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All Hallows
With the 80's nostalgia of Stranger Things, this horror drama from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden follows neighborhood families and a mysterious, lurking evil on one Halloween day.
It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, horrifying secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them...and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?
New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales...but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.
All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask...
It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, horrifying secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them...and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?
New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales...but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.
All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask...
325 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2023
588 people are currently reading
41202 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
770 books3,023 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,310 reviews
January 24, 2023
2.5
Sorry, trick or treaters! But, I will be leaving the porch light off-and the door locked-instead of passing out Candy this Halloween!
That is what I had HOPED that I would be saying, after I finished this book…
INSTEAD, I am disappointed to report that just like the candy you found inside that pillowcase you dragged around when you went trick or treating, what’s inside these pages, was also a mixed bag! 🍭🍬
What started out for me as the book’s strength, became its weakness.
It’s Halloween night, 1984, and it will be the last year that the Barbosas will be able to stage their “Haunted Woods” event. Tony Barbosa, and his daughter Chloe, want the event to be epic.
The Koenig’s will also be hosting a Halloween party, this year.
Parmenter Road was going to be a great place to be this All Hallows Eve!
UNTIL, the Cunning Man, decided to prey on the children of Coventry, especially those who lived on this street-
His bait:
Children dressed in vintage Halloween costumes-like a Raggedy Ann, a Clown and a Scarecrow-complete with faded, spooky make-up. Children who will pretend to be helpless and in distress-needing the help and protection of the local children.
Let the trick or treating begin….
The good 🍭 An authentic neighborhood feel, a strength, made this premise extra scary until…
The bad 🍬 It became its weakness as I ended up feeling ZERO fear or dread, because just when the tension would begin to build we would get sidetracked by a philandering husband, or a “coming of age” sub plot.
Too much “neighborhood drama” detracted from the Cunning Man and his “bait”…. the reason I picked up this book!!
In addition- as a teen in the 80’s- some descriptions in the book were nostalgic, like having an Orange Julius in the mall, but the overall feel of the book was a huge MISS.
If you weren’t a teen during that time frame, you won’t pick up on it-but as someone who was, I can tell you that you would not have felt confident to OPENLY explore what wasn’t yet an accepted sexuality in those times, nor would you think that an adult helping a lost child might be a pedophile.
Thank Goodness we have come a long way since then-but we weren’t there yet in 1984. This book reads too current for the 80’s and it would have been better if it were set in the current time
The last 30% or so, gives you the slasher/horror theme vibe that screams HALLOWEEN 🎃 with the bodies piling up.
So, the porch light WILL still be on, this Halloween and my candy 🍭🍬 dish is ready for the trick or treaters-though if I see a Raggedy Ann, Clown, or Scarecrow through the peephole-I just might have to pretend that I have run out! 😮
Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review! AVAILABLE NOW
Sorry, trick or treaters! But, I will be leaving the porch light off-and the door locked-instead of passing out Candy this Halloween!
That is what I had HOPED that I would be saying, after I finished this book…
INSTEAD, I am disappointed to report that just like the candy you found inside that pillowcase you dragged around when you went trick or treating, what’s inside these pages, was also a mixed bag! 🍭🍬
What started out for me as the book’s strength, became its weakness.
It’s Halloween night, 1984, and it will be the last year that the Barbosas will be able to stage their “Haunted Woods” event. Tony Barbosa, and his daughter Chloe, want the event to be epic.
The Koenig’s will also be hosting a Halloween party, this year.
Parmenter Road was going to be a great place to be this All Hallows Eve!
UNTIL, the Cunning Man, decided to prey on the children of Coventry, especially those who lived on this street-
His bait:
Children dressed in vintage Halloween costumes-like a Raggedy Ann, a Clown and a Scarecrow-complete with faded, spooky make-up. Children who will pretend to be helpless and in distress-needing the help and protection of the local children.
Let the trick or treating begin….
The good 🍭 An authentic neighborhood feel, a strength, made this premise extra scary until…
The bad 🍬 It became its weakness as I ended up feeling ZERO fear or dread, because just when the tension would begin to build we would get sidetracked by a philandering husband, or a “coming of age” sub plot.
Too much “neighborhood drama” detracted from the Cunning Man and his “bait”…. the reason I picked up this book!!
In addition- as a teen in the 80’s- some descriptions in the book were nostalgic, like having an Orange Julius in the mall, but the overall feel of the book was a huge MISS.
If you weren’t a teen during that time frame, you won’t pick up on it-but as someone who was, I can tell you that you would not have felt confident to OPENLY explore what wasn’t yet an accepted sexuality in those times, nor would you think that an adult helping a lost child might be a pedophile.
Thank Goodness we have come a long way since then-but we weren’t there yet in 1984. This book reads too current for the 80’s and it would have been better if it were set in the current time
The last 30% or so, gives you the slasher/horror theme vibe that screams HALLOWEEN 🎃 with the bodies piling up.
So, the porch light WILL still be on, this Halloween and my candy 🍭🍬 dish is ready for the trick or treaters-though if I see a Raggedy Ann, Clown, or Scarecrow through the peephole-I just might have to pretend that I have run out! 😮
Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review! AVAILABLE NOW
October 29, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
All Hallows, Christopher Golden's latest Horror release, is set in Coventry, Massachusetts.
More specifically, all the events contained within this story surround Halloween Night, 1984, in the solitary neighborhood of Parmenter Road.
The energy in the neighborhood that day is electric, as everyone puts the last-minute touches on the night's events, decor and costumes.
The Barbosa Family will be hosting their annual and this year, their final, Haunted Woods event. Tony and his daughter, Chloe, have been pouring their hearts and souls into this event for years; setting up just the right props and scares for neighbors and strangers alike to enjoy.
Also that evening will be the typical door-to-door trick-or-treating by neighborhood kids, as well as a block party hosted by the Koenig Family. There's a lot happening.
The Reader follows the unfolding events via multiple perspectives of individuals living in the neighborhood, including both children and adults.
As the night begins to build, more and more drama is exposed on what one might suppose is a quiet little street. Parmenter Road, like many small town streets, contains a lot of people harboring a lot of secrets. A few of which are about to be brought to light in a big way.
On this night in particular, there are outsiders added to the mix as well. Children dressed in old-fashioned costumes, a Clown, a Scarecrow and a Raggedy Ann, begin to insert themselves into the activities, pleading with the local children for help.
They need to hide, just until midnight from The Cunning Man. Will anyone help them?
I had a lot of fun with this. I love neighborhood-focused stories and this one night on Parmenter Road gave me all the spectacle and intrigue that I could want in that regard.
There was just the right amount of family drama, 80s-references, kills, gore and creepy imagery to keep me 100% invested all the way through.
There are a lot of perspectives, which I feel like not everyone will be crazy about, but for me it made perfect sense. Considering how the story plays out, I actually can't imagine it being told any other way.
I also loved the atmosphere. Golden brought me back to the Halloween Nights of my youth. Traipsing around with the other neighborhood kids under our claustrophobic masks, carrying plastic orange pumpkins, hitting up as many houses as we could, walking a little faster through the dark spaces between homes.
The strange children and the idea of The Cunning Man definitely brought the chills as well. Nostalgic and scary, I definitely enjoyed the unsettling vibes.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me a copy to read and review. I always enjoy checking out Golden's new work, sure to be full of creativity and frightening imagery.
All Hallows, Christopher Golden's latest Horror release, is set in Coventry, Massachusetts.
More specifically, all the events contained within this story surround Halloween Night, 1984, in the solitary neighborhood of Parmenter Road.
The energy in the neighborhood that day is electric, as everyone puts the last-minute touches on the night's events, decor and costumes.
The Barbosa Family will be hosting their annual and this year, their final, Haunted Woods event. Tony and his daughter, Chloe, have been pouring their hearts and souls into this event for years; setting up just the right props and scares for neighbors and strangers alike to enjoy.
Also that evening will be the typical door-to-door trick-or-treating by neighborhood kids, as well as a block party hosted by the Koenig Family. There's a lot happening.
The Reader follows the unfolding events via multiple perspectives of individuals living in the neighborhood, including both children and adults.
As the night begins to build, more and more drama is exposed on what one might suppose is a quiet little street. Parmenter Road, like many small town streets, contains a lot of people harboring a lot of secrets. A few of which are about to be brought to light in a big way.
On this night in particular, there are outsiders added to the mix as well. Children dressed in old-fashioned costumes, a Clown, a Scarecrow and a Raggedy Ann, begin to insert themselves into the activities, pleading with the local children for help.
They need to hide, just until midnight from The Cunning Man. Will anyone help them?
I had a lot of fun with this. I love neighborhood-focused stories and this one night on Parmenter Road gave me all the spectacle and intrigue that I could want in that regard.
There was just the right amount of family drama, 80s-references, kills, gore and creepy imagery to keep me 100% invested all the way through.
There are a lot of perspectives, which I feel like not everyone will be crazy about, but for me it made perfect sense. Considering how the story plays out, I actually can't imagine it being told any other way.
I also loved the atmosphere. Golden brought me back to the Halloween Nights of my youth. Traipsing around with the other neighborhood kids under our claustrophobic masks, carrying plastic orange pumpkins, hitting up as many houses as we could, walking a little faster through the dark spaces between homes.
The strange children and the idea of The Cunning Man definitely brought the chills as well. Nostalgic and scary, I definitely enjoyed the unsettling vibes.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me a copy to read and review. I always enjoy checking out Golden's new work, sure to be full of creativity and frightening imagery.
October 12, 2022
It is such a bummer that this book doesn't release until January because it is the perfect spooky read for Halloween. It is set on Halloween night, 1984, and has all of the creepy horror vibes of Stephen King coupled with Stranger Things.
I'm not usually the one for horror that includes otherworldly elements, I prefer my horror to be of the realistic variety. That said this book hit all the right notes that made me both nostalgic and intrigued throughout.
It's the story of a neighborhood throughout the afternoon and night of Halloween, each chapter is told from alternating points of view of the kids, teens, and parents in that neighborhood. Usually this many characters would have me running for the hills, but the author does a fantastic job keeping them differentiated.
Secrets are uncovered, creepy children appear and integrate themselves in with the groups, and many people die. Is it typical horror? Yes, but as I was reading I recalled the Halloweens of my childhood in a "safer" time--but was it really safer, or were things just hidden better? The narrative of the story isn't perfect, I wanted a bit more back story on some of the characters, but overall it's entertaining, fast paced, and a perfect spooky season read.
Pick this one up in January and save it for next October--you'll be glad you did!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I'm not usually the one for horror that includes otherworldly elements, I prefer my horror to be of the realistic variety. That said this book hit all the right notes that made me both nostalgic and intrigued throughout.
It's the story of a neighborhood throughout the afternoon and night of Halloween, each chapter is told from alternating points of view of the kids, teens, and parents in that neighborhood. Usually this many characters would have me running for the hills, but the author does a fantastic job keeping them differentiated.
Secrets are uncovered, creepy children appear and integrate themselves in with the groups, and many people die. Is it typical horror? Yes, but as I was reading I recalled the Halloweens of my childhood in a "safer" time--but was it really safer, or were things just hidden better? The narrative of the story isn't perfect, I wanted a bit more back story on some of the characters, but overall it's entertaining, fast paced, and a perfect spooky season read.
Pick this one up in January and save it for next October--you'll be glad you did!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
October 27, 2025
…the static seemed to claw at the music, tear it up. Another voice broke in, like the ghost of one radio station overlapping with Kiss 108. But this wasn’t the voice of Sunny Joe White. The voice sounded like someone amused, caught in the middle of telling a joke, but then it changed, as if the man had something caught in his throat. The sound was awful, almost hateful, like an animal . . . and then it was just static again. Barb twisted the dial, trying to tune back in to Kiss, but all that came out was static and squealing, so she jabbed the power knob and the inside of the car went silent.--------------------------------------
Nothing in these woods could be more dreadful, more terrifying, than the selfish cruelty of ordinary people.Coventry, MA may be an appealing looking place, and there are some good things happening there, involving some good people, but below the mask of 1984 suburban bliss there lie some darker realities. And over the course of a single Halloween night there will be a cornucopia of revelation. (A Masque of the Orange Death?) As in
Poe’s story, there is no refuge from what is coming, and there will be a hefty body count.
Christopher Golden - image from eggplante.com
Tony Barbosa is a decent guy. Not hugely successful in the world. Just found a job after a long spell out of work. About to sell the family house, the damage from that prolonged unemployment. He puts on a Halloween tradition on his property every year, The Haunted Woods, with all the things one might expect. Sadly, this will be his last time. Daughter, Chloe, 17, loves helping out. His wife, Alice, puts up with it, and his son, Rick, 13, is simply uninterested. He will hang with his friend, Billie, a rare black girl in this area. Tony and Alice are just emerging from a rough patch. The future of their marriage is shaky. On this Halloween night, there will be a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on.
Attorney Donnie Sweeney is a drunken, philandering pathetic excuse of a husband, reliably unreliable, a chronic liar. His wife, Barb, is reaching her limit with him. (Everyone loved Donnie Sweeney, but nobody more than Donnie himself, and for the first time, Charlie wondered if that wasn’t his dad’s defining characteristic. He loved his wife and his kids right up to the moment it threatened his ability to have a good time.) Their kids are a surprisingly decent lot, 18yo Julia, 13yo Brian, and Charlie, 11. Really, dude, you cannot simply put your scattered crap back in the garage and shut the garage door, on a weekend, but take off to do whatever, sticking your kids with the task?
In addition to these two families we follow Vanessa Montez, 17, and her bff, Steve Koenig, 16 Both are crushing on the same girl.
Trick-or-treaters are making the rounds, but there are some unfamiliar faces among the crowd tonight. A young-looking (nine, maybe) girl in a rough, old-time Raggedy Ann outfit. A teenaged scarecrow, his costume also seeming to be from another era, and a very pale boy named Leonard. Definitely not a trick-or-treater is the man they say they are fleeing, Mr. Cunning. They beg the local kids to stay with them, to protect them, until midnight, when the coast should be clear. Um, ok, sure, whatever. It is clear, though, that there is something strange in the neighborhood. A giant blackthorn tree appears, and a new (popup?) clearing in the woods. There is hunting going on.
There are two levels to this one, the presenting horror, which is pretty bloody horrifying, and the underlying horrors, also pretty bloody horrifying, but in a different way. In a 2014 interview with Nightmare Magazine, Golden said, I’m not just fascinated with monsters, but with monstrosity, both human and—in the way it reflects back the human—supernatural. There is a considerable volume of monstrosity in Coventry, hidden, or at least not publicly professed by the residents. A relatively-recently-arrived couple are suspected of dark doings. Are those suspicions accurate or just speculative hyperbole? Donnie’s low character is not exactly a state secret, but his charming mask will not hide him tonight. Bigotries will be exposed. But there is mask-dropping that will be benign, as some folks allow their true selves be seen, to positive effect.
The strength of the novel for me was its portrayal of middle-class duress. Tony Barbosa’s situation wandered queasily close to home. Everybody seems on the cusp of change. Troubled marriages abound. The adult women are given prime roles, their life goals, and marital experiences portrayed evenly with their mates’. Ditto the interactions among the teens and kids, wrestling with changes in their lives, moving from kid to adolescent, from adolescent to something more, discovering and molding who they are or want to be. The strength of Golden’s kid portrayals reminded me very much of Stephen King. There is an element of nostalgia for the 1980s here, but a much larger perspective on a place and time that is portrayed as far from appealing.
There were some aspects that I thought did not work quite so well. While it was possible to follow the many characters tracked here, there seemed rather a lot of them for a book of modest length. Chapters are short and offer alternating viewpoints. There are sixty two chapters in a book of three-hundred-thirty-six pages, so if you are inclined, you can read this one in small bits. Four characters get the most ink. Barb Sweeney gets ten chapters, Tony Barbosa and Vanessa get nine each, and Rick Barbosa gets eight. One character gets four chapters, two get three chapters, one gets two and five other characters get one chapter apiece. The character voices are distinct and Golden goes into sufficient depth with the majors to gain our interest.
Also, I found the layering of the supernatural evil excessive. And the back-and-forth struggle of one character to gain control inside a terrible space just seemed, even within the confines of a fantasy, a bit much. The gruesomeness worked well, offering shocking turns and some surprise demises.
There is persistent creepiness, ramping up from shadows, noises, and fleeting images to more direct darkness and considerable bloodshed.
By the end of the night, many truths will be revealed, facades of all sorts will be ripped off or tossed aside, many lives will have ended and many others will have been permanently changed. The line between a good scare and good, people-centered storytelling has never been thinner. All Hallows is a scary good read.
Something moved in the forest. A deeper shadow, back in among the trees. Vanessa narrowed her eyes, trying to focus, but someone said something funny and everyone laughed and she pretended to have heard the joke and laughed along with them, and the moment passed.
Still, something in the air had changed. The night seemed darker, as if the moonlight sifting through the branches had dimmed. The shadows had turned weird, the clearing a bit smaller, closer. This time when her skin prickled, it wasn’t from the flush that Julia made her feel, but from the way the night seemed to hold its breath.
Review posted - 01/24/23
Publication dates
----------Hardcover - 02/10/23
----------Trade paperback - 9/3/24
I received a digital ARE of All Hallows from St. Martin’s Press in return for a fair review, and the offering of a few Druid prayers. Thanks, folks, and thanks to NetGalley for facilitating.
This review has been, or soon will be, cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
A three-and-a-half, really, but I rounded up.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, FB, Instagram, and Twitter pages
Golden is a monster of an author who got started, and found success, very early. He has a gazillion publications to his credit and an army-size host of teleplay credits from his years writing for Buffy with Joss Whedon, and plenty more. And then there are the comics. You may have heard of Hell Boy, among those. Here is a list of what he has published, from Fiction DB. I personally think he has elves, or more likely, goblins, chained to computers in his basement helping him crank out such volume.
My review of his prior book, Road of Bones
Interviews
-----Interview: Christopher Golden by Lisa Morton – January 2014
-----Atomic Geekdom - Book Review Interview / All Hallows by Christopher Golden - with Jenny Robinson-Nagy - video – 51:20
Items of Interest
-----Folk Customs - Tree Lore - Blackthorn
-----Britannica - Halloween
-----Britannica - Hallowe’en - a 1926 entry on this
-----Wiki on Samhain, the ritual from which Halloween was derived
Songs/Music
-----Air Supply - The Ones That You Love - chapter 3
-----Michael Jackson - Thriller - chapter 6
-----Bobby Picket and the Cryptkicker Five - The Monster Mash - chapter 6
October 4, 2022
My thanks to St. Martin's Press, Christopher Golden and Netgalley.
Well, much as I hate to say it, this was not the best effort from Mr. Golden.
I kept expecting this book to somehow turn a corner and start wowing me. That didn't happen.
It's been many years since I was bummed out by a Golden book.
I will say that this is a perfect story for teens.
I enjoyed the book, because it was mindless fun. But, a week after reading it? I can't even remember much of the characters. Too many of them died though!
Well, much as I hate to say it, this was not the best effort from Mr. Golden.
I kept expecting this book to somehow turn a corner and start wowing me. That didn't happen.
It's been many years since I was bummed out by a Golden book.
I will say that this is a perfect story for teens.
I enjoyed the book, because it was mindless fun. But, a week after reading it? I can't even remember much of the characters. Too many of them died though!
January 24, 2023
**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Christopher Golden for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 1.24!**
Think about Milk Duds for a second.
When you get them in your treat bag on Halloween, it SEEMS like it should be a win: chocolate, caramel. What could go wrong?!
Then once you open the box and actually start CHEWING one...instant regret.
And, sad to say, that SAME feeling of sinking regret came back to 'haunt' me after reading All Hallows.
It's 1984 and Halloween night. In a quiet Massachusetts neighborhood, Tony Barbosa is amping up for the Haunted Woods event he always hosts (aided by daughter Claire) and a big Halloween block party is simultaneously happening across the neighborhood at the Koenig's place. But all of the Halloween hijinks are about to come to a halt...the tales of a creepy "Cunning Man" on the loose AND the appearance of some CREEPY children, dressed in very 'vintage' costumes will have everyone scrambling for cover. Where did they come from? Is the strange couple everyone in the neighborhood has been whispering about been hiding something sinister, deep within their home? And could the "Cunning Man" be MORE than simple legend and folklore...and next to ring the doorbell?
Christopher Golden has put out several books, but this is my first of his, so I went into this book pretty blind and with few expectations OTHER than those mentioned in the publisher's blurb: Stranger Things vibes and creepy Halloween horror. What I got instead was a LOT of Neighborhood Gossip about "that weird couple", a fixation on a blossoming relationship between two teen girls, and plenty of lamenting by a fed-up wife about her dopey husband....oh, and some Halloween spooks and plenty of 80's references sprinkled in to fit the 'theme.'
Unfortunately, because of all of this focus on other themes and plot points, the Cunning Man and the creepy kids sort of run in the background and flit in and out of the plot until the very end. But when the Cunning Man should have been at his most terrifying, I was so mentally checked out that the horror scenes played like sort of a corny TV movie in the background and didn't do a whole lot for me. I don't really get the Stranger Things comparison, unless it's banking solely on the fact that it is 1984 and some teens are involved...but that's a pretty weak comparison. I found the explanation for who and what the Cunning Man was to be a bit boring and other than describing the cover art, I didn't feel that satisfied by the ending.
Towards the end of the book, I FINALLY found a passage that resonated with me: "They left the woods behind. Left Rick behind. Left October behind.
Tony's love for Halloween had come to an end."
And when it comes to All Hallows, much like my willingness to ever grab another pack of Milk Duds...I think next time I'll let be smart enough to let the word DUD speak for itself.
3 stars
#AllHallowsBook #partner
Think about Milk Duds for a second.
When you get them in your treat bag on Halloween, it SEEMS like it should be a win: chocolate, caramel. What could go wrong?!
Then once you open the box and actually start CHEWING one...instant regret.
And, sad to say, that SAME feeling of sinking regret came back to 'haunt' me after reading All Hallows.
It's 1984 and Halloween night. In a quiet Massachusetts neighborhood, Tony Barbosa is amping up for the Haunted Woods event he always hosts (aided by daughter Claire) and a big Halloween block party is simultaneously happening across the neighborhood at the Koenig's place. But all of the Halloween hijinks are about to come to a halt...the tales of a creepy "Cunning Man" on the loose AND the appearance of some CREEPY children, dressed in very 'vintage' costumes will have everyone scrambling for cover. Where did they come from? Is the strange couple everyone in the neighborhood has been whispering about been hiding something sinister, deep within their home? And could the "Cunning Man" be MORE than simple legend and folklore...and next to ring the doorbell?
Christopher Golden has put out several books, but this is my first of his, so I went into this book pretty blind and with few expectations OTHER than those mentioned in the publisher's blurb: Stranger Things vibes and creepy Halloween horror. What I got instead was a LOT of Neighborhood Gossip about "that weird couple", a fixation on a blossoming relationship between two teen girls, and plenty of lamenting by a fed-up wife about her dopey husband....oh, and some Halloween spooks and plenty of 80's references sprinkled in to fit the 'theme.'
Unfortunately, because of all of this focus on other themes and plot points, the Cunning Man and the creepy kids sort of run in the background and flit in and out of the plot until the very end. But when the Cunning Man should have been at his most terrifying, I was so mentally checked out that the horror scenes played like sort of a corny TV movie in the background and didn't do a whole lot for me. I don't really get the Stranger Things comparison, unless it's banking solely on the fact that it is 1984 and some teens are involved...but that's a pretty weak comparison. I found the explanation for who and what the Cunning Man was to be a bit boring and other than describing the cover art, I didn't feel that satisfied by the ending.
Towards the end of the book, I FINALLY found a passage that resonated with me: "They left the woods behind. Left Rick behind. Left October behind.
Tony's love for Halloween had come to an end."
And when it comes to All Hallows, much like my willingness to ever grab another pack of Milk Duds...I think next time I'll let be smart enough to let the word DUD speak for itself.
3 stars
#AllHallowsBook #partner
September 14, 2022
Talk about Creepy!!!
Brilliantly written, and wholly gripping.
On Parmenter Road, in Coventry, Massachusetts, several families are preparing for Halloween.
Tony Barbosa and his daughter Chloe decorate their yard for the Haunted Woods every year. It’s an annual tradition and it’s the place to be. This year, however, will be their last and it will be one they never forget.
As families far and wide prepare for Halloween, everyone who’s hanging out on Parmenter Road needs to let loose and have a little fun..
Little do they know that fun is not on the agenda.
All Hallows is a truly captivating novel that had an element of creepiness throughout. For most of the novel, that was held in check though there were a few chapters that were a tad frightening. That said, the writing here is absolutely stellar and I was admittedly very impressed and recommend this book highly. Though there are a lot of characters in this novel, the author wrote this book in a way that you end up remembering who they are which was a huge feat. This was my first read by Christopher Golden, and let me just say that I am now a fan and eagerly await his next novel.
4.5 Stars
If you’re excited for All Hallows Eve, this book is right up your alley!
This was a buddy read with Kaceey and let me just say that we had no idea what we were in for..
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc via NetGalley.
Brilliantly written, and wholly gripping.
On Parmenter Road, in Coventry, Massachusetts, several families are preparing for Halloween.
Tony Barbosa and his daughter Chloe decorate their yard for the Haunted Woods every year. It’s an annual tradition and it’s the place to be. This year, however, will be their last and it will be one they never forget.
As families far and wide prepare for Halloween, everyone who’s hanging out on Parmenter Road needs to let loose and have a little fun..
Little do they know that fun is not on the agenda.
All Hallows is a truly captivating novel that had an element of creepiness throughout. For most of the novel, that was held in check though there were a few chapters that were a tad frightening. That said, the writing here is absolutely stellar and I was admittedly very impressed and recommend this book highly. Though there are a lot of characters in this novel, the author wrote this book in a way that you end up remembering who they are which was a huge feat. This was my first read by Christopher Golden, and let me just say that I am now a fan and eagerly await his next novel.
4.5 Stars
If you’re excited for All Hallows Eve, this book is right up your alley!
This was a buddy read with Kaceey and let me just say that we had no idea what we were in for..
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc via NetGalley.
Read
November 2, 2022DNF @ 20% - no rating and will not be included in my 2022 reading challenge.
Sometimes you come across a novel by a well established author and you think to yourself how on earth did this guy get published?!?! That is me with this book and Christopher Golden. I hate to be harsh but I'm always honest. You've been warned.
Sometimes you come across a novel by a well established author and you think to yourself how on earth did this guy get published?!?! That is me with this book and Christopher Golden. I hate to be harsh but I'm always honest. You've been warned.
January 25, 2023
All Hallows promises to be a scary thriller and has been compared to the Netflix hit Stranger Things. I enjoy both, but this book did not work for me.
Let me introduce my first DNF of 2023…
Wow, this was a super slow burn. If this is a thriller, I’m not sure where it starts.
I made it to 40%, but couldn’t keep any of the long list of characters straight and really didn’t care about any of them.
The plot is almost non-existent up until this point, and I just couldn’t stick around to find out what happens.
Scary? Not at all.
But, if you enjoy YA, this book might be for you.
I listened to the audiobook read by Ronnie Butler and January LaVoy. They both do an excellent reading, so the fault does not lie in the audio.
This is the first book I have read by Christopher Golden, so maybe his writing is just not for me.
Expected publication date: 1/24/23
1.5/5 stars rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley and Orange Sky Audio for the ARC of All Hallows’ in exchange for an honest review.
Let me introduce my first DNF of 2023…
Wow, this was a super slow burn. If this is a thriller, I’m not sure where it starts.
I made it to 40%, but couldn’t keep any of the long list of characters straight and really didn’t care about any of them.
The plot is almost non-existent up until this point, and I just couldn’t stick around to find out what happens.
Scary? Not at all.
But, if you enjoy YA, this book might be for you.
I listened to the audiobook read by Ronnie Butler and January LaVoy. They both do an excellent reading, so the fault does not lie in the audio.
This is the first book I have read by Christopher Golden, so maybe his writing is just not for me.
Expected publication date: 1/24/23
1.5/5 stars rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley and Orange Sky Audio for the ARC of All Hallows’ in exchange for an honest review.
January 22, 2023
It feels like Halloween in January!
March 6, 2023
This one started out really strong for me. I thought...yep this is a 5 star for sure. Then ....it took a turn...Instead of being the creepy atmospheric read I was expecting....it just got really weird. It went off the rails bizarre. I found it hard to keep track with all the multiple POV's. It was just...strange. With that being said...so many people have loved it! This is probably just a case of ...it is me not you...SO I would definitely give it a chance. It just wasn't my cup of tea. Plus it would be better as an October read.
December 20, 2022
Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts
Time for Trick or Treating, haunted houses and scares!
Told through the POV of various neighborhood members, All Hallows follows a neighborhood on fright night! Tony Barbosa has hosted the ““Haunted Woods” for years but this year will the last. Everyone looks forward to this, it's a good scare and yearly tradition. But this year, there were extra children in the mix. Children who ask for help getting away from the "Cunning Man".
I had high hopes for this book. I was hoping it would be creepy and scary. It did work in the creepy area with the children in their vintage costumes. There was great atmosphere in this book. I could visualize the children trick or treating with the chill in the air.
I liked the creepy trick or treaters that no one recognized or could place. Their old/vintage costumes had me reminiscing about the costumes I wore as a child. How did we breathe or see out of those masks? I trick or treated in the 70's and 80's so this one hit all the nostalgic vibes for me.
While this kept my attention, and I thought it was good, I wasn't wowed by it. These was something missing that I can't quite put my finger one. There is drama to go with the creepy vibe. While I enjoyed the drama, I wish there was less of it. I wanted more of: who are those kids? Who is the cunning man? Is this part of the haunted woods? Wtf is going on? and run for your lives! Basically, I wanted more creepiness and chills.
This is another book that I think would work well as a movie. It does have tension and atmosphere. It does have that something isn't quite right element that I enjoy in books.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Time for Trick or Treating, haunted houses and scares!
Told through the POV of various neighborhood members, All Hallows follows a neighborhood on fright night! Tony Barbosa has hosted the ““Haunted Woods” for years but this year will the last. Everyone looks forward to this, it's a good scare and yearly tradition. But this year, there were extra children in the mix. Children who ask for help getting away from the "Cunning Man".
I had high hopes for this book. I was hoping it would be creepy and scary. It did work in the creepy area with the children in their vintage costumes. There was great atmosphere in this book. I could visualize the children trick or treating with the chill in the air.
I liked the creepy trick or treaters that no one recognized or could place. Their old/vintage costumes had me reminiscing about the costumes I wore as a child. How did we breathe or see out of those masks? I trick or treated in the 70's and 80's so this one hit all the nostalgic vibes for me.
While this kept my attention, and I thought it was good, I wasn't wowed by it. These was something missing that I can't quite put my finger one. There is drama to go with the creepy vibe. While I enjoyed the drama, I wish there was less of it. I wanted more of: who are those kids? Who is the cunning man? Is this part of the haunted woods? Wtf is going on? and run for your lives! Basically, I wanted more creepiness and chills.
This is another book that I think would work well as a movie. It does have tension and atmosphere. It does have that something isn't quite right element that I enjoy in books.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
January 20, 2023
This is a story that begins and ends on Halloween night 1984. A yearly terrifying "Walk in the Forest" is set up in the woods behind Tony Barbosa's back yard which accepts donations for charity but this will be the best and the last of the spooky Haunted Woods extravaganza because Tony and his family (sadly) are moving to a more affordable home due to financial troubles. This night will end up being the nightmare of all nights and not because of Tony's woods of horror although the final horror show will take place deep within the forest leaving an unexplained trail of bodies and stories of supernatural evil kids and a so-called monster known as "The Cunning Man". Who dares to go trick or treating and take a walk on the trail of the Barbosa's Haunted Woods of Horror on this All Hallows Eve?
The setting couldn't have been more perfect with the very spooky forest and the night being Halloween in 1984. I really appreciated the atmosphere and nostalgia that was cleverly written throughout the story and the reader will be transported to a stylized type of living in the 80''s. I was so excited to read this book waiting for shivers and creepy tension that would have me looking over my shoulder and listening for unexpected noises while reading. Sadly for myself none of the above ever happened. The storyline was great and there were terrific characters and many disturbing creepy kids and a horrific nightmarish creature but somehow they all didn't come together to create the intended horror story that I envisioned happening. The book covered so many social issues twisting around the horror elements that the spookiness just seemed to fizzle almost as soon as it began. Maybe there were too many characters burdened with realistic troubles that heavily outweighed the spooky and tension factors. There was adultery, alcoholism, financial woes, homosexuality coming to the forefront, racism, bigotry, kids being confronted with the sins of their parents, paedophilia and much more. Please, don't get me wrong this was not a terrible book just not what I expected from a horror story even though there was plenty to create a really frightening book, it just became very jumbled without being scary. I think Christopher Golden is a wonderful writer and I loved his book "Road of Bones" which I will reread in the future but this novel just was "too much too little" if you know what I mean. I will continue to read this author's books knowing that books can't be winners all of the time. I do recommend reading this novel and basing your own opinions since many other people also loved this book.
I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given this book 3 NOSTALGIC 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
The setting couldn't have been more perfect with the very spooky forest and the night being Halloween in 1984. I really appreciated the atmosphere and nostalgia that was cleverly written throughout the story and the reader will be transported to a stylized type of living in the 80''s. I was so excited to read this book waiting for shivers and creepy tension that would have me looking over my shoulder and listening for unexpected noises while reading. Sadly for myself none of the above ever happened. The storyline was great and there were terrific characters and many disturbing creepy kids and a horrific nightmarish creature but somehow they all didn't come together to create the intended horror story that I envisioned happening. The book covered so many social issues twisting around the horror elements that the spookiness just seemed to fizzle almost as soon as it began. Maybe there were too many characters burdened with realistic troubles that heavily outweighed the spooky and tension factors. There was adultery, alcoholism, financial woes, homosexuality coming to the forefront, racism, bigotry, kids being confronted with the sins of their parents, paedophilia and much more. Please, don't get me wrong this was not a terrible book just not what I expected from a horror story even though there was plenty to create a really frightening book, it just became very jumbled without being scary. I think Christopher Golden is a wonderful writer and I loved his book "Road of Bones" which I will reread in the future but this novel just was "too much too little" if you know what I mean. I will continue to read this author's books knowing that books can't be winners all of the time. I do recommend reading this novel and basing your own opinions since many other people also loved this book.
I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given this book 3 NOSTALGIC 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!
February 17, 2023
I usually enjoy slow burns, but it felt like the plethora of family dramas were at the forefront of the story instead of the Halloween horror. It grew boring, and when the creepiness finally started it wasn't enough to regain my attention.
I had to push myself to finish. Ultimately, I'm glad I did finish. The writing was great, as always with this author, and the tale was entertaining. It was just way too slow for me.
I had to push myself to finish. Ultimately, I'm glad I did finish. The writing was great, as always with this author, and the tale was entertaining. It was just way too slow for me.
November 19, 2022
I went into All Hallows expecting a lot. With a creepy cover that promised a true horror story and a setting I love--New England (this specifically takes place on one street in Massachusetts)--I was eagerly awaiting a smart, well written thriller to add to my recent favorites from authors such as Alex North and Alex Finlay.
Unfortunately, the cover and setting was all this book had going for it.
I know this isn't my book, so I really have no rights as to how it's written, but as the reader, this would have been better served as a short story that was held together by the folklore of the story: the Cunning Man, the witch, the children. This foundation, which was really neat, kind of got lost in an overly long family drama (if that's what it is--half reads as angry spouses spurned by infidelity and the other half reads like YA teen angst). It's not until well after the halfway point that any of this (and indeed any of the spooky stuff associated with it) gets off the ground. And by that point I just didn't care. Honestly, if this was a book I bought or borrowed, and not one I was invited to read though an influencer program, I would have marked it as a DNF around the 10% mark.
The characters are flat--as we're given about 20 POVs (I exaggerate, but still), no one really stands out and I spent more time trying to figure out whose head I was in (Is Rick the kid? The dad? The older brother? Etc.) at the start of each chapter.
Content: the creepiest (and not in a good way) part of this book was the barely veiled discussion of child abuse, which, sorry, did nothing to advance the plot. I've also had it with hyper sexualization of teen girls--we really don't need a discussion of "every male, no matter how young or old creepily ogles me." There's just so much extraneous stuff that bogged down the story. And what the heck is with the random gross slurs Steve's dad throws at Vanessa (someone she describes as being really kind to her previously)? It all seemed really forced to prove a point. Or maybe it was the witch making everyone crazy? Who knows; nothing is fleshed out.
And good grief--ending chapters with things like "And then he died."
I don't know--maybe this is just an ARC and the final copy is going to sparkle, but after this reading, I wouldn't recommend this title and I wouldn't seek out anything else by this author.
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this as part of their influencers program in exchange for a review on NetGalley.
Unfortunately, the cover and setting was all this book had going for it.
I know this isn't my book, so I really have no rights as to how it's written, but as the reader, this would have been better served as a short story that was held together by the folklore of the story: the Cunning Man, the witch, the children. This foundation, which was really neat, kind of got lost in an overly long family drama (if that's what it is--half reads as angry spouses spurned by infidelity and the other half reads like YA teen angst). It's not until well after the halfway point that any of this (and indeed any of the spooky stuff associated with it) gets off the ground. And by that point I just didn't care. Honestly, if this was a book I bought or borrowed, and not one I was invited to read though an influencer program, I would have marked it as a DNF around the 10% mark.
The characters are flat--as we're given about 20 POVs (I exaggerate, but still), no one really stands out and I spent more time trying to figure out whose head I was in (Is Rick the kid? The dad? The older brother? Etc.) at the start of each chapter.
Content: the creepiest (and not in a good way) part of this book was the barely veiled discussion of child abuse, which, sorry, did nothing to advance the plot. I've also had it with hyper sexualization of teen girls--we really don't need a discussion of "every male, no matter how young or old creepily ogles me." There's just so much extraneous stuff that bogged down the story. And what the heck is with the random gross slurs Steve's dad throws at Vanessa (someone she describes as being really kind to her previously)? It all seemed really forced to prove a point. Or maybe it was the witch making everyone crazy? Who knows; nothing is fleshed out.
And good grief--ending chapters with things like "And then he died."
I don't know--maybe this is just an ARC and the final copy is going to sparkle, but after this reading, I wouldn't recommend this title and I wouldn't seek out anything else by this author.
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to read this as part of their influencers program in exchange for a review on NetGalley.
January 3, 2025
I was hesitant on giving this a five star because of two little niggles, one it did take just slightly too long to get into the nitty gritty and the second although it was set in the 80s it often felt modern day and I would've liked some extra pop culture references to cement it into the right era. However, other than that it was perfect for me and my enjoyment levels were so high, how could I not give it top marks.
I adored the set up there is nothing better than people prepared to be scared out of there minds for a bit of fun and it turning nasty. The characters were introduced so well I felt like I knew them inside out within just a few chapters, although the cast of characters was pretty big for this genre they were all easily distinguishable. Barb in particular was a character I loved finally done with her husbands misgivings - Go Barb. Steve and Vanessa's relationship too had me hooked, a best friend you can trust completely it was really beautiful.
When this went off it went off hard, after falling in love and a little bit of hate with these characters there were some heart-breaking moments. Some of the deaths were so sudden and unexpected, it had me like nah he wouldn't kill of them their too nice...oh wait. I love an author that will risk it all and put some of their best characters on the line, no one was safe and it kept me reading into the night. I felt like I never knew when this was going and I loved it.
I have to mention the body horror in this, wow it was incredible so gruesome and brutal it did remind me of Stephen King in places because of this. I had my hand over my mouth shocked by the brutality especially when it was a sweet character. I can see why people DNF'd this because of its slower start but it made the ending that much more perfect.
For me although this wasn't an entirely perfect read I loved it too much to deny it's 5 stars. I can't wait to read more from this author!
I adored the set up there is nothing better than people prepared to be scared out of there minds for a bit of fun and it turning nasty. The characters were introduced so well I felt like I knew them inside out within just a few chapters, although the cast of characters was pretty big for this genre they were all easily distinguishable. Barb in particular was a character I loved finally done with her husbands misgivings - Go Barb. Steve and Vanessa's relationship too had me hooked, a best friend you can trust completely it was really beautiful.
When this went off it went off hard, after falling in love and a little bit of hate with these characters there were some heart-breaking moments. Some of the deaths were so sudden and unexpected, it had me like nah he wouldn't kill of them their too nice...oh wait. I love an author that will risk it all and put some of their best characters on the line, no one was safe and it kept me reading into the night. I felt like I never knew when this was going and I loved it.
I have to mention the body horror in this, wow it was incredible so gruesome and brutal it did remind me of Stephen King in places because of this. I had my hand over my mouth shocked by the brutality especially when it was a sweet character. I can see why people DNF'd this because of its slower start but it made the ending that much more perfect.
For me although this wasn't an entirely perfect read I loved it too much to deny it's 5 stars. I can't wait to read more from this author!
February 11, 2023
The book started off a bit slow. You get to know the characters, both the kids and the adults and the problems in their lives (especially the adults). Somewhere along the way, did I started to really enjoy the book (love the setting, the 80s btw). But, honestly, I didn't think as I read the book that the end would be so nerve-racking, but l had come to like the characters so much that the last 20% of the book was hell going through.
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 because I found the first half of the book a bit slow.
4.5 stars rounded down to 4 because I found the first half of the book a bit slow.
February 20, 2023
This has elements to it which I found particular scary in horror setting (and others to be honest). But even if All Hallows is a four star read it's wasn't very scary. Intriguing and very easy to keep listening to and wanting to learn more of what was going.
December 7, 2023
This one took me a while to get into, mostly because there were SOOO many characters, but once I was sucked in, I really enjoyed it. It had some reveals I definitely didn't see coming! I'm glad I finally checked out Christopher Golden's writing and I can see why his work is so popular. I'll be reading more for sure. RTC!
October 18, 2022
All Hallows by Christopher Golden
Rating:⭐️⭐️
Parmenter Road in Conventry Massachusetts is busy with families preparing for Halloween. The Haunted Woods is a beloved annual attraction that is run by Tony Barbosa and his daughter Chloe. Sadly this will be the last year the attraction will run. For that reason, the pair is determined to make this year their scariest and best.
What starts off as a typical Halloween night ends in ultimate terror.
I wanted to like this book so badly. Were there a lot of characters? Yes, there were many. Each chapter was told from a different perspective. I thought it dragged a lot and I kept waiting for the scares that never really came. I expected more and I was just left disappointed.
All Hallows is available January 24,2023.
Thank you to netgalley and stmartinspress for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Rating:⭐️⭐️
Parmenter Road in Conventry Massachusetts is busy with families preparing for Halloween. The Haunted Woods is a beloved annual attraction that is run by Tony Barbosa and his daughter Chloe. Sadly this will be the last year the attraction will run. For that reason, the pair is determined to make this year their scariest and best.
What starts off as a typical Halloween night ends in ultimate terror.
I wanted to like this book so badly. Were there a lot of characters? Yes, there were many. Each chapter was told from a different perspective. I thought it dragged a lot and I kept waiting for the scares that never really came. I expected more and I was just left disappointed.
All Hallows is available January 24,2023.
Thank you to netgalley and stmartinspress for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
March 19, 2024
The real horror in this book is that a mediocre white man can get a whole neighborhood to cheat on their spouses with him.
February 2, 2026
This story of one suburban neighborhood’s Halloween across numerous character POVs is creepy, fast-paced, and hard to put down. The characters really stand out, because the book has a large cast, and across the chapters we follow numerous characters perspectives, some adults and some young children, and yet each character feels distinct and complete. The pacing and tension never slow even as the tone and experience changes depending on the character, all of whom are facing their own individual monsters this night. Because of the number of individual stories collected together in this neighborhood we do lose a little bit of intimacy, it is not quite as easy to feel emotionally invested as you jump from one story beat to the next, and this is exacerbated by the fact that the whole story takes place over one evening. Still, the individual stories are compelling, and the characters feel genuine and complicated and intriguing, and I enjoyed the time I spent with all of them. The world-building is fun, Halloween in New England is always a good setting and this story does a wonderful job of capturing suburban malaise/rot really well. I didn’t really feel the whole “1984” of it, to be honest. Sure, the kids had a little freer reign than they get these days, and there are no cell phones, but aside from that and a few bits of pop culture scattered here and there it doesn’t really evoke the time period all that much. I actually appreciate this, to be honest. I think it does leave the book stranded in time a little, but that means the drama and the horror and the excitement all depend on the characters and the plotting as opposed to a glossy coat of paint tickling your nostalgia. The neighborhood dynamics feel genuine enough that the world makes sense and feels realistic, regardless of the decade.
The one thing that really holds this back from being a great novel for me, instead of just a really good one is that it kind of feels like two good novels, in one. On the one hand you have the supernatural story the marketing copy promises, kids in old-timey costumes showing up out of nowhere, seemingly hunted by something as they seek safety amidst the neighborhood children. But that almost seems secondary to the ensemble, slice-of-life drama about the suburban drama of one buttoned-up neighborhood: one family is going through a messy divorce, one family has run up against financial problems and need to downsize, a teenager struggles with coming out, other children deal with racist neighbors, there are rumors about the new couple on the block and what goes on behind their locked doors, the tweens are realizing this will be their last Halloween trick-or-treating, the older teens realize this will be their last Halloween at home before college changes everything, and more. The depth of character story is intense and feels like a story in its own right, but instead of having an intense narrative thrust it is more of a snapshot. The supernatural elements don’t really infiltrate the novel until about halfway through, and even then they feel almost like a distraction until the very final chapters. The cast is so sprawling and their personal nightmares so consuming that it isn’t as if we get a team up of plucky kids to defend the neighborhood, or anything like that. Instead, a bunch of families are fighting their individual battles, battles made bloodier by the occasional introduction of this supernatural element. I so like that the story goes against expectations, and it is more an examination of a silent plague infecting the neighborhood quietly than it is an action-adventure. Still, it felt like the two stories had competing incentives and they didn’t merge together as much as I would have wanted. The supernatural felt like more of an afterthought, and I would have liked it to turn up earlier and play a bigger role in the drama of that particular Halloween night, more of a catalyst than just one additional thing to deal with, which is what it felt like.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the story—I couldn’t put it down. I felt every aspect of it compelling, and I just wanted a little more, to be honest. The writing was inviting and made me feel like part of the world. (It doesn’t hurt that the radio stations referenced are the ones that I grew up listening to, that this particular flavor of New England is in my DNA). I liked all the individual stories, and the exploration of what lies beneath the veneer of suburban normality. I also really enjoyed the supernatural elements, the mythology and ideas it introduced, even if I felt it was under-represented in the story as whole. The pacing always felt compulsive, in large part because the characters are young and everything always feels important to teenagers, and that emotion is captured in the writing. I do wish the two narratives fit together more seamlessly, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the writing, characters, and ideas. It goes without saying this story is about the loss of innocence, about what is lurking beneath the façade of normalcy and safety, and what it means to find out who you are when nothing around you is what it seems. It is never saccharine but it takes the concerns of its young characters seriously, as seriously as those of its adult characters, reminding us that you don’t need supernatural forces for rot to sneak up on a community, the veneer of normalcy hiding myriad corruptions, and it is only through being there for one another can you withstand the decay and come out on the other side.
(Rounded from 3.5)
The one thing that really holds this back from being a great novel for me, instead of just a really good one is that it kind of feels like two good novels, in one. On the one hand you have the supernatural story the marketing copy promises, kids in old-timey costumes showing up out of nowhere, seemingly hunted by something as they seek safety amidst the neighborhood children. But that almost seems secondary to the ensemble, slice-of-life drama about the suburban drama of one buttoned-up neighborhood: one family is going through a messy divorce, one family has run up against financial problems and need to downsize, a teenager struggles with coming out, other children deal with racist neighbors, there are rumors about the new couple on the block and what goes on behind their locked doors, the tweens are realizing this will be their last Halloween trick-or-treating, the older teens realize this will be their last Halloween at home before college changes everything, and more. The depth of character story is intense and feels like a story in its own right, but instead of having an intense narrative thrust it is more of a snapshot. The supernatural elements don’t really infiltrate the novel until about halfway through, and even then they feel almost like a distraction until the very final chapters. The cast is so sprawling and their personal nightmares so consuming that it isn’t as if we get a team up of plucky kids to defend the neighborhood, or anything like that. Instead, a bunch of families are fighting their individual battles, battles made bloodier by the occasional introduction of this supernatural element. I so like that the story goes against expectations, and it is more an examination of a silent plague infecting the neighborhood quietly than it is an action-adventure. Still, it felt like the two stories had competing incentives and they didn’t merge together as much as I would have wanted. The supernatural felt like more of an afterthought, and I would have liked it to turn up earlier and play a bigger role in the drama of that particular Halloween night, more of a catalyst than just one additional thing to deal with, which is what it felt like.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the story—I couldn’t put it down. I felt every aspect of it compelling, and I just wanted a little more, to be honest. The writing was inviting and made me feel like part of the world. (It doesn’t hurt that the radio stations referenced are the ones that I grew up listening to, that this particular flavor of New England is in my DNA). I liked all the individual stories, and the exploration of what lies beneath the veneer of suburban normality. I also really enjoyed the supernatural elements, the mythology and ideas it introduced, even if I felt it was under-represented in the story as whole. The pacing always felt compulsive, in large part because the characters are young and everything always feels important to teenagers, and that emotion is captured in the writing. I do wish the two narratives fit together more seamlessly, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the writing, characters, and ideas. It goes without saying this story is about the loss of innocence, about what is lurking beneath the façade of normalcy and safety, and what it means to find out who you are when nothing around you is what it seems. It is never saccharine but it takes the concerns of its young characters seriously, as seriously as those of its adult characters, reminding us that you don’t need supernatural forces for rot to sneak up on a community, the veneer of normalcy hiding myriad corruptions, and it is only through being there for one another can you withstand the decay and come out on the other side.
(Rounded from 3.5)
April 3, 2023
Content Warning (contains spoilers):
A very classic Halloween-type tale, evoking scents of pumpkin and fallen leaves, as well as the feeling of being followed in the dark. It made me want to buy cheap candy.
The residents of Parmenter Road, Coventry, MA must contend with much strangeness and danger on Halloween night of 1984. Through multiple POVs, we glimpse their private thoughts, struggles, and desires - some informing how they'll face the danger, others how they'll succumb to it. This was easily my favorite part of the book. I loved how the characters bobbed in and out of each others' POVs, painting a portrait of what life is like on Parmenter Road that is quite detailed.
Less so, I felt, were the supernatural threats.
This is still an unsettling book. I think the comparison to Stranger Things is a little misleading. Both are set in the 1980s with average American folks facing the supernatural, but that's really where the similarities end. This lacks sci-fi elements, government conspiracies, superpowers, nostalgia, etc. - and it is much more explicit. And Stranger Things explores more of childhood and friendship, with the kids being at the story's heart. They are much more protected from gruesome violence than the children in All Hallows.
Read this in spooky season - it'll hit the spot 🎃 🐈⬛
A very classic Halloween-type tale, evoking scents of pumpkin and fallen leaves, as well as the feeling of being followed in the dark. It made me want to buy cheap candy.
The residents of Parmenter Road, Coventry, MA must contend with much strangeness and danger on Halloween night of 1984. Through multiple POVs, we glimpse their private thoughts, struggles, and desires - some informing how they'll face the danger, others how they'll succumb to it. This was easily my favorite part of the book. I loved how the characters bobbed in and out of each others' POVs, painting a portrait of what life is like on Parmenter Road that is quite detailed.
Less so, I felt, were the supernatural threats.
This is still an unsettling book. I think the comparison to Stranger Things is a little misleading. Both are set in the 1980s with average American folks facing the supernatural, but that's really where the similarities end. This lacks sci-fi elements, government conspiracies, superpowers, nostalgia, etc. - and it is much more explicit. And Stranger Things explores more of childhood and friendship, with the kids being at the story's heart. They are much more protected from gruesome violence than the children in All Hallows.
Read this in spooky season - it'll hit the spot 🎃 🐈⬛
October 20, 2023
”This night…God damn this night!”
This story takes place entirely over the course of one crazy night; All Hallows Eve, 1985. The plot itself is difficult to describe so I’ll just direct you to the blurb at the top of this page—it has do with the events that take place over the course of one Halloween Night, and the relationships between the people that live on Parmenter Road in Coventry, Massachusetts. It’s not a perfect book—I do have some complaints, but I gotta say I had a blast reading it.
October is a special month; there’s nothing quite like October in the Northeast. It’s a month with a feeling like no other—summer burns the leaves to gold, red, yellow, and a whole pallet of wonderful colors, but its all ao fleeting. it often comes and goes before you truly have time to appreciate it. For fans of horror and dark tales, there’s simply no better time of year…it’s almost in the air. Every October I look for books that can convey this feeling, and All Hallows nails it. The atmosphere is pure autumn, pure Halloween—Golden mixes nostalgia with atmosphere to give us the vibes many of us are craving this time of year, and he does it well. That alone made it worth the read for me, but it wasn’t the only thing he did well.
What surprised me was how well the characters are fleshed out, and this is saying something because there are quite a few here. Along with the atmosphere, this was definitely my favorite thing about this book. The relations between all the neighbors, children and grown ups alike, was done extremely well. This was the main focus of nearly half the book, and Golden went all-in on painting us a seedy picture of these neighbors’ relationships with each other, all while building, albeit slowly, a rising feeling of dread and darkness. This was the last thing I was expecting in this book and it was a pleasant surprise for me, though I suppose this could be a negative for people looking for all-horror all-the-time. We get to know most of these characters well, and when things go wild (and they inevitably do), it makes certain scenes more effective.
So this brings me to my next point—much of the horror itself was…underutilized. The book goes wild, and there are some great scenes. There’s one section of the book in particular where Golden smashes the reader over the head with one, after another, after another, great scenes and it was excellent. However, this book chooses to go with its own lore—which is fine—but in my opinion there just wasn’t enough time spent on the villain or fully fleshing out all this lore. It makes an attempt to be surprisingly complex, and I can only say that at this it only partially succeeded. If Golden had put the same amount of detail into this, it would’ve been a five-star read for me. To clarify, I’m not saying the horror lore of the book is bad, but I think it needed more fleshing out personally. Golden uses elements from other places—a little of this, a little of that, mixed with some of his own to give us a villain that, while I liked, should’ve been a little bit better.
Nonetheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I have to give it 4⭐️s for that. Goldens writing is very readable, unpretentious and not fancy, he tells this story of a neighborhood in full-on crisis in a direct style that serves the book well. I would recommend giving this one a go for sure if you don’t mind a moody, creeping, slower build in your horror books. And whether you’re a seasonal reader or not, there’s no doubt that this is the perfect time of year to pick it up. I’m also excited to jump into more CG books as he has quite a few!
This story takes place entirely over the course of one crazy night; All Hallows Eve, 1985. The plot itself is difficult to describe so I’ll just direct you to the blurb at the top of this page—it has do with the events that take place over the course of one Halloween Night, and the relationships between the people that live on Parmenter Road in Coventry, Massachusetts. It’s not a perfect book—I do have some complaints, but I gotta say I had a blast reading it.
October is a special month; there’s nothing quite like October in the Northeast. It’s a month with a feeling like no other—summer burns the leaves to gold, red, yellow, and a whole pallet of wonderful colors, but its all ao fleeting. it often comes and goes before you truly have time to appreciate it. For fans of horror and dark tales, there’s simply no better time of year…it’s almost in the air. Every October I look for books that can convey this feeling, and All Hallows nails it. The atmosphere is pure autumn, pure Halloween—Golden mixes nostalgia with atmosphere to give us the vibes many of us are craving this time of year, and he does it well. That alone made it worth the read for me, but it wasn’t the only thing he did well.
What surprised me was how well the characters are fleshed out, and this is saying something because there are quite a few here. Along with the atmosphere, this was definitely my favorite thing about this book. The relations between all the neighbors, children and grown ups alike, was done extremely well. This was the main focus of nearly half the book, and Golden went all-in on painting us a seedy picture of these neighbors’ relationships with each other, all while building, albeit slowly, a rising feeling of dread and darkness. This was the last thing I was expecting in this book and it was a pleasant surprise for me, though I suppose this could be a negative for people looking for all-horror all-the-time. We get to know most of these characters well, and when things go wild (and they inevitably do), it makes certain scenes more effective.
So this brings me to my next point—much of the horror itself was…underutilized. The book goes wild, and there are some great scenes. There’s one section of the book in particular where Golden smashes the reader over the head with one, after another, after another, great scenes and it was excellent. However, this book chooses to go with its own lore—which is fine—but in my opinion there just wasn’t enough time spent on the villain or fully fleshing out all this lore. It makes an attempt to be surprisingly complex, and I can only say that at this it only partially succeeded. If Golden had put the same amount of detail into this, it would’ve been a five-star read for me. To clarify, I’m not saying the horror lore of the book is bad, but I think it needed more fleshing out personally. Golden uses elements from other places—a little of this, a little of that, mixed with some of his own to give us a villain that, while I liked, should’ve been a little bit better.
Nonetheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I have to give it 4⭐️s for that. Goldens writing is very readable, unpretentious and not fancy, he tells this story of a neighborhood in full-on crisis in a direct style that serves the book well. I would recommend giving this one a go for sure if you don’t mind a moody, creeping, slower build in your horror books. And whether you’re a seasonal reader or not, there’s no doubt that this is the perfect time of year to pick it up. I’m also excited to jump into more CG books as he has quite a few!
January 21, 2023
This would have been great to read around Halloween, but it's still a good creepy story at any time. It is Halloween night of 1984 in the town of Coventry, Massachusetts. The neighborhood is gearing up for parties and trick or treating. Two families are falling apart. Something is happening at the creepy house down the street and some kids are investigating.
The story is told in alternating points of view by kids, teens, and parents. There were a lot of characters in the book. The Cunning Man was creepy and gave me chills. Some people died. The atmosphere was spooky and fit the story perfectly.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on January 24, 2023.
The story is told in alternating points of view by kids, teens, and parents. There were a lot of characters in the book. The Cunning Man was creepy and gave me chills. Some people died. The atmosphere was spooky and fit the story perfectly.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on January 24, 2023.
Read
December 19, 2023I read All Hallows with my Fable book club as our October read, 2023. It was fun reading each chapter together as we made our way through a Halloween night (1984) in Coventry, Massachusetts.
The book starts strong as the reader is introduced to a large cast of characters through multiple POVs. The chapters are titled with the name of the character and what's going on--these chapters are extremely short so we switch back and forth so often, the story becomes splintered in an almost mosaic fashion.
It's tough to hold on to the threads as an overall, big-picture narrative.
Some narratives are more compelling than others but a lot is going on.
I feel like this was intended to combine the nostalgia of Halloween in the 80s via Stranger Things mashed with the "small-town secrets and domestic drama" vibes of Stephen King's Salem's Lot which has potential but fell apart in the execution.
The haunted woods, apparitions, "The Cunning Man", and too many supernatural elements paired with all the POVs watered down the scare factor.
I will say this would be a perfect entry-level horror book for a young adult looking to break into the Horror scene.
The book starts strong as the reader is introduced to a large cast of characters through multiple POVs. The chapters are titled with the name of the character and what's going on--these chapters are extremely short so we switch back and forth so often, the story becomes splintered in an almost mosaic fashion.
It's tough to hold on to the threads as an overall, big-picture narrative.
Some narratives are more compelling than others but a lot is going on.
I feel like this was intended to combine the nostalgia of Halloween in the 80s via Stranger Things mashed with the "small-town secrets and domestic drama" vibes of Stephen King's Salem's Lot which has potential but fell apart in the execution.
The haunted woods, apparitions, "The Cunning Man", and too many supernatural elements paired with all the POVs watered down the scare factor.
I will say this would be a perfect entry-level horror book for a young adult looking to break into the Horror scene.
July 11, 2024
I had super high hopes for this one as I love all things Halloween! The haunted woods had me intrigued from the jump, but it didn’t go much farther than that. I didn’t care for or relate to any of the characters. There are multiple POVs and I had a hard time remembering whose name was who. There is a lot of domestic/family drama going on that is relevant, but again I just didn’t really care for and I felt like this was 80% of the book. Once we get to the end and it starts to pick up, it fell flat quickly. I think visually this could have been more intriguing/scary, but it didn’t spook me at all. Don’t recommend if you are looking to be scared, but if you just want to read a fictional story about family drama in one neighborhood - you might enjoy.
November 4, 2022
I've struggled writing a review with this one because even though I enjoyed it, I'm afraid that I'll give too much away.
All Hallows is set on Halloween night in 1984 on Parementer Road in Coventry, Massachusetts. The story unfolds as various bizarre and even sinister things begin to unfold to the residents of Parementer Road. The story alternates from various points of view of kids, teens, and adults of those living in the neighborhood.
The book contains:
▪️Very creepy kids
▪️A haunted woods
▪️A killer on the loose called the Cunning Man
▪️Stranger things vibes
I loved the fact that this book was set in the 80s it gave me so much childhood nostalgia.
The book begins as a slow climb and introduces us to the various characters as well as the neighborhood setting. Then when you least expect it, BAM! Action and unexpected occurrences begin to unfold until it snowballs into a spectacular ending.
There is a lot of various points of view which can be sometimes confusing when keeping up with who's who but the author wrote each of their perspectives so distinct that I didn't have this issue at all. I also loved the fact that this book contains a diverse cast of characters that represent so many. This is my first read by the author and it will not be my last. All Hallows will be a story that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
All Hallows by Christopher Golden will be available on January 24, 2023! Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the copy in exchange for an honest review!
All Hallows is set on Halloween night in 1984 on Parementer Road in Coventry, Massachusetts. The story unfolds as various bizarre and even sinister things begin to unfold to the residents of Parementer Road. The story alternates from various points of view of kids, teens, and adults of those living in the neighborhood.
The book contains:
▪️Very creepy kids
▪️A haunted woods
▪️A killer on the loose called the Cunning Man
▪️Stranger things vibes
I loved the fact that this book was set in the 80s it gave me so much childhood nostalgia.
The book begins as a slow climb and introduces us to the various characters as well as the neighborhood setting. Then when you least expect it, BAM! Action and unexpected occurrences begin to unfold until it snowballs into a spectacular ending.
There is a lot of various points of view which can be sometimes confusing when keeping up with who's who but the author wrote each of their perspectives so distinct that I didn't have this issue at all. I also loved the fact that this book contains a diverse cast of characters that represent so many. This is my first read by the author and it will not be my last. All Hallows will be a story that I won't be forgetting anytime soon.
All Hallows by Christopher Golden will be available on January 24, 2023! Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the copy in exchange for an honest review!
January 19, 2025
If you're out of sleeping pills just crack this baby open and you'll be snoozing in no time.
2 Uninspiring Stars
2 Uninspiring Stars
January 31, 2023
Very, very far from being a representation of life in the 80s. Low on horror, very high on racial/ethnic identities and neighborhood dramas. Not one likable character. Definitely too many points of view.
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