The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove

This wonderful Canadian Horror anthology I read in a one-sitting, "I can't stop now," session. Seamlessly interwoven by multiple authors, the anthology relates the life and times of a small inbred community in the Canadian Rockies, in a forested rural valley in rural British Columbia. Founded in 1880 by one Samuel Madsen Graves, the community revolves around the sycamore he planted. The setting and stories I found delightfully Lovecraftian. Certainly every single story is a winner, and the conclusion is incredibly powerful. I highly recommend this anthology.

Welcome to Graves Grove. Nestled somewhere in western British Columbia, a quintessential quiet small town. Thoroughly steeped in weird. From its founder, the mysterious Graves himself, who apparently hailed from Virginia, only no one’s ever heard of him there to its denizens to its strange Graves planted tree to its sartorially peculiar Graves statue to its missing children. Graves Grove is a town of secrets and mysteries. Graves Grove is strange. These are the tales of Graves Grove. They may explain some of the strangeness of the town, told through perspectives of those who live there and those who visit…and those unable to leave. And so there you have it, witches, shapeshifters, haunted places and people, murder mysteries, unexplainable and inexplicable speculated upon by different authors. This was one of those randomly awesome anthologies from a small publisher featuring mostly unknown names and offering unexpectedly high quality. Just a pleasant surprise all around. A thematic anthology well done. Go Canada. Darkly entertaining, maddeningly fun tales of frights and fantasies about a small town you would only ever dare to visit via a book. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This is a wonderful collection of stories that I devoured in one setting. Each story was interesting and I loved seeing the links to other chapters throughout the book. There's a Lovecraftian influence in some of the stories and others are more horror related. I hope this is one day adapted into a movie or show like Creepshow or American Horror Story.

Man oh man oh man....I loved this book! The story of a little village settled by a madman and his followers in an isolated valley in the mountains, told in vignettes as the years and the decades go by. The story told by the founder Samuel Graves, by the residents of Graves Grove, by visitors, by creatures and monsters that live or pass through there and by those who had to deal with all or any of the above. Graves Grove's two icons are the bronze statue of Samuel Graves, which somehow changes it's clothing (also bronze) every single day and the giant sycamore tree by the elementary school, the roots of which provide an ideal play area for the children even while the tree gives so many people the creeps. Speaking of the children....the town bulletin board has photos of children dating way back into the 1800's, hundreds of children that have all mysteriously gone missing and were never found.
The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove winds through the mind of these characters as they experience the strangeness of this little village. Each chapter, by a different author and told through the eyes of a different character, gives us just a little taste of life in Graves Grove through many era's and it all comes together in the end.
This book would make a wonderful mini-series. I really hope to see it on the screen some day.
#netgalley #TheWhisperedTalesofGravesGrove

An interesting collection of Canadian horror short-stories. Some were creepier than other but the general level is quite high.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A creepy anthology centered around the bizarre town of Graves Grove. Each story is written by a different author and each one is about a different horror in or about the town. An old factory housing a mutant, a Sycamore that eats children, and numerous other things that go bump in the night. Each story was unique, some were downright creepy, others were a bit humerus. An enjoyable read!

This book was provided by Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. It will be available on October thirteenth.

If Twin Peaks had a more horror-based neighboring town, Graves Grove would be it. Bizarre and creeptastic, this shiver-inducing collection of short stories is a blast to read. I love reading stories that have a common thread, but still showcase each author’s individual style. That’s what this collection did: while all the tales were part of a larger narrative, each one was individualistic and creative.

There were many stories that I loved, and just a few that were “meh”. A couple of them mentioned fairies which didn’t seem to jive with the rest of the book, but they were still interesting even though they felt a bit disjointed.

I loved Where’s Matheson Lam and The Flash in particular. The both left me with that feeling of what if?, which is so much fun in supernatural and horror books. I also loved that there’s a distinct lack of over-the-top gore.

This book collection was a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

This anthology clearly is an anthology. Still, the writers did a very good job in consistency. The details of the characters that came up in more than one story all fit together, and all stories together do not build, but grow the complete picture of Graves Grove and it's sycamore tree.

I am glad that I could enjoy the view and spookyness of this little Canadian town. It seems that I, unlike many, was able to leave. At least, let's first find out if I can get it out of my head too. Perhaps I'm mentally as stuck in Graves Grove now as the inhabitants are physically.

Definitely an imaginative grouping of stories, and the individuals putting together the anthology did a great job of keeping the storylines related, and tying the entire book together from finish to end. Some of the stories did get a little repetitive, but they were all unique, short, and fun to read. Great read.

I love horror anthologies so I was super excited to read this. I never expect to love every single story in a book of shorts and that’s okay. What matters to me more is what I take from the experience overall. This was a fun, imaginative take about a town overcome with hauntings, disappearances, and strange events. I mean I don’t know what else you would expect from a place named Graves Grove honestly. This was a fun, easy read perfect for when fall hits.

This is a decent read, not the best, but definitely fits the horror genre, even if a little weird at times. it starts off in a very early time period, with later stories taking place after a community has been established by one man. All of the stories relate to the same community and certain people/aspects of it. Good for someone who likes anthologies where the stories connect with each other.

The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove is a perfect anthology for the Halloween season, or really any time of the year. This was a great read for right before bed. I could finish one story if I was tired, or read a few more if I wasn’t ready to close my eyes yet. Each story was unique and had a sense of dread or horror, but still tied in perfectly with the rest of the stories.

The way the editors, J.S. Bailey and Kelsey Keating were able to pull together all the stories from all the different authors into a cohesive story is amazing. There are some central characters, including the sycamore tree, that flow throughout the entire book. As well as some characters that you only read about once. This worked well, except for one story involving the vampires. It left me hanging and there wasn’t a conclusion to it in the book. Not that every story needs a conclusion, but this was so wide open that it needed something more, or perhaps to be taken out of the anthology.

While a lot of the stories are eerie, there are some funny ones. The reason behind the bronze statue’s clothes changing daily was amusing. And when you find out more about, Cooper, the dog that belongs to everyone and no one, there is a heroic twist that gives you a bit of hope for the village of Graves Grove.

Graves Grove would be a place that I would enjoy visiting, but with some Holy Water, a machete, a gun, a stake, silver bullets, and a platoon of Marines.

I received a copy fr9m the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of supernatural and strange stories occurring in a small fictional town in British Columbia was perfect for the halloween season. Though not always spooky, each story had its own little twist and contribution in explaining certain mysteries surrounding the town. I also thought it was fantastic that even though each story was written by a different author, that everyone managed to maintain consistency in certain elements of the narrative. For example, the missing children over the years, Copper the dog, the appearance of fairies, the very creepy sycamore tree in the middle of town, crazy Mamie Rue le Doux, and my personal favourite, the wardrobe changing statue.

There was creepiness, humour, tragedy, and mystery, with each story being very different from its predecessors. I really enjoyed this collection.

Following in the tradition of creepy towns such as Castle Rock, Graves Grove is overrun by spooky occurrences and all the the things that go bump in the night. The overall concept was intriguing, and several of the stories stood out. Like most other horror anthologies, though, there were also a few tales that weakened the reading experience.

Decently done overall and worth a read. Just be ready to skip past the few duds.

This was a great collection of short stories that all take place in one weird creepy town. I really liked it! The tales were odd, freaky, disturbing and off-putting. A great read during the Halloween season. They were also beautifully interwoven and I liked how it jumped all over the life of the town and its people.

So when I first started the story I was kind of not getting into it. Yet, by the second story, I found myself flipping the pages to find out just how different and unique this town truly is. Graves Grove is not your normal town. Things happen here, people disappear, a statue changes outfits every day, the supernatural is among the people. Yet, no one can really explain why. This town was founded in the 1800s and it has been weird ever since. Each story being told was different but it all went together perfectly with the story before so to speak. I really enjoy it when the authors can be all on the same page as to how they want a story to go in an anthology. This is a great read for whenever but it is also a good read for Halloween. I love big trees but I am not sure this is one that I want to have in my backyard. 22 stories, 22 different things that happen within this town of Graves Grove what could possibly happen right?

Completely different from the genre I enjoy reading The Whispered Tales of Graves Grove was a compelling and spooky read for me. This book left me immersed in a fascinating and creepy world of ghosts, demons, evil fairies, vamps, shifters, haunted forests, and Jikininkis. Graves Grove in British Columbia, Canada has a pretty despairing history of resident children going missing. Not one or two, but hundreds of children have gone missing over the years without any explanation and never been found. Graves Grove thus keeps attracting people from all over. Some visit, never to return. This anthology of stories will keep you hooked till the very last page.

What attracted me to the book was the beautiful yet spooky cover and true to its design, this book's main recurring character is the cursed sycamore tree. Other characters that make a frequent appearance are Samuel Madsen Graves, the town's founder, the fascinating Mamie Rue Le Doux, and the cute russet hound Copper. All stories had a pretty high creep factor making it the perfect read especially after 10 pm. Gives you the heebie-jeebies. Of all stories, I loved the story Rules, Double-Edged Sword and The Never-ending Circle of Love.

Thank You, NetGalley, BHC Press and J.S. Bailey, Mackenzie Flohr, Elise Manion, D.M. Kilgore, et al. for an arc!

I enjoyed the stories of the town of Graves Grove. Each story is unique in its own way. Some will have you laughing a little while others are scary and fun. Great book!

This collection of short stories revolving around the little town of Graves Grove is perfect for dark autumn nights as it gives you all of those Halloween feels. Entertaining and creepy!

As it took me a while to get into this book, once I did I couldn't stop reading!! There are some scary and funny moments in Graves Grove. Things are always different and changing. Definitely a good book for fall and Halloween time!!

Loved this book. Plenty of devious surprises and crackling suspense, along with interesting characters. Just the sort of book to cause a lack of sleep, but I won't complain! Highly recommended.

*This book was provided to me as an ARC at no charge in exchange for my honest review. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this program.*

Some of these short stories were a miss for me, but overall, I really enjoyed the way the stories came together to create a creepy atmosphere for the town itself.