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Iron Maidens
Contains scenes some readers may find offensive. Iron A 13 story collection of twisted tales, all featuring killer women.Supernatural creations hell bent on revenge. Cosmic terrors from beneath the surface.Women with unusual afflictions.The kind housewife with a collection of pickling jars.The beginnings of a serial killer.The isolated family with a strange, deep pit on their land and more....Villains, Vigilantes, Voyeurs, and Vengeance.Iron maidens. You won't forget these women.
- GenresHorrorAnthologies
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2021
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84 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 21, 2021
Extreme horror to the core!
There are 13 stories within so going to give a cryptic note for each one:
Headaches: A woman kills people in an unusual way.
Women of Fire and Vine: The wrath of a woman is dangerous but the wrath of dead women is a nightmare.
Maiden, Mother, Crone: A woman rules as she sees fit.
A Rose in the Window: Revenge is sweet as a woman is scorned.
Father Dearest: A tyrant father gets his just desserts.
Signs: A secret obsession that takes a turn for the worse.
A Thousand Cuts: Justice is served in an unusual manner.
Harvest: Sometimes just need to make sacrifices.
Gods and Monsters: Out of body experience goes awry.
Judgment: Crime really doesn't pay.
Glass Eyes: A tragedy happens because of a doll.
Voyeur: Watching people turns into killing people.
A Discovery of Tunnels and Time: The repercussions of a virus gone wrong.
Thoughts:
This was a new author to me and she led me down an interesting path of women who rise above situations and take matters into their own hands. The title of the book "Iron Maidens" is perfect as all the stories in this book have "maidens" within that are hardened to the core and know how to kick back the hard knocks that are dealt to them. Giving this book four "Mighty Maiden" stars!
Note: This book is extreme horror and it is labeled as such so heed the warnings as there are extreme situations within that might make you cringe.
There are 13 stories within so going to give a cryptic note for each one:
Headaches: A woman kills people in an unusual way.
Women of Fire and Vine: The wrath of a woman is dangerous but the wrath of dead women is a nightmare.
Maiden, Mother, Crone: A woman rules as she sees fit.
A Rose in the Window: Revenge is sweet as a woman is scorned.
Father Dearest: A tyrant father gets his just desserts.
Signs: A secret obsession that takes a turn for the worse.
A Thousand Cuts: Justice is served in an unusual manner.
Harvest: Sometimes just need to make sacrifices.
Gods and Monsters: Out of body experience goes awry.
Judgment: Crime really doesn't pay.
Glass Eyes: A tragedy happens because of a doll.
Voyeur: Watching people turns into killing people.
A Discovery of Tunnels and Time: The repercussions of a virus gone wrong.
Thoughts:
This was a new author to me and she led me down an interesting path of women who rise above situations and take matters into their own hands. The title of the book "Iron Maidens" is perfect as all the stories in this book have "maidens" within that are hardened to the core and know how to kick back the hard knocks that are dealt to them. Giving this book four "Mighty Maiden" stars!
Note: This book is extreme horror and it is labeled as such so heed the warnings as there are extreme situations within that might make you cringe.
September 1, 2021
Fury raged inside me. I felt the sudden urge to destroy everything and everyone. I wanted to tear and rip. Kill and maim. The feeling was brand new. A brief thought sparked. Knowledge that I wasn’t behaving like myself. “NO!” I screamed. One final act of defiance before I fell. They came for us, I came for them, they came for me. I’ve killed everyone. What have I done!
June 3, 2021
This is the second collection I've read from Sarah Huntington, and this one lived up to the first, in fact, I think it excelled. Great title, super cover, wacky imagination so that you don't know what might hit you next! I think what I liked best is the dark, whispering quality of the writing.
I loved the POV in Maiden, Mother, Crone.
In Father Dearest, I enjoyed the religion gone wrong theme. This was one of my favorites. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of delusional obsession in Signs and the creepy opening to Voyeur.
Throughout the collection, there were some moments of brilliance. Here are a few of my favorite lines, in context, of course, they are even more powerful...
"I copied the expressions of my siblings, cried with borrowed tears until I was in the clear."
"She reached up and stroked my face. I found myself longing for her touch, needing it. Tears fell from my eyes. With a quick movement, her forked tongue shot out and licked each one away. She took away my worry, my panic, and replaced it with clarity."
"The French have a pretty word for those like me. Voyeur. See how the letters roll off your tongue so smoothly, so naturally. Vowels and consonants forming two syllables of harmony."
A good sense of humor also shines through. A little tightening up with regards to editing here and there would have made this collection even more powerful.
I loved the POV in Maiden, Mother, Crone.
In Father Dearest, I enjoyed the religion gone wrong theme. This was one of my favorites. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of delusional obsession in Signs and the creepy opening to Voyeur.
Throughout the collection, there were some moments of brilliance. Here are a few of my favorite lines, in context, of course, they are even more powerful...
"I copied the expressions of my siblings, cried with borrowed tears until I was in the clear."
"She reached up and stroked my face. I found myself longing for her touch, needing it. Tears fell from my eyes. With a quick movement, her forked tongue shot out and licked each one away. She took away my worry, my panic, and replaced it with clarity."
"The French have a pretty word for those like me. Voyeur. See how the letters roll off your tongue so smoothly, so naturally. Vowels and consonants forming two syllables of harmony."
A good sense of humor also shines through. A little tightening up with regards to editing here and there would have made this collection even more powerful.
May 20, 2021
Lord this was a wild ride! Wait wait, lemme process this.....she did what now! And then she chopped off what!
Sick! Twisted! Disturbing! Fun!
Creepy as hell!
Inside the minds of some sicko yet fabulous females and some brutally tough ones. Kind of inspiring actually.
Now, lemme go buy some pickling jars
Sick! Twisted! Disturbing! Fun!
Creepy as hell!
Inside the minds of some sicko yet fabulous females and some brutally tough ones. Kind of inspiring actually.
Now, lemme go buy some pickling jars
September 19, 2022
What's striking about this collection is the variety of stories, tones, voices, and genres within. Huntington shows her wonderful imagination by exploring stories of anger (Headaches), darkly humored poignancy (A Thousand Cuts), folk horror (Harvest), time-slip dark fantasy (A Discovery of Tunnels and Time), and more.
Women of Fire and Vine stood out as ambitious in its scope, and the masterful storytelling of this one alone will lead you to seek out other works by the author. I especially liked the dip into the 17th century in this tale.
A tremendous talent.
Women of Fire and Vine stood out as ambitious in its scope, and the masterful storytelling of this one alone will lead you to seek out other works by the author. I especially liked the dip into the 17th century in this tale.
A tremendous talent.
October 1, 2021
The original version of this review would not be allowed on Amazon. Too much foul language. In the interests of Brevity and Good Taste, I have omitted a lot of the overly descriptive stuff. You know, the "bad" words. Mind you, I was expounding thus in enthusiasm rather than spite or even bad taste (though, to be fair, I have been justly accused of the latter.) And to be completely honest, there might also have been just a trace of jealousy...I wish I had ideas this wild!
Of course, if I did, I might sleep less than I do now...
Anyway. This is my second title from Sarah Jane Huntington (the first being "Paint It Black", which you must also run and get RIGHT NOW) and I am just blown away by what I have read. I'd go into really graphic detail of the works contained therein, but frankly, you need to read it all yourself and see what a budding dark talent really looks like.
There's lots of great lines in this book. But one of my favorite exchanges though (from the brilliant "Father Dearest") goes like this:
"What went bang?" my sister asked.
"Father did," I told her. "Father went boom."
AND HE DID! Though the story doesn't QUITE end there. Fret thee not, I won't give anything away.
The gem of this astoundingly good lot is probably "A Thousand Cuts", and fellas, if it doesn't leave you squirming, I'm sorry, you have no soul. 'Nuff said.
Quality-wise, there's not a lemon in the carload here...perhaps one tale that just barely misses the mark for me (your mileage may vary) and of course SJH does take rather too much liberty with cavers...we have already discussed this, she and I. I'm just glad that my own caving "career" is long since done, and that I never found what the unlucky trio did in "Maiden, Mother, Crone." Wow!
Anyway. There's a lot to love here, a whole lot, and the best part of it is that she's still hammering away and I feel like this is just a taste of great things to come. Really, if you're looking for a "Shocktober" kickoff--I mean, it IS October 1 as of this writing--you would be well-advised to pick up a copy and savor it. As previously noted, there's a lot to love here, not the least of which is the continued career of one Sarah Jane Huntington. Long may she create!
Of course, if I did, I might sleep less than I do now...
Anyway. This is my second title from Sarah Jane Huntington (the first being "Paint It Black", which you must also run and get RIGHT NOW) and I am just blown away by what I have read. I'd go into really graphic detail of the works contained therein, but frankly, you need to read it all yourself and see what a budding dark talent really looks like.
There's lots of great lines in this book. But one of my favorite exchanges though (from the brilliant "Father Dearest") goes like this:
"What went bang?" my sister asked.
"Father did," I told her. "Father went boom."
AND HE DID! Though the story doesn't QUITE end there. Fret thee not, I won't give anything away.
The gem of this astoundingly good lot is probably "A Thousand Cuts", and fellas, if it doesn't leave you squirming, I'm sorry, you have no soul. 'Nuff said.
Quality-wise, there's not a lemon in the carload here...perhaps one tale that just barely misses the mark for me (your mileage may vary) and of course SJH does take rather too much liberty with cavers...we have already discussed this, she and I. I'm just glad that my own caving "career" is long since done, and that I never found what the unlucky trio did in "Maiden, Mother, Crone." Wow!
Anyway. There's a lot to love here, a whole lot, and the best part of it is that she's still hammering away and I feel like this is just a taste of great things to come. Really, if you're looking for a "Shocktober" kickoff--I mean, it IS October 1 as of this writing--you would be well-advised to pick up a copy and savor it. As previously noted, there's a lot to love here, not the least of which is the continued career of one Sarah Jane Huntington. Long may she create!
July 4, 2021
Powerful story-telling
Sometimes extreme, sometimes tragic, occasionally humorous but always powerful. The women in these stories take no prisoners and whilst most have them gaining the upper hand, my favourite is Judgement which is ultimately a condemnation of the betrayal of a system which fails to protect sufferers of domestic abuse. From the urban to the supernatural to ancient folk tradition, Sarah Jane Huntingdon has proven herself with this collection and I look forward to reading more from her.
Sometimes extreme, sometimes tragic, occasionally humorous but always powerful. The women in these stories take no prisoners and whilst most have them gaining the upper hand, my favourite is Judgement which is ultimately a condemnation of the betrayal of a system which fails to protect sufferers of domestic abuse. From the urban to the supernatural to ancient folk tradition, Sarah Jane Huntingdon has proven herself with this collection and I look forward to reading more from her.
October 19, 2021
Sarah Jane Huntington is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. Iron Maidens is an excellent collection of horrors and definitely worth a read.
Favourite stories for me were Maiden, Mother, Crone, Harvest, and Voyeur. Bloody good stuff!
An easy 5 stars and highly recommended.
Favourite stories for me were Maiden, Mother, Crone, Harvest, and Voyeur. Bloody good stuff!
An easy 5 stars and highly recommended.
April 30, 2023
Fab collection of short stories
May 6, 2021
The opening page to this collection instantly told me Sarah Jane Huntington has done it again. I wasn’t wrong in that initial thought. This is another great collection from an author you absolutely should be reading. The first story, “Headaches” made me feel as though I was watching a Frank Hennenlotter film, while later stories like “Harvest” read like an extremely dark fairy tale. These stories were a blast, some of them made me uncomfortable like “Father Dearest” while others like “a thousand cuts” made me say “hell yah” and do that SHEESH thing all the people on tikky tokky are doing. Voyeur may have been my personal favorite in this collection. A genuinely creepy story that turns the fear of being watched when staying somewhere up to about two kajillion. I don’t know if kajillion is a word I made up, but it fits here. This collection also contains one of the Damned coolest takes on zombies and time travel. Both? Yeah, both. If Sarah writes it, I will be reading it, and you really should be doing the same.
May 3, 2021
Asked the author in twitter a bit ago if I could betar read some of these. She said yes so there was 4 I'd not read. Spoiler. This book is dark with a capital d. I think this is what the author generally does is rip the readers heart out and then rip it up. In this book some of the mc live but thats not a happy ending because they kill and I dont think she writes them kinds. Its proper horror because it feels real. Some of these mcs could exist and thats the frightening. She writes them well realistic. One story judgement upset me. Few scared me. One I couldn't finish from cringing but the mrs sat laughing when she read it. But I still get it and get why. Book by a dark troubled mind but then again I want dark in my horror. Disturbing alot. If this author isn't a secret murderer I be surprised but I admire women with balls. The story's will stick with me alot
June 15, 2022
amazing
Sarah Jane Huntington writes flawed, fantastic characters and stories that will stay with you... waking you in the night with their many horrors.
Sarah Jane Huntington writes flawed, fantastic characters and stories that will stay with you... waking you in the night with their many horrors.
October 7, 2022
Straightaway I knew I would love this collection of short stories when I read the introduction. Particularly in the horror genre it is always the women who suffer the most particularly when faced with being the final girl but here in this anthology the women rise up and take their revenge against the world, taking down the patriarchy one by one!
In Iron Maiden we meet women who are broken down but then they rise up stronger than ever returning the hate dealt out to them. Sarah Jane Huntingdon is an incredibly powerful story teller. Very quickly the reader is completely absorbed into the mind of a predator. In each story I really felt like I had gone through the sufferings of each character. Each tale is really different and unique I really enjoyed the ride!
There wasn't one tale I didn't like in here. There's many different styles of horror, occult, cosmic and much much more. My favourites included;
Gods and Monsters - Ida Lambert is a lonely schoolgirl sent away to boarding school. A group of girls decide to make her life hell, but Ida has a very unusual talent that she uses on them. A really heart breaking tale.
Women of Fire and Vine - This is a story unlike anything I've read before! This is a really ambitious tale executed brilliantly.
Headaches - A tale of darkness rage and survival. This is the first tale of the collection and starts with a bang. A young woman recently released from prison starts to experience headaches that quickly take over her life.
Father Dearest - I found this tale so heart breaking. A young girl is desperate to protect her siblings against their abusive father.
In Iron Maiden we meet women who are broken down but then they rise up stronger than ever returning the hate dealt out to them. Sarah Jane Huntingdon is an incredibly powerful story teller. Very quickly the reader is completely absorbed into the mind of a predator. In each story I really felt like I had gone through the sufferings of each character. Each tale is really different and unique I really enjoyed the ride!
There wasn't one tale I didn't like in here. There's many different styles of horror, occult, cosmic and much much more. My favourites included;
Gods and Monsters - Ida Lambert is a lonely schoolgirl sent away to boarding school. A group of girls decide to make her life hell, but Ida has a very unusual talent that she uses on them. A really heart breaking tale.
Women of Fire and Vine - This is a story unlike anything I've read before! This is a really ambitious tale executed brilliantly.
Headaches - A tale of darkness rage and survival. This is the first tale of the collection and starts with a bang. A young woman recently released from prison starts to experience headaches that quickly take over her life.
Father Dearest - I found this tale so heart breaking. A young girl is desperate to protect her siblings against their abusive father.
October 18, 2023
This anthology promised to be good. I mean, look at that book cover!
Read about fierce women who were villains, or fought villains. They might be delusional, murder people or set villages on fire, but all for good reasons, sort of, most of the time.
The ones that I enjoyed most:
“A Thousand Cuts” was so much fun. The expression about the thousand cuts was new to me, but it seemed wise. Also, I now look at pickle jars in a new light.
“Voyeur” was excellent. “It really is that kind of motel.” You might think you know what that line means, but you don’t, not until you finish reading the story.
Also enjoyable were “Headaches,” “A Rose In The Window,” “Father Dearest” and “Glass Eyes.”
Read about fierce women who were villains, or fought villains. They might be delusional, murder people or set villages on fire, but all for good reasons, sort of, most of the time.
The ones that I enjoyed most:
“A Thousand Cuts” was so much fun. The expression about the thousand cuts was new to me, but it seemed wise. Also, I now look at pickle jars in a new light.
“Voyeur” was excellent. “It really is that kind of motel.” You might think you know what that line means, but you don’t, not until you finish reading the story.
Also enjoyable were “Headaches,” “A Rose In The Window,” “Father Dearest” and “Glass Eyes.”
November 12, 2025
Iron Maidens by Sarah Jane Huntington
Narrated by Victoria Voss
🌟🌟🌟🌟
An entertaining collection of 13 chilling and twisted tales of killer woman. Each one tells its own tale and they are very creative, twisted and wild!
My top stories are:
• Maiden, Mother, Crone
• Father Dearest
• A Thousand Cuts
• Judgements
• Glass Eyes
• Voyeur
This is my first book from this author and she has a great writing style!
I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a fabulous job!! I enjoyed listening to all of the stories!
*Check out this fun killer collection!*
Narrated by Victoria Voss
🌟🌟🌟🌟
An entertaining collection of 13 chilling and twisted tales of killer woman. Each one tells its own tale and they are very creative, twisted and wild!
My top stories are:
• Maiden, Mother, Crone
• Father Dearest
• A Thousand Cuts
• Judgements
• Glass Eyes
• Voyeur
This is my first book from this author and she has a great writing style!
I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a fabulous job!! I enjoyed listening to all of the stories!
*Check out this fun killer collection!*
October 25, 2022
I didn't really know what to expect from this collection, but I was instantly pulled into the beautiful and twisted mind of Sarah's strong characters. Each story is a powerful stand against social injustice and a portrayal of the many ways these women cope with abuse. This is not a justification of them becoming villains, but each story is a captivating character study. The style is so beautiful, even when describing the most gruesome action. It's a diverse collection of stories; morbid, beautiful and also funny. I just loved it.
November 13, 2025
“Iron Maidens” by Sarah Jane Huntington is a great collection of dark, gripping stories that keep you hooked from start to finish. Each tale offers something unique, with strong writing and haunting atmosphere throughout. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the stories to life and enhancing the overall experience.
July 11, 2022
All the stars
This is a great collection of short stories which gets all the stars from me. If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Women of Fire and Vine but I thoroughly enjoyed them all. And what about that cover!!
This is a great collection of short stories which gets all the stars from me. If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Women of Fire and Vine but I thoroughly enjoyed them all. And what about that cover!!
May 4, 2024
Unexpected!
These stories are not for the weak of heart, so boys, best go running home to your mamas. Original and fresh ideas that inspire and invigorate ... but also make you want to leave the lights on!
These stories are not for the weak of heart, so boys, best go running home to your mamas. Original and fresh ideas that inspire and invigorate ... but also make you want to leave the lights on!
November 13, 2021
this was thrilling but again, a bit too much swearing for my taste and that thousand cuts story was a bit to much that it made me cross my legs when i was reading it. voyer was the best one.
August 13, 2025
Most of the time the scary part of these books were still men.
Isnt that sad?
Isnt that sad?
January 16, 2025
Sometimes I run across something amazing on Kindle Unlimited and this was one of those, it was so fucked up.
My absolutely hands down craziest story was Voyeur, that was NOT what i expected but was terrifying to think about when revealed...
A Thousand Cuts, oh boy, that title, had me side eying everything, if you know what the phrase usually means.
I really need more from Sarah's brain after this, going to check out more.
Who says you cant find good undiscovered books on KU??
My absolutely hands down craziest story was Voyeur, that was NOT what i expected but was terrifying to think about when revealed...
A Thousand Cuts, oh boy, that title, had me side eying everything, if you know what the phrase usually means.
I really need more from Sarah's brain after this, going to check out more.
Who says you cant find good undiscovered books on KU??
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews