The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez

Welcome to Buenos Aires, a place of nightmares and twisted imaginings, where missing children come back from the dead and unearthed bones carry terrible curses.

Thrumming with murderous intentions, family betrayals, and morbid desires, these stories shine a light on a violent city gripped by urban madness; giving voice to the lost, the oppressed, and the forgotten. Lucid and darkly poetic, unsettling and otherworldly, these tales of revenge, witchcraft, and fetishes are a masterpiece of contemporary gothic and a bewitching exploration of the dark inclinations that threaten to lead us over the edge.

This was one of those books that I just can't stop thinking about. I was worried I'd feel disappointed after reading as this book has had so much praise and adoration but after I read it, I realised the hype was real. It me just a day to finish and five minutes before I decided to read it again straightaway. The second read was just as scary as the first. Mariana Enriquez is an author I want to read over and over again to try and find the secret to how her magic works. She is truly such a spell binding author.

These stories are genuinely scary! These stories are tender, heart breaking mysterious and grotesque. Adult fairy tales to help with the navigation of life in the cities of the world. To read this book is to feel cold dread building up into a crushing crescendo. The horror contained within these pages are not otherworldly, they feel too real like they walk among us unseen. 

It's impossible to pick a favourite from this collection. Each story is utterly unique, each tale stands out in a collection that deserves all the awards in literature and horror! The horror in these tales starts off quiet, but like an infectious disease left untreated it quickly spreads until its too strong to eradicate. Each story builds up to a terrifying conclusion when the reveal comes. What I really like about these stories are that there are little clues dropped in here and there that can be pieced together to form an unholy conclusion.

There are no  jump scares or spooky monsters to be found here. The Dangers of Smoking in Bed reignites our childhood fears of the unknown. What's really buried at the back of the garden? Do ghosts walk among us? Are there unknown forces watching us, making their foray into our world.

I could really talk about this book for days and honestly anyone who hasn't read this book is missing out!