I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just so-so for me. There were a lot of characters to follow. Some I would confuse with others. The storyline was okay but it didn’t really grab me or scare me too much.

I do like the narrators. They did an okay job. They didn’t really differentiate the character voices much which makes it a bit easier to follow. That might have helped.

This isn’t my typical genre, so maybe someone that likes horror might like it better than I did.

Halloween Night, 1984, Coventry, Massachusetts. We're taken through the lives of the families that occupy a single neighborhood street for one night and catch glimpses into the domestic dramas and stirrings that comprise their days all with a supernatural...something...lurking in the shadows.

.ALL HALLOWS held so much promise for me, but ultimately, I think the overall book was too divided for any one character, family, or plot to firmly cement in my mind.

I really think this book would have worked better as a short story or only giving us one character's perspective as a solo occurrence instead of jumping back and forth and returning to specific POVs throughout the book. This divided attention also detracts from the overall setting, nostalgia, and "kids on bikes" feels I was hoping for. I honestly kept forgetting that I was reading a story set in the 1980s, and not in a good way. Perhaps most upsetting of all is that when the supernatural elements start to manifest and become more apparent, I was so focused on trying to keep the suburban drama straight that I almost didn't care what happened to these characters that were at risk of becoming formless in my mind. Overall, the book starts strong, but by about the halfway mark, I was almost 100% uninvested anymore. Mileage may vary on that assessment, but I think there wasn't enough careful formatting decisions to bring this concept into port.

I will say that the audiobook narrator was excellent and did an admirable job trying to make the myriad characters distinct.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a gratis audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

"All Hallows" by Christopher Golden attempts to blend horror, mystery, and historical fiction into a supernatural tale set in a quaint New England town during Halloween. While the premise holds promise, the execution leaves much to be desired, resulting in a disappointing reading experience.

The novel follows a group of characters who uncover dark secrets buried within their town's history, intertwined with eerie occurrences that escalate as Halloween approaches. Golden introduces intriguing elements of folklore and supernatural phenomena, but fails to fully capitalize on them. The plot meanders and lacks coherence, making it difficult for readers to stay engaged.

Character development is another weak point in "All Hallows." The protagonists feel underdeveloped and stereotypical, lacking depth or compelling motivations. Their interactions often feel contrived, with dialogue that fails to resonate authentically. As a result, it's challenging to invest emotionally in their fates or connect with their struggles.

Moreover, the pacing of the novel is inconsistent. While there are moments of tension and suspense, they are undercut by prolonged periods of exposition and repetitive descriptions. The narrative flow suffers from unnecessary detours and distractions, diluting the impact of the story's supposed climactic moments.

The prose itself is serviceable but lacks the evocative language or atmospheric quality needed to create a truly immersive experience. Descriptions are often mundane, failing to capture the eerie ambiance that is crucial for a successful horror novel set during Halloween.

Ultimately, "All Hallows" falls short of its potential as a gripping supernatural thriller. Despite its intriguing premise and occasional flashes of creativity, the novel is weighed down by its unfocused plot, underdeveloped characters, and lackluster prose. Readers seeking a more compelling exploration of horror and mystery would be better served looking elsewhere.

All Hallows; A Novel by Christopher Golden was not for me, personally. I am still thankful that I got to read this! I am not sure if I will read anything else from this author again. I guess time will tell!

*NetGalley review*

3.5 Stars. I honestly wasn't sure what to make of this one. Yes, I did get Stranger Things vibes. Yes, I found it pretty creepy. But it took about 75% of the way through the book before it picked up and something actually happened. There was quite a bit of family drama along the way, which I'm normally okay with, but I don't think was necessary in this book. I generally enjoy books with multiple POVs and I understand why this book needed that, but there was too much going on amongst characters. I spent the beginning of almost every chapter trying to remember who this character was and how their last chapter ended off. Creep factor was there, but everything else was not. Thank you to NetGalley, OrangeSky Audio, and Christopher Golden for the opportunity to listen to All Hallows in exchange for an honest review.

This was a slow build folk horror that took its time introducing a varied cast of characters and allowing the reader to see into their mundane lives on Halloween night in 1984. I really appreciated the way the narrative was structured, with each chapter being told from a different character's perspective. This enhanced the small town feeling of the setting and successfully showed how the interactions between a group of people can be both wholesome and utterly depraved at the same time. The horror here is more about a building dread - a knowledge that some of these people that we've come to know and like aren't going to make it to the end of the night - and then waiting to see how the culmination of the dread will play out. There is plenty of gore towards the latter stages of the book, but I wouldn't call this an action packed narrative. If you like the small town setting and get on board with the characters then I definitely think you'll enjoy this - I did.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love horror and, while this is a classical horror story and a perfect Halloween read, I was pulled more into the neighborhood drama and family relationships more than into the growing terror and supernatural threat in the woods. I don't know if this is good or bad - I will say it makes it a good choice for those who want to try horror or a spooky read but are really into fiction for the characters, their growth and drama. It has a Stephen King / Stanger Things vibe with multiple characters, ages, and story lines, and set in the 80s. It's easy to recommend to readers looking for that. A good narration, too

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audio reader audio copy of this book .I generally like twisty psychological thrillers and horror, but this book fell flat. Trying to copy Slender Man or any number of scary man in woods stories, was not a good idea. There are too many really good stories like that in the horror genre. I did enjoy the twist mixing the scary people in with the neighborhood kids on Halloween, but only enough to warrant 2.5 stars (rounded to 3).

This was one of the first books I read this year and wow. It did not disappoint. A master class in storytelling, Christopher Golden really hits with the emotional impact in this one. I loved the way that each chapter was a different character so you got to spend time with them, I loved the way the dread just kept building. Chilling and haunting this book is incredible. Once I got to the halfway point of this book I didn't want to put it down because I needed to know where it was going to take me. This is a PERFECT read for Halloween and autumn.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The book focuses on Coventry, Massachusetts, Halloween night, 1984, specifically Parmenter Road. As the night progresses families begin to fall apart and children begin to appear. While there is an overall air of suburban strife, menace begins to creep in.
The story was interesting, but it felt like the author took too much time to work up to everything. While interpersonal relationships are important for building suspense and making the reader care, the author put too much in. The story would have benefited from a more focused cast and point of view.

Great narrators, especially January Levoy of whom I am a long time fan.


This is more 3.5 stars for me. It's a solid horror with staples such as creepy children, family drama, exposed secrets and a bogeyman (who is more than he seems). I didn't find it scary but I really do appreciate the effort put into the characters and the way the mundane internal arcs mirror the outer supernatural arcs. A decent read, perfect for spooky season.

Stranger Things fans rejoice! It’s Halloween night in a 1984 Massachusetts town and while the neighborhood is getting ready for parties and trick or treating, two families are falling apart. Something is happening at the creepy house down the street and some kids are investigating.

There were a lot of characters, and each chapter was told from a different perspective. The story was often slow, and while creepy, the big scares I was expecting never came. Also...WHY...why was this book released in January? This would have hit differently around the Halloween season! This book had a lot of potential and had great writing, but slightly missed the mark with plot and character development.

This audiobook is a great work of historical fantasy. It follows one street's residents on a particularly memorable Halloween night in 1984. Relationships explode, new connections are formed, and the supernatural leaks through into an otherwise normal town. There was a lot of suspense and a good amount of mystery in this book. I enjoyed it as a winter read but I think it would be totally stellar during Hallomonth!

This one I had great expectation about, it did begin interesting with all the characters and a little dread here and there, but fast enough it became monotonous, and that is a shame, I think it did have a few redeemable qualities in the plot, I mean it let you guessing what's going on with these children, but all the drama with the parents and such it took so much potential for me.

Horror it´s about the dread of something coming or something happening, but the drama going on didn´t made anything for me really, mostly got me bored and let me asking myself if something really was going to happen.

I could recommend it for people that loves drama stories and don´t get deterred by a very slow pace.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the candy, costumes and screams of joy and terror. Id decorate for it all year if it wasn’t frowned upon by my neighbors. So of course I had to read All Hallows by Christopher Golden.
Golden transports us back to October, and the magic of Halloween. But not just any Halloween, it’s Halloween in the 1980s. This was my childhood. We had homemade costumes made with stray crafting supplies, or store bought uncomfortable plastic masks that you were forced to smell your own breath in. We didn’t use pillowcases to get our candy, we had hard plastic pumpkins that filled up after one block of scavenging. Golden captured my Halloweens in this book, but also revealed my nightmares.
What if there were real monsters trick or treating with unsuspecting children. How would you be able to tell? Some costumes are so believable, the look real. In this book, those little monsters are horrible and blood thirsty. It’s a scartastic delight of horror.
I flew through this book, I couldn’t stop listening to it! the story is fast paced, but the narrator didn’t make it feel like it was being rushed. I loved the voices, and uniqueness it gave each character. I especially enjoyed the voices of the little demons, lol. It added an extra creepy feel to the story.
Celebrate Halloween all year, with All Hallows. It’s worth the terror.

A creepy Halloween stuff set in 1984?! Yes please! I thought this book sounded SO GOOD. But unfortunately this over feel a little flat for me. Or war very chaotic, hard to follow and had too many narrators. This book is full of creepy stories, chilling people, intense scares, lots of chaos, and too much death.

Read if you enjoy:
• the 80s
• creepy stories
• thriller / horror
• secrets

I read this book as an audiobook, and I did think the audiobook itself was done well, even if the story confused me at times. I'm not sure why this book wasn't released in October! It's definitely a perfect spooky season read. I think a lot of people will enjoy this one, even if this wasn't the book for me.

I predict that All Hallows will be on Halloween lists everywhere this year! The audio is creepiness at its best. I was actually listening to it at one point while I was home alone in the shower, and I had to turn it off and listen to a rom-com, because it's just that creepy! I loved it. There are a lot of characters with fairly short chapters, and so i was glad that I also had a physical copy to refer to, just to keep myself straight, but audio is the way to go if you love a good fireside scary story! Thanks for the opportunity to listen and review.

It's Halloween 1984 on Parmenter Road and dark secrets are haunting its residents. On the surface things seem fine, typical middle-class appearances, but there's the rampant infidelity of one husband, the financial troubles of another, the mysterious background of a couple without any children of their own, and, of course, there's also some creepy children hiding from The Cunning Man. With secrets dividing neighbors and a supernatural threat looming, how many people will survive this night?

All Hallows is atmospheric and chilling, but I don't think the promise of the beginning survived as the story developed and twists were less than surprising. A fun read, but not exceptional. I also wonder why this novel didn't come out in the fall, a much more fitting time period.

The audiobook was performed well with dual narration representing the many characters in an effective manner.

Twisted and bizarre, a thoroughly good story told with just the right amount of horror without making one scream too loudly.

Rating: 4 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Cover: 4/5
-Story: 4/5
-Writing: 4/5
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. It was a pretty good book and the horror was pretty good as well. I wouldn't really compare it to Stranger Things in any kind of way. Just because it was set in the 80s doesn't mean they are on the same level. It doesn't really give much nostalgia.

Besides that, the creepy kids that show up? A+. Love them. The regular kids were pretty okay as well. It was kind of slow burned at the beginning but really picked up once everyone was introduced and such. The only real negative about the book was the ending and one of the couples. Honestly it was so unsatisfying.