Return to the streets where fall leaves crunch underfoot and the glow of a harvest moon lights your way.
From the new trick-or-treaters to the big kids who know which houses give out the full-size bars, these tales deliver all the thrills of Halloween night in bite-sized pieces.
In the tradition of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, each author brings their own deliciously twisted take on the season. Some stories will make you squirm, others will send an icy chill down your spine. Whether you crave the nostalgia of flickering jack-o’-lanterns or the shock of something moving in the shadows, this collection invites you to savor Halloween every night of the year because for some of us, October never lets go.
Stephanie Rose is a disabled, neurodivergent, and queer horror writer and editor who finds comfort in the dark corners of storytelling. She is the author of Hiding Lies, Small Town Slasher, Roadkill Revolution Tour, and serves as editor of the Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night anthology series.
A lifelong Halloween devotee and unapologetic house goblin, she thrives on horror, true crime, and the delicious unease of the macabre. Music, especially dance and karaoke, keeps her heart beating just long enough to write another story. She lives in Washington with her partner and four cats.
This was such a fun collection of stories! Every page made me feel so nostalgic and I couldn’t help but wish I was a kid on Halloween night again. Each story in the book just kept getting better and better, which I didn’t even think was possible.
Some of my favorites include: •Trick or TrEATment by Haley Newlin •Back Home Again by Allan Dellascio •No Strings Attached V. Castro
Lastly, a HUGE thank you to the amazing Stephanie Rose for the ARC! I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to read this one 🥰
4/5: Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night; Another Halloween Horror Anthology
As a Halloween lover I was SOOOOO excited when I was approved for this ARC; I couldn't wait to dive into all the Halloween vibes (many of them feeling very 1990's-inspired).
Unfortunately this one was a bit of a mixed bag. I suppose most anthologies do tend to swing that way.
The problem with this collection isn't that there were any BAD stories (because, truthfully, none of them were just plain bad). I think the problem is that the collection is confused on WHO this book is meant for.
Many of the stories would fall directly into the YA horror camp. One or two could perhaps even be middle grade friendly. And a couple of the stories are darker, more complex, and clearly intended for adults.
Personally I really adored the stories "No Strings Attached" (VC Castro), "Trick or Treatment" (Haley Newlin), and "In Your Trick or Treat Bag" (Gwendolyn Kiste). I really truly wish the rest of the collection was more in line with the vibe of these stories, vs the ones that leaned maybe more juvenile.
I hope that the editor in the future maybe considers having a "Young 'uns" Collection and an "Old Folks" collection. Because these stories are FUN, they are just a little confused with an identity crisis.
Nonetheless, if you are a Halloween fan...YES, this book is worth picking up, and YES it's enjoyable, and YES it's nostalgic. Enjoy with a candy bar or two. ...... Thank you to BookSirens for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All views expressed are my own.
Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology
Edited by Stephanie Rose and published by Death by TBR Books
Wanna get in the of Halloween spirit a little early this year? Last year Stephanie Rose edited a wonderful Halloween anthology and she’s done it again! This one gives off all the Halloween feels: nostalgia, fear, tenderness, the hopefulness of crisp fall evenings and good candy in your bag.
Some of the stories bring us back to childhood and are fun for our little trick or treating parts. Some of the stories evoke those too cool adolescent parts and the bittersweet sadness of becoming almost too old to enjoy Halloween festivities. I think most of them are written on an adult level. Some of the stories are sweet, some are salty, and some will make you gag.
I enjoyed all the stories immensely, and here are a few of my favorites:
No Strings Attached gave me more of an adult air and made my feminine warrior part stand up and yell, “Towanda!, yes, I am that old, thank you.
Trick OR TrEATment was wonderfully full of feminine rage and.. Well, I’ll let you find out the rest!
Specter Halloween had a very poignant story about a sister and a brother and was beautifully written.
Happy early Halloween, y’all!
My thanks to Death TBR Books for allowing me to read this ARC.
Another solid anthology of story for the spooky season. All of them were twisty, creepy, and reminded you to steer clear of things that go bump in the night.
Some of my favorites were:
Do You Know the Bunny Man?-a brother and sister head to a dark house for the Halloween treats. They ignore the warning and candy limit, and find out the hard way why they shouldn’t have.
Scare of a Lifetime-Lance heads to the Halloween store in search of the perfect terrifying prop for his massive display in front of his house. He finds it, and gets exactly what he wanted.
The Haunting of Thornwood Cemetery-a group of friends meet in a cemetery late at night for a dare-to go down a set of stairs under a rusty door/slab to prove it’s not haunted. But hauntings aren’t real, right?
When Leaves Burn-a payment is due every Halloween in the town of Autumn Hollow. How do you avoid it? Don’t look up at the trees. If you do….your time is up.
Halloween lovers, and horror fans alike, check this collection out. It’s the perfect book to put you in the spooky mood. 4.5 stars.
Thank you BookSirens for my arc. My opinion is my own.
Like a spirit rising from the grave, Twisted Tales is back with another installment of Halloween spookery. Overall, I felt this second go round was even better than the first! With anthologies, you're always going to have highs and lows in the mix and I'm happy to say that even the lows are still pretty good! For me, Halloween has always been about the magic of the night and not so much straight out horror or gore. Anything can happen but it's also a little spooky and weird. That's the prevalent feeling I had as I Trick or Treated through the neighborhood of these 13 authors. If you need something to keep on the nightstand for a quick hit of Halloween before bed, definitely put this in your TBR pile.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
*4.5 stars rounded up.* I really enjoyed this anthology! I love the concept: a collection of short stories focusing around the theme of Halloween. And they all really do focus around the holiday, but in vastly different ways that keep every story interesting. Reading this in the thick of spring made me feel like I had a piece of Halloween with me each day (yes I'm counting the days down lol). There were tricks, treats, magic, monsters, gore, eerie spaces - a bit of the many faces of horror. I loved the mix of authors and how there were some well known voices as well as voices I had not heard before. All in all, I'm very grateful to have received an ARC of this book from Booksirens as I love Rose's own writing and think she did an incredible job putting this collection together. **I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**
This was such a fun, spooky collection of stories based around halloween.
Within the 14 stories you'll find haunted houses, trick or treating going wrong, fighting to find the perfect costume & things that lurk in the dark.
A great read to get into the halloween spirit.
I enjoyed all the stories but some of my favourites were The Trap Door by Skylar Crowter, Scare of a Lifetime by Joseph Buckley, The Haunting of Thornwood Cemetery by Maria Giahoumatos & Nightmare Realm by Leigh Kenny.
Enjoying these anthologies by Death by TBR Books & hope they release more.
Thank you to Death by TBR Books & BookSirens. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is yet again another amazing hit for the Scary Stories collection! There's a story for everyone. These were my all time favorites books growing up and now that there's new books coming out or feels like a small piece of my cherished childhood had been brought back up to the surface. I found myself staying up late than intended just to keep reading more. 'Just one more story' became the lie that I kept telling myself. I ended up reading the whole book in one sitting! Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I am utterly thankful to the editors of this amazing Halloween horror anthology for reaching out to me with an ARC. Twisted Tales II is a great foray into short horror fiction which even non horror readers will appreciate. Full of diverse voices, both established and brand new, it was simply put a joy to read. It is very similar to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and thus has a sense of nostalgia too. My favourites in this series were the stories by Donna Taylor and Maria Giakoumatos respectively.
I really enjoyed getting to read this book, it worked well as a sequel anthology in the Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night. I loved the use of Halloween during this book and how each storyline worked with the characters and overall theming of the book. I enjoyed that each story had that element of difference from each other and how the authors were able to weave a tale and keep them working with the concept of the anthology.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
5 Stars - Stephanie Rose does it again!!!! Another brilliant book of twisted tales. All the authors have done brilliantly, its a great read and its perfect for spooky season and should be read with the first book.
I liked all the stories but I do have some favourites - Do You Know The Bunny Man, The Trap Door, No Strings Attached and Nightmare Realm.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
ARC REVIEW- This was so fun and nostalgic, it hit in all the right spots! I really enjoyed the aesthetic, it’s an anthology so different authors and stories, but the nostalgic Autumn vibes were strong in each story, it felt super cozy. Consistent good stories and a good flow! This was a really fun read. Especially if you enjoy anthologies, love Halloween, and love nostalgia! 🧡🖤