one!! In this main story we meet Josiah who is struggling in the desert sun and struggling with no food or water. He finally comes across water and this is where he comes into contact with a coyote and a vulture. The vulture has been following for a while but only comes down when Josiah reaches the water. the vulture and coyote speak to Josiah and they then lead him on a journey telling him the stories of Buzzard's Edge. Throughout the parts we learn more about what Josiah thinks of the stories as well as more about how he came to be in the desert. This is one of the longest ones as it is dispersed throughout and is also one of my favourites so definitely gets a 5/5!!

They Only Come Out At Night: This short story contains/discusses ableism. In this short story we meet Ned Callaghan who is building a school for Buzzard's Edge, Violet Conway who will be the teacher in the same school and Jim Taggert. Ned and Violet start hearing voices telling them to "Rest" and/or "Come". When out working on the school Ned notices some figures standing on town line. The first time he sees them there are only 3 and they have come when the sun is setting. The next day Ned is working on the school again and Violet joins them. When it starts getting dark the figures appear again but this time there are 7. This continues with more figures appearing until Violet has enough and tells them to make up their mind and either leave or come in. A vampiric tale which wans you to be careful of what you invite in!! 4/5

Come And Take My Hand: This short story discusses/includes child abuse, domestic abuse and implied sexual abuse. This is one of the saddest stories. Young George Holcomb struggles to sleep at night because he keeps seeing something at his window. his Mum Janie tries to comfort him but his Father is violent and disciplines him for "being a cry baby" and running to his mum about it. George ends up making friends with the girl at the window who is called Merella and she helps him to escape in more ways than one. Although it is sad and horrific what his father does this is still one of my favourites. 5/5

Holes: This short story includes/discusses sexual assault, consensual sex and extreme violence. In this story we meet sheriff Elijah "Hellfire" Sparrow who has never heard of second chances and prefers to rid Buzzards Edge of criminals in his own revengeful way. However when small holes start appearing around his home and he hears scratches from under his floorboards he is not the only one out for revenge. 5/5

Where The Daybreak Ends: This short story includes/discusses homophobia and religious zealotry. In this story we meet Wes Bradley who has been put in prison by Billy Chambers for kidnapping. Wes is adamant he is innocent and tells Billy the story of how Andrew and himself were in love but had to leave Buzzards Edge due to the attitude to 2 men being in love plus Andrew's father would and did not take kindly to it. On their journey Wes starts seeing green eyes watching them which later turn up to be something a lot bigger, monstrous and out for blood. 4/5

Trade Secrets: This short story includes/discusses death by flaying. In this story we meet Thaddeus Locke who is travelling on a train when it is stopped due to a body being discovered. Thaddeus is a full time educator and part time consulting detective and Harden invites him off the train to help with the investigation. I wont say anymore about this one but I absolutely loved the twist and it is definitely another one of my favourites!!! 5/5

Salvia Sunset: Leanora Betts, known to everyone as Nola, runs a tailor shop in Buzzards Edge when one day she sees something monstrous outside her shop. She stays in for the night and the next day one of the miners Pete come in to her shop. She discovers that the miners have opened a new cavern and not long after some of the miners go missing. When Pete fails to return to her shop to collect his clothes she is determined to find out more. I absolutely love the fact that this story includes a kick butt woman who stood up to a greedy man. Another of my favourites!! 5/5

The Ice Man: This short story includes/discusses suicide. In this story we meet Rory and Alice who visit Ruby's shop. Ruby gifts a book about signing to Violet as she does not speak. Ruby is found hacked up with the words Ice Man scrawled into the wood in her shop by her own fingernails. Rory and Alice are determined to find out who killed Ruby and why. I absolutely LOVE the fact that this story included sign language. I did some sign language courses a few years ago and I enjoyed the reminders of some of them, especially as the author very clearly described some of the ones Violet was doing. 5/5

When It's All Said And Done: This short story includes/discusses sex work. Jack and Mort have been send on a mission to collect an item from Meyer's shop by Alexander Farrell. Alexander is somebody that you do not say no to and I actually felt sorry for Mort and Jack who didn't seem to be bad people just people caught up in bad things. 4/5

Spokes In A Wheel: This story is actually a lagniappe (freebie) which leads from the previous story but from Alexander's perspective as well as from Moses, the Mayors, who was also Jack's brother. 3/5

An absolutely fantastic collection of magical, disturbing, westernised, suspenseful and tension packed horrific short stories!!! A fantastic collection of short stories with an excellent range of situations, characters and narratives. My favourite ones had to be 'The Reaping', 'Come And Take My Hand' and ' Salvia Sunset'. These stories include suspense, horror, tension, murder, fantasy, the supernatural and much more! There is a great mix of stories so there is definitely something in there for everyone. I absolutely love the fact that these stories all take place in Buzzard's Edge and I am so pleased that I can return there and discover more stories from there in Brennan's other books 'Noose' and 'Demon Of Devil's Cavern' plus other previous and future books. I would highly recommend reading this book from start to finish rather than at random stories though. I was planning on reading 'The Reaping' all in one (as it is in separate parts) but realised quickly that it needed to be read in order. The cover is absolutely amazing and it was one of the things that drew me to the book. This book is ideal to be able to pick up and read a story during a break or while making a cuppa!! I would probably avoid reading them as a bedtime story though!!! I am a huge fan of horror stories and the gorier the better for me!!! The excellent descriptions throughout ensures you feel the hair raising on your arms and the chill on your skin!!! The fact that these are short stories also allows you to pick it up and read a story at a time or read it in one sitting which is perfect for those who like to read multiple books at one time. Brennan has excellent writing skills and and I look forward to reading more of his work!

Grab your copy of 'Where The Daybreak Ends' and discover which stories you love!!!

Overall a brilliant selection of creepy, horror and suspense filled stories with something for everyone!!

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I get excited every time I see that Brennan LaFaro has a new book. All of his books are short but packed full of darkness, emotion, and action. They're western horror, but the people feel real. This little collection was fantastic, and LaFaro used supernatural elements with different kinds of paranormal dangers to expand the world I've learned so much about from his other books. Sometimes it's hard to tell if humans are more evil than devils. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

I like that these stories gave some background to some of the characters we've seen in LaFaro's other Buzzard's Edge books. I was especially happy to find out what was going on in Thaddeus Locke's past as, I knew it would be something violent and bloody. I did occasionally get confused about when each story was set, because of the fluidity of time during the Reaping interludes.

I need to preface this review by saying I have never read a Western before and I have not read anything in this series before. Regardless, I never felt like I had to know the previous books to enjoy these stories (though I am sure it would have greatly helped). And this definitely made me want to read the other Buzzard’s Edge books (especially Noose. Rory and Alice are amazing characters).

This is exactly how a short story collection should be. Every story stands on its own and fleshes the world out further. In between them, we get an overarching story that connects all the different characters, times and happenings, presumably to already set up the next book. That keeps you intrigued and wanting to know more.

LaFaro manages to create a really great blend between psychological horror and gore. The atmosphere in all stories was perfect, dark and unsettling. Every short story, as well as the overarching story in between them, gets exactly the time it needs. Buzzard’s Edge as a whole is a very interesting setting, and I loved how the stories spanned different times.

I’m really glad I stepped out of my genre comfort zone with this one and really recommend it to anyone who is at all into horror. Though I would not necessarily recommend starting with this one. This is the kind of short story collection you will probably enjoy even more after being familiar with the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have to confess that I normally have a difficult time reading short story collections, but this book was so engaging! I actually loved the way it was set up! It wasn't like a traditional shirt story collection where there are individual stories with similar themes but otherwise unrelated. In "Where Daybreak Ends," there are multiple short stories that have the same characters. Also my favourite part was that in between every story was the sections called "The Reaping" that was about Josiah Dennis who is found by a Coyote and Vulture who help guide him to the town of Buzzard's Edge all while telling him stories to pass the time.

Western Horror is a favorite of mine. I think the genres just blend so well together, and the author does a great job with it. Not every story deals with supernatural elements. There are a good variety to what the "evil" of the stories are. I'd give all the stories at least a 3/5. My favourite was "Ice Man" which is one of the longer ones and has my two favourite characters (other than Vulture and Coyote). I haven't read any other stories about Buzzards Edge before, but I'm definitely going to now!

Thank you ti Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Where the Daybreak Ends Stories from Buzzard's Edge by Brennan LaFaro was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I was very excited to read this book based upon the advanced praise and the cover, along with the fact that I love western horror. once I started reading it, I was not that impressed, something about the writing style just did not jive with me. I would certainly red more by this auutor in case this book was just something I didn't get along with.

An absolutely triumphant return to Buzzard's Edge!

Having been a fan of LaFaro's Weird Western series from the very beginning, I'll gladly take every return trip to Buzzard's Edge that I can get and this was absolutely no exception.

Readers familiar with the previous books and their characters will absolutely love getting some backstory on some characters we know and love as well as a glimpse into the future of others, but readers new to the series as well will find plenty to enjoy here. LaFaro tells an engrossing history, both past and future, of the town and even manages to tease what could come next.

Buzzards Edge is not a place you might want to visit, but it is a wild ride where you can meet vampires, wizards, hard nosed cowboys, bad men with blackness in their hearts and all wrapped up in an amazing weird western theme under the relentless heartless sun…..”Paranoia stemming from dehydration and the ceaseless Arizona heat”……” A nowhere town baking under the desert sun”.....The scene is set by our 2 mysterious narrators: hyena and his buddy buzzard and the fast moving stories with an evil theme all take place…”in the desert, everything is monotony and doom. No matter how quickly you move, the land stills around you”.....Wonderful stuff and highly recommended.

Where the Daybreak Ends by Brennan LaFaro is sort-of a collection of stories about Buzzard's Edge.
I fell in love with Buzzard's Edge when I read Noose. I also fell in love with western horror - who knew I needed it so much???
I really enjoyed this book. My only complaint, which is similar to the other two, is there are too many incomplete sentences. It makes the reading a bit stilted in many places. It could use a bit of an edit. But because I liked the rest of it so much, I'm giving it ☠️☠️☠️☠️/5. Thank you, Brennan, for more great stuff from Buzzard's Edge!

Where the Daybreak Ends is a fantastic short story collection of weird westerns. All the stories were interesting, unique, and fun. I haven't read the other books in the Buzzard's Edge series, but I plan to now. I think this book is enjoyable even if you don't know the references being made to the other books.

Fans of the weird western genre will love this book!!

12-22 update: Posted expanded review on TikTok
Where Daybreak Ends expands Western Horror in fresh ways. There are supernatural surprises, gritty and squelchy scenes, timeless magic, a powerful sense of place, and intriguing characters.

My favorite story was Come and Take My Hand. The story framing with the talking animals throughout the collection was clever and fun.

Some of it didn’t appeal to me, leaving me torn between wanting to skim ugly parts–primarily mistreatment and deaths of women–and trying to understand what LaFaro was doing. I read speculative, genre-bending and weird fiction, horror including splatter, and grew up exploring ghost towns in California and Arizona. I thought I’d be at home in this book.

I kept feeling that I was missing context, and the author’s Afterword confirmed that suspicion. LaFaro has an interesting mind and this is an imaginative world. I loved the cover art and the eBook is an attractive edition with a Western motif. The author is talented and this book is gaining praise from appreciative readers. These things are a matter of taste. Where the Daybreak Ends might be your next favorite book.

Thank you, Brigids Gate Press for the eARC for consideration. These are solely my own opinions.

After reading Noose and The Demon of Devil's Cavern, I was excited to revisit the world of Buzzard's Edge in this series of short stories. It did not disappoint! With a mix of new characters and some familiar favourites, each story sucked me in as quickly as the first two novels. My favourite stories were They Only Come Out at Night, Come and Take My Hand, and of course, The Ice Man because I just can't get enough of Rory and Alice's adventures. I enjoyed all the stories, and would recommend Where the Daybreak Ends to anyone who enjoys Western Horror.

Western horror was new to me. I'm obsessed now. This was so much fun. The Western element is creepy to begin with. All this land, bandits, guns and maybe lack of water. Put in an element of horror to this and it is really creepy. I need to read the rest of the Buzzard's Edge Saga.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Let me say when I discovered that Horror Westerns exist I was more than a little happy, I was ecstatic. Something about the ‘wild west’ mixed with horror is something I didn’t know I needed and luckily LaFaro knows how to write them. I loved Where the Daybreak Ends. It manages to capture the allure and isolation of the wild west but mixes this in with vampires, witches and who knows what else that lurks in the dark. I have said in regards to the others in the series it has a bit of a Dresden files vibe but as before I honestly think this is better.

LaFaro is a master at combining an historical period with horror that works and keeps you hooked. The characters are all complex and you can’t help but get invested in the tales. Honestly I cannot wait to get physical copies of this series because it is so good. If you love Westerns and horror you need this series in your life.

As always thank you to Brigid’s Gate Press for the copy to review and apologises for the slight delay in my review! My review is always honest, truthful and freely given.

I was so excited to return to Buzzard's Edge, and this collection of stories didn't disappoint. I've known it was a unique place since the first Rory Daggett book that it was a place like none other, and this collection really highlights that. The good, the bad, the ugly, and the terrifying. LaFaro does a great job of drawing you in with vivid descriptions, and bringing the characters to life before your eyes. The way it was written - like two indescribably old beings who are stuck watching the fate of the town from start to finish and keeping it alive with their stories helped set the mood quite well. Although it would've been tempting to read this cover to cover with as few breaks as possible, I found it easier to get through my chores if I paused after each chapter, or story. Each story is connected, but stands alone on its own too. If you enjoy the old west and horror, this is a great mix of the two. That said, I hope there are more stories to come from Buzzard's Edge, I'm sure we haven't heard about everything the inhabitants have seen or experienced yet.

Brennan LaFaro's short story collection, "Where the Daybreak Ends," gathers ten stories taking place in the same universe with his two Western horror novels, "Noose" and "The Demon of Devil's Cavern," the horror westerns that make up the Buzzard's Edge Saga. The official number of the tales in the book is actually eight (seven shorts and one novella), but there's also a wrap-around story, "The Reaping," presented in nine short parts, plus a tiny short, "Spokes in a Wheel," served as a bonus story, a 'Lagniappe' of sorts according to the author.

Anyone who's read the Buzzard's Edge Saga books, is in for a real treat with this collection: each story references or involves, implicitly or explicitly, characters, places and events from the other books, though without ever neglecting the first-time reader who picks the collection. This means that almost all the stories can be read on their own, as excellent western horror tales sharing a common background. But the order of reading does matter, so readers should heed LaFaro's advice and read each story as intended. This goes double for the wrap-around story, "The Reaping," since it will hardly make sense otherwise. Same with the last two stories - they are preparing the ground for the third Buzzard Edge's book!

OK, let's put such technicalities aside, and take a peak at the stories themselves. I'll be upfront about it, and immediately confess that I liked the collection far more than the novels themselves! The stories provide so much richness and background detail on Buzzard's Edge, they develop what happened in the novels and after them, it was impossible to read just one story at a time; I did enjoy the books, in fact I enjoyed them tremendously, but going through these stories was a truly fascinating reading experience, almost like completing a giant puzzle. Piece by piece, Buzzard's Edge begins to take shape as it gets populated by both familiar and new characters placed in unexpected situations, their stories full of action and intrigue.

"They Only Come Out at Night," for example, has two new characters with their own attractive dynamic, facing vampires; "Salvia Sunset," introduces another new character, Nola (guess who inspired that name!), this time facing on her own a giant flesh-eating monster; "Come and Take My Hand" (a tale first printed in the paperback of "Noose"), provides a sort of origin story for two already introduced characters (and is a truly heart-breaking story if you know what's waiting for them in the future); "The Ice Man," a novella-length story, revisits Rory and Alice, revealing what happened to them between the two books; and, finally, the titular "Where the Daybreak Ends" gives a glimpse into the story of a familiar gay couple - and casually drops a recognizable name from LaFaro's other fictional universe! I never expected to stumble upon such a link! And the tiny story of "Spokes in a Wheel" is the perfect post-credit scene we're all waiting for after the story ends: an extremely satisfying teaser for the forthcoming third book.

So the Buzzard's Edge collection is all entertainment, no misses. LaFaro's storytelling rocks, and when it comes to western horror, you're in the best of hands!

Josiah is on the brink of death when he finds two creatures. They tell him stories of monsters and men in a little piece called Buzzards Rest. Suspense filled tales that bring you deeper into the world of Buzzards Rest

There is a sort of magic in reading tales from the old west. It seems to transport you in a way that few other settings can. A time where communication meant face to face or hand written letters and weeks to months of waiting. A time where getting things done was a series of trial and error. A time where lawlessness was a way of life for many and greed controlled the frontier.
What Lafarro does to this gritty world by throwing in supernatural beasts and beings adds a new level of helplessness that makes the common man soil their britches as they freeze up and wait for a death that is soon delivered. For the reader, that helplessness is doubly so as you are mentally trying to help these characters that have quickly become your friends, and trying to do so without all the knowledge and modern conveniences readily at our disposable.
It was so much fun seeing old friends, old enemies, and the evolution of Buzzard’s Edge

Buzzard's Edge needs blood, and there's plenty of stories with it. It was great to be back to meet new and old characters. I really liked how it was organized between the main narrative and the short stories. I highly recommend reading the first two novels and then this collection. Though this can be read by itself, readers can appreciate his horror-western world building and characters more.

“This land drinks blood, Josiah. It feasts on misery.” This quote clearly describes what to expect when you come to the western town of Buzzard’s Edge. It’s a lesson Josiah learns as he is told several stories about this desert town from a vulture and a coyote.

As we experience these stories, we are introduced to many creatures, monsters, vampires, murderers, and bad people, just to name a few. Even though the stories are all separate and individual, they all intermingle in a strange sort of way.

I never imagined that I would like a western horror book, but I was honestly hooked. The author did a fantastic job tying everything together!
Thank you to Net Galley and Brigids Gate Press for this free ARC book in exchange for my candid review.