This short story collection worked really well. I liked almost all of the stories and loved quite a few, which makes this one that I would love to recommend to everyone. It's perfectly atmospheric across the entire set, too.

While I definitely think a handful of the stories strayed very far from being actual folk horror, this was still perhaps my favorite YA anthology I've ever read. There were a ton of incredible, creepy, touching stories in this collection and I'm so glad I read it!

A surprising and engaging anthology full of spooky stories that go deeper than the goosebumps on your skin.

All of these authors are fantastic. They're talented and able to write with such distinct voices that you have no trouble knowing who's written what, even if you didn't read the name of the author of the story. I think short stories are hard to market, but the gathering dark has done it in a nice way that's sure to keep readers happy

I ranked each short story in this book and my average rating was basically a 4.0! I'm very impressed by that because short stories are very hit or miss typically I think. This was a nice selection of odd stories and I actually found myself sad when the collection was over.

Stay by Erica Waters - 3.5 stars
This didn't really do anything new or fresh but it was still a juicy story. A girl feels trapped in her small town, by her family specifically.

The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong - 3.5 stars
I like Chloe's writing but I feel like the things that happened in this story were a little all over the place. The main character gets a summer job at a creepy house.

Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino - 5 stars
Close friends go through a home invasion in their haunted home.

One Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten - 5 stars
I genuinely felt a little creeped out reading this one. A once-close group of friends had a weird experience on a spooky bridge and then there are consequences.

The Ghost on the Short by Allison Saft - 4 stars
Someone the main character was close to died, and the main character would do anything to get to talk to her one more time.

Petrified by Olivia Chadha - 4 stars
A revenge story in a creepy forest, simply put

Third Burn by Courtney Gould - 3 stars
Cool concept, not the most engaging execution. The MC finds out that her town has burned down twice and it's been prophesized that the third time will be the last.

It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros - 5 stars
Extremely cinematic, delved well into character motivations and backstories in 30 pages while still having major and minor action arcs. I was the most excited for Aden's story and it totally delivered. A group of 4 friends play Bloody Mary one night with major consequences.

Truth or Dare by Alex Brown - 3.5 stars
A weird set of tunnels appears any time people in the MC's area have a decision to make. Our MC has a decision to make...

Winter Has Come by Shakira Toussaint - 2.5 stars
Unfortunately my least favorite of the group - our MC meets someone from a new group of people even though they aren't supposed to go down the mountain from where they live. The writing is in a primitive dialect and it made it sort of difficult to connect, personally

Reading this gave me the same vibes as watching a few episodes of Who's Afraid of the Dark, just short spooky stories with generally contemporary settings, mostly in small sleepy towns. Totally think it's worth picking up, and Aden Polydoros is a total standout, as expected.

The stories in this collection are unique and intriguing. While some stories are better than others, all of the stories have something to offer. They are a perfect read in October while preparing for Halloween. I really enjoyed reading them.

➸ 3.9 ⭐️
this was a great October read 🎃🍂

Stay by Erika Waters - 3.5 ⭐️

The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong - 4 ⭐️

One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten- 5 ⭐️

The Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft - 4.5 ⭐️

Petrified by Olivia Chadha - 4 ⭐️

Third Burn by Courtney Gould - 3.5 ⭐️

It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros - 4 ⭐️

Truth or Dare by Alex Brown - 5 ⭐️

The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint - 1 ⭐️

eternal gratitude to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc

As with all short-story anthologies I loved some and I was fine with others. My stand-out authors were Erica Waters, Chloe Gong, Tori Bovalino, and Hannah Whitten - so it felt like the book was front-loaded with great prose and chilling tales but nothing else fully lived up to those stories for me. I'm glad I read it, and it has one of the best covers for fall 2022, but it was so-so overall.

I LOVE a horror anthology and this was such a fun spooky-season read!

This is a great collection featuring a great selection of YA authors who all show they can skilfully handle the supernatural. The cover is absolutely beautiful too and would immediately make me pick it up had I seen it in a bookstore.

My personal favourite stories were by Tori Bovalino, Erica Waters, Shakira Toussaint and Alex Brown.

Featuring gorgeous writing and eerie images that will remain with you late into the night, this is the perfect fall coffee shop read.

An interesting and diverse collection for a young adult audience, published just in time for spooky season! I think these stories have wide appeal with both teens and adults. Some stories were better than others, as is usually the case with a short story collection such as this. However, I think this title is an enjoyable read, particularly for young adult readers with an interest in the horror genre.

The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror was hit and miss for me. I usually love reading horror anthologies as I get to read new work by old favorites and I'm introduced to new voices. However, there were very few stories that stood out to me. A good attempt at energizing urban legends and creepy folktales, but ultimately fell flat.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC via NetGalley for review.

This collection of short stories was good! Like all collections of this nature, I enjoyed some stories better than others, but overall it had some solid spooky short stories.
Some of the stories gave me definite chills and others got me with the last line. I liked the different writing styles of the different authors. Each of the stories was well written, and they were quick and easy to read.
If you’re looking for a quick read with some spooky vibes this fall, check out this anthology!

5 stars. Truly spectacular. Short story collections are often hard for me to read, but I flew through this anthology. It’s also the perfect October read.

Teens interested in breaking into folk horror will likely have a great time with this collection of spooky stories that never get too scary but stay thoroughly eerie in every installment. It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros absolutely took my breath away and was my favorite of the bunch by far, but I also really enjoyed Stay, Petrified, and The Burning One.

The problem with anthologies is even if I love the book I can't rate it too high because there is always at least a story or two that I don't love.
As a whole, this was just fantastic, perfect for spooky season!

Mostly enjoyed this. I’m not sure all the stories qualified as folk horror – you can’t slap that label on any old story and call it good just because folk horror is currently in again. And anthologies of different authors are always a mixed bag. That said there were enough enjoyable gems here to make this worth reading. If you like horror of the spooky variety, you may enjoy this.

Thank you so much, Page Street Publishing, Page Street Kids for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

The gathering dark is a brilliant, spooky and funny collection of stories written by amazing authors, like Chloe Gong, Tori Bovalino and Allison Saft. These are only a few of them I loved, because I loved everything! Between restless deads, wicked towns, monsters and liminal spaces where everything is possible, this collection is beautifully written, engaging and so thrilling. Perfect for every time of the year, but mostly for the Halloween one, I totally recommend this collection and it's so so good!

THE GATHERING DARK will make its debut in my creative writing classes this October. What a fantastic collection of spooky stories. The teen writers are going to love these! Some of the authors in this collection were new to me and some I knew, which always makes an anthology a little extra enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this, it wasn’t overly scary, which is good for someone like me who is scared of a lot of things. Will definitely buy a copy when I have the chance.

I always find it so challenging to give a rating to anthologies. There were definitely some stories in this anthology that were much stronger than others, but overall I enjoyed every story so I decided to give this 3.5 stars. In more specifics, here are my ratings for the individual stories:
Stay- 3.5 stars
The Tallest Poppy- 4 stars
Loved by All, Save One- 3 stars
One Love Bridge-3 stars
The Ghost on the Shore- 2.5 stars
Petrified- 3 stars
Third Burn- 3.5 stars
It Stays with You- 3.5 stars
Truth or Dare- 3.5 stars
Winter has Come- 4 stars

Overall, these stories are highly enjoyable and most definitely have that perfect fall/spooky vibe. The stories that filed to carry that vibe pulled down my overall ratings. I'd still recommend this book and buy it, but it definitely has weaker stories that I would skip. I think Winter has Come ended up being my favorite for how unique and spooky it was. This is definitely one I'll play as an audiobook at the next bonfire with my friends haha.