All things LGBTQ+ horror, gothic stories, dark fantasy, supernatural & paranormal fantasy, & thrillers.
Use the navigation above to find out more about All Hallows' Queers, and to read my feature / review policy.
About All Hallows' Queers
All Hallows' Queers is a project created by Jo of Once Upon a Bookcase to support and promote LGBTQ+ books that come under the following genres:- Horror
- Gothic stories
- Supernatural & Paranormal stories
- Dark Fantasy
- ThrillersAll Hallows' Queers was created in September 2022 as a readathon & photo / video challenge to read and create content on LGBTQ+ horror and supernatural / paranormal stories fitting 16 prompts. When the readathon came to an end Halloween, I decided to keep All Hallows' Queers going to continue to support and promote queer titles in these genres, adding gothic stories, dark fantasy, and thrillers to the mix; books that fit the mood of Halloween. Books supported are of any age category, including graphic novels. There will, of course, be a readathon every October.AHQ is on Instagram, Twitter, & Goodreads. I share posts & RT tweets about applicable titles, as well as creating content. There are dedicated story highlights on Instagram and shelves on Goodreads for each genre, along with ones for witches (as stories featuring witches aren't always supernatural or paranormal), graphic novels, and 2023 releases. My "reviews" on Goodreads list the representation present as accurately as I can find.If you are a publisher who would like to discuss me featuring titles on AHQ, please head to the Policies page.
About Jo
I've been a book blogging at Once Upon a Bookcase for 13 years, and a Children's Bookseller for 10. I'm passionate about LGBTQ+ books, and put in and curate the LGBTQ+ YA section in my bookshop. In 2022, I switched Once Upon a Bookcase's focus to primarily LGBTQ+ books.- I love reading YA of most genres (rarely historical and sci-fi), and all fantasy subgenres; especially high fantasy - especially non-western inspired high fantasy - and magical realism.
- Give me all the horror, please!
- I love diverse books in general.
- I’m a sucker for a fairy tale retelling, and stories inspired by myths and folklore.
- And if a story is enchanting, atmospheric, and ethereal, I am all over it.
- Some of my favourite authors include Robin Hobb, S. A. Chakraborty, Laini Taylor, Katherine Arden, Erin Morgenstern, Natasha Ngan, Moïra Fowley-Doyle, and Deidre Sullivan, among others.
Follow Jo's Blog and Socials For More LGBTQ+ Content
Review Policy
Hello! Thank you for taking a look at my Review Policy. I am based in the UK, and currently open to review requests from publishers and publicists. Please familiarise yourself with my review and feature policies before contacting me.
What Books Are You Willing to Consider?
I am willing to consider YA and adult books in the following genres for review:- Horror
- Gothic stories
- Supernatural & Paranormal stories
- Dark Fantasy
- ThrillersFavourite Horror Novels: Those by Kate Alice Marshall, Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould, To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames, Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant.I do not accept the following:
- Erotic fiction
- Non-fiction
What Formats Do You Accept?
Physical copies - Proofs, but also hardback and paperback finished copies.
Digital copies - I have a Kindle and accept eARCs. I have a NetGalley account.My preference is for physical copies, as AHQ is predominantly on Instagram, but I also know publishers outside the UK won't send to the UK. If publishers outside the UK are willing to provide an me with an eARC, I'd be extremely grateful.
What Do You Need in a Review Request to Decide Whether You Will Accept a Book or Not?
- A summary
- The genre and the representation
- The release date
- The publisher (if being contacted by an author or PR company)
- Page count
- Any other relevant information - in particular why you think All Hallows' Queers is a good fit for your book
- A time-frame of when you expect a review to be posted by. This is particularly important as I don't read to deadline. Please see below.
What Is Your Review Process?
Please understand that sending me a book for review does not guarantee I will read and review it immediately. Any ARCs I receive may be reviewed after publication. I do not review to deadline, due to my TBR pile and time constraints. As a mood reader, I read the books I want to read when I want to read them - otherwise I find I get no enjoyment from the books I'm reading.Not reviewing every book for publication keeps my content fresh compared to other content creators', and pressure off of me. It also means the book is being discussed and highlighted again at a later date, when discussion on other blogs may have died down - a win-win situation for me and the publisher.Saying that, if I receive an ARC of a book I'm really excited about, that's by a favourite author, or one I'm simply in the mood for at that time, I may read and review it prior to publication. When this is the case, I will also schedule social media posts for publication day, sharing my review again once it's released.I also reserve the right not to not post a review of a book should I not feel happy doing so. Whether that's due to time constraints, not really having a huge amount to say, problematic content, etc.My reviews include:- A photo of the book
- A summary
- My thoughts
- The publication date
- A mention/tag of the publisher, and the specific publicist, if handle is known
- A mention/tag of the author if the review is positive
- To adhere to ASA and CAP rules, (#Ad) will be included in the very first line, and there will be a disclaimer at the end that says the book was sent to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.Once the review has gone live I will email you with a link to my review. If you are the author of the book, and it's a negative review, I won't tag you on social media, but I will still email you to let you know.
What If You Don't Enjoy My Book?
I cannot guarantee my reviews will be positive, but they will be honest and fair. I will not write a positive review just because I have been sent one for review. If you are not comfortable with that, I may not be the blogger for you. However, I've had numerous people tell me they have decided to buy a book based on my negative reviews, because I explain my reasons for not liking it - and sometimes that's exactly what others are looking for. If you accept this, I would appreciate not to be attacked for any negative, but fair and respectful, review I may write.I may not review every book I receive. I no longer force myself through a book I am just not enjoying. I will email to let you know if I DNF a book and won't be reviewing it. However, it will still be included in other content.If I read a book that has problematic content, I will highlight and comment on it. I'm not going to gloss over offensive content; readers deserve to know what they're getting into when reading a problematic book.
Where Do You Post Your Reviews?
- Longer-form reviews are written and posted on my blog, Once Upon a Bookcase, The StoryGraph, Goodreads, and Amazon.
- Twitter: I sometimes share reading updates, and a link to my review once it's live. I also tweet with a photo whenever I receive an ARC.
- Instagram: I share mini-reviews as well as other content - see features policy. Once a week, I also post a haul photo, sharing all the books acquired that week.
Are You Open to Other Content?
I am! Please see my Features Policy.
How Can I Contact You?
You can contact me by email at allhallowsqueers[at]gmail[dot]com.I endeavour to reply to emails as soon as possible, but do please give me a few days to do so.
Features Policy
Hello! Thank you for taking a look at my Features Policy. I am currently open to feature requests from publishers and publicists.
Can We Contact You About Other Content, Besides Reviews?
In GeneralThe aim of AHQ is to support and promote all queer books that fit those genres previously mentioned, meaning all age categories, and graphic novels, too. So I'd be thrilled to be contacted about any and all queer titles in those genres; they will definitely be included in future content.Such content can include, but is not limited to:- Monthly new releasesPosts/threads at the beginning of the month featuring soon-to-be released titles.- Books featuring X identityPosted throughout the year, especially on awareness weeks.- Books by X authorsFocusing on authors of a particular identity.- Books on a themeE.G. Ghost stories, sapphic horror, original monsters, queer retellings, etc.These will be a mix of photo and graphic Insta posts and Twitter threads, depending on the topic and the books I own.These titles will also be added to my genre story highlights on Instagram & my genre shelves on Goodreads.So please do let me know about new titles!Specific FeaturesI am open to being contacted about hosting specific content on All Hallows' Queers' Instagram. This content can include:- Insta Tours:Depending on time constraints, this can either be a review, a book spotlight, a short author Q&A or guest post, see below.- Photographic Book Spotlight:Only for books that I plan to review, as I will need a physical copy of the book for this post.A photographic post dedicated to the book, with the summary, release date, and mentions of/tags to the author and publisher, plus my own anticipatory thoughts. This is only for books I plan to review as I don't feel it's fair to receive a book I don't plan on reading.- Graphic Book Spotlight / Cover Reveal:Similar to the above, but a graphic will be created - or if it's a cover reveal, the graphic provided.Unless it's a cover reveal, this will be for books I'm not personally interested, but still want to shout about.- Short Author Q&As:This can be either in an Insta caption for just a handful of questions, or slightly longer ones I can put in graphics.- Short Author Guest Posts:Insta caption length on a topic related to the author's book.- Author Recommendations Post:This can either be caption length, or I can create graphics. This would also include mention of the author's own book.Please note, these specific features will only be on Instagram.If you have other ideas, I'm open to your suggestions.
What Do You Need For Any of the Above Content?
- A summary
- High quality jacket image
- The genre and the representation
- The release date
- The publisher (if being contacted by an author or PR company)
- Relevant social media handles
- Any other relevant information
What Can I Expect From You?
All titles will be added to Instagram story highlights and Goodreads shelves ASAP.The actual content your title is included in will depend on a few things:- If you're requesting a specific feature, in which case we can discuss what content and when it will be posted by email
- The genre and the representation
- My upcoming plansAs long as I've been told about a new title with enough notice, it will be included in my Monthly Releases graphic. Otherwise, there are numerous possible themes for Instagram graphics / Twitter threads that your title can be included in.Whenever your title is included in any kind of content, the publisher and the author will be mentioned or tagged. This will also include the specific publicist, if their handle is known.
How Can I Contact You?
You can contact me by email at allhallowsqueers[at]gmail[dot]com.I endeavour to reply to emails as soon as possible, but do please give me a few days to do so.