Demons in My Bloodstream by Candace Nola is one of the most beautifully twisted things I've read this year.
Candace Nola knows how to make you hurt—and squirm and scream and want to bleach your brain—but mostly, she knows how to dig the knife in and twist until you're a wriggling mess on the floor.
So it's really no surprise when you come out of Demons in My Bloodstream battered and broken and bruised. And while you're trying to hold onto the pieces she slashed into, you can't help but smile because crawling through the hell was worth it.
The collection is as varied as it is gut-wrenching. In one story, a color-blind man goes to desperate lengths to cure himself of his ailment. In another, a gardening competition takes a grotesque and vicious turn. And then there's the gut-punch of a tale where a late husband's attempt to visit every country his wife wanted to see unravels a horrific, heartbreaking secret. The range keeps every story fresh, showcasing Nola's imagination and determination to keep readers on their toes. While the tones and plots vary, every story is tied together by raw, unflinching emotion. Nola digs deep into grief, revenge, fear, and madness, never giving you a moment to catch your breath.
The Best Puppet Show in Town takes the crown as my favorite story in the collection. Here's the thing, I'm a simple woman. Give me transformative body horror, and I'm yours - and man, does Nola deliver. This story is captivating and jarring, blending grotesque physical transformation with a cutting grief that roots itself deep inside you. It's a pain I'll carry for a long time, and the visuals? My god, the visuals.
Demons in My Bloodstream is perfect for readers who like their horror to hurt, exposing emotions like raw nerve endings. Nola doesn't just go for your heart—she relishes the crack of ribs as she reaches in to tear it out.
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