WOMEN IN HORROR MONTH: REVIEWING HORROR FROM A FEMALE PERSPECTIVE WITH BRANDI GUARINO

Please tell us who you are, and why you chose to review horror?

My name is Brandi Guarino and I have been a horror fan my entire life.  Horror novels have fed my love of reading throughout my teenage years up until this very day. I love finding the next great horror book and writer.

How long have you been reviewing for, and where can we find you?

I have been reviewing for the past 6 months but spent my college years working in bookshops where my biggest strength was suggesting novels that I thought my customers would enjoy.  You can find my reviews on my blog, brandithebibliophile.blogspot.com. I also share my reviews on Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Do you have a mission statement regarding what you hope to achieve with your reviews and website?

My hope as a reviewer is to champion the independent writers and publishing houses. The big-name authors and the large publishing houses are wonderful and most have endless resources to achieve their goals. Independent authors and presses are more intimate, and you genuinely want to see those writers and publishers you come to know to succeed.

What's been the biggest hurdle you have faced in your time as a horror reviewer?

Not enough hours in the day to read all the books I want to read and not enough money to buy all the books on my never-ending wish list.

What's your preferred subgenre of horror?

I love Gothic Horror, Classic& Mythological, and any other kind you can think of. I have not found a subgenre yet that I have not enjoyed.

How would you describe your reviewing style?

I review books the way I speak. I just love books and I love talking about them.    

What was the biggest low point of your time as a reviewer, and what has been the highpoint?

I haven’t experienced a low point as of yet. I have been very lucky in that the Horror community accepted me and has taken me under their wing, that has been the highpoint of becoming a reviewer.

How do you organise your time as a reviewer, do you have any tips for other reviewers?

I try to balance my time reading and reviewing around homeschooling and doctors’ appointments for my child. I do not really have set office hours. I am very organized and have a system of arranging books I receive for review and making sure that I am up to date.

Do you have a favourite review of yours?

My current favorite review on my blog is my review of Cynthia Pelayo’s true crime poetry book Into the Forest and All the Way Through. It is such a heartbreaking, yet beautifully written book.

Sadly horror is a genre that is still "ruled" by white males, have you had any negative responses from the because you are a woman reviewing horror?

I have not had any negative responses from any men in the horror community. In fact, it has been just the opposite. I have been really blessed to work with some really great guys so far.

In terms of the genre itself there is still a nasty lingering concept of the woman only being there as a focus for violence, terror or as the damsel in distress, what's your reaction to this?

I think that times are changing and that there are so many fantastic women writers in the horror community seeking to change the tropes women have been assigned in horror. Women are becoming heroes in their own stories rather than the damsel in distress or victims. I very much enjoy books were the girl saves herself.

Do you have any recommendations for books that allow women to break past this stereotype?

The first that springs to mind is the We Are Wolves anthology that came out last year. I have it coming up to review soon, but I have heard the stories are amazing. I enjoyed The Worm and His Kings by Hailey Piper greatly. Her main character of Monique is most certainly not a damsel in distress or a victim.

What was the last good book you read, and what are you planning on reading next?

Last week I finished a new book called A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson that was phenomenal. It is a reimagined brides of Dracula story with a polyamorous, bisexual relationship. I read it as both a love story and a cautionary tale and to me it illustrates how in some cases, people can conflate violence and pain with love. It is bloody, Gothic, gory, violent, and lush all at the same time. I could go on and on about the book and I still would not be able to give it proper justice.
​
As for my next read, I am just starting Hearts Strange and Dreadful by Tim McGregor and The Searching Dead by Ramsey Campbell. Both of these have been on my reading wish list for a while, so I am excited to get started on those.

Brandi Guarino is a voracious reader and has a To Be Read list that never ends. She is passionate and committed to championing the work of independent writers and publishers in horror, science fiction, and fantasy. She is on Twitter at @bgbibliophile and Instagram at www.instagram.com/brandi_the_bibliophile.

---