Thank you to NetGalley for the ability to read the darkest nights. I always find it difficult to rate and review a bunch of stories in one book, but I couldn’t not request this!

Some of my favorite horror authors had stories provided in this and knowing their amazing writing abilities, I had to read them as soon as possible.

Not all of the stories in this book were amazing to me, but I will admit, they definitely gave you the eerie factor you look for in a horror story, and the fact that their short and sweet makes it easy to get through quickly. I was able to see new horror authors to me and I look forward to looking more into their work.

Of the 22 stories provided in the book, there’s no surprise my favorites were by Nat Cassidy, Rachel Harrison and Darcy Coates. They are already authors I’m fond of and know I love their writing. They just bring this extra creep factor that just makes me want to read everything they’ve ever written.

The stories were all so unique and interesting to read, I think if you’re a horror reader, you should give these stories a try!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Lindy Ryan for sending me an early access to The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories, edited by Lindy Ryan, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I gave this collection a 3.75 ⭐ rating.

What called out to me at first was the amount of familiar and beloved names within the horror genre in a single collection. Authors with many different styles and ways of diving into the genre. What ended up being a plus was how I started viewing the celebrations around the end of the year. Although I can't relate these holidays and winter, since I live in the Southern Hemisphere, the anthology still felt quite appropriate (even if by December I'm mostly going through heat waves and have never seen snow).

As it's bound to happen with short story collections, I liked some better than I did others and I will list below my rating for each one. But, I would like to draw attention to Nice, by Nat Cassidy and Bruiser, by Jamie Flanagan. Those two were my absolute favorites and the ones I gave 5 stars to. Finally, adding a shout out to Children aren't the only ones who know where the presents are hidden, by Josh Malerman, The Body of Lenora James, by Stephanie M. Wytovich, I Hope This Finds You Well, by Eric LaRocca, Father's Last Christmas, by Lee Murray, Wintry Blue, by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, Carol of the Hells, by Kelsea Yu, Eggnog, by Kristi DeMeester, and Being Nice, by Jeff Strand.

I'm very excited to check out books from authors I wasn't familiar with before!

Individual ratings following the order the stories appear in the collection:
01. The Mouthless Body In The Lake, by Gwendolyn Kiste: 3.5 ⭐
02. Cold as Ice, by Tim Waggoner: 2.5 ⭐
03. Children aren't the only ones who know where the presents are hidden, by Josh Malerman: 4.5 ⭐
04. The Vermin Moon, by Hailey Piper: 3 ⭐
05. The Body of Lenora James, by Stephanie M. Wytovich: 4.5 ⭐
06. Mr. Butler, by Clay McCleod Chapman: 3.5 ⭐
07. Feast of Grey, by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks: 2 ⭐
08. I Hope This Finds You Well, by Eric LaRocca: 4 ⭐
09. The Buried Child, by M. Rickert: 3 ⭐
10. Father's Last Christmas, by Lee Murray: 4 ⭐
11. The Warmth of Snow, by Cynthia Pelayo: 3.5 ⭐
12. Wintry Blue, by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon: 4 ⭐
13. Carol of the Hells, by Kelsea Yu: 4.5 ⭐
14. Full of Toys, by Jessica McHugh: 2 ⭐
15. Nice, by Nat Cassidy: 5 ⭐
16. Thaw, by Rachel Harrison: 3.75 ⭐
17. Candy Cane, by Thomas Hutson: 3.5 ⭐
18. Eggnog, by Kristi DeMeester: 4 ⭐
19. Threads of Epiphany, by Sara Tantlinger: 3 ⭐
20. The Ladies' Society for the Dead, by Darcy Coates: 3.75 ⭐
21. Being Nice, by Jeff Strand: 4 ⭐
22. Ghosted, by Mercedes M. Yardley: 2.5 ⭐
23. Bruiser, by Jamie Flanagan: 5 ⭐

Short story collections are always a risk; too many voices can make the overall theme feel disjointed, and that is my main critique of this book. While it certainly contained an excellent assortment of writers - I daresay some of the best in the genre with the likes of Rachel Harrison, Nat Cassidy, Clay McLeod Chapman - it still wasn't enough to make me love it. It is a thoroughly enjoyable read for the winter and colder months, but I found the scares a bit lacking. However, I'd love to see some of the stories more fleshed out and expanded into novellas, such as Rachel Harrison's "Thaw."

I really loved this anthology! I thought each story was well written and the vibes were all cohesive. Each story brought something different to the table and they kept me on my toes. I loved it so much!

This is a nice collection of spooky wintry tales to chill your bones and give you goosebumps. Many of the stories are Christmas themed. Ho-ho-horror!

Tim Waggoner really tapped into my own personal nightmare of driving at night and realizing there's someone or something running alongside the car:

"Despite yourself, you turn your head to the right and look out the passenger window . . .

The thing is white, has four legs, and generally resembles a dog, although it's larger, as large as a horse, and has a large rack of antlers like an elk . . .

It's smiling at you."*

Yikes! And, brrr . . .

* from Cold as Ice

This one felt okay. I mostly requested it because Nat Cassidy had a story in there, but I felt like none of them really hit what I was looking for.

Christmas horror is one of my favorite things ever, I don't know why, but I'd rather get a new Christmas horror story than jewelry or new clothes. And this book feels like a Christmas gift. Lindy Ryan is a master at what she does, and she has collected stories by some of the people I always read, and it's such a wonderful, delicious, fun, dark collection of Christmas horror. It's so fun seeing all the different takes on Christmas from a horror perspective.

𝒜 𝒹𝒶𝓇𝓀 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝒶𝒸𝒶𝒷𝓇𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝒞𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓂𝒶𝓈-𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓋𝒾𝒹 𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓇𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇.

This was definitely an interesting anthology. As with most short story collections there was a varying range of quality of each individual story but overall it was enjoyable. A few of the tales were simply confusing or unnecessarily gruesome and thus less appealing, while several stories were quite witty and almost comical though still adhering to the horror aspect of the anthology as a whole. Overall, the works were moderately creepy and suspenseful with only minimal gore or violence but still scary enough to remind you that it is a collection of horror stories.

Complete with killer snowmen, flesh eating monsters, abandoned houses, and vivid nightmares, this one is just right for readers who appreciate an eclectic mix of horror sub-genres, from campy to psychological. Pairs well with a cozy fire, hot cocoa, and a blanket to hide under.

Like most anthologies, this was definitely a mixed bag for me. While there were some real gems, there were also an unfortunate number of stories that left me wanting more. I'd rather focus on the standout pieces, though, so I have to shout out a few favorites: 'Mr. Butler' by Clay McLeod Chapman, 'Nice' by Nat Cassidy, 'Thaw' by Rachel Harrison, and 'Ghosted' by Mercedes M. Yardley.

I'm not sure this anthology will stick out in my memory much overall, but I enjoyed my time with it enough to recommend it to any readers looking for some chilling, wintry horror tales.

Unfortunately this collection did not leave a great impression on me. I think 22 stories is difficult to fit in this length - they're all so short and left me not feeling much.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

I love an anthology just as much as the next person. This one’s full of brilliant short stories by some brilliant writers. Some of these stories hit more than others, but this is well worth a read!

This is such a perfect winter horror read. It’s a collection of scary short stories set in the cold, and I waited until it got properly chilly in upstate NY to read it—which definitely added to the atmosphere! Most of the stories were really strong, and I loved how each one brought something different to the table while still fitting that eerie, wintery vibe. If you’re a fan of horror anthologies, this one is definitely worth picking up.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

This is a horror anthology that is all about winter. We have some major horror writers in this anthology like Josh Malerman, Rachel Harrison, and Darcy Coates.

Unfortunately, I don't think anthologies are really for me. I always tend to give them three stars because I usually like some stories and hate others and it all just washes together for me.

I think this anthology was one of the better ones that I have read though. I still will be giving it three stars because I don't feel like a lot of the stories really stood out for me.

I do think that winter is the perfect time for horror and this book had a lot of fun vibes throughout. I would recommend this to people who like anthologies, however, it was not totally for me.

Thank you so much to Crooked Lane Books for the eARC of THE DARKEST NIGHT!

It’s not very often that I feel confident in recommending an anthology — anthologies tend to be very hit or miss for me & I prefer longer form fiction. However! THE DARKEST NIGHT was so good & I was invested in pretty much every. single. story!

THE DARKEST NIGHT is a terrifying anthology of 22 winter horror stories featuring Josh Malerman, Eric LaRocca, Rachel Harrison & plenty more! Literally, so many of my favorites are included in this book.

THE DARKEST NIGHT is a wonderful addition to any spooky winter TBR; all stories are very solid making this perfect for anthology lovers & those who are a bit more hesitant to pick up a collection.

This was an amazing compilation of stories from some of my favorite authors! I can't even choose a favorite because I enjoyed all of the so much. They were atmospheric, creepy, gory, and adding in Christmas made them that much better! I have always loved compilation books, especially those with horror stories, but I think this one has to be my favorite so far!

Winter is perfect for getting cozy with a book which reminds you of what you’re (not) missing in the cold darkness (or dark coldness). What I love about this one is the variety. Even though these are all respected horror authors, they bring such distinct voices that we are getting an eclectic mix.

The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories is overall a solid collection. As with any book of short stories, some entries worked better for me than others. Featuring stories with creatures, hauntings, and gory violence, as well as more introspective tales about grief and family, nearly every subgenre of horror is represented.

I really enjoyed "Mr. Butler" by Clay McLeod Chapman, "Thaw" by Rachel Harrison, and "Bruiser" by Jamie Flanagan, but my top two in the collection were "Nice" by Nat Cassidy and "Eggnog" by Kristi DeMeester. "Nice" was such a deliciously nasty story and really scratched my campy Christmas horror itch. "Eggnog" was perfectly executed and had me rejoicing for tired new moms everywhere.

This collection is bursting with big names, and I will admit that a few of those big names' stories disappointed me, but I'm not calling anyone out. I highly recommend this collection for those long, dark winter nights...preferably with a glass of mulled wine or a hot toddy. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for the complimentary reading opportunity.

The Darkest Night edited by Lindy Ryan was an intriguing collection of horror short stories with brilliant authors and a beautiful collection of narratives and points of view. Pretty brilliant!

I read a little over half the stories but I got bored. I wanted to like this one because I like some authors, but I couldn't get through them. I wish it was a little scarier and something more.

Thank you Netgalley

I wanted to like this book so badly. While there are some new-to-me authors in this collection, many of these stories were written by some of my favorites. I think I struggled most with the amount of authors and the lengths of some of the stories. I think this collection would have been stronger with fewer stories, as some of them felt like they weren't quite fleshed out enough and could have benefitted from being a little longer (in my opinion).

While this wasn't the collection that I'd hoped it would be, I still recommend readers to give this one a try. if it sounds appealing. You might end up enjoying it!