Spook Lights II: Southern Gothic Horror

I'm going to start this review of Eden Royce's Spook Lights II with a quote from my review of the first Spook Lights collection, as it applies to this Volume at least as much as the first:

"Eden Royce does southern gothic to perfection... In every one of her stories, you could feel the heat of the south; she brought the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes to life."

Spook Lights II might be even better than its predecessor, if that's possible. There's not a single weak story in the whole collection. In "Carolina Blue," a family has a few tricks up their sleeve when they're targeted by an unscrupulous buyer who wants them to sell him their rice farm. "Voodooesque" is a period piece where a serial killer gets his just desserts at the hands of two mysterious women. "Basque of the Red Death" is also a tale set in the past; a brothel madam has a plan to deal with violent clients. This story is one of the most strange and beautiful in the collection. "The Dating Pool" involves two fire djinnis fighting over a man whom both find delicious. The magical "The Mermaid Storm" tells the story of a young girl who discovers  her destiny lies beyond the carnival where she has grown up as a sideshow exhibit.

I urge everyone to read Eden Royce's two collections if you've missed out on them so far. Royce is writing some of the best southern gothic out there today, and these dark, bewitching tales deserve a chance to enchant you.