Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This anthology of creeptastic stories for the YA audience is exactly what I wanted it to be. Every story is strange, with a range of different types of uncomfortable or scary situations. Some use more horror story tropes than others, but they all have an unsettling tone that teenagers will really enjoy. Overall, those students who love Gothic stories will eat these up, and this would make a great book for a high school classroom or library.

Wonderful spinetingling stories just in time for spooky season! I am positive that the YAs at our library will enjoy this book.

A creepy, strange anthology pitting young people against all kinds of weird and creepy. In turns atmospheric, uncomfortable and revealing, these stories play well with horror tropes you know whilst breathing life into them afresh.

The stories aren't that long so it's nice to read them spaced out a bit and savour them seperately. I think it's quite difficult to review an anthology of work by so many different authors when they're all quite different. There were certainly a couple of standouts for me but as a whole, there was a strong sense of oppressive dread and a distinctly creepy vibe that is consistent. Some of the stories were much stronger than others but none of them was a total let down (which is rare indeed for anthologies!)

I was not familiar with any of these authors but I loved the title, cover, and premise of this anthology. Despite the fact that I am a lady of advancing years (age twenty-five, my bones hurt) and this is an anthology aimed at the YA amongst us, I enjoyed this! I think I would have really loved it when I was younger, Goosebumps with real teeth!

Also I really enjoyed the casual inclusivity of the whole thing, I'm glad we finally live in a world where LGBT+ people are actually characters in horror novels and stories and not reduced to homophobic jokes or monsters. That's an aside, really, about the publishing industry as a whole but it warms the cockles of my cold dead old lady heart.

I received an ARC from the publishers and Netgalley to review. Thanks gang.

Some of these stories I really liked, others didn't quite hit the mark for me. Regardless, this was a really cool anthology filled with everything from the ghostly and demonic to the killers and witches. A book of diverse characters and stories sure to appeal to all readers!

Stay by Erica Waters - 4/5 stars

This story gave me the most visceral feeling of dread than any of the other stories. The descriptions were enough to give me goosebumps. We have a bit of an unreliable narrator who experiences hallucinations and can't quite understand what's real and what's not.

The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong - 2/5 stars

This story just felt too confusing and disjointed for me. It felt longer than it should have, considering it felt like not much happened throughout much of the story. The doll aspect did freak me out a little but overall it wasn't my favorite.

Loved By All, Save One by Tori Bovalino - 5/5 stars

This was for sure my favorite in this anthology. As much as I love all things spooky I love true crime even more, and this rings familiar in that regard. Set during a snowy night in an isolated house this story made me scared to be home alone. My stomach was legit in knots. I really loved the badass ghost and the talk of not blaming the victim and remembering murder victims as real people, not just stories.

One Love Bridge by Hannah Whitten - 2/5 stars

My only real complaint is that this one felt so long and slow to develop without really building suspense. I enjoyed the pieces about not letting your anger control you and instead using it for positive change. Interesting premise but just too slow for me.

The Ghost on the Shore by Allison Saft - 2/5 stars

I liked the Lady of the Lake myth and was definitely a little spooked when the ghost got in the backseat of the car. That being said, this story leaned more toward the boring side for me as it was missing the action and level of spookiness I was hoping for.

Petrified by Olivia Chadha - 3/5 stars

This story felt very short and I would have loved a little more from it. I liked the redemptive theme of this one and how nature played into the act, as well as the strong friendship. There were some twists that I didn't see coming and thoroughly enjoyed. Involves mention of sexual assault.

Third Burn by Courtney Gould - 2/5 stars

Nothing really great or awful about this story, I just didn't respond to much of it. It was neither scary nor detailed enough for me to feel very invested in the main character or the town. I liked the brief parts involving witches and their craft but again, wish there had been more substance to it.

It Stays with You by Aden Polydoros - 3/5 stars

This was a very chilling story with very real fears throughout and takes the concept of Bloody Mary to a whole other level. Explores the topics of sexual and physical assault of a minor and cancer. I would have loved for this to be a little longer to really amp up the fear during the characters' waiting time, but I loved the strong ending.

Truth or Dare by Alex Brown - 2/5 stars

This one's writing style didn't click with me and it ended up being another story in which it didn't feel like anything was happening. I didn't ever feel scared, I was mostly just curious about how it would end. It felt more like a talk about doing what's best for yourself in a one-sided/manipulative relationship than anything really scary.

The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint - 2/5 stars

I found this story difficult to follow because of the writing style and breaks throughout. It was hard to tell how much time was passing between each scene and what had happened during those passages of time. I understand the basics in that it's a story about colonization of indigenous peoples but beyond that I was a little lost.

I'd definitely recommend this book to readers looking for a variety of stories to enjoy during this Spooky Season! Not every story worked for me but I don't expect to love every story in an anthology, and I found a lot to like throughout the whole collection.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for sending me this E-Arc in return for an honest review.

Calling all Edgar Allen Poe fans, you will love this anthology of twisty, dark, and haunting tales. I soon had to stop reading it at night as I would spook myself with any noise I heard in the house. Many of the tales will leave you shocked at the end, and will leave you second guessing yourself as you read on. I loved the Haunting prose of Chloe Gong's "the Tallest Poppy", and the ending left me pulling my covers over myself at night. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is wanting some quick, spooky reading for Halloween.

Now though for what I wish was different, is that many of the stories are similar to each other, even of they are spooky there is not much to expect for the next after reading several. I wish it had a bit more variety of storytelling throughout it.

Not a fan of horror but this anthology surprisingly allowed me to ease myself into folk horror with the lighter yet more suspenseful undertones—instead of the usual heavy veins—especially with excellent storytelling by some of the best, tying individual stories with a strong thread of terror.

This cover is *perfect*.

This is an anthology of folk horror stories. I don't think I have ever read folk horror before, but I really liked it! Of course with anthologies, some stood out to me more than others. Would recommend reading, especially during spooky season!

Thank you to the authors, Page Street Kids, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun anthology for the Halloween season. Some stories were more thrilling than others and better written, but even the more lackluster ones were fun enough to have in the teen section for Halloween/fans of horror.

A fantastic collections of brilliant writers. The stories are a perfect selection to enter Autumn with. Young readers will enjoy the modern takes of folk tale favorites. Each story holds its own in the collection giving the reader a good spooky time. I would definitely recommend this collection for new readers of the horror genre, a nice entry point to start at.

The Gathering Dark is a collection of folk horror short stories. As with all anthologies, some stories will become new all-time favorites for some readers while those same stories won't impress others.

On a side note, the cover of this book is gorgeous.

Stay by Erica Waters - 3.5/5
Stay follows a character who is struggling to help her family. On top of her job, she is supposed to keep the restless dead in the local cemetery at bay. The story has a couple of twists and turns and an open ending, which I liked.

The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong - 4.5/5
The Tallest Poppy is set at a supposedly haunted house in New Zealand. Despite knowing the risks, the main character decides to accept employment as a nanny during the summer to earn extra money for when she goes abroad for university. The story was slow, but the pacing felt intentional.

Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino - 4/5
In Loved by All, Save One, the main character lives in a house that is built over the grounds where a young woman had been brutally murdered and buried under the floorboards centuries ago. This short story is violent, but the ending was impactful.

One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten - 3.5/5
This story follows four bored teenagers who have a falling out after failing to complete a ritual at their town's haunted bridge. The direction the story took was unexpected, but I loved how unlikable the main character was.

The Ghost on the Shore by Alison Saft - 2.5/5
In The Ghost on the Shore, the main character is still struggling with the loss of her best friend, who drowned at a lake. The rumor around town is that if you visit the lake at 2 am, you'll see the spirits of those who were lost to the lake. I struggled to get through this one, but it was a unique concept that might work out well for others.

Petrified by Olivia Chadha - 4.5/5
A creepy forest. Some discontent in town. A group of friends who get revenge. I still think about this story.

Third Burn by Courtney Gould - 4.5/5
Third Burn follows a character who has always been an outsider, but is further ostracized after an incident. Her town in Oregon has burned down twice, and it keeps getting rebuilt. But what happens if it burns a third time?

It Stays With You by Aden Polydoros - 3/5
Four teens play Bloody Mary and things begin to unravel. It took me a long time to get through this one because something didn't really work for me. I liked the concept, but it didn't work out for me. I think it will still be impactful for other readers.

Truth or Dare by Alex Brown - 3/5
Truth or dare? That is what the character asks. In their town, tunnels appear when a decision needs to be made. Two go in, one comes out. This story won't work for everyone, but I liked the ambiguity.

The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint - 4/5
This story will not work for everybody because of the writing style, but it's purposefully written and the message is important.

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing (Page Street Kids) for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed in this collection and ended up DNFing it at the 43% mark. The stories were too rushed and none of it felt like “folk horror” despite that being a major part of the marketing of this book. None of the stories were scary and I found myself struggling to get through them despite how short they all are in length. I think if the stories were longer and the plots were explored a bit more in depth, I would have enjoyed this more.

I was incredibly disappointed in this book. I thought the concept was interesting, and I enjoyed some of these author's other works, but this short story collection fell incredibly flat. The stories felt rushed and underdeveloped, and I couldn't connect to any of the characters. In addition to that, the formula for each story was almost identical, with a few details swapped. Each one was either a weird urban legend or a weird haunted house or a weird town, and that was the entire story. Nothing was particularly scary, and although I liked a few of the stories (The Ghost on the Shore was my personal favorite) the whole thing overall was quite boring. That being said, if these stories were adapted and flushed out more, I would absolutely give this book another shot.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am consistently blown away by the potential of the format of the short story. Frequently, people think that the marker of success is to leave your reader wanting more but I beg to differ. I firmly hold that a good short story leaves the reader feeling satisfied and still thinking, which I would say this anthology did.

Tori Bovalino, Hannah Whitten, and Allison Saft’s contributions stand out in particular in their artful use of environment and character study with the horror elements lending themselves to unexpected plot developments.

As an avid reader of folk horror, I’m not sure that that is exactly how I’d describe these short stories. If anything it’s closer to a mythos of Americana that is very much rooted in today. Less folk and more… amalgamation and exploration of American Youth and what the means today. This hold true for some stories more than others of course (some are very clearly not in America) but as a whole that’s how these short stories resonated with me

The gathering dark is an anthology of folk horror. When I saw the list of authors that are part of this anthology I said "I need it".
This book was a great surprise! I liked some stories more than others but overall it's a very solid and varied collection with strong creepy vibes and incredible twists. I highly recommend it.
My favorite story was Petrified♥️

Full of stories that touched all different corners of creepy, The Gathering Dark is a really solid anthology. I'm always a bit on the fence about anthologies, since there are always fantastic stories and others that don't land, but I think that The Gathering Dark does a great job of collecting its tales, and even when there were ones I didn't like, there were others that I loved, and I think overall it stands as a solid collection. I also loved how so many of these stories felt like they so easily reflected our own worlds, pulling familiar stories and myths into new things. We all have those places in our hometowns that are supposedly haunted, the places you aren't supposed to go at night, the strange houses, the rituals and gimmicks you dare each other to do. Perhaps this anthology shines so much because it all feels so familiar in that eerie, enjoyable way. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend checking it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of The Gathering Dark.

This collection gives a wide variety to ghost stories and lore. IIt might not be scary enough for major horror genre readers, but there are unique stories in here that are entertaining. I think people like myself, who like mild amounts of scares, will enjoy this collection.

Each story offers something different, some heroes, anti-heroes, villains and victims. There are some stories ending on more positive notes with others ending in terror. What they all have is a daunting edge that keeps you wanting to turn the page. I particularly enjoyed “Stay,” by Erica Waters and “The Ghost on the Shore,” by Allison Saft. The endings were some
of my favorites, offering some sort of conclusion while leaving an ending open enough that you could imagine plenty of different ways it could go. The most terrifying story for me was “Loved by All, Save One” by Tori Bovalino. I think it’s because the terror comes from not the one you’d expect.

Overall, it’s a good collection that I really enjoyed. It also had some nice representation sprinkled in there, like a couple of mentions of sapphic characters, gay characters, a bi character, and Indian and asian characters. Although the focus was horror, so those aspects were not delved into heavily, they were enough to add to who the characters are as people.

My one issue would be in “It Stays with You” by Aden Polydoros. There is a lime where the main character mentions he wishes another character could “grow onto him like cancer.” It just felt a little bit in poor taste. I don’t know much about Aden Polydoros or if cancer is something that has impacted his life and therefore his writing, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but it just didn’t feel entirely right with me.

Other than that, I think this is a beautiful collection of stories, which is an odd thing to say about horror stories, but it’s true. They all seem to have deeper meanings and messaging in them which really stood out. It makes them more personable and relatable.

TW: medical issues, graveyards, mention of abuse, orphaned kids, grief, depression, overdose, death, mention of car crash, ghosts, assault, mention of illnesses, mention of racism, mention of decapitation, murder, mention of blood, gore, mention of cheating, bullying, mention of fat shaming, drowning, missing child, hint at rape, arson, neglect, alcoholism, mention of homophobia, cancer, burns, suicidal thoughts, brain aneurysm, child abuse, child molestation.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this one 🙌.

The Gathering Dark comes out tomorrow, September 6th!

This was a dark anthology full of folklore, and as with most anthologies, some stories worked for me and some didn’t. I loved the overall theme of the book tho! The darker the better 😁. These are the stories that I personally enjoyed:

Ｓｔａｙ by 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀- a haunting ghost story hard to escape. I loved the ending

Ｔｈｅ Ｇｈｏｓｔ ｏｎ ｔｈｅ Ｓｈｏｒｅ by 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐭- I love Allison’s writing and this one did not disappoint! The lake setting was beautiful and you could feel the grief dripping from the pages

Ｉｔ Ｓｔａｙｓ Ｗｉｔｈ Ｙｏｕ by 𝗔𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘀- I think this one was the most unsettling for me. Bloody Mary was a game I would play on sleepovers as a young girl and it definitely was the root of a nightmare or two

Ｐｅｔｒｉｆｉｅｄ by 𝗢𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗮- I love the setting of this story and I’ve always loved when trees can come to life, evil or not.

The Gathering Dark, Edited by Tori Bovalino 🕯

I was excited and slightly apprehensive to receive this ARC via NetGalley as it is certainly out of my comfort zone.

The Gathering Dark was the perfect selection of stories to kick-off my autumnal reading.

Stay and It Stays With You were my favourites but each of the stories has spine chilling moments that made them memorable.

Definitely on the darker side these stories are not for the faint-hearted but if you have the nerve you will be thrilled by this anthology.

I really loved this creepy and horrific compilation of short stories! They are perfect for autumn and halloween, and explored such a wide range of topics and phenomenon. I especially enjoyed the short story by Chloe Gong and Allison Saft, and how they created detailed characters, intrigue and mystery in such a short piece where it is difficult to have the room for such depth. I always really enjoy books of short stories and this was no exception — I am sure that it will become a favourite among those who love the nonsensical, dark and whimsical.

This was my most anticipated anthology of the year, and it met all my expectations. I was spooked and intrigued and found a lot of new authors I want to try out. I will say this worked for me, but might not work for others. I really liked a lot of these stories because of the tone and setting, not necessarily the plot or characters. Still, I think Hannah Whitten and Alison Saft's stories have broad appeal. Erica Waters's story was exactly what I expect from her at this point, and will definitely please fans of her work. Olivia Chadha has a new fan in me. I was only really let down by a few stories. I think Aden Polydoros's story is full of some of the most triggering content I've ever read, and readers should be warned. Courtney Gould's story was okay but never fully drew me in. Shakira Toussaint's story was a refreshing but disturbing and slightly confusing story of real-life horror and colonialism and is so different from the rest of the book. Despite some of these not working for me, this was overall a win. Here are my ratings for each story:

Stay by Erica Waters: 5/5 stars

The Tallest Poppy by Chloe Gong: 3.5/5 stars

Loved by All, Save One by Tori Bovalino: 4/5 stars

One-Lane Bridge by Hannah Whitten; 5/5 stars

Ghost on the Shore by Alison Saft: 3.5/5 stars

Petrified by Olivia Chadha: 5/5 stars

Third Burn by Courtney Gould: 3.5/5 stars

It Stays with You by Aden Polydoros: 2/5 stars

Truth or Dare by Alex Brown: 3/5 stars

The Burning One by Shakira Toussaint: 3/5 stars

Overall, I loved this. I think my horror-loving students will too, but I will be providing trigger warnings. It's a great book for spooky season, and the fall vibes are present in many of the stories. Read this if you like angry girls, vengeful spirits, and a good old-fashioned urban legend.