This was another ARC I snagged off Netgalley, so thank you for that.

I really liked this collection, I had not read from this author before but I have went to check their other work out now and will be reading more.

My favorite was Survival of the Fittest
I want to tell you so much but what I will say is, you might see the ending coming, I did, but I still couldn't stop my reaction to it, even when I thought I was prepared.
That story was amazing.

My second was All You Can Eat Buffet.
What the fuck, but absolutely worth every second.

As a runner up, because I liked it and have to say something is Tupperware Party, and I will NOT elaborate, you just have to read it, with a title like that, how can you pass it up?

A collection of snowy nightmares, and bittersweet folklore that invites you into tales of Iceland.
I really liked this collection, it was filled with lots of variety.

My favorites stories:

The Girl with the Hooves: As the title suggests, this story is about a girl who does not fit in with the rest of the people. Very emotional, and in my opinion one of the best in the collection.

Survival of the Fittest: My favorite story. Our murderous protagonist tries to find food in a radioactive, post-apocalyptic world. Everything changes when instead of nourishment, she finds a friend. Another emotional story, one that has a very sad outcome. You know it will happen, that's what makes it hit harder.

They Came from the Rocks: A drill operation gone wrong. Workers start to show signs of weird behavior, some go missing, others lose their mind. Really enjoyed this one.

All You Can Drink Buffet: An american works at a companies office in japan. After doing overtime, his colleagues invite him to get drinks after work. After waking up with weird puncture wounds over his body, he finds his colleagues at work a little...different than usual. The author mentioned being a fan of Junji Ito's stories. This becomes very obvious in this story. Until now, I've never seen an author absolutely nail the vibe of Ito's manga as a book. Loved it.


Despite loving my time reading this collection, I gave it four stars, because three stories were not for me.

Tupperware Party, The Hag's Gift and The Perfect Time: I thought the pacing in those was too fast for me, I could not get into it. As a comparison, The Girl with the Hooves had the perfect length, it managed to include a lot, without feeling too short or too long. The concepts of those stories itself were good though.

Overall, I could always tell, that the author put love into this collection, especially after reading the notes from the author, found at the end of the book. Looking forward to reading the authors other collection, such as Visceral Discoveries and As the Night Devours Us.

What Protects Our Heritage and Other Aberrations by Villimey Mist is a twisted collection of Icelandic horror stories. From the opening story, The Girl with the Hooves which was a classic old school dark fairy tale, I was hooked. Even though I’ve loved horror all my life it wasn’t until recently that I began to branch out of what I’d consider mainstream horror and been wowed by a diversity I never knew existed. Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed Hispanic, Japanese, Native America, and now Icelandic horror. If you’re like me and have only been reading mainstream you really don’t know what you’ve been missing. There are so many incredible horror writers out there. I enjoyed the heck out these stories and can’t wait to check out more of Villimey’s work. I’d like to thank Brigids Gate Press, LLC and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of What Protects Our Heritage and Other Aberrations.

Oh... I liked this collection very much!

How have I missed this author before? This needs to be rectified immediately!

For those who love Icelandic/Nordic Noir, dark tales, folk horror, living landscapes, and the creatures that dwell in these spaces... then this book is for you!

I enjoyed all of the stories, their twists, and the horrors that awaited within. From tupperware to trolls, from the apocalyptic to the apathetic, each tale has something to take away.

Whilst I enjoyed 'Survival of the Fittest', my absolute favourite story was 'The Girl With The Hooves'. It's just so good!

If that wasn't enough, there's a whole Icelandic Cryptid novella included at the end!

Villimey Mist is definitely an author to follow and watch out for.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

What Protects Our Heritage and Other Aberrations is an anthology of chilling horror stories inspired by Icelandic folklore and human darkness. The last one of the collection What protects our heritage is a novelette about a search-and-rescue team trapped in a snowstorm, encountering horrors beyond their imagination. The other shorter stories have a variety of themes, from post-apocalyptic survival to vampiric office encounters, which ensures there’s something for everyone. 🤩

My favorites were The Yule lads are coming (my personal number 1! 🥰) Hell of a ride and What protects our heritage. All three solid and awesome tales which stood out of the rest according to me.

The girl with the hooves 4⭐️
Survival of the fittest 3.75⭐️
They came from the rocks 4.25⭐️
Tupperware party 4⭐️
Hell of a ride 5⭐️
All you can drink buffet 4.5⭐️
The hag’s gift 4.5⭐️
The Yule lads are coming 5🌟
The perfect time 3,5⭐️
What protects our heritage 5⭐️

This anthology is a must-read for fans of folk horror and sinister short stories. I loved to read about Iceland’s rural landscapes and the folkloric creatures combined with horror elements, which gave the book a wild, mystical and menacing vibe. Each creature is mysterious and interesting and I definitely want to read more about them, so please give me more books like this! 🥰 4.5⭐️

Thank you so much @fangs.and.light and @netgalley for the given chance to read this book. 🙏🏻✨