Stars: 2.75
Thank you net galley for providing me this chilling ARC. While I knew what direction this was going in, it was a quick and easy read. Breeding ground touches on some heavy subjects so if you have triggers, please look them up before you read. Lexi is going to her ex fiancés secluded cabin to get a nice weekend away, but when one thing leads to another, it might be to late to turn back. While I didn’t really like the story much, I was invested until the end, and actually utterly disgusted. This is one of those short stories that creep you out. A LOT. So if you are in need of a quick disturbing read, this is your story.

Sadly I thought this short story was underwhelming. It's only 40ish pages long, so I feel it could benefit from being longer. I just didn't care about the characters, who seemed basic, and I could tell where the story was going within the first 5 pages. I'm still going to read from this author, but this one didn't leave a lasting impression.

I opened Breeding Ground and browsed the first page expecting to get into it tomorrow, and suddenly I’m finished reading it. This was intense. Impeccable writing with an edge-of-your-seat plot to keep you immersed. I felt connected to Lexi and every page turned I kept having more questions (which get answered, don’t worry) and I loved the direction it went in. This felt claustrophobic at times and the eeriness of the atmosphere was the icing on the cake. I’ll keep my eye out for S.C. Mendes.

I feel like I've read this very same story a dozen times before. The "forced maternity" theme is not original at all, and the writing is just not strong enough to carry such a "cliche" plot. It's not badly written per se, nor is it a bad theme, it's just unoriginal. And the plot twist, if we can call it a plot twist, is predictable since the very first second.

It's enjoyable enough, I guess, if you haven't read this type of story before.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher Blood Bound Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what I just read. Lol.

Lexi and Brandon are on a weekend getaway at his family cabin to try and salvage what's left of their relationship. What they found instead was not something you would want to experience. There was a bit of foreshadowing right from chapter 1, and it didn't take long to see where the story was headed. What I thought felt short was the building up of the body horror, I didn't have that sense of dread or anxiety I tend to get with horror stories. The writing has potential in the beginning, though it the end, it felt a bit flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and blood bound books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Breeding ground follows Brandon and Lexi, a recently broken up couple as they try and rekindle their relationship in their cabin that they used to frequent. It is a mix of horror and psychological thriller though it doesn't really commit to either genre it plays both and doesn't have any pay off.

The entire twist of the short story is blatantly obvious within the first 5 pages. It could not have been more in your face about what exactly was going to happen. As a result, as a reader it just feels like I'm waiting for the characters to make the same conclusions I did at the beginning of the story and I really dislike stories like this.

The relationship between Brandon and Lexi was extremely toxic and hard to read at times. Brandon's blatant gaslighting and emotional abuse of Lexi was abundant. The story is too short to really get to know either character and I honestly did not care about either of them with the story we got.

The horror itself wasn't scary or even gross. I believe the author mostly writes splatterpunk so that is somewhat surprising. It didn't pull in a more eerie or atmospheric horror either. It just felt like a story I read.

I really liked the book, the only downside is its length. I would have enjoyed another page of 50-100

Thank you to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

2.75 rounded up to a 3!!

Straight off the bat I knew what I was in for and how things would go a few pages in, and it didn't disappoint in that aspect. But, weirdly enough, I wanted it to be pushed further. I felt the body horror could have been more and more described along with the horror of what was happening. It feels like it would make one hell of an opening story to a main or longer story. Like introducing the reader to the horrors the people within the main story will come across and then us as the reader can then keep an eye out for any clues or hints to what was happening or if anything had happened to anyone.

Really intrigued with this story and glad to have read it, and honestly, can't wait to read more.

A little obvious about where it was going, but dang was it gross. This was a fun one sitting read. 3.75 stars rounded up.

I feel like this book was a movie that I kept hitting the skip button on. I was missing about 10 seconds between each skip. This felt like it could have been much better if it would have been drawn out a bit more with more detail. There was just too much missing from the story line.

This is very short but it's fun because it's a blend of psychological and monster horror. Or is it? I wasn't sure what was real or not because the narrator was unreliable, something I enjoy. Lexis is upset because she just found out she doesn't have eggs, and she goes to a cabin with her boyfriend. Getting away with him is interesting in itself, because she has betrayed him but he doesn't know, and it's too soon after getting the diagnosis for Lexi to really know what she wants. I was more sympathetic towards her because she was going through a lot, before things got really weird.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books For sending me an advanced reader copy. S.C. Mendes’ Breeding Ground is a masterful blend of psychological thriller and poignant relationship drama with a sinister edge. The story follows Lexi, a deeply relatable protagonist who navigates the turbulent waters of love, trust, and betrayal. Mendes captures the raw essence of human relationships with unflinching honesty, summed up perfectly by the quote, “This is what relationships really look like.” Through Lexi’s journey, the narrative explores the fragility of intimacy and the emotional toll of fractured connections, drawing readers into a world that feels both achingly familiar and unnervingly suspenseful.

Though short, the story is incredibly impactful, delivering its emotional punches with precision. As the plot takes a dark and unexpected turn, the thriller elements escalate, leaving readers on edge. Lexi’s whirlwind of complex emotions—ranging from hope to despair—makes her a sympathetic and multidimensional character. Mendes doesn’t just tell a story; he crafts an experience, one that transitions from heart-wrenching realism to jaw-dropping horror.

This short story right here was terrifying and made it so I need to read a fluffy romance before I could get any sleep. This short story only 7 chapters and about 60 pages I believe is wild and you don't know what is going on till the last couple of pages. This gave me the creepy crawls for sure I even told my wife about it and I was terrified, I think I will have to look up this author for other books such a great read my favorite short story of the year!!!

Breeding Ground by S.C. Mendes is a visceral and horrifying dive into the darkest corners of humanity and the monstrous. It’s a brutal, unflinching book that doesn’t hold back, offering readers an intense blend of body horror, psychological suspense, and social commentary.

Mendes excels at creating a palpable sense of unease. The setting—a decaying city rife with corruption and hidden horrors—is a character in itself, oozing dread from every corner. The narrative is unrelenting, pulling readers deeper into a twisted underground world that feels disturbingly plausible.

The characters are complex and flawed, with just enough humanity to make you care about their fates. Mendes doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths, weaving in themes of exploitation, power dynamics, and survival in a way that’s both thought-provoking and deeply unsettling.

The gore and horror elements are not for the faint of heart, but they’re handled with purpose, enhancing the story rather than overwhelming it. That said, there are moments where the pacing slows slightly due to heavy exposition, and some readers might find the bleakness a bit overwhelming.

Overall, Breeding Ground is a chilling and powerful read that’s perfect for fans of extreme horror with a deeper message. S.C. Mendes has crafted a story that gets under your skin and stays there—a nightmare you won’t soon forget. Highly recommended for readers who can handle its darker edges.

This novella left me wondering exactly what I had just read. The story is very strange and in parts oddly written. I can swear like a sailor, but I thought some of the word choices here were inappropriate and detracted from the horror of the story.

The story is that this couple, who everyone around them deemed the IT couple, go to a remote cabin in the woods (horror cliche I know) to rekindle their relationship and decide if they want to stay together. Apparently, their entire future planning revolved around having kids and when that fell apart they had nothing left, or so it seems.

The story is only 39 pages so you don't get a lot of time to invest in either character. They are fairly dysfunctional at baseline and honestly, neither is particularly sympathetic.

I am the first one to tout many horror books falling prey to being too long but I think this one is just too short to really establish anything. I recalled the description of the story, which made me want to read it in the first place, but when I actually got into the story itself I realized that the summary was misleading. The summary has more meat to it than the actual story.

This was a miss for me. I think this is the end of a story that needs more to flesh it out (pun intended) in order to be good.

Thanks to Blood Bound Books and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first by this author. Wow! What a ride!! Such a creepy spine tingling horror filled fast paced read! Highly recommend for any horror fans!

2.75⭐ rounded up

After receiving an upsetting medical diagnosis, Lexi agrees to a weekend retreat at her ex-fiance's secluded cabin with the hopes to reconnect. Things quickly turn sour and Lexi demands to leave...but something in the woods has other plans for Lexi.

Overall, there were definitely some gross scenes but nothing was too graphic in terms of body horror. It was a quick, predictable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

A good horror short story should feel like the opening act in a horror movie. Just a little set up and then action. I had a good time with this one and will be reading more from the author. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read and review.

A couple attempts to fix their relationship on a weekend gateway. Things take a deadly turn.

Fertility is a tough subject for me so while it wasn’t my favorite topic to read, I like the plot and would have enjoyed it more if it was a novella. .

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

This was a very quick read. I liked the premise but the execution was somewhat disappointing. The gore and the horror wasn’t developed enough, it didn’t feel scary or atmospheric - rather it was mundane. Excellent bones of a story, just felt like a rough draft rather than a finished piece.