It started off very intriguing and I got to about halfway before I stopped for a day or two and found it hard to want to pick it back up. I finally finished it and it was just alright (2⭐️ rating in my book). It might be cool as a Halloween/scary movie but was just ok as a read for me.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before it published. This is my opinion only.

A good creepy Halloween time tale. I love reading coming of age takes or stories involving kids. Christopher Golden is an excellent horror writer.

This was an interesting read. I have never read anything by Christopher Golden before so wasn't sure what to expect.

While I did enjoy the story and The Cunning Man and the children sent by the witch Carmun, I did find that the chapter being told by a different character a little confusing. Especially because there were so many. I did feel that this too away from the overall story and flow that I felt could have been a little better.

The description of the 'children' that were being hunted was really good - I could really picture them. And Halloween is my favorite so that helped as well.]

I would recommend it, just know going in that it is a little disjointed, at least it was for me.

This book, wow, what a read. This book once you start reading there is no putting it down. It will grab you and keep you reading until the last word is read. It moves along at a pace that makes for an easy and enjoyable read. You will love these characters and no matter what happens you want to be there for them. This book needs to be on your TBR list for 2023, you will not be sorry that you did.

All Hallows is set on Halloween night in 1984 on Parementer Road in Coventry, Massachusetts. A creepy quartet of children who don't belong there join in the trick of treating. This creepy story was more than just a horror story, it really delved into the people on the street and what is going on. Very enjoyable.

Thank you St Martin's for All Hallows by Christopher Golden (read on NetGalley). This is a solid thriller, a great blend of strong pacing and themes that resonate with me, including themes on family relationships, 1980s setting, and the magic intensity of childhood friendship. This has a lot of nostalgia for the 80s, strong Stranger Things vibes, kind of a scary Goonies as well if you will (i love that movie!) and that drew me in. Solid scares too, a lot of genuine chills and creepy moments, the kind of book I didn't read before bed because of my overactive imagination. This book was effective in highlighting the vulnerability of youth as well as their strength, bravery, and resilience; the different perspectives from the characters and the backdrop of family relationships helped add depth to this strong narrative story.

This is the perfect read for horror and scary thriller/suspense fans, just be prepared for the intensity of the scares and content and sit back, find your favorite book snack or your halloween candy stash and enjoy this read.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: January 24, 2023
It’s Halloween night, 1984 on Parmenter Road in Massachusetts. The community is preparing for trick-or-treating, and the yearly ritual of the “Haunted Woods”, set up by one of the locals. It is the perfect night for four children, children no one has ever seen before, to mix in with the local trick or treaters. But these strangers have the same story to tell- the Cunning Man is coming for them, and none of the children are safe. Although the adults don’t believe the insane stories the children tell, they can’t explain the clearing that appears in the woods that wasn’t there before, or why they keep seeing a shadow figure in the trees. Everyone on Parmenter Road has until midnight to decide what they believe in- before it’s too late.
“All Hallows” by Christopher Golden is the perfect spooky read (even though it’s released in January). Haunted woods? Halloween? Strange figures that capture children to steal their souls? There is absolutely nothing about this book that was not completely terrifying- and I loved every minute.
Each section of the novel is narrated by one of the characters in the neighbourhood, so although the novel is not broken down into chapters per se, it has clear and definitive stop-and-start points, all the while allowing the reader to get to know the players on Parmenter Road. We hear from teenagers, adults and children alike, allowing the full experience to play out in its terrifying entirety.
The Cunning Man and his gaggle of spooky children add an entire new level of horror to this already haunting story. There’s a lot of gore, a lot of violence, and a whole pile of jump scares, culminating in a pulse-pounding (and heartbreaking) ending. With the 1984 backdrop, “Hallows” provides the nostalgia that made “Stranger Things” what it is, and it is absolutely the perfect time period for this novel. Before cell phones or the Internet, when people spoke to each other and did not hide behind screens, Golden chose the perfect backdrop to tell his spooky tale.
Golden is an award winning horror author but he is a new author to me, and that is a mistake on my part that I will not be making twice. As a horror addict (movies and books both) I’m already adding his previous works to my TBR list, and will keep an eye out for his future works.

While I did like All Hallows, it took a bit for me to decide if I did or not. The first 2/3 of the book I wasn't sure what exactly I was reading because the horror/terror/mystery stuff didn't start happening until the last 1/3 of the story. Was it YA coming of age story, was it a story about domestic relations? Putting all that aside, it was an interesting story that would have been much better if more of the terror storyline had been made prominent. That part of the book felt too rushed. The writing was good and basing it in 1984 was neat. Solid 3 stars.

It took me a while to get into this book. Probably because nothing really happens but a lot of suburban drama until about 70% into the book. For what the cover shows, and the genre being of the thriller and horror categories, I guess I expected more.

Still, all that being said, the last 30% of the book was fun and what a horror should be. While I didn't love this one, I didn't hate it either. It would have been a good one to release around Halloween, especially since that is the main theme. Weird it's releasing in January BUT if you are a planner, then add this one to your 2023 Spooktober list.

I sincerely appreciate St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The build up of the plotting took awhile before the terrifying parts began. Once they did the story became a fast, insane read.

I would describe this as a slice-of-life Horror. We really get to know some families living along this quiet street in the suburbs before we realize something sinister is walking the streets and it is after the children.

We get alternate points of view as we see lots of family drama, secrets being revealed, and things falling apart. During this drama, children no one has ever seen before are walking the streets claiming that the Cunningman is coming for them, and they need to be protected at least until Midnight. Little do the other kids or their parents know that the Cunningman isn't the only danger stalking the streets.

Once we get to see what's really going on, the horror really begins and it's a race to the end to see who is going to survive. I didn't expect to get so attached to the kids that we follow, and was on the edge of my seat whenever one of them was in immediate danger.

I love the atmosphere, and the attraction of the haunted woods added to the spooky vibes. I also really enjoyed all the family drama which surprised me a bit, but I thought it fit into the story perfectly. Also, those kids were acting hella creepy and if I had read this around Halloween I definitely would have been side-eyeing any kids dressed in vintage costumes.
I really enjoyed this, and would definitely read more by this author!

Christopher Golden has done it again! It was a pretty slow burn but It was a good read. The story was well thought out and I did not see the twist coming. The entire book takes place on Halloween in small town Massachusetts in 1984. I loved the nostalgia I got from 80s setting. I recommend to anyone looking for a good spooky story.


Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one right from the first page where it opens with a father and daughter setting up the woods behind their house for what will be their last year of Halloween magic. As they put the final touches on an elaborate Haunted Woods walk through display, they have no idea the horror that's about to unfold.

I loved the way that the kid's storylines were clearly established as were the adults and while they overlapped slightly, both could stand on their own. My only issue with this one was that there are a lot of characters and they're not particularly distinctive, so in the beginning it was really hard to keep them straight. Still, the kids plot being the primary driver in combination and nature of evil in this one will grab fans of Stephen King. Highly recommended!

A good throw back to old Halloween, makes me feel like an early 80s horror flick - WHICH ISNT A BAD THING.
Cant believe it is releasing in January, this would DEFINITELY be a spooky read I would recommend for October.
Has that good creepy element throughout the whole book.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩: It's Halloween night 1984 in Coventry, Massachusetts. Families are getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Everything seems going well until the neighborhood kids meet four children who beg them to protect them from The Cunning Man.

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨: First of all, this cover definitely is creepy, spooky, and super eye-catching! Halloween night in the 80s?! I'm all for it!

I have to say that the setting was good, with intense story-building. I could visualize everything in my head!

I tried to like this story since Road of Bones was one of my favourite reads last year. Unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. As much as I like the story build-up, I felt it was way too long and draggy before the main event finally happened. The main plot was obscured by all the side stories - family & neighborhood drama. Moreover, the story is told from too many POVs and I struggled to keep track who's who.

Overall, this book is not my favourite by this author. It didn't feel like a horror read to me, but more of a donestic suspense sprinkled with light horror. But please do not let my personal thoughts deter you from picking up this book. You may enjoy it more than me!

𝑃𝑢𝑏. 𝐷𝑎𝑡𝑒: 𝐽𝑎𝑛 24𝑡ℎ, 2023

***𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑆𝑡. 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛'𝑠 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛.***

A spooky atmospheric 1980s read. I enjoyed the fast-paced plot and creepy vibes. However, there were way too many characters. Often times, they also shared the same last name creating a lot of confusion. Also, the publication date of January doesn't really make sense and a Fall release would have been better suited.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this advanced copy.

This feels like a classic, all things Halloween and all things spooky rolled into one frightful night leaving you wanting more.

Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts

Time for Trick or Treating, haunted houses and scares!

Told through the POV of various neighborhood members, All Hallows follows a neighborhood on fright night! Tony Barbosa has hosted the ““Haunted Woods” for years but this year will the last. Everyone looks forward to this, it's a good scare and yearly tradition. But this year, there were extra children in the mix. Children who ask for help getting away from the "Cunning Man".

I had high hopes for this book. I was hoping it would be creepy and scary. It did work in the creepy area with the children in their vintage costumes. There was great atmosphere in this book. I could visualize the children trick or treating with the chill in the air.

I liked the creepy trick or treaters that no one recognized or could place. Their old/vintage costumes had me reminiscing about the costumes I wore as a child. How did we breathe or see out of those masks? I trick or treated in the 70's and 80's so this one hit all the nostalgic vibes for me.

While this kept my attention, and I thought it was good, I wasn't wowed by it. These was something missing that I can't quite put my finger one. There is drama to go with the creepy vibe. While I enjoyed the drama, I wish there was less of it. I wanted more of: who are those kids? Who is the cunning man? Is this part of the haunted woods? Wtf is going on? and run for your lives! Basically, I wanted more creepiness and chills.

This is another book that I think would work well as a movie. It does have tension and atmosphere. It does have that something isn't quite right element that I enjoy in books.

Vintage costumes are such a creepy idea and I loved the premise for this book but I quickly lost interest in the beginning. The pages of in-depth thought that Tony had about questioning how he raised his kids was not the hook I wanted to start a horror novel. Unfortunately that continues with more coming of age drama and domestic problems and multiple narrators. I didn't get the creeping terror or shocking fear that I wanted from any of the characters. I love Christopher Golden but this book is not his best. It left me bored and skimming most of it.

All Hallows is a fun Halloween book with some chills and thrills. This isn't necessarily a scary book, but it's like watching a fairly entertaining movie which some nice twists and turns. Overall I'd recommend this for anyone who wants to try spooky books.