This was a pleasant surprise. I’m not usually one for short stories as I never feel like I get enough time in each one. These were all well thought out and unique ideas. I don’t know that they were very scary but I liked the execution nonetheless.

This collection of short stories was truly what I needed to not only get me in the Halloween spirit, but also as a palate cleanser. I'm not one for short stories, but these were such a ride!

Dark, horrifying, twisty, and even a bit dystopian, these short stories are perfect for those looking for a quick thrill. Tudor created such atmospheric stories with characters who had me invested in the short amount of time I got to know them. Some of these stories had some pretty good twists, too!

Honorable mentions for these stories: Runaway Blues, Gloria, Final Course, and Dust. These reminded me of why I read Tudor's work in the first place. Just too good. 😮‍💨🤌🏻

Many thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and C.J. Tudor for my e-ARC of A Sliver of Darkness in exchange for my honest review.

While I wouldn't say these are straight up horror books, they were creepy and weird. End of the Line and the story with the Butterflies were a couple of my favorites in this book, I would have happily read more about each of them. I really enjoyed the way C.J Tudor had an introduction to each of the stories, and I really enjoy the way they were written. I can't wait to see what she will write next!

I confess I'm not much of a short story fan. But C. J. Tudor is certainly trying to change my mind with her A Sliver of Darkness. These are excellent shorts. I also enjoyed her giving the reader a little background on each of the stories. I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine for an early copy to review.

I love short story collections but have never read one of this genre. Maybe I should start, because I enjoyed this collection by Tudor. Each story weren't too long or too short and had just the right amount of thrill and darkness. Like all short story collections, some stood out more than others. There were 11 stories in all. My favourites were 'The Block', 'Runaway Blues', 'Final Course' and 'Butterfly Island', which I hope will expand into a novella one day.

The Block: An abondoned building, known to the locals as "the Block", caught the attention of a group of teenagers. What started off as a challenge, ended up with the whole gang being trapped in it and as always with teeangers, chaos ensued. Although ending wasn't unexpected, I kind of liked it.

Runaway Blues: This one, according to the author, was inspired by one of the songs from My Chemical Romance. It was eerie and gave me the chills. I loved the tone of the story and how sinister it was. A couple frequented a bar called Blue Flamingo. There they met a talented young man, known to everyone as the Fat Man, whose voice captured everyone's heart, including the couple. Things took a dark turn when a headless body of a woman was found, The couple suspected it had something to do with the Fat Man.

The Final Course: Woah. This one, dark dark dark, just the way I like it. Father and daughter were invited to a reunion part of the father's friends. They accepted it as they needed to get out of the city where things were getting worse, with all the riots, looting and burning of cars. They thought they had finally found a safe place to live - a large house and land with lots of potential to start anew. But things started to get sinister when they found out the truth behind the invitation.

Some other stories which I thought had a lot of potential, but fell a little short on its impact, that feeling that lingers after reading it, were 'I'm Not Ted' and 'The Copy Shop'. I liked what 'I'm Not Ted' tried to say and the 'lighter, funny' side of 'The Copy Shop', but something in them was lacking, and I just couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.

I think, overall, what made the stories more interesting were the author's introduction to each of them, giving it some sort of a background story and what inspired it. A great read for those who enjoy short stories.

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A very readable collection of short stories. It starts off really strong with End of the Liner (which I've already started recommending), The Block, and Runaway Blues, but the endings to some of the other stories (like Butterfly Island) don't hit as hard. Most feature in some way the dread of a coming apocalypse or the ambivalence of already having lived through one, so the whole collection feels cohesive. It's a good selection of Tudor's strengths, which are secretly awful characters who are hiding even from themselves, mysteries that you have to wait for the narrator to solve for you because goddamn it they knew all along, and terrifying plots. I just wish the endings were more consistently amazing.

I’m normally not a short story fan, but I am a CJ Tudor fan and I enjoyed reading her short stories. They were creepy, innovative and perfect entering October. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for a chance to read this collection!

I really enjoyed these short stories. The authors novels are wonderful and the short stories also reflect the talent and imagination shown in the novels.

A beautiful, chilling collection of stories. Love all her novels and really enjoyed this short story collection. Particularly liked the forwards that detailed the story genesis. Haven’t felt that connected to an author since reading Harlan Ellison in my teens. Looking forward to what she comes up with next.

Highly recommended.

This was exactly what I needed to get me into spooky season! The short stories were creepy and dystopian, and kept me turning the pages. One of them really creeped me out and I had to try to not think about it at bedtime, because it was keeping me up! I was missing having a novel by this author this year, so this was a very pleasant surprise! Can’t wait to read her next one!

A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of short stories by author CJ Tudor, all delightfully dark and creepy! Some of the stories have a Twilight Zone vibe to them; others are end-of-of-the-world themed, and all are twisty and spooky, ending with a moral thrown in to live (or die) by. There are ten stories, all quick and enjoyable reads, and they’re sure to satisfy fans until the next book. Great idea! I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just “meh” for me. It only got 3 stars because I have liked the author in the past. For me, short stories can be quite boring. I rarely find them interesting and this was sort of the case with this book. They aren’t bad; they’re just not my cup of tea. The first one with the cruise ship was interesting, though … but it left so many questions!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the short story collection overall. Some of the short stories were better than the others and some of the short stories I wished were full books. This was well-written and all the stories were interesting. The Block and The Copy Shop were my two favorite stories from the collection. The End of the Liner and Butterfly Island I wish were longer. Then for me, I'm not Ted was my least favorite. All the other stories I really enjoyed overall.
I would definitely recommend this short story collection to my friends and family.

As somebody who reads full on bookks and not a book full of stories, I'm happy to report that I have officially found something new that I like. It was different in a really good way, as it each story was short and to the point and just like a book, it grabbed my attention and I wanted to read it. The only downfall I found to short stories is that it leaves me with the wanting for more. I highly recommend to anybody who is hitting that reading slump to give a book of short stories a chance because they will help you over that hurdle. As for this book, I don't think 5 stars is enough, as I wish I could rate each and every story individually. C.J. Tudor did an amazing job of channeling Stephen King in her stories, it was almost like reading a Stephen King book. She has a way with words that sink their claws into you and keeps ahold of you until the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC of this in retrurn for an honest review.

While i am not normally a fan of short stories, I am a fan of this author and these stories didn't disappoint Interesting, disturbing, scary at times. And was glad to see some insight into the creation of them.

I am a big Tudor fan and while I didn’t love this set of short stories- they were still very enjoyable. I’m excited to see what comes next from her. An author who can write amazing novels and short stories is an auto buy and read author for me!

My wish was granted for this latest book by CJ Tudor. This book is a collection of 11 short stories and she knows how to do it right. I received a complimentary copy of this book and all opinions expressed are my own.

There’s nothing better than learning what makes your favorite author’s mind tick!

CJ Tudor has long been a favorite author of psychological horror novels. I have enjoyed all of her books and couldn’t wait to get my hands on her new collection of short stories.

A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of eleven dark and disturbing short stories created after her last book didn’t quite make the cut. She includes some stories that she had previously written, but had not yet published, as well as a few new ones. As a bonus, she explains how the ideas were born before each story. This part fascinated me!

Also found in this story collection are some familiar characters from Tudor’s previous books. She mentions that she might even make a few of these into a longer book!

Themes of the apocalypse, mental illness, thwarted love, and revenge are explored in the most macabre manner.

“The problem with darkness was, once you let it in, it lurked in the corners of your mind, filling them with shadows.”

While I usually prefer to read full length books, I devoured this collection in less than two days. Additionally, it’s rare that I enjoy all of the stories in a collection, but these were fantastic!

End of the Liner 4.5/5
The block 4/5
Runaway Blues 4/5
The Completion 3/5
The lion at the gate 3/5
Gloria 3.5/5
I’m Not Ted 4/5
The Copy Shop 4.5/5
Final course 5/5
Dust 4/5
Butterfly Island 4/5

My favorites in the collection were Final course, End of the Liner, and The Copy Shop.

If you are a fan of psychological horror (Catriona Ward fans I’m talking to you), A Sliver of Darkness is a must read!

I can’t wait to read her next full length book, The Drift, which will be published in January 2023. Thank goodness I don’t have long to wait!

4/5 stars

Expected publication date: 11/8/22

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of A Sliver of Darkness in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, this is totally on me, but I didn't realize this was a collection of short stories. I really enjoyed "The Chalk Man" and was hoping this would be another full, engrossing novel! When I read the prologue stating that this was a collection of stories, I was bummed. However, I was able to find some short stories I truly enjoyed, which is rare. Usually I hate short stories, but Tudor has a way of capturing your mind!

Perfect for Halloween; creepy, bizarre, funny, dystopian. I love short stories and horror, and this book provides a satisfying collection of mystery, horror, suspense, and humor. And the writing is wonderful.