I was so excited for this book! A horror story, set in the 80's with The Cunning Man haunting the children - this book was set up to be fantastic. Unfortunately it fell a little flat for me. The story seemed more domestic drama than horror. I feel like it had everything with the atmosphere and characters to go dark and creepy, it just didn't go there for me.
If you're looking for a domestic drama with a but of a creepy setting and characters, this one is for you!

2.5 Stars

Parmenter Road will never be the same after this Halloween night in 1984. The families who live on this street all harbor secrets of some sort. Marriages shaken by infidelity, teens who haven't come out yet, and a couple who have done the unthinkable are what just touches the surface of those who live on this street. Halloween brings out all the children ready to trick r treat, a traditional haunted woods, and a neighborhood party people have been waiting for. What the people of Parmenter don't know is there is an evil on the prowell, and it won't stop until it gets what it wants. The Cunning Man is out, and he won't stop until he gets what he came for.
Christopher Golden has written such an exceptional book that keeps you on your toes, and gives you all the spooky aspects of Halloween combined with horror that will shake you to your core. I absolutely loved every minute of this book.

I am heart broken. I had such high expectations for this book and I ended up being disappointed. Every single time a horror book fails me, a part of my soul dies. WIth such a strong premise, this book was promising to keep you up all night, closing the closet doors, double checking the front door, and maybe taking a peak under your bed (JUST IN CASE). All that it managed to do was left confused and annoyed at how improperly those amazing ideas for good spooks were used. There was too much focus on unimportant things and honestly, I am still confused.

An interesting mix of personal dramas among a small neighborhood, and supernatural entities out to harm the people living there. I enjoyed the in depth back story on the people, their relationships to each other, and the multi-narrator style. The villians were spooky and unique, the only thing I wish the story included more of is back story on the origins of the Halloween kids and The Cunning Man - these characters were fascinating and I would have loved to know more about them.

Back to Halloween 1984. It’s refreshing to read something without all of the cell phones. Ha. A good old neighbor hood haunted forest sets the mood for trouble for the whole neighborhood.

It was easy to cheer for several of the MANY characters in a nice little neighborhood where most everyone knows everyone. Kids are in school together; everyone knows everyone’s business. There is bit of gut- gore action, and many twists as the night goes on.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC for review purposes.

The atmosphere, for the most part, was very eery to me, which was a massive plus for this book.
However, some characters felt like they had the same voice, so I felt they weren't necessary besides one or two moments.

A slower start for horror, but it had good moments. Horror fans would like this for a certain vibe.

I am sorry but I have lost interest in this book, and it will be archived/removed from my shelf before I would be able to have a chance and read this. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This was a very middle of the road Horror books. It gave me that nostalgic feeling I love with horror (the kind tbag makes me think of horror movies growing up) , I think more could have been done to make you feel like it was the 80s. There was more of a focus on the domestic drama of the neighborhood which I loved to just sitting here watching it all unfold. If the cunning man was more a legend and we had more then just a page explanation about him and the children it would have really increased the spooky factor .

Christopher Golden's latest installment gives Night of the Living Dead meets Stranger Things vibes. The latter because the novel takes place on Halloween night 1984, and a few other things that you'll have to find out by reading this book.

The novel is narrated via multiple POVs, which I didn't count, but there are at least ten. While that may seem like a lot at first, I didn't have much trouble remembering each character. Each character had their own unique storyline and voice.

I am a fan of having books set in the 80s, and I love a good scary movie/story, so this was a perfect read for me. The prominent storyline involves mysterious children appearing on Halloween night, and we get a glimpse of one in the first chapter, and I was immediately spooked. For some readers, this might not be the best book to read before bedtime.

Towards the last third of the book, I figured out the purpose of the random children, and I felt horrified, in a good way, for the main characters. There was a lot of suspense towards the end, and the payoff delivered.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this one, and it would be a perfect October read.

A book set around Halloween? Yes, please! The beginning of this book had me so excited. I love all things creepy. I've been to creepy trails and love every minute of it. However, this book wasn't creepy to me. It was a slow burn. I wish it would have been a bit scarier.

I thought the writing was good. The author went into such great detail. But there were so many POVs throughout the book, I kept getting confused. I think we could have done without some of the POVs. It felt like some POVs were there as a filler.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy!

All Hallows is a creepy and twisted novel! Love the Halloween setting and will definitely make you think twice about opening your door to everyone on Halloween night.

Thank you for the digital ARC! All opinions expressed are completely my own.

3.5 ⭐ rounded down

It's Halloween 1984, and something is very wrong on Parmenter Road. Despite all the festive events—the Barbosas' annual Haunted Woods attraction, the big neighborhood bash at the Koenigs'—there is an eerie presence and violent mischief creeping from the forest that runs behind these people's street. Before midnight, the horrors that emerge are unspeakable and plentiful. But boy oh boy does it take us *forever* to get there.

A story told from—let me count—fourteen (I think) perspectives, All Hallows takes the reader through the whole neighborhood's dirty laundry and right into to the heart of their worst fears. However, reading this novel was not a pulse-pounding experience for me. While the events are undeniably awful and even heart-wrenching, the story lacks suspense. One bad thing after another happens to these people who we barely know because we spend so little time with them, and I never once felt like I just *had* to know what happens next. I think I would love some of these characters if I knew them better, and I kind of wish the narrative was limited to about 5 characters—Rick Barbosa, Billie Suarez, Vanessa Montez, Steve Koenig, and Julia Sweeney. And then it probably would be a YA book, and maybe that would have been a better fit all around?

I think this story would do well as film. With music to add to the atmosphere and costuming to help tell all the creepy kids apart (it took be too long to realize that Delilah and Sarah Jane weren't the same character), there could be a sense of *suspense*. As it stands, though, this story just creeps slowly along, with hardly anything to keep me reading. Was I fascinated by the concept? Sure. Do these characters have a story worth telling? Absolutely. Did I enjoy reading their story? Meh. Will I keep thinking about them? Probably.

This had such a great premise that hooked me and it started off strong with spooky vibes, taking place on Halloween, neighborhood families that are close, and an 80s setting. Once it got going and ramped up though, it was a little hard to follow, and I think this was due to the many POV’s. Had there been a few less this would have made it easier. Overall though, I really enjoyed this one, the messed up kids and all, and thought this was an entertaining read that is perfect for spooky season.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital galley and ARC to review.

<strong>Creepy Halloween Tale</strong>

I love Halloween. My whole family does really. Right from the first few pages, I identified with the Barbosa family. My husband has an extensive history in the haunt industry, and I helped him run the makeup room for a season at one as well. So reading about Chloe and her dad setting up their home haunt in the woods behind their house, I was immediately hooked.

The story picks up quickly, weaving the stories of the different neighbors' lives wonderfully. The author wastes no time with the creepy elements showing up even as he is giving us the backstory of each character, and the small (or large) dramas going on in their lives.

Very soon we're off and running, with twists and turns around every page. I was kept guessing as each element was introduced, making for a thrilling read. The thing I enjoyed the most though was Christopher Golden's creation of the mythology in this world. I'm very curious to know how much is based on actual lore, if any.

This book is absolutely perfect for anyone who loves Halloween, and the stories that surround it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

80’s spooky fun. Christopher Golden always has eefective premises that suck me in. I loved this book. I cannot wait to reread this one around Halloween time for the vibes.

After reading and loving Road of Bones last year, I was excited to start All Hallows. While I didn't love this one quite as much as Road of Bones, I really enjoyed the creepiness of it and can admit that Christopher Golden certainly knows how to write scary stories. I loved the Halloween night setting and reading from various viewpoints of grownups, kids, and teens in the neighborhood definitely set a tone for the entire book. Besides it being super creepy at times, there are other things going on in this story, and many secrets will end up being revealed. I wasn't born until 1986 so I didn't technically grow up in the 80s but based on what I've seen in Stranger Things which is 80s perfection, All Hallows did feel a bit too current for the time period. I didn't get as much of that 80s nostalgia that I was hoping for (just because I wasn't born until 86 doesn't mean I don't want it 🙃), and I think there are certain things included in the story that would have been out of place back in 1984.

I saw some reviewers saying this was a fast-paced read for them, but for me, it was definitely on the slower side. Much like the author's last book, I thought it started out fairly slow but then it did pick up and that's when things really start to get spine-chilling. There is definitely some of that horror gore to All Hallows but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle being as squeamish as I am sometimes. I listened to the audiobook as well which really helped with the pacing, and I enjoyed the narrators even though there are only 2 for many POVs. Ronnie Butler voiced all the male viewpoints while January LaVoy (one of my faves) voiced all the females, and while you would think that would get confusing it really wasn’t. I was able to easily keep up with all of the different characters and they were all so perfectly characterized that it wasn’t hard to tell them apart. If you enjoy the horror genre and like slow-burning neighborhood dramas as well, I would definitely recommend giving this book a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

😱 I had a weird experience with this book. I was bored to tears in the first half and I was enthralled in the second half.

😱 The first half of the book was a lot of set up for a lot of characters. There were a few odd things happening, but for the most part it was all foundational and I found it to be excruciatingly boring. It took me a full week to get to the halfway point in the book.

😱 Thankfully the second half was uber creepy! It took off at a lightning speed with very frightening imagery and insane events that had me glued to the pages! This was genuinely scary!

😱 I kinda loved that the reader doesn’t know who the bad guys are until the end of the book.

😱 The story is told from multiple points of view and these different perspectives give the story some depth in the second half.

😱 If you have patience to get through the beginning of this book, you will be rewarded with a truly frightening read!!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was excited for this book, but it ended up just being okay. There was a lot I liked. The nostalgia was great and I really enjoyed some of the characters. The plot was original and appropriately creepy. The writing was solid. Unfortunately, it delivered too little, too late. Nothing even remotely spooky happened until the last third of the book. I read this on my kindle and was shocked when I saw it wasn’t 500 pages long because it certainly felt like it. And there were way too many POVs to follow. I lost count at ten!

I’ve seen a lot of great reviews for this book, so you shouldn’t write it off just because I didn’t love it. Give it a try if you like Stranger Things and don’t mind slow burns with a lot of POVs.

The synopsis mentions 80s nostalgia akin to Stranger Things, which I didn't really get from this one, but nonetheless, I did still enjoy it. There are some spooky little kids running around, a creepy shadowy figure called The Cunning Man, and lots (and lots) of neighborhood drama.

I found this to be an interesting mix of drama and horror which worked for me, because it didn't feel like too much of either, but I can see readers having an issue with the drama if you go in expecting full blown scares. There were also quite a few characters and alternating viewpoints, which seemed to muddy the story a bit.

Overall though, I still found this to be an enjoyable read that I would recommend adding to your spooky season TBR, or just your regular TBR if you're like me, and every season is spooky season.

⚠️ Please check trigger warnings prior to reading

Many thanks to @stmartinspress for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 ⭐️I hate saying this but I think it would have made a better movie. The beginning was dreadfully slow and filled with drama about people I didn’t really care about. The fact that the only remotely creepy thing that happened before 50% were dressed up kids that gave weird vibes was disappointing. Unfortunately not the spooky vibes I was expecting.