Cold weather horror is one of my favourites and this didn't disappoint, theres a real mix of sub genres and whilst I enjoyed some more than others they all had something I could appreciate, great for halloween/October tbrs

A really nice anthology of horror stories with a cold, winter theme. I really enjoyed Rachel Harrison's story Thaw. Who doesn't love a good snowman? It was the main reason I requested this title. But there were some other great stories here as well. And as the temperature begins to drop as fall and winter approach, this is the perfect anthology to curl up with near a nice fire. I will definitely be recommending this one for our store.

This book took me awhile to get through. It was hard to find one story that I actually liked. The beginning stories are told in second person. I just wasn’t into this particular book.


Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Darkest Night, edited by Lindy Ryan is an anthology of 22 winter horror stories.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My Synopsis and Opinions.
These stories all take place around the Christmas season. As always, I will review each story individually.

The Mouthless Body in the Lake by Gwendolyn Kiste... A lonely eight year old girl finds her own body (minus the mouth) in the frozen lake at her grandmother's house. She tells no one. No one really cares about her anyway. Amazing short story! Loved it! Loved Taylor! 5 stars

Cold as Ice by Tim Waggoner... A divorced man is trying to date, but has no real desire. While driving home in a storm he sees a strange creature running beside him. Really interesting. 5 stars

Children Aren't The Only Ones Who Know Where The Presents Are Hidden by Josh Malerman... A woman has always declared she hates all holidays. She never tried to figure out why. Then she finds a closet door on the highway to Vegas. The door reminds me of SK's Dark Tower Series which I loved, so I was annoyed. 3 stars

The Vermin Moon by Hailey Piper... A grieving mother promised to look after her daughter's pet rats if anything should happen to her. Mom wants to let her know she kept the promise. Strange. 3 stars

The Body of Leonora James by Stephanie M. Wytovich... A woman's rebirth every 19 years wreaks havoc on a small town where she tortures and drinks the blood of her victims. One year is different. This was amazing, a fresh and entertaining read! Loved it. 5 stars

Mr. Butler by Clay McLeod Chapman... A cardboard box shows up at the home of a man. This same cardboard box had once been his only friend. This one an amazing story, definitely different!  5 stars

Feast of Gray by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks... A man visits the grave of his mother with whom he did not get along.  Did not do anything for me.  2 stars

I hope this finds you well by Eric LaRocca... A young man joins an elite club for gay men, only to find some of the practices worrisome.  Rather disturbing, but quite good!  5 stars

The Buried Child by M. Rickert... A woman who has kept the hands of her brother buried beneath a tree, finds that they have gone missing.  The author says this is a tribute to The Juniper Tree by The Brothers Grimm.  Not sure about that, or the story.  I may have to re-read this one.  2 stars

Father's Last Christmas by Lee Murray.. The King is dying and his children gather around to see who he will pick to succeed him....which will depend on the gift that they provide.  This was interesting, if somewhat predictable.  4 stars

The Warmth of Snow by Cynthia Pelayo... A mother and daughter spend every day indoors.  They read a lot!  The daughter is fascinated by Hamlet, although her mother disapproves.  This was quite good.  4 stars

Wintry Blue by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon... A father takes his daughter to see her grandparents up a snowy mountain road, where they encounter a woman trying to escape from her boyfriend-turned-monster.  This was really good, very descriptive, and hooked me from the start.  5 stars

Carol of the Hells by Kelsea vu...Holly always drives by all the houses lit by Christmas decorations, remembering how much her father and brother loved this time of year.  Both she and her mother blame Holly for their deaths, and this year her mother plans to correct things.  This was just sad....but good.  4 stars

Nice by Nat Cassidy... Six year old Mitchell has been really good this year, and is sure Santa knows it.  But when the Elf on the Shelf comes alive and tells him he should really be naughty, and tell his friends to be naughty too, Mitchell decides the elf is right.  If somewhat predictable, it was surprisingly good!  5 stars

Thaw by Rachel Harrison... A romantic weekend at a cabin turns sour when a snowman comes to life.  The premise is funny, but the story is true horror.  Really good!  5 stars

Candy Cane by Thommy Hutson... An author is interrupted by a visitor who has read every one of his books, and takes them to heart.  Somewhat predictable, a little gruesome, but quite good.  4 stars

Eggnog by Kristi deMeester... Gillian's first outing after the birth of her child is to her husband's Christmas event.  Feeling anything but pretty, she meets a woman who seems to be all over her husband.  Don't mess with a postpartum woman!  LOL, quite good, but too realistic to be horror.  3 stars

Threads of Epiphany by Sara Tantlinger... Minna makes a deal with a witch to get her brother a new heart.  Meanwhile, she will stay with the witch, and weave thread.  She begins to enjoy it, when another woman comes who has also made a deal, but has an ulterior motive. Interesting. 3 stars

The Ladies' Society for the Dead by Darcy Coates... A group of women come together to get justice for the dead.  Love the author, disappointed in the story - just lacked the punch.  2 stars

Being Nice by Jeff Strand... An eighteen year old has a disagreement with Santa, who plans to leave a lump of coal in his stocking.   Rather funny, but not scary.  2 stars

Ghosted by Mercedes M. Yardley...  A woman mourns the death of her husband.  Loved it...sentimental and sweet.  5 stars

Bruiser by Jamie Flanagan... A nursing home attendant befriends an old man who has some strange plans.  It may not be horror, but it was quite good.  4 stars



Overall, I was really impressed with the number of 5 star stories in this collection.  What disappointed me was that some of my favorite authors in this collection submitted rather poor stories.

These stories are definitely all centered around the winter season, and if you like scary stories at Christmas, you may want to check out this book.  That being, said,  they aren't all that scary, so....

✨Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Spotify Audio for the gifted digital and audio copies of this book✨

I’m so sad to inform you that this book did NOT live up to expectations. It is difficult to give this book an overall rating because I really enjoyed some of the stories, and others bored me to tears. I was SO close to DNFing because it felt like I was wasting my time wading through legitimately terrible stories to get to the actual good stuff.

This book is a collection of stories written by some of the BIGGEST Titans in horror. I thought this would be an absolute BANGER. But unfortunately, many of these stories were boring or fell flat. And many of them tried so hard to be poetic they just made no sense. I wanted chills. I wanted scary. I wanted unease. But I got a whole lot of pretentious prose that translated into a whole jumble of nonsense.

Some of the stories I REALLY enjoyed are the following:

✨Children Aren’t the Only Ones Who Know Where the Presents Are by Josh Malerman
✨Mr. Butler by Clay McLeod Chapman
✨I Hope This Finds You Well by Eric Larocca(The ending of this one 😱)
✨Wintry Blue by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
✨Nice by Nat Cassidy(This one was not only funny but so unsettling. It was perfection)
✨Egg Nog by Kristi DeMeester(Do NOT mess with a nursing mom 👊🏼)
✨Being Nice by Jeff Strand(This one was laugh out loud funny)

Overall, I’d recommend reading this one in print, and picking and choosing which stories you want to actually finish. Life is too short to read books and stories that you don’t like.

A good mix of some really great short stories and others that I didn’t really care for. Favorites were the stories by Malerman, Harrison, Pelayo, and Cassidy

I love anthologies for a multitude of reasons, and find that they’re great for when you’re really busy (like the holidays) or for busting you out of a reading slump. This one was so much fun and included so many of my faves in horror. As always, I liked some more than others, but I didn’t really find myself skipping over anything in this one so I would say it’s pretty solid. Perfect for the busy holiday season coming up, or any cold winter’s night if you’re a planner or aesthetic reader like me. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for my eARC. The Darkest Night is available now.

When asked to recommend a new author or genre, I always recommend an anthology or two. These books showcase the skills of many authors at all stages of their experiences. The books typically center a theme, this one is winter horrors, and each author gives the reader a taste of the horror most authors need a much longer venue to reach. With the apt editing and guidance of Lindy Ryan, these stories will give you thrills, goose bumps, creep you out or leave you jumping at noises. Every one of them is a small jewel so of course, you'll love some more than others. But that's the point, to find new authors to love.

This book consists of 22 spooky short stories from authors we know and love!

Especially with the popular names on the cover I thought this was going to be a killer read for spooky season! It unfortunately didn’t hold my interest and I found myself just trying to get through it. There were only 1-2 stories I really enjoyed and I really don’t remember much about them now.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Lindy Ryan, and Crooked Lane Books for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This published on September 24th.

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok.

I loved this collection of spooky short stories. I discovered some new authors and read some from ones I love. My favorite story was Thaw by Rachel Harrison. Thanks NetGallery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounding up to 5 stars for GoodReads. I was a bit skeptical about this collection. The last winter horror collection I picked up, I really didn't have the best time with and I thought maybe I was not a big fan of the combination of winter and horror. But alas I thoroughly enjoyed most of these stories. There were a couple that had less to do with the theme/setting of winter than others but for the most part, all twenty-two tales stayed in the correct lane. Some were spookier than others. I don't think Mr. Butler by Clay Mcleod Chapman will ever leave my head. I'm not sure why that story struck such a visceral cord with me, but it did. Another really good one from this collection was Nice by Nat Cassidy. I was familiar with a bulk of the authors in this collection but I am also glad that some of these were first time reads for myself. It put even more authors on my list that I need to check out in the future.

Winter and horror go together almost as well as Halloween does with terror. When we think of winter weather, we think of long, stormy nights, blizzards, and lots and lots of snow. All these conditions are conducive to strange things lurking just beyond our field of clear sight. Winter is also the Christmas season, and horror writers have long engaged in effective counterprogramming as we enjoy the seasonal festivities. Thus, we have the legend of Krampus. Lindy Ryan has produced a seasonal anthology, “The Darkest Night,” containing 22 tales of chilling (pun intended) horror in winter. As in any anthology of this nature, readers get a few lumps of coal. However, most of the tales will earn a high ranking on readers’ scary lists.

About half the stories in “The Darkest Night” are Christmas-themed, and several other tales feature stormy nights and barely seen people or creatures in the snow and ice. Those that don’t tap into either of these themes are often the weaker entries in the anthology. Although the editor undoubtedly had many classic winter horror stories she could have included, these 22 tales were all newly written for this collection. In considering what to include here, Lindy Ryan has a relatively broad definition of “horror.” However, I won’t quibble about including a comic or fantasy tale here that’s entertaining but not strictly horror.

Several of the anthology’s Christmas stories are among my favorites. Two involve the traditional “naughty or nice” lists, and they feature different comic styles. In “Nice,” by Nat Cassidy, a lazy elf named Twinklebottom tells a six-year-old boy that the large number of children on the nice list is having terrible repercussions in terms of stressful working conditions at the North Pole. He suggests young Mitchell “not be nice” (quoting Patrick Swayze in “Road House”). Twinklebottom thinks his scheme will mean less work for him this season. However, the result is a classic case of unforeseen circumstances. The narrator in Jeff Strand’s “Being Nice” is a 17-year-old who just got a lump of coal from Santa for not doing enough nice things to make the nice list in his last year of childhood eligibility. He tries to change his rating by doing enough nice things before Santa completes his yearly rounds. However, the narrator finds it tough to do nice things while wandering the neighborhood at 3:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. The humor here is broader than in “Being Nice” but equally effective.

Another Christmas staple is the holiday party. The protagonist in “Eggnog” by Kristi deMeester is a new mother coping with the stress of motherhood while trying to survive her husband’s office party. Unfortunately, she winds up next to her husband’s gorgeous co-worker, who does not try to disguise her desire to get closer to hubby on business trips. The wife’s scheme to get even is one I’ve never encountered before in decades of reading similar stories. Josh Malerman’s “Children Aren’t the Only Ones Who Know Where the Presents Are Hidden” looks at another Christmas “tradition,” kids’ annual search for gifts their parents have stashed away. The protagonist of this story had an experience so bad that she’s hated all holidays ever since. Here, the finale takes place in the least likely Christmas locale, the Nevada desert near Las Vegas. This story is just as chilling as the more familiar snowbound tales, though. The most bizarre Christmas story is Clay McLeod Chapman’s “Mr. Butler.” The title character here is an empty box (I’m not kidding). This box originally housed a Black & Decker microwave that the protagonist Albee’s abusive stepfather gave his wife as a Christmas present decades earlier. Mr. Butler became the “personification” of all that was bad in the family relationship back then. The box now shows up on the adult Albee’s doorstep, giving him a fresh wave of bad old memories. This story could easily have been ridiculous, but the author makes it plausible (within the fantasy horror realm).

Things that go bump in the night are another common theme in “The Darkest Night.” In “Thaw” by Rachel Harrison, a couple goes on a winter weekend getaway in the country. However, an uninvited guest “shows up.” The woman sees a snowman, complete with a red scarf and top hat, in the distance. As the night goes on, the snowman keeps reappearing, ever closer to the cabin. It’s a familiar horror trope, but one the author handles very well. “Candy Cane” by Thommy Hutson is another example of a mysterious visitor on a winter night, but the story owes a great debt to Stephen King’s “Misery.” The year is 1974, and a best-selling horror author who specializes in detailed novels from a serial killer’s perspective gets a knock on his cabin door from a man who claims his car broke down. (Non-spoiler: it didn’t.) Instead, the man is armed, unhinged, and familiar with the author’s work. In the anthology’s first story, “The Mouthless Body in the Lake,” the wintry apparition isn’t off in the snow but just beneath the surface of a frozen lake. The story is written in the second person, so the main character, referred to as “you,” first spots the thing on a Christmas morning walk when she’s eight. The body in the lake resembles “you” but has no mouth. Over the years, she returns to the lake to find the body still there, only aging just as “you” does. This story may be the creepiest tale in the entire book and an excellent way for the anthology to start.

Some readers may quibble with including some stories in “The Darkest Night.” “Father’s Last Christmas” by Lee Murray seems like an episode from a TV series like “Game of Thrones.” A dying king summons his 13 children to tell them whoever gives him the “most princely” gift will succeed to the throne. Most of the gifts are more symbolic than practical, and a good bit of blood is spilled along the way to an enjoyable conclusion. “The Ladies’ Society for the Dead” resembles Peter Straub’s “Ghost Story.” Instead of four older men swapping supernatural tales in Straub’s novel, here, a dozen women hold their annual get-together on a winter night to relate their stories of ghostly apparitions. This tale has the best twist ending in the book.

In any anthology of this nature, some stories are duds. Unfortunately, they include the last pair in the book, so “The Darkest Night” concludes on a disappointing note. “Ghosted” by Mercedes M. Yardley describes a woman’s efforts to get past the sudden death of her husband two years earlier. It has supernatural elements but, overall, comes off as a bad “Lifetime” movie. “Bruiser” by James Flanagan takes place in a home for dementia patients. The story has tremendous potential but goes off the rails in a discussion about one patient’s plan to deface the Mona Lisa. The book’s most disappointing story started out great but fizzled about halfway through. In “Cold as Ice,” a woman tries to drive home in blizzard conditions after a bad dating app date. She spots strange creatures running through the snow beside her car, tailing her. The setup and atmosphere are great, but the eventual revelation of what the creatures are and what they want is a ridiculous letdown.

For those willing to judge these stories on merit and not whether they fit into preconceived notions of what is or is not horror, “The Darkest Night” is an excellent read. About 75% of the stories are very good to excellent, and they all fit within the book’s winter theme. As a bonus, “The Darkest Night” contains an introduction by George C. Romero, son of the legendary horror director George A. Romero. In it, the younger Romero discusses his literary route and the allure wintry conditions have for him. I would question the book’s marketing blurb that states it is “perfect for Halloween.” This is a great anthology for horror fans at any time of the year, but it can best be savored like an Advent calendar, reading one story at a time as they wend their way through December.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the book #TheDarkestNight by #LindyRyan. I loved this collection of short spooky stories and all they included. They were short enough to read quite a few at a time but also creepy enough with all that goes bump in the night.

I was really worried when I read the first two stories and they were both in 2nd person. I really don't like stories in 2nd person. But then it got much better. Some of my favorite authors and a few new ones. Just get past the first two.

*Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Anthologies can be a real mixed bag sometimes, you know? Some stories are good, and some are not as good. Occasionally you find an anthology were every story is so good! Well… The Darkest Night is none of the above. D:

I was honestly a little bummed out with this book. It is filled with so many great horror authors! Maybe my expectations were too high? I don’t know… but this was just a huge let down.

Normally you start off with one of the better stories right out of the gate. I don’t want to just dog on the first story being “bad”… but let me tell you… after I read it, I was just like “OH BOY.” D: If this is one of the “better” stories to kick off the book, what are the other stories going to be like??

I’m sorry. I tried to look for the good in this one, I really did. But story after story was just a chore to get through! Everything was so….. mediocre. :/ I felt so disappointed. I’m not sure what happened here? These authors are normally much better!! Sadly, I just did not like this book at all. 😦

The Darkest Night is a gripping anthology of Winter Horror Stories by Lindy Ryan.
This collection features an array of 22 horror stories from some big name authors.
I was excited and delighted to open this book up.
And let me tell ya it didn’t disappoint!
These chilling winter tales will captivate and intrigue you till the very end.

Thank You NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Release Date: 24th September 2024

A unique selection of ghost stories to enjoy in the darkest nights, that you could use as a horror advent of 22 unique stories.

There is a great mix of stories and styles from some brilliant authors (Nat Cassidy, Clay McLeod Chapman, Eric LaRocca and Darcy Coates), which I would rate from a solid 3 up to 4.5 stars (out of 5)

I really enjoyed being able to dip in and out of these reading one story an evening, especially as the nights are drawing in and I'm reading myself for spooky season, this book certainly helped get me in that mood.

If you like short horror stories then this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Whenever I read a collection of short stories, it seems more often than not to be my luck that there are some stories I truly enjoy and others I don’t. This book is one of those! Some stories gave me the spooky (and in some cases humorous) vibes I was looking for, while others were just more weird than spooky or I was let down by the ending. 😕

Here are some of my favorite stories in this collection:

❄️ Father’s Last Christmas by Lee Murray
❄️ Nice by Nat Cassidy
❄️ Thaw by Rachel Harrison
❄️ Threads of Epiphany by Sara Tantlinger
❄️ The Ladies’ Society for the Dead by Darcy Coates
❄️ Being Nice by Jeff Strand

I still would recommend checking this collection out, as I would say it has a little something for every taste! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

These are stories for the holidays, but think more ghost stories and gore than carols.

Each story is different and unique to the author that wrote it, but the mash up well as an anthology. They each have that holiday atmosphere turned on it’s head.

Stand outs were:

the Vermin Moon-lots of grief in this one, but leads down a strange path.

I Hope this Finds You Well-A club for men to deal with their urges for other men and a letter from a club member draws us to the club

Nice- what does being nice mean and would you do naughty things to be nice to help Santa and his elves

Eggnog-what you feed mom you feed baby

I couldn’t wait to see what horror surprises were in it. It’s packed full of 22 short stories by some great horror authors. I guess I would say I was expecting a bit…more out of it. I believe they should’ve picked stronger stories to open the book with. Some didn’t give off winter vibes other than mentioning it was snowing or chilly. Some I would LOVE to see turned into a novel while others I wish I could unread. This is probably something I would read once and leave out for décor on the table during the winter months. A lot of the stories felt like they were missing the passion.