I am very picky about short stories, but I am a fan of C.J. Tudor so I requested an ARC and I’m so glad I did! The stories were good and varied, I enjoyed seeing her in a new format. I also enjoyed the introductions very much, they gave a nice peak into the author’s life.

Having never read a book by this author, I went in with no preconceived notions or ideas about what the stories would be like. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I love reading horror short stories that are exciting, quick reads and this book met those criteria. Each story was unique and interesting. I will certainly be reading more books by this author. Highly recommend this if you enjoy horror stories.

A Sliver of Darkness

[Blurb goes here]

While I enjoyed a few short stories in this anthology, I didn't liked them all. And liked even less the introduction to every single one. It was something akin to driving through an empty highway and having to stop every few minutes for some inane reason. I read a few, but those seemed to spoil de story that followed. Needless to say, I ended up skipping them, thinking to myself that they seemed to be fillers to lengthen the book.

Other than that, as far as anthologies go, this was a very interesting one, and one that I will revisit in the future.

Thank you for the free copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballentine Books for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not normally a fan of short stories, (with the exception of Stephen King), but I really liked this collection. I haven't read anything by CJ Tudor before this, but her books came highly recommended so I was really excited to have Ballentine Books grant my wish. I was not disappointed. This was the best collection of short stories outside of King's work that I've read. Normally novels of short stories are a DNF for me, but this book was great. Granted, I enjoyed some stories more than others. My favorites included:

End of the Liner
Runaway Blues
The Completion
Final Course
The Copy Shop

My least favorite was Gloria. I may have liked it more if I had read more of Tudor's work as Gloria is a supporting character in one of her other books.

All in all, a solid 4 star collection. I would highly recommend this book. Especially for fans of King's short stories like me.

I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories, each story was really well done and I enjoyed the length of each stories. I appreciated the introductions at the beginning of the book and from each story, it really made this feel real.

End of the Liner was a really well done story with Sea Gods and a kinda depressing end to me, i .The Block might have been my favorite in the collection. Runaway Blues I could hear Morgan Freeman when reading this story, I felt bad for the narrator of the book. The Completion was a good end of the world story. The Lion at the Gate might be my second favorite. Gloria I wish I had read The Hiding Place, but still good. This may be my least favorite but still really good. I’m Not Ted was a trippy story and it was really well done. Final Course wow in a good way. The Copy Shop is a very scary concept and it was what I was looking for in this type of story. Dust was a great creepy hotel story and last story is Butterfly Island. Butterfly Island hit really close to home.

Wow, such a great collection of short stories! I enjoyed every single one. I loved the author’s writing style, each story kept me on the edge of my seat. All of them were dark, creepy, and so unique! Highly recommend this amazing set of spine-tingling tales.

A Sliver of Darkness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriler
Format: Kindle Ebook
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: C.J. Tudor
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 256
Goodreads Rating: 4.37

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Ballantine Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: In Final Course, the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In Runaway Blues, thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In Gloria, a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a cold-hearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in I'm Not Ted, a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen, fatal consequences.

My Thoughts: Most authors find there niche and continue to grow and mature in it. However, Tudor is unlike most authors. She can write both short stories and novels, such a rare author. She does not disappoint with her latest book. My favorite story was Final Course, an epic last dinner scenario. All the rest were fabulous as well. I normally do not like short stories, I prefer novels, however, these are done with such expertise that I loved them! The writer channels in thriller, chiller, horror, dark, disturbing, with a small twist of humor in these stories. The various stories take inspiration and homage tribute from/to Stephen King. These stories keep your interest, they are short, well written, and are just brilliant. The book releases later this year and I highly recommend that you preorder it!

A very refreshing book. It's a collection of short stories written in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. It's nice that each story is not written like the other. What I mean is there is no certain style that CJ Tudor adapts to. That is hard to do in my opinion. It's a nice break from reading one big novel. It's like lemon water to refresh my mind.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this collection of short stories very interesting! I loved how the author began each one by telling the reader how the idea came about. It made it feel more personal. Of course, I enjoyed more than others, but that's to be expected. I recommend to any horror/thriller fan!

What can I say....C.J Tudor has written another 5 star book. When I saw this available I requested it without reading the blurb just knowing it's going to be fantastic! Highly recommend reading this gem

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Sliver of Darkness.

I enjoyed the author's previous book so I was excited when my request was approved.

This was a fast and enjoyable read; usually I'm not a fan of short story collections since I usually only end up liking one or two, but I liked all of the stories.

There's a bit of a Stephen King vibe to them since they have horror and/or supernatural elements.

I also enjoyed the brief background the author gives for each story, explaining where she came up with the idea.

Are the stories scary? No.

Are they a quick and fun read? Sure.

I think most people will enjoy them, even if they're not into horror or supernatural stories.

A short story collection by C.J. Tudor, yes please!

First and foremost, read the personal introduction then dive in! Also, each short story has a brief explanation as to what inspired her to write that short story.

I am not always a fan of short stories, but I am a fan of C.J. Tudor, so I dove in and was not disappointed. With most short story collections, there are ones that I like more than others and those that do not work for me.

Every single short story in this book worked for me!!!!!! True, there were ones that I enjoyed more than others, but everyone was enjoyable (and fun)! Some were darker than others, but all were original, well thought out and creepy. I usually get upset with short stories due to feeling that just as they were getting good, they end. But here I thought Tudor ended them at the appropriate times. She provides the thrills and chills in her imaginative stories.

If you are a fan of short stories, a fan of Tudor and looking to try something new - look no further!

Tudor has established herself as a solid horror writer and now she has proven that she can nail the short story as well.

Creative, well written and dark!

#ASliverofDarkness #NetGalley

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Solid collection of horror short stories. There are eleven in total and while 2 of them were 3 star reads for me, the rest were 4 or 5! My favorites were End of the Liner, The Block, Final Course, and Butterfly Island. I particularly liked that Tudor introduced every story with the reason/inspiration behind why she wrote it. The stories were well-written in a chilling and eerie fashion, varied in length, and had satisfying conclusions. Very evident that a lot were inspired by Stephen King so if you’re a fan of King, do not sleep on this book! Many are apocalyptic/pandemic themed in either alternate realities or taking place in the near future, something I find both scary and enjoyable to read. If you’re a fan of horror, you’ll really enjoy this.

C J Tudor is amazing and every book I’ve ever read from her has been great. I automatically buy any book that comes out from her and she’s in my top 5 favorite authors. I was so excited to be able to read A Sliver of Darkness and I can honestly say it is truly awesome. Every story was so unique and different than other stories I’ve read. I enjoyed each one. I had a few favorites that really stood out to me though; End of the Liner, Runaway Blues, and Final Course.

End of the Liner; 5/5 What if you were stuck on a vacation cruise for the rest of your life? Paradise, right? Perhaps not. Great story and that ending!

The Block; 4/5 This one read more like a YA and was a story about an abandoned, creepy building. Kids decide to break in and chaos ensues. Fun and creepy read.

Runaway Blues; 5/5 This one was just awesome and dark. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming and it was a unique story.

The Completion; 4/5 A lying businessman who is a very scum human being, end of the world vibes and creepy old manors, what more could you ask for?

The Lion at the Gate; 5/5 Kids running late for school decide to cut through the woods, only to come across some very interesting (and disturbing) graffiti. Fast paced and unnerving.

Gloria; 4/5 This one just proves that sometimes real people are scarier than ghosts.

I’m Not Ted; 4/5 What would you do if you woke up and found yourself in someone else’s place? Interesting concept and good storylines.

Final Course; 5/5 The sun is gone and creepy, grotesque monsters cover the world. What would you do to save the ones you love? Creepy and atmospheric.

The Copy Shop; 5/5 This one was a fun read and I enjoyed the story. What would you choose copy if you could get an exact replica, but somehow have it be even better?

Dust; 5/5 Very unnerving, creepy and atmospheric. A woman goes on a holiday only to be disturbed by creepy visions, a strange worker and unrelenting sand storms.

Butterfly Island; 5/5 People gather to go to an abandoned island only to find it’s inhabited by something (or someone) dark and definitely deadly.

Great book, I highly recommend giving this a read!

A Sliver of Darkness is a short story collection by C.J. Tudor, an author I’ve read really great thrillers from in the past. I was equally impressed with this collection and it might even be my favorite book from her!

This collection was uniquely written, wonderfully strange, and genre-defying, often bridging the gap between thriller, horror, and occasionally post-apocalyptic. I also got a Stephen King vibe from quite a few of these stories. Below are my ratings for each story:

End of the Liner: 5 stars
The Block: 4.5 stars
Runaway Blues: 5 stars
The Completion: 3 stars
The Lion at the Gate: 5 stars
Gloria: 3 stars
I’m Not Ted: 4 stars
Final Course: 5 stars
The Copy Shop: 4 stars
Dust: 5 stars
Butterfly Island: 4 stars

And lastly, I really liked how Tudor introduced each story. I enjoyed getting insight into the inspiration behind them and the process of writing them.

I would definitely recommend this collection for fans of Tudor’s previous books, Stephen King, and uniquely written short story collections in general. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’ve always thought there’s a reader for every author and if that’s the case then CJ tutor is definitely my author. I found every story in this anthology entirely interesting and/or intriguing from quote the block, ““the end of the liner,“ all the way to “the coffee shop “I enjoyed them all I think my favorite was butterfly Island, but that would be a close second with mini other stories in this book. This is a short story horror/thriller collection that I highly recommend. If you love the dark the crazy the insane with a twist you’ll love this anthology by CJ tutor I also loved her personal stories before each new addition. I also want to give my condolences for the loss of her father, I lost my mother a few years ago and even if you’re expecting it, you never really ready for it. This book was given to me by the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes is I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

I do love CJ's books especially Chalk Man.
The short stories are ok. One I felt was especially good.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to review this collection of short stories from one of my favourite authors.

When I downloaded it I wasn't aware that it was a short story collection so that was a surprise and the author's introduction was really useful and interesting in understanding how the collection came about. I also appreciated the introductory notes ahead of each story, something that some though not all authors include in short story collections.

My overall take on the book is that it's a strong but somewhat uneven collection with some real highs though definitely not any real lows.

High points for me were 'End of the Liner,' 'The Block,' and 'The Lion at the Gate,' and 'The Final Course.'

She mentions that 'Runaway Blues' is the most Stephen King-esque story she's written and she's not wrong there, very, very good with a really punchy and horrific ending.

Some of them, like Gloria, are little mini-novels in themselves, so complex (in a good way) are they..

Ones I didn't enjoy as much were 'I'm Not Ted' and the final one Butterfly Island which just seemed to stop ...

All-in-all, a really accomplished first story collection from CJ Tudor. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these stories expanded into novels or some of the characters make a return in novels and I'd be more than delighted to welcome them back!

When I got the opportunity to read an early copy of a CJ Tudor book, everything else gets pushed aside. A Sliver of Darkness has eleven short stories and the author also provides some backstory on what inspired her to write each one. I loved all the extra information! I am like someone who is addicted to behind-the-scenes movies or shows, but for me, it is with books.
I could say something about each story, but I will just mention my three favorites.
The Copy Shop told a unique tale of a shop that makes damaged, broken, and old things better than they were before.
I don't want to spoil Gloria, but if you have read the author's previous books, you may remember this character. BTW, it was great to learn more about her.
Finally, the Runaway Blues feature the Fat Man, a character who works at the Blue Flamingo Club. He seems to be a talented singer and musician, but he is quite reserved off stage. Until something he loves leaves and there is also a mysterious hat box he carries around. The ending was just perfect!
The author did a great job touching on some dark topics and even adding a humorous touch to some of them. I tend to read one short story between books, so while it may have taken me a bit to finish, it was not for lack of interest. 4.5 stars.

I am a huge CJ Tudor fan and went into this blindly not realizing this was a set of short stories opposed to one full story. Short stories are normally not my thing but “ A Sliver of Darkness” may just be the exception. I enjoyed each one! I will read anything C. J. Tudor writes!

Each story was a bit supernatural with a touch of horror, darkness and overall creepy vibes. My personal favorite was "The Final Course". I cannot wait to see what C.J. Tudor comes out with next! 4 stars!

A big thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book, I was thrilled when I received a widget.