⭐⭐.5

I was so stoked when I got this one on NetGalley and instantly knew I had to read it for the spooky season. I read it a few days before Halloween - expecting it to set me in the spooky mood - but unfortunately, there were some moments I didn’t love.

This anthology consists of eight stories (technically ten):

1) From Pumpkin to Jack-o-lantern ~ ⭐⭐
I am a bit confused as to why this was the first story. I feel like it didn’t set the spooky mood and was honestly not the right start. It’s a short non-fiction story about how to grow pumpkins and turn them into Jack-O-Lanterns. This was definitely intended for a younger audience.

2) Moonlit Hunt ~ ⭐⭐⭐
This was a super quick story - less than a page - but I did enjoy it and it was a bit creepy.

3) Pumpkin Hollow ~ ⭐⭐.5
This story had a super interesting premise - a young woman named Penny gets an invitation to a Halloween festival and invites four others to go with her. When they get there, they realize there’s something more sinister going on. I wanted to love this one really badly, it started out super promising but I felt like it was too rushed and it took a route I didn’t enjoy.

4) Vampire Gourd ~ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I actually enjoyed the uniqueness of this story, a man who is very invested in his gardening. It started out super promising and I was so invested in the gory and blood it had. I enjoyed this story and it definitely set the mood, I liked the way it was written and the route it took.

5) Nasty Old B!tch ~ ⭐⭐⭐
Can I just say I love this title - this one was a bit weird and unbelievable, but it was still worth the read. There were some humorous moments I enjoyed. This is one that's super complicated to talk about without giving spoilers away so all I’ll say is… it was very far-fetched, but it was still enjoyable if you suspend your beliefs.

6) Flock of Badb ~ ⭐⭐⭐.5
This one had a super likable character. I was very entertained reading about Wilhelmina Lee - who has been told her family is cursed and she’ll turn into a raven when she turns 21. It was super unique and there were some funny moments. She goes through some grieving moments and some mean things are said to her.

7) Alone on Halloween ~ ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
This one was definitely my favorite out of all these stories. It started out super promising and kept me intrigued the whole time. We follow Nick, who is very into Halloween and his secrets. Some twists had me shocked and I wasn’t expecting some of them. This one definitely had me more excited and gave me a spooky atmosphere. I enjoyed Nick’s character, my only downside is the lack of his backstory. I had unanswered questions that I wish were answered.

8) Dance of Masks and Fire The Witchfinder’s Shadow ~ ⭐⭐⭐
This is probably the one I would consider to be a horror read out of all the others. I don’t really like reading witchy books as I just don’t care for the stories. This one had super interesting moments with reference to horror stories. Unfortunately, I didn’t care too much for them and the story was just okay.

9) Trick or Treat: Once Upon a Hunter’s Moon ~ ⭐⭐
I struggled reading this one as it had many typos, I usually try to ignore them in ARCs, but it was really difficult to read and care for this story. There were name changes that had me so confused. This one had such huge potential, but unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to read and the story was very well developed.

10) The Halloween Seances ~ ⭐⭐
I was really intrigued by this one - four friends together on Halloween decide to do a seance. It was difficult to get into the writing style and I found myself wanting to get through it quickly. It's the last story so I just wanted to finish the book. I think this was a letdown to finish off the anthology.

Overall, some of these stories were super interesting but unfortunately, most of them were a bit disappointing. I was expecting this to be the perfect Halloween read with so many short stories, but there were so many issues with a bunch of them. I appreciate all these authors and the stories they wrote, but I was expecting more from the stories. While none of them were five stars my favorite was definitely Alone For Halloween.

Thank you Dreampunk Press and NetGalley for my e-ARC, all thoughts are my own!

This is one of the creepest collection of short stories for the halloween season. Anyone who loves a scary story needs to read this book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

Spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

---

What can I say? Meh. This collection was not cohesive at all. It started off with a nonfiction piece, moved onto flash, then onto short stories. I feel that this is likely to turn off casual readers, and that the nonfiction piece didn't really fit - maybe it would have been better as an intro. Some of the stories were much better than others, as with any anthology, but this one just felt...slapdash to me. There was nothing tying it all together for me. And it wasn't spooky, so this gets a 2.5 from me.

---

Again, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great but there were a few flaws. Two short story exceeded, vampire guards and pumpkin hollow. I give each of those 5/5 stars. Awsome books
The others were not so great though, they were messy and not put together. I was left wanting more.

Blame it on the Pumpkin

This book could have been so fun, but it just fell short. Seems a little discombobulated and the grammar wasn’t great.

I really wanted to enjoy this collection of short stories given that spooky season was upon us. While there were some decent ideas in here none came together well enough in my opinion. The writing and grammar was dreadful the whole way through, it's like it was just slapped together with no proof reading whatsoever. Some of the writers were better than others.. marginally. Very disappointing

Blame it on the pumpkin

A Halloween anthology series that just fell short for me. I think it’s because of the first story a non fiction story about pumpkins. I think that threw the tone of the book of for me. Out of the 8 stories Pumpkin Hollow and Alone on Halloween were my favorite. I really wanted to love this book, it just wasn’t the book for me. 3 stars

This is a neat little selection of spooky stories for Halloween. My enjoyment varied depending on each story, if I'm being totally honest, but there is enough good stuff to warrant a read. 3.5 stars

I’ve recently discovered a love for short story collections but this one didn’t hit the spot for me sadly. I didn’t really get most of them, a couple were ok though. The language used in to in particular I found really jarring. Just not for me.

Like many other reviewers, I agree this anthology is a good starting point for anyone who's just beginning to read horror. There were a few stories I really liked but for the most part many of them didn't hit for me. I am an avid horror reader though so that could definitely be part of the reason why I didn't enjoy this as much as I had anticipated. It was a cute easy read for spooky season.

not my cup of tea but I think this would be a great book for someone just getting into the horror genre and wanted a easy quick read to start with

I really felt that the stories really lacked the cohesiveness generally found in these kinds of anthologies. I really did somewhat like a couple of the stories, however there were a few that I just did not really understand the reason for. I just wish there would have been more balance. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

First of all, I love pumpkins, what halloweenie doesn't so the title immediatley caught my attention, it sounded like a fun spooky read!. The stories were quite short so I read it in one sitting, I expected it to be a little more on the spooky side but I enjoyed it nevertheless, I'd say its YA but on the much younger end of that audience, my favourite of the short stories was Vampire Gourd. I think maybe the first story could put people off slightly as its nonfiction so it may cause confusion (I was a little confused) I thought it was great as a quick halloween read but thought the title and description is slightly misleading.

loved these spooky stories they were great for the run up to Halloween.
The good thing is though they can be read all year round.
I would really recommend it for a campfire read with marshmallows.

I'd like to say thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book.
This was a fun read for Halloween. The stories were interesting but they were definitely not scary, maybe a little spooky. This is for sure a middle grade horror and not ya, so it's more suitable for younger readers.

This book was ok. It wasn’t terrible and it wasn’t strong. The writing was mediocre and the stories were alright but not overly compelling or interesting. The first story on the collection was a bit weird and I’m not really sure why it was included and honestly almost made me DNF. If I had to pick a “favourite” it would be Vampire Gourd. All in all, it was just ok. Not much more I can say really

Blame it on the Pumpkin - multiple contributors.

This book was a mixed bag, some good some shockingly bad stories, some didn’t seem quite finished just ended abruptly. One reminded me very much of one of my favourite films so it wasn’t all bad.

I also enjoy reading spooky short story collections around Halloween and I was excited to get my teeth into this one. However, I think that I expected a little too much out of this one as I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Some stories felt out of place, and many were quote underwhelming.

Yet I do understand that this was aimed at younger readers and it could do well as a good way to get into the mood for Halloween. Overall, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I love a book of short spooky stories right before Halloween,but this was not that.
I have no idea what I was reading but I did not enjoy any of these stories. Sorry, but I suggest a hard pass of I were you.
Still, thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Whenever I see a spooky short story book, I always get so excited and this was no different. Blame it on the Pumpkin, however, definately surprised me. It starts off with a non fiction and then a flash fiction, both of which are new to me when reading anthologies.

I did have some dislikes of a few of the stories but overall had a good time with reading them. Pumpkin Hollow is my favorite by far. I think this would be a great read for YA!

Thank you to NetGalley and the authors for this copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!