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The October Children: A Halloween Nightmare
No good deed goes unpunished.
The favor should have lasted only a few hours.
On Halloween night, graduate student Ava Sullivan agrees to take two strangely silent children trick-or-treating and watch them until their father returns at midnight.
But inside the old Victorian house, the lights refuse to stay on. Water runs from empty rooms. Ava’s phone vanishes from beside her—and the children are terrified of something they refuse to name.
As midnight approaches, Ava realizes their silence isn’t shyness.
It’s survival.
Someone has been waiting for Halloween—a night when screams are easy to ignore. And if Ava wants any of them to see morning, she must uncover what happened inside the house before leaving is no longer an option.
The October Children is a fast, atmospheric horror novella for readers who love sinister houses, buried secrets, and Halloween stories that refuse to stay safely on the page.
The favor should have lasted only a few hours.
On Halloween night, graduate student Ava Sullivan agrees to take two strangely silent children trick-or-treating and watch them until their father returns at midnight.
But inside the old Victorian house, the lights refuse to stay on. Water runs from empty rooms. Ava’s phone vanishes from beside her—and the children are terrified of something they refuse to name.
As midnight approaches, Ava realizes their silence isn’t shyness.
It’s survival.
Someone has been waiting for Halloween—a night when screams are easy to ignore. And if Ava wants any of them to see morning, she must uncover what happened inside the house before leaving is no longer an option.
The October Children is a fast, atmospheric horror novella for readers who love sinister houses, buried secrets, and Halloween stories that refuse to stay safely on the page.
153 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 21, 2026
If you’re looking for a quick, creepy read to get you in the Halloween spirit, The October Children by V. F. Molloy is worth checking out! This novella follows Ava, a graduate student who agrees to babysit two young children, Aidan and Emma, on Halloween night. What starts as an ordinary evening of trick-or-treating takes a decidedly unsettling turn, and let’s just say these aren’t your average kids!
I had a great time with this one! The atmosphere pulled me in right away, and I appreciated that the author didn’t waste time getting the story going. It’s a quick read that knows exactly what it wants to be, and I was here for it! The creepy moments worked well, the pacing kept things moving, and that ending? OH, I loved it! Sometimes you just need a short, spooky story that delivers, and this one absolutely did. A perfect little Halloween read!
I had a great time with this one! The atmosphere pulled me in right away, and I appreciated that the author didn’t waste time getting the story going. It’s a quick read that knows exactly what it wants to be, and I was here for it! The creepy moments worked well, the pacing kept things moving, and that ending? OH, I loved it! Sometimes you just need a short, spooky story that delivers, and this one absolutely did. A perfect little Halloween read!
October 27, 2026
I honestly couldn't put this down—I fell completely in love with this story! If you want a book that instantly pulls you right into the ultimate Halloween vibe, The October Children by V.F. Molloy is an absolute masterpiece.
The setup is brilliantly simple yet intensely chilling: a graduate student named Ava agrees to watch two strangely silent kids on Halloween night until their dad gets back at midnight. But the moment they step inside an old, gloomy Victorian house, everything shifts. The atmosphere gets so thick and eerie that you can feel the tension dripping off the pages. The way the suspense builds up as midnight approaches is just phenomenal, and every single character plays such a vital role in keeping you on the edge of your seat.
I enjoyed every single second of it. It’s the kind of gripping, atmospheric horror that gets under your skin and stays living rent-free in your head long after you close the book. An easy, absolute 5-star favorite for me! 🎃👻🏚️🕯️🖤
The setup is brilliantly simple yet intensely chilling: a graduate student named Ava agrees to watch two strangely silent kids on Halloween night until their dad gets back at midnight. But the moment they step inside an old, gloomy Victorian house, everything shifts. The atmosphere gets so thick and eerie that you can feel the tension dripping off the pages. The way the suspense builds up as midnight approaches is just phenomenal, and every single character plays such a vital role in keeping you on the edge of your seat.
I enjoyed every single second of it. It’s the kind of gripping, atmospheric horror that gets under your skin and stays living rent-free in your head long after you close the book. An easy, absolute 5-star favorite for me! 🎃👻🏚️🕯️🖤
October 28, 2026
This was a fun, fast read! I liked that it jumped right into the story and kept a quicker pace.
Ava is a grad student whose professor recommends her to her neighbor to babysit his children on Halloween night. She takes the job for some extra cash, never imagining that by the end of the night, money will be the last thing on her mind.
As the night goes on, things get stranger and stranger. The kids’ behavior is unsettling, and you can’t help but wonder what’s really going on. Are they just creepy kids, is something supernatural happening, or is something else going on entirely? The story keeps you guessing as Ava becomes more and more uncomfortable, and it pulls you in as you try to piece everything together until the truth finally unfolds.
This wasn’t the type of Halloween story I expected going into it, but it was a great, well-written short read!
Ava is a grad student whose professor recommends her to her neighbor to babysit his children on Halloween night. She takes the job for some extra cash, never imagining that by the end of the night, money will be the last thing on her mind.
As the night goes on, things get stranger and stranger. The kids’ behavior is unsettling, and you can’t help but wonder what’s really going on. Are they just creepy kids, is something supernatural happening, or is something else going on entirely? The story keeps you guessing as Ava becomes more and more uncomfortable, and it pulls you in as you try to piece everything together until the truth finally unfolds.
This wasn’t the type of Halloween story I expected going into it, but it was a great, well-written short read!
October 24, 2026
I finished this one in two days, so that should tell you something! 😂 It was a short Halloween story that pulled me in pretty quickly, and once I got into it, I just kept wanting to read more.
The story was suspenseful and definitely kept me on my toes. There were a few things I was able to predict, so it didn’t completely surprise me, but I honestly didn’t mind. Sometimes a book can be a little predictable and still be really enjoyable, and that was the case with this one.
It was a fun, fast read with the Halloween feel I was looking for. I had a really good time with it and would absolutely recommend it to someone looking for a short suspenseful read.
I’m giving this one 4 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story was suspenseful and definitely kept me on my toes. There were a few things I was able to predict, so it didn’t completely surprise me, but I honestly didn’t mind. Sometimes a book can be a little predictable and still be really enjoyable, and that was the case with this one.
It was a fun, fast read with the Halloween feel I was looking for. I had a really good time with it and would absolutely recommend it to someone looking for a short suspenseful read.
I’m giving this one 4 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 24, 2026
ARC Review—BookSirens
Star Rating: 3.75⭐️
Pub Date: Sept 26, 2026
Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller/Suspense
This was a very fast paced horror novella that happens on Halloween. Very spooky atmosphere vibes and it’s pretty spooky and gets you into the Halloween spirit if you love Halloween. FMC Ava babysits 2 siblings on Halloween Aiden and Emma and they are pretty quiet. She takes them out Trick-R-Treating, and spooky stuff starts happening within the house. The dad comes home and everything changes for Ava fast. Pretty spooky read but nothing special to me particularly I was hoping for crazy, still a fun quick read though.
Star Rating: 3.75⭐️
Pub Date: Sept 26, 2026
Genre: Horror/Psychological Thriller/Suspense
This was a very fast paced horror novella that happens on Halloween. Very spooky atmosphere vibes and it’s pretty spooky and gets you into the Halloween spirit if you love Halloween. FMC Ava babysits 2 siblings on Halloween Aiden and Emma and they are pretty quiet. She takes them out Trick-R-Treating, and spooky stuff starts happening within the house. The dad comes home and everything changes for Ava fast. Pretty spooky read but nothing special to me particularly I was hoping for crazy, still a fun quick read though.
November 7, 2026
A simple babysitting job turns into a Halloween nightmare. Ava is expecting to take two children trick or treating for a little extra money, but that’s not the evening has in store for her at all. For one, the kids are super creepy and don’t speak at all. Pair that with all of the weird things that start happening. You can feel the tension building as we inch closer to midnight with each turn of the page. This was the perfect fast paced novella to get you in the mood for spooky season!
Thank you so much V.F. Molloy for my gifted arc in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you so much V.F. Molloy for my gifted arc in exchange for my honest review!
October 18, 2026
This is a spooky, chilling read. Imagine getting volunteered to babysit for a family that you’ve never met, only to have your entire world fall apart. The faucets run by themselves. Foot steps are heard when no one’s there. The children don’t speak. What is going on? Make sure to read this book during the day.
October 19, 2026
This one is good for some scares. The first half of the book gave me those wonderful feelings of dread and suspense/anticipation that I love from a good scary story. And I didn't predict all the twists, so I do recommend this one.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 18, 2026
Definitely A Must Read For Spooky Season!
The October Children book ad captured my attention and I knew I had to read! This was definitely creepy and suspenseful! Imagine taking a babysitting job on Halloween and the night turns into a complete nightmare!
The October Children book ad captured my attention and I knew I had to read! This was definitely creepy and suspenseful! Imagine taking a babysitting job on Halloween and the night turns into a complete nightmare!
October 30, 2026
This was a spooky little novella. Halloween is the background for this "what will happen" story. The children are quiet and creepy at the same time. The story moves quickly, but easy to stay with. A must read.
October 8, 2026
This was an amazing spooky season read! It pulls you in and keeps you interested until the end. Those twists were amazing as well! I will definitely be looking for more books from this Author!
October 14, 2026
This was a fun and creepy Halloween tale to read👻🐈⬛☠️🎃🏴☠️🖤🧡💀🦇😱
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews