I have seen this book being talked about everywhere. Everyone whos read this loves this book and recommends it. I am so grateful to have gotten an E arc of this book because I love this book as well. I did not expect how atmospheric it was. I had a good time reading this and I am going to buy this and put it on my coveted shelf. .Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this novel.

It is Halloween night in 1984, and Tony Barbosa is looking forward to hosting his annual Haunted Woods in Coventry, Massachusetts. His daughter Chloe still helps him set up the spooky setting, but neither his wife nor his son shows any interest. But after the sun goes down, the night is more frightful than even Tony could have anticipated. Children in vintage costumes are begging to be hidden from The Cunning Man before it’s too late… 📖🎃

All Hallows is a solid spooky season read. Golden invests in character development as well as a fast-paced plot, and the alternating perspectives paired with the short chapters make it a quick read 📖🎃

I do wish I had read this book in October rather than January, and I was not as invested in the characters or their stories as I wanted to be. 📖🎃

Still, this book is quick and creepy, so I recommend it as a palette-cleaning binge read for next Halloween season 📖🎃

I absolutely enjoyed my time reading this book. This is such a great mix of mystery, domestic thriller and horror. This one is written from multiple perspectives; which I didn't mind and it actually made for a pretty fast read. The story takes place in the 80's, so there's a lot of nostalgia, which I also enjoyed. Okay, at this point I think I have established how much I loved every aspect of this atmospheric, horror novel.
This story follows a neighborhood as they get ready for Halloween festivities. There's a lot of drama going on with the families in this otherwise quiet neighborhood, which makes it easy for four children to sneak in on Halloween night and blend in with the trick or treaters. We soon learn that these children are seeking refuge from a man they call "The Cunning Man," but can these mysterious children be trusted?
It goes without saying but I fully recommend this one; it makes for a great Halloween read.

It's Halloween night in 1984. The neighborhood is all ready for trick or treat. Kids are in their costumes, the Barbosa's have their Hunted Woods display running, the Koenig's have the party started, but something evil lurks in the shadows. All Hallows night will never be the same for this neighborhood.
This book starts off slowly, introducing all the characters and their place in the neighborhood. It slowly reveals the conflicts and relationships between the characters, allowing for the intensity to build. When the creepy lost children appear, it really starts to get intriguing. Who are they? What do they want? You can feel that something is off and feel the danger that has arrived.
I enjoyed the buildup of the story and the character development. The plot was a bit creepy and embodied a sense of fear as you try to anticipate what might happen next. It gives you the sense of a horror flick, like Village of the Damned, but with a teenage tilt to it. I think the storyline was original and well thought out and would read more books by Christopher Golden.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

The only reason I tried so hard to finish reading this book was because it was a netgalley copy....I feel obligated when I receive it for review. There were so many characters and points of view, so many mundane chapters, that I was bored to tears. I had to force myself to keep reading to see how they were all connected. By about 30% of the book, and 2 weeks of my life gone, I just didn't care anymore. DNFing and accepting defeat, with my apologies to the publisher.

When reading the description, this book seemed like the perfect read for Halloween, yet it is being released in January. It is Halloween in this neighborhood and the Barbosa family is preparing to present their last haunted house to their fellow neighbors. Things do not go as planned as secrets are exposed and unusual guests show up. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? That's what I thought!

I expected to finish this in one sitting, but I found myself struggling to remain attentive because this book was a slow burn. The narration was confusing in the beginning due to all the characters that were being introduced. I had to switch between the ebook and the audiobook to push through but the half of the book really picked up and grasped my attention. While I appreciated knowing about the characters, their introductions and business took up most of the book and did not tie into the main plot at all. The concept was interesting, and I wish more information about why everything was happening in that way was provided. Was this annual or a "every 23 years" type of occurence. This would make a pretty decent movie on Tubi! I think my students might enjoy this more!

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for providing a free copy of the ebook and audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

I found All Hallows spooky and as things started to escalate the harder it become to put the book down. Perfect to read under the blankets on a cold night or to read again closer to Halloween.

There are the creepy woods, the setting for a Haunted forest attraction that one family has put together for a few years. This also happens to be the last Halloween they'll ever host this event.

Another family is dealing with all their dirty laundry being aired for all the neighbors to hear.

There are creepy children no one has ever seen before amongst the children of this neighborhood. They all appear to have this haunted look about them. And as the night wears on they begin to express fear of the cunning man. They ask to stay with the kids they've encountered.

When they start to show odd behavior and try to get them help they become agitated and aggressive.
Eventually being lured into a clearing in the woods where they might have to fight for their lives.

I just finished All Hallows by Christopher Golden and here is my review

It’s 1984 and Halloween night in massachusetts. The night begins like any other halloween until four kids appear out of thin air. They are all asking for help and they are all fleeing The cunning man.

While the lives of the people in the neighborhood are falling apart something else strange is happening. A clearing appears in the wood and a tree never seen before. Can the odd children that no one seems to know answer the questions being asked and can they keep the cunning man from getting what he so truly desires?

It’s a bit on the slow side for me. This does tend to be the case when you have a lot of POVs to introduce and build around so I wasn’t really surprised by this. I am not a massive fan of so many POVs but I do see why it needed to be done this way. Problem is you find yourself more drawn to certain characters than others and that makes reading the characters you don’t much care for…. Annoying.

The neighborhood is a mixed bag of people with their own problems and I enjoyed how real and raw that came across. It gave the book so real depth, the kind of depth you don’t usually find in a horror book. I did enjoy the underlying creep factor it had going for it but wasn’t as horror driven as I would have liked. The characters were a little unrealistic in places but honestly, I can overlook that for a good storyline.

I liked the atmosphere that was created in the way of the haunted woods and the 80s tone was definitely a plus. I wanted a bit more though.

I get what the book was trying to achieve and the concept was marvelous but I was a little disappoint in it and wanted more.


3.5 stars rounded to 4

Definitely worth the read if you are a fan of horror that gives you more than just the frights

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my review copy! Out now!

✨ Review ✨ All Hallows by Christopher Golden; Narrated by Ronnie Butler and January LaVoy

I've been trying to read more horror to experiment and see what I like (weirdly I hate watching horror but have been enjoying reading it??!?!), and this hit just the spot.

Focused in on a single neighborhood in Coventry, Massachusetts in 1984 on Halloween, the book follows the POV of kids and parents alike. Focusing especially on 3-4 families, over the course of this book, marriages unravel and lives are lost as spooky circumstances descend on this night of All Hallows.

While in audio this many POVs would often be overwhelming, the perspectives were added slowly enough (and tied to larger families?) in a way that I didn't feel uncomfortable tracing all the threads (at least after the first few chapters passed).

I loved the storyline and sense of impending doom that just flooded through these pages, especially with the haunted woods and the creepy mystery children in mystery costumes. This was a quick and fun haunted read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror
Location: a neighborhood in Massachusetts, 1984
Reminds me of: some low key Stranger Things vibes
Pub Date: out now!

Read this if you like:
⭕️ horror set on Halloween
⭕️ creepy kids and haunted woods
⭕️ 1980s vibes

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, OrangeSky Audio, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy and audio copy of this book!

I love that this book is set during Halloween, it is such a great day to choose for a spooky story!

The story flows well, sometimes I did get confused with all the characters in this story. Especially when it started to get crazy with odd things happening around town. I tried to keep up, but did get lost a couple times.

Christopher Golden really is a great writer. He pays attention to the details and makes a great spooky story feel real and immersive. If you read this and enjoy this one, definitely give . Road of Bones a try next...a perfect winter story.

Thank you #NetGalley for sending me #AllHallows by Christopher Golden.

I absolutely LOVED this book. There is an underlying tension through all of it. You know things are not going to go well and the author pulls no punches. If you were a kid in the early 80s, this will take you back to a time when kids Halloween was a time of parties and big neighborhood scares. Older kids would be able to trick or treat without adults tagging along. Parents had their own celebrations and didn’t try to live through the lives of their children or try to somehow hang on to their childhood like it was something you could keep in a box.

Evil comes out once a year. It seems it comes to different places. Once it is out, is has just a small window to get what it needs.

I found it to be a very satisfying ending, too. Which is sometimes hard for horror writers. Loved it all around.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Christopher Golden for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book started off on such a promising note for me! It had all the spooky feels I was looking for, I loved the creepy woods and the creepy children running around trick or treating…but once I got further into it there was just too much family drama going on. The book just dragged for me and took too long to get answers…so disappointed because I had such high hopes for this one!

Revisiting the year I was born in the form of a nostalgic Halloween read? Hell yes. It's 1984 and Halloween night. For the neighborhood families in Coventry the night of tricks and treats is about to get a whole lot more horrific.

The story is told from multiple POVs. There is actually a good bit in the beginning that I had to get accustomed too before I got into the flow of who was who. Once that kicks off we start deep diving into the sins of the neighbors. Everything from kidnapping and doing unmentionable things to kids to adultery, alcoholism and then some.

The atmosphere is thick with tension and a sinister feeling continually creeps along the edges until the evil that comes to town is revealed. The atmosphere and gore are probably some of my favorites aspects.

The narrative flows well but I felt some of the plot points were either too quick or glossed over at times. I wouldve enjoyed more history on the Cunning Man. In general, the why of it all felt missing. I personally think less POVs and family drama with more focus on All Hallows and the haunts would've made the storyline even stronger.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed this novel. It has tons of horror elements that I look for. Plus the POVs of the younger generation in this book were some of my favorites to read. The descriptive writing is everything I love when it comes to the creepy and gorey scenes. Literal spine tingles from the authors vivid narrative.

Thank you St Martins Press for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review! All thoughts are my own. True rating 3.5/5.

"𝑩𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆." -𝑪𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒚 𝑮𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒅, "𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑵𝒐 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔"

All Hallows by Christopher Golden centers around one neighborhood in Massachusetts and readers take a journey with multiple neighbors and their POV on Halloween night 1984. There are profound family secrets, dark rumors about the new neighbors, and unknown children wearing spooky vintage costumes that no one seems to know. They all claim to be hiding from someone. That someone is The Cunning Man.

Thank you @stmartinspress and Christopher Golden for the #gifted copy. I was given a free eARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion

TW ⚠️
Too many to list

𝘐 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠𝘌𝘋...
• The atmosphere and energy. I'll be honest, I wasn't alive in 1984 but I do remember simpler times when children could wander the neighborhood without their parents fearing the worst.
• The multiple POVs in this book are done well. Golden wrote each character's point of view distinctly.
• The diverse cast of characters includes different minority groups and LGBT reps.

𝘐 𝘏𝘈𝘋 𝘈 𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘋 𝘛𝘐𝘔𝘌 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏...
• Once the action initiates it builds at a fast pace and by the end, there are so many happenings that it is slightly overwhelming.

𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘈𝘓𝘓...
This was a fantastic horror story and it certainly has been a long time since I've enjoyed one so thoroughly.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲
🎃 The tv show Stranger Things.
🎃 Suburban Drama
🎃 Children of the Corn movie
🎃 The Strangers movie
🎃 Halloween scares

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 (7.57/10 CAWPILE)

All Hallows will sink it's claws in you. There are so many different perspectives that at times it can be a little confusing. However, it is so well written that it doesn't matter. I was not expecting who the actual villain was in this story and I loved finding out at the end.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) 1984 Halloween night. One neighborhood is simultaneously falling apart and enthusiastically celebrating Halloween.

From multiple POV, we see families falling apart, racial discrimination, and more. Add in that it’s the night of Halloween and it’s the perfect mixture for chaos.

“Nothing could stay perfect, but if you were lucky and diligent, you could steal a few perfect moments in your life.”

This definitely had a Stranger Things vibe due to the time period but also the characters. We get to know quite a few, which was a lot to keep track of. However, once I started taking notes I found myself connecting them all and remembering their stories. One part I loved was the multiple POV. Multiple POV can be difficult! The characters were introduced well, presenting a great connection to the story. But I really loved that the POV added in the opposing view. Not only did we hear from the kids and parents, but the “villains” also. That is what I’m here for!

Sadly, this one did not instill fear. I kept waiting for the creepy feeling (that’s why we read horror, right?) but never did feel it. Bodies were piling up, children were being taken, families were being torn apart and I still felt nothing. I believe this is due to changing the POV so often. I didn’t get enough into each side of the story before it changed again. Once again, I loved the multiple POV, but I wonder if that was the downfall for my lack of fear. So while it fell short in the scary factor, it was still a fun read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

This book will hit all the right notes for a spooky season read.

Admittedly, it was a bit hard to get in the mood in January when I picked it up, but it's a good one for any horror lover.

One aspect I really enjoyed about this book is that much of it felt like a neighborhood drama (which I love). Everyone knew everyone's business, there were lots of fake and shady people, and oh so much drama.

With all of the narrators, we really got to know several families which added a lot to the story. Once I got the characters and families straight, it was easy to form connections and get invested in their lives. Then Golden has to go and STRESS us out with everything that unfolds and all they face!

Golden is a master at crafting his language to put the ultimate shock and stress on his readers! At first, I had to reread parts as the gore and horror began as I would read a page and think to myself, wait, did that just happen? Golden snuck in bits of theatrics that were easy to miss but fear not gore lovers, as the plot thickens, the violence and scare factors are also increased.

Once the horror aspect of the story got started, the pace really picked up, but this didn't happen until about 3/4 of the way through. Some pieces of the plot felt a little familiar and predictable, but overall, this was definitely a unique read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this novel. Make sure it's on your list for Halloween!

3.75 stars rounded up.

I really enjoyed this creepy Halloween themed book! The setting of the town surrounded by the woods on Halloween night was perfect. It reminded me why I will never be a fan of camping or spending time outdoors at night! The multiple points of view were great, though I have to admit that in the beginning, it felt like a lot of characters to keep track of. The kids were super creepy. Scary children will get me almost every time! Overall, an entertaining read!

The darkness wrapped the woods in its embrace, squeezing every last bit of life from the branches. A cold seeped in bringing a dreadful eerie tone. Rot bubbled from the ground, expelling a nauseating scent of decay and death. Creatures slowly revealed their hiding places and watched as those entering screamed in terror.

All Hallows is a horror taking place on Halloween in the 80s. It follows a large cast of characters who all live in a neighborhood and are getting reading for Halloween, but this Halloween will be a nightmare.

This is what I love about horror. This book was such a scary good time! As I stated above, there is a huge cast of characters to follow and each chapter is told from someone in the neighborhoods perspective. It was a little confusing at first, but it all tied together well. I do wish the neighborhood drama would have taken more of a backseat and the story stay focused even more on the horror/thrasher vibe, because that’s what I was loving. But overall this was the perfect read for Halloween and I have no idea why this book was published in January.

If you’re looking for 80s Halloween nostalgia, neighborhood horror, and slasher vibes, then I highly recommend picking this book up!

This one didn't really work for me, unfortunately. I found it difficult to get into, and the characters (especially the female characters) didn't have a lot of depth. I liked the concept of following different people around a creepy Hallowe'en season, but I wound up deciding not to finish reading.