While I did like All Hallows, it took a bit for me to decide if I did or not. The first 2/3 of the book I wasn't sure what exactly I was reading because the horror/terror/mystery stuff didn't start happening until the last 1/3 of the story. Was it YA coming of age story, was it a story about domestic relations? Putting all that aside, it was an interesting story that would have been much better if more of the terror storyline had been made prominent. That part of the book felt too rushed. The writing was good and basing it in 1984 was neat. Solid 3 stars.

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

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

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

I enjoyed this book immensely. The build up of the plotting took awhile before the terrifying parts began. Once they did the story became a fast, insane read.

I would describe this as a slice-of-life Horror. We really get to know some families living along this quiet street in the suburbs before we realize something sinister is walking the streets and it is after the children.

We get alternate points of view as we see lots of family drama, secrets being revealed, and things falling apart. During this drama, children no one has ever seen before are walking the streets claiming that the Cunningman is coming for them, and they need to be protected at least until Midnight. Little do the other kids or their parents know that the Cunningman isn't the only danger stalking the streets.

Once we get to see what's really going on, the horror really begins and it's a race to the end to see who is going to survive. I didn't expect to get so attached to the kids that we follow, and was on the edge of my seat whenever one of them was in immediate danger.

I love the atmosphere, and the attraction of the haunted woods added to the spooky vibes. I also really enjoyed all the family drama which surprised me a bit, but I thought it fit into the story perfectly. Also, those kids were acting hella creepy and if I had read this around Halloween I definitely would have been side-eyeing any kids dressed in vintage costumes.
I really enjoyed this, and would definitely read more by this author!

Christopher Golden has done it again! It was a pretty slow burn but It was a good read. The story was well thought out and I did not see the twist coming. The entire book takes place on Halloween in small town Massachusetts in 1984. I loved the nostalgia I got from 80s setting. I recommend to anyone looking for a good spooky story.


Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one right from the first page where it opens with a father and daughter setting up the woods behind their house for what will be their last year of Halloween magic. As they put the final touches on an elaborate Haunted Woods walk through display, they have no idea the horror that's about to unfold.

I loved the way that the kid's storylines were clearly established as were the adults and while they overlapped slightly, both could stand on their own. My only issue with this one was that there are a lot of characters and they're not particularly distinctive, so in the beginning it was really hard to keep them straight. Still, the kids plot being the primary driver in combination and nature of evil in this one will grab fans of Stephen King. Highly recommended!

A good throw back to old Halloween, makes me feel like an early 80s horror flick - WHICH ISNT A BAD THING.
Cant believe it is releasing in January, this would DEFINITELY be a spooky read I would recommend for October.
Has that good creepy element throughout the whole book.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩: It's Halloween night 1984 in Coventry, Massachusetts. Families are getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Everything seems going well until the neighborhood kids meet four children who beg them to protect them from The Cunning Man.

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨: First of all, this cover definitely is creepy, spooky, and super eye-catching! Halloween night in the 80s?! I'm all for it!

I have to say that the setting was good, with intense story-building. I could visualize everything in my head!

I tried to like this story since Road of Bones was one of my favourite reads last year. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. As much as I like the story build-up, I felt it was way too long and draggy before the main event finally happened. The main plot was obscured by all the side stories - family & neighborhood drama. Moreover, the story is told from too many POVs and I struggled to keep track who's who.

Overall, this book is not my favourite by this author. It didn't feel like a horror read to me, but more of a donestic suspense sprinkled with light horror. But please do not let my personal thoughts deter you from picking up this book. You may enjoy it more than me!

𝑃𝑢𝑏. 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑒: 𝐽𝑎𝑛 24𝑡ℎ, 2023

***𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑆𝑡. 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛'𝑠 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛.***

A spooky atmospheric 1980s read. I enjoyed the fast-paced plot and creepy vibes. However, there were way too many characters. Often times, they also shared the same last name creating a lot of confusion. Also, the publication date of January doesn't really make sense and a Fall release would have been better suited.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this advanced copy.

This feels like a classic, all things Halloween and all things spooky rolled into one frightful night leaving you wanting more.

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.

Vintage costumes are such a creepy idea and I loved the premise for this book but I quickly lost interest in the beginning. The pages of in-depth thought that Tony had about questioning how he raised his kids was not the hook I wanted to start a horror novel. Unfortunately that continues with more coming of age drama and domestic problems and multiple narrators. I didn't get the creeping terror or shocking fear that I wanted from any of the characters. I love Christopher Golden but this book is not his best. It left me bored and skimming most of it.

All Hallows is a fun Halloween book with some chills and thrills. This isn't necessarily a scary book, but it's like watching a fairly entertaining movie which some nice twists and turns. Overall I'd recommend this for anyone who wants to try spooky books.

Oh what a haunted tale this is! Halloween with a vengeance.

A small town that is celebrating its last Halloween with a family and their haunted woods attraction. Sinister children, unknown to the townspeople, appear for some trick or treating fun. A patch of woods bent on revenge and the accumulation of new souls. What possibly could go wrong?

This was an amazing read. Fun, fast, and interest keeping at its best. This is one I’ll be recommending to everyone who loves a spooky story, curses, haunts and chills.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for extending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Be sure to grab this one and start your new year right in preparation for Halloween 2023! You can’t go wrong.

My full review will be posted on all my social media accounts, blogs and retail on publication day.

Wow! This book!

It was very well-written and the pacing and the tension was spot-on!

I wanted to be walking through their haunted woods, at least until the creepy halloween costumed 80's kids showed up!

I really loved the father daughter dynamic, their relationship made me smile.

The book is spooky and creepy and then gets gory.

I am surprised it is releasing in January and not around Halloween. Luckily I was able to read this digital ARC during the Halloween season!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

I look forward to more from Christopher Golden!

A suburban horror story - 1984 and a small neighborhood is going to pieces during Halloween night. The Cunning man is coming for them all - of course there is a creepy woods! Engaging and scary - I give all books I like 3 stars

Creeped me right out, but way too many characters to keep track of. Were they all necessary?
Glad I didn't read it before Halloween or I would never have let my child go trick or treating.

Yikes of all Yikes. How is this a New Year book?! This is prime Halloween material, better than most horror stories I've ever read. The depth of the monsters, the variety of the players, the sheer horror (ha) of it - astonishing. My only critique is that the first third or so could use some more spookiness. It's hinted lightly, but I was not drawn to keep reading until about the 40% mark when things started to ramp up. I would love to hear this in audio format for sure, but the casting would be insane! If you take this book on, be ready for some seriously gross gore, "creepy kids" horror, and some renewed hope in the human condition - no cowards to be found among the mass of characters! I would 100% recommend this as a spooky October/fall read though, so I'm bummed it's publication is in January of all times. Hopefully it makes some top-charts for 2023 Halloween so it can be truly appreciated.

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC**

This book was well-written, but it wasn’t very tense or scary, and it kind of struggled with pacing. The plot didn’t pick up until the last 30% or so...however when the plot picked up, it PICKED UP in the bloodiest of ways. There are lots of chapters (I think 50+?) that all switch off between the POV of about 15 different characters, which lent an interesting perspective to the story, and I really liked the Halloween vibes and the 80s nostalgia.

All Hallows is a fun read. It takes place on Halloween night in the 80’s (my favorite time period).

So is domestic horror a thing? This book is part domestic suspense and part horror.

It’s got several povs and it gets confusing at times. So much neighborhood domestic drama and it’s hard to keep up with whose kid is whose etc.

There is a lot happening here and it gets muddled a bit towards the end. Super creepy and a pretty good read. 3.5 ⭐️