THE WAY LOST by Kelley Armstrong
The kids in Franklin don’t ask questions. Each Halloween, one of them disappears into the forest. Dale promised his mother he’d never go into the woods alone. But the kids in Franklin also lie.

LA CALAVERA by Kate Maruyama
The Día de los Muertos Festival at the Hollywood Cemetery used to be ours. Now, without Jasmine, it’s only right that I go one last time in her honor—before I let her go for good. . . .

THE DEVIL’S DUE by Michael McBride
Pine Springs, Colorado, has prospered for generations by honoring its traditions and its promises. Then one man refuses to do his civic duty—and the price he must pay is fatally steep.

A THOUSAND ROOMS OF DARKNESS by Taylor Grant
Samhainophobia: an irrational fear of Halloween. Phasmophobia: an irrational fear of ghosts. For Anne, these terrors are more rational than she knows.

THE LAST NIGHT OF OCTOBER by Greg Chapman
Every year, one little boy wearing a grotesque Frankenstein mask comes knocking at Gerald’s door. Gerald has always managed to avoid him . . . until this year.
The books are amazing. When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Keep up the good work.

Halloween Carnival Volume 3, edited by Brian James Freeman was received direct from the publisher. Halloween anthologies are like a box of chocolates, in that you never know what you are gonna get. Of these five authors of these novellas, I had only heard of and read two. The stories as presented, in my opinion are not very horrific, meaning they are thinking mans "horror," set to a Halloween setting. While many may enjoy this, I personally "likes me some gore." Volume 3 moved along quicker than Volume 2 did, in my opinion. My final score is the average of each if the five stories. Fall is the air and it is time to read some Halloween stories, maybe just maybe you should start with this one.

4.25 stars

This is the third in a series of five Halloween Carnivals. Like the others, the anthology features 5 different authors and are centered on Halloween.

This one is my favorite thus far. Four of the five were about people dreading Halloween, which I found interesting. We have a story about the fear of ghosts and Halloween (Grant's A Thousand Rooms of Darkness); a cautionary tale about letting trick-or-treaters in when you have a questionable past (Chapman's The Last Night of October); a yarn on how to be a good dad when you live in a town with horrible secrets due to your own nasty forefathers (McBride's The Devil's Due); and a predictable but gruesome recounting of a Día de los Muertos Festival and one woman who has a hard time abandoning both her Halloween plans and her old friend.

Once again, my favorite is the first in the book. The Way Lost by Kelley Armstrong begins: "Every Halloween, one child in Franklin lost his way and never came home." First Billy Carson, the annoying next-door neighbor who teased the dog. Then Sue Parker, the pretty girl who attended the same church as our protagonist. Then Richie Gibson, the sad little boy whose mother died. Our protagonist is convinced that one day, the police will come to him to learn Franklin's secrets as he was someone who saw what lived in the woods and escaped... And unfortunately, they do...

"Every Halloween, one child in Franklin lost his way and never came home."
These words began my dark and delightful foray into Halloween Carnival 3. I was looking for scares and I certainly got them. Volume 1 and 2 were good but this is the best so far of this 5 part anthology series that will be released in time for Halloween.
Oh my gruesome goodness! Every one of these tales was amazing. I would not even be able to choose a favorite as I normally do with short stories because every single one gave me chills. From ghosts to demons to twisted psychological terror this anthology is a horror lover's dream.
5 out of 5 fright filled stars from me.

I received an advance copy for review.

What an amazing book! Brian Freeman outdid himself choosing the stories for this Halloween anthology - each story is more terrifying than the last.

THE WAY LOST by Kelley Armstrong - Franklin is different from other towns. Sometimes children lose their way. Don't go near the forest...

LA CALAVERA by Kate Maruyama - On Dia de los Muertos we honor the dead. Even when we have trouble letting them go.

THE DEVIL’S DUE by Michael McBride - In a snow covered town richer even than Vail, McBride paints a terrifying portrait of an ancient evil.

A THOUSAND ROOMS OF DARKNESS by Taylor Grant - A chilling tale of a woman dealing with a fear of both ghosts and Halloween...and finding out that her fears are justified.

THE LAST NIGHT OF OCTOBER by Greg Chapman - Gerald lived his life in fear because of an incident in his childhood.

The writing in all of these stories was incredible. If you miss you this, you've missed easily the one of the most frightening books this year.

Highly Recommended.

Halloween Carnival Volume 3 is the 3rd book in a 5 book series. Each book features 4 or 5 short stories written by a different author. These books are pretty short. Only takes a little of an hour to read the whole book. A new book will be released each week of October in 2017. The final book will be released on Halloween.

The stories are scary or creepy. I think they were more creepy then scary. I really enjoyed this book. I liked seeing each of the authors style of writing. I liked all of the stories but if I have to choose a favorite it would be LA CALAVERA by Kate Maruyama.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Halloween Carnival is a series of five ebooks from Hydra (Random House) featuring unique and creepy short stories. One volume will be released each week in October 2017, with the last coming out on Halloween.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I'm loving these story collections!! The cover art is fantastic & the stories are deliciously varied and creeptastic!

Each volume features five Halloween theme stories. In Volume 3:

The Way Lost - Kelley Armstrong. Every year on Halloween a kid in Franklin disappears. Dale knows they go into the forest and never come out. But why doesn't anybody ever ask any questions? This tale is delightfully chilling from beginning to end....a great opener for this anthology!

La Calavera - Kate Maruyama. She used to attend the Dia De Los Muertos Festival at Hollywood Cemetery with her friend Jasmine. But this year she's going alone. Or is she? This is an entertaining story. Nice build to a fantastically creepy end!

The Devil's Due - Michael McBride. Prosperity in Pine Springs, CO comes at a high price that one man isn't prepared to pay. A wickedly cool tale of fear and sacrifice.

A Thousand Rooms of Darkness - Taylor Grant. Anne is afraid. Panic attacks. Phobias. She's especially scared of ghosts and Halloween. Turns out she has a very good reason for being afraid. OMG....this story was great! My favorite of this collection. The creep-o-meter maxxed out on this one for me. Fun, scary read!

The Last Night of October - Greg Chapman. Gerald knows kids should avoid the corner of Blake and Washington Streets and that Halloween is dangerous. He's known that since he was a kid and made a choice. One that comes back to haunt him every Halloween. Great story -- reminds me to always check the peep hole to see who is at the door before I answer it! You never know (especially on Halloween) who or what might be there....wanting in.

Halloween Carnival Volume 3 will release October 17th 2017 from Hydra (Random House). I heartily recommend it for anyone who enjoys horror short stories and Halloween!

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, authors, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL: Vol. 3 is a mutli-author horror anthology. Each story can be read individually and as standalones. This publication consists of short stories, not novel-length pieces. This third volume consists of stories written by Kelley Armstrong ("THE WAY LOST"), Kate Maruyama ("LA CALAVERA"), Michael McBride ("THE DEVIL’S DUE"), Taylor Grant ("A THOUSAND ROOMS OF DARKNESS"), and Greg Chapman ("THE LAST NIGHT OF OCTOBER").

Like the first two volumes, this was an extremely fast read; I read the entire collection in an hour. I enjoyed the stories, but I didn't find them to be scary. I must have a higher threshold for fear than the average reader. These stories were very unique, and I enjoyed them, especially Armstrong's story.

I recommend this anthology if you're looking for a good Halloween story rather than a scary story. 4 stars.