Horror Stories to Ruin Christmas: Serenity Falls Forever

Serenity Falls #1

by P.F. McGrail, Blair Daniels, Taylor Tate (Illustrations)

Why isn't one murder enough?

The first day of Christmas was when the town started to fall apart.
The second day of Christmas was when people started to die.

By the thirteenth day of Christmas, it was too late to go back.

Or was it?

Twenty-six authors combined their talents to tell the horrifying story of Serenity Falls, Wisconsin. Piece by piece, the unsettling truth is revealed, culminating in a dark secret far bigger than any single writer’s imagination. Hope and despair are doled out in unequal measures as the town’s citizens struggle to discover the painful truth.

One day at a time.

Genres: Horror, Christmas, Holiday, Fiction, Short Stories

225 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2019

Reviews

[Erin Talamantes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this is really cool, but the execution just didn’t work for me.
Unfortunately, with this many authors trying to make a tie in short story collection, there are bound to be some issues with cohesion.
Some stories felt too different and didn’t flow well with others.
Also, the majority had nothing to do with Christmas, which is disappointing.

[Nick Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Christmas horror anthologies I’ve read recently. This collection of stories is a little longer than some of the other recent ones I’ve read and I think it’s better this way. It gives some of the stories a chance to breathe and flesh out a little bit. Of course there are some stories that are stronger than others, but that’s to be expected. Also, I loved how almost all the stories were shown from a couple points of view and they were all intertwined even if it got a little confusing trying to keep track of characters. Anyways, definitely recommended.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series of intertwining horror stories was interesting and kept you wondering WTF is happening in this town.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m an avid follower of NoSleep on Reddit and listen to the NoSleep podcast each week. I love how each of these stories built on the other to explain the terror in Serenity Falls. Culminating with that last story...wow...

Favorite Story? The 6th Night of Christmas is for All the Sweet Boys. So very relevant right now. Those of us who are still paying our college loans can totally understand the feeling of inevitability and the knowledge that you might never be able to live debt free. Truly terrifying!

[Jodie Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creative horror anthology with some decent stories that all fits together in the end but um...this is not a Christmas horror collection. Christmas is mentioned in passing a couple times but that's about the extent. It's really about a town that gets terrorized Saw style by a mystery Big Bad. I think anyone who sees this cover would ressonably expect some seasonal horror: Santa getting chopped up, zombie reindeer, demonic elves, Whovillians getting pummeled with molten peppermin hot chocolate coming down the mountain. Bad marketing, yo.

[David Veith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically fun read. Very twisted and keeps you guessing (as it is from all diff authors really helps). The whole time you are trying to piece things together and then a new twist is thrown at you. At times it is a bit confusing, but again it is many diff authors, so it is a diff. perspective. In the end they all tie together and make for a fun, albeit, twisted story!

[Erin Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very different collection of stories. They’re all connected which isn’t my preference with short stories. Certainly creepy but somewhat repetitive using different POVs.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Horror Stories To Ruin Christmas! It's by far my favorite of the books I've read this month.

26 authors joined together to tell the tragic story of one town... Serenity Falls, Wisconsin. The whole time I'm reading this I get reminded of Stephen King's Derry, Maine.

I'm just in awe of the amount of effort and coordination that had to have gone into putting this book together. All the same details and characters that appear in these stories to intertwine them together into one, much bigger, story is just *chef's kiss* I'm not gonna lie either... Some of these stories have given me the kind of anxiety I expect from a good horror or suspense

[Katie AldenKiehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

These shorts, man! I would hate to catch myself in Serenity Falls ever! I read this over the course of a week and a half, and truthfully, I had to pace myself. I think reading this in one to two sits would be optimal if you want to keep the themes/storyline in your short-term. I found myself flipping back and forth to different stories almost gleefully as to make another connection. I look forward to reading it again next holiday season.

[Tamara Kazaks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Rounded up to 4

Some creepy stories but overall mostly just intriguing.

A few stories had some gory body horror (not extreme horror), and that’s what I like.

Definitely makes you wish that nothing like this ever happens on Christmas.

After the first story, I wasn’t too sure about it. But I kept reading and the stories all intertwine while still being individual short stories. It was a nice touch on an “anthology” style book. I really enjoyed how the stories were all connected.

[Jenna White · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the book felt disjointed, like individual unfinished short stories, and that was frustrating. Just when I was about to DNF, I got to the first story that connected to another, and from that point on, all the dots started to connect. Interesting take on an anthology. Some stories were better than others. And there was very little mention of Christmas, so the title is a little misleading. I definitely enjoyed the second half more than the first. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

[Janice E. Ryberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror Stories to Ruin Christmas easily 4.7 stars!

Yes, I thought this was horror in several levels and enjoyed the nightmares from them all. I love Christmas and thought I would not enjoy Christmas thrillers, but after weeks on end of Hallmark movies, I was more than ready for scary stories. These were choice and read all the way to the end for full enjoyment!

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome collection of twisted and horrific stories that make a fabulous read for any time of the year. I loved every single story and together they make a fabulous nightmarish read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cynthia Magness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very creative and different!

I really loved the way these authors worked together to create an anthology that really reads more like a novel. It was great fun to experience all the different styles and twists utilizing the same characters and scenario.

[Norman Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cool idea for an anthology - every story connected and told from different point of views from different authors. Really cool. My main complaint, other than the chapter names, it really isn't a Christmas horror, which I was looking for, but I still enjoyed it.

[Crystal Pegasus · Rating 5 out of 5]

twisted and fun

This is one sick and twisted bunch of holiday cheer, and I really enjoyed it. Completely unique, and more twists and turns than a snake with the hiccups. You’ll never see the end coming.

[Rayne Badger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns. I throughly enjoyed it, it all pieces together to an ending you can’t see coming.

[Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it!

Really enjoyed reading this. I liked how all the stories flowed together. Some stories were better than others, but it all came together in the end.