All Hallows

Golden is my white whale author - I have loved the start of so many of his novels but I am always disappointed in every second-half and ending. I want him to finish one of his promises one of these times. If he keeps writing them I'm gonna keep opening them and hoping, because the imagination and the writing ability is there. This one came closer than most, but it still fell flat by the final third, for me.

This was everything I was hoping Sleep Tight was going to be. Extra creepy, gory, high body count and sad. Great spoopy season read!

7/10

My full review will go on my YT channel Damnable Delvings in the next couple of weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/@DamnableDelvings

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book! Though it wasn't scary it still gave a pretty spooky vibe. The characters were all equally as interesting so I did really enjoy the multiple characters pov. Perfect book to get cozy with during the fall season. It's a little over the top in some sections, but overall super happy I pick it up.

This book had all the components of me loving it, but I feel like it couldn't decide between being a horror or a literary fiction. The family drama parts were fine for a while, but then they got repetitive. It took me awhile to get a hold of all of the different perspectives. I wish they were written in first person, they all felt one-dimensional and the same. There was a lot of foreshadowing to a build up, but I found the ending very lackluster. 

I just finished All Hallows by Christopher Golden and here is my review

It's 1984 and Halloween night in massachusetts. The night begins like any other halloween until four kids appear out of thin air. They are all asking for help and they are all fleeing The cunning man.

While the lives of the people in the neighborhood are falling apart something else strange is happening. A clearing appears in the wood and a tree never seen before. Can the odd children that no one seems to know answer the questions being asked and can they keep the cunning man from getting what he so truly desires?

It's a bit on the slow side for me. This does tend to be the case when you have a lot of POVs to introduce and build around so I wasn't really surprised by this. I am not a massive fan of so many POVs but I do see why it needed to be done this way. Problem is you find yourself more drawn to certain characters than others and that makes reading the characters you don't much care for.... Annoying.

The neighborhood is a mixed bag of people with their own problems and I enjoyed how real and raw that came across. It gave the book so real depth, the kind of depth you don't usually find in a horror book. I did enjoy the underlying creep factor it had going for it but wasn't as horror driven as I would have liked. The characters were a little unrealistic in places but honestly, I can overlook that for a good storyline.

I liked the atmosphere that was created in the way of the haunted woods and the 80s tone was definitely a plus. I wanted a bit more though.

I get what the book was trying to achieve and the concept was marvelous but I was a little disappoint in it and wanted more.


3.5 stars rounded to 4

Definitely worth the read if you are a fan of horror that gives you more than just the frights

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my review copy! Out now!

Rating: 4 leaves out of 5Characters: 4/5 Cover: 4/5Story: 4/5Writing: 4/5Genre: Horror/ThrillerType: AudiobookWorth?: YeahHated Disliked It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedWant to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. It was a pretty good book and the horror was pretty good as well. I wouldn't really compare it to Stranger Things in any kind of way. Just because it was set in the 80s doesn't mean they are on the same level. It doesn't really give much nostalgia. Besides that, the creepy kids that show up? A+. Love them. The regular kids were pretty okay as well. It was kind of slow burned at the beginning but really picked up once everyone was introduced and such. The only real negative about the book was the ending and one of the couples. Honestly it was so unsatisfying.

It took me a while to get into this book. Probably because nothing really happens but a lot of suburban drama until about 70% into the book. For what the cover shows, and the genre being of the thriller and horror categories, I guess I expected more.

Still, all that being said, the last 30% of the book was fun and what a horror should be. While I didn't love this one, I didn't hate it either. It would have been a good one to release around Halloween, especially since that is the main theme. Weird it's releasing in January BUT if you are a planner, then add this one to your 2023 Spooktober list.

I sincerely appreciate St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.