Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the candy, costumes and screams of joy and terror. Id decorate for it all year if it wasn’t frowned upon by my neighbors. So of course I had to read All Hallows by Christopher Golden.
Golden transports us back to October, and the magic of Halloween. But not just any Halloween, it’s Halloween in the 1980s. This was my childhood. We had homemade costumes made with stray crafting supplies, or store bought uncomfortable plastic masks that you were forced to smell your own breath in. We didn’t use pillowcases to get our candy, we had hard plastic pumpkins that filled up after one block of scavenging. Golden captured my Halloweens in this book, but also revealed my nightmares.
What if there were real monsters trick or treating with unsuspecting children. How would you be able to tell? Some costumes are so believable, the look real. In this book, those little monsters are horrible and blood thirsty. It’s a scartastic delight of horror.
I flew through this book. The many perspectives of holiday revelries propelled the story at a fast pace. Each character was connected, their encounters with evil intertwined. I couldn’t put it down.
Celebrate Halloween all year, with All Hallows. It’s worth the terror.

Christopher Golden is one of my favorite authors. Road of Bones was in my top 3 books of 2022 and All Hallows will probably be in the top of my 2023. I loved the setting and the creep factor. This is the perfect Halloween read and I am honestly kinda bummed that I read it this far out from Halloween. All of the characters are so vivid and real. I loved getting to know all of them and was so sad for some of their fates. You can recognize real people you know in the faces of the characters and the way that he writes the story from everyone's perspective was perfect.

And the dark supernatural monster thing was awesome. I was ready for some crazy supernatural stuff because I read road of bones but he outdid himself here. It was so amazing and I couldn't wait to finish this story. I cannot wait to get more from this truly amazing horror author.

This was a short and sweet nostalgic coming of age story set on Halloween. I enjoyed some of the 80s references but this novel needed more plot.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

My first Golden book. Somehow our paths never crossed. It was good, but not a favorite in horror genres.

The story takes on Halloween. It's a neighborhood filled with children and parents ready to enjoy the holiday. And something sinister starts to walk among them. The story does focus a lot of characters (and there are a lot of them), and their darker sides. We get a lot of bigotry, racism, judgement, cheating. It shared the ugly side of this particular neighborhood. Add the evil that stalks the children and we have a horror book in the making.

The end had the halloween slasher vibes, with bodies piling up left and right. It did have a couple of redemptive arcs, but in the end it was too many POVs to build the suspense and induce horror. I felt it dragged through.

It was very cinematic, and with the slasher vibes towards the end, would make a great horror movie.

Thank you to St Martins press and Netgalley for my review copy.

This one's hard for me to rate. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book - I mean absolutely loved it. The 80s nostalgia, the gradual building of tension - both underlying creep factor and literal tension boiling over in the form of physical fights erupting between otherwise civil neighbors, secrets being exposed, etc, and the general sense of unease in that something is obviously not right with this situation, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is kind of unease. But then the second half started to get just weird and a little too silly for me with the plot line. It became way too far fetched and turned what I would call paranormal / sci-fi on me, which I am not so much of a fan of. I won't say more so as not to give it away, but I was just disappointed with the direction it ultimately took. I did like the very end and the sort of clean wrap-up, or as tidy as it could possibly be, but a quick "where are they now" epilogue would have been even nicer. If you like paranormal / sci-fi horror, you will probably LOVE this. If you're looking for more of a psychological thriller, I'm not sure. The writing and character development were excellent though. I was definitely attached to most of the characters by the time the extended climax began. I'm giving this 3 stars, but it's probably a little more than that. Like I said, the first half was gripping.

This is the perfect Halloween read. The book takes place on Halloween night in 1984 in a town in Massachusetts. There is a lot of drama going on among multiple families and neighbors within the town. Also, there is the “Cunning Man” and the creepy kids that appeared out of nowhere who are afraid of him. Will the town be able to survive this Halloween night?

There are a lot of characters…a lot. Surprisingly I wasn’t confused and was able to keep all the characters straight. It was a creepy book and I loved that it took place both in the eighties and on Halloween night. I enjoyed the supernatural element of the “Cunning Man” and the “creepy kids.” My only complaint was I thought it was a little too slow, it took a while for all the action and “horror” parts, but once it did it was a wild ride.

When I read the synopsis of All Hallows, I knew it was outside my typical read, but it sounded interesting and I wanted to give it a try. I'm glad I tried something new, but this book just wasn't for me. I've realized that I am not a fan of supernatural books, and I could not get into this one.

In addition to the supernatural elements, there was WAY too much going on in this book. There was a lot of drama for a story told over a few hours, and it was hard to keep track of everything. And the new suspicious neighbors that everyone is afraid of...?! That plot line was not necessary and didn't add anything to the story, in my opinion. (I can't be more specific without giving a spoiler).

Overall, if you're a fan of horror and supernatural thrillers, then this one might be for you!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes authors go a little nuts with the different POVs but this was done just right. Not too many to completely lose track of the characters and just enough to get all the sides of the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of All Hallows in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book. It had all the drama, gore, scares, and creepy children you want in a horror story. Each chapter was told from a different character’s perspective which made it interesting seeing the same events differently. It was a quick read. I would definitely recommend.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Guys I couldn’t put this one down. Love @christopher_golden books but this has to be the best yet. Hooked the whole way through. Enjoyed the character building through the whole book. Creepy and ominous feeling all the way through. Made me feel like a kid in the 80s again. Definitely will make my top five this year! You must read this book!

All Hallows was a clever and spooky book that would be perfect to read in October. Set in 1984, it combines some fun nostalgia with neighborhood gossip, relationship angst, infidelity, friendship, betrayal, financial struggles, coming of age, folklore and good old fashioned horror.

This book is told from many perspectives. At first I was concerned it would get confusing but I actually think it enriched the story. There were many storylines blending into one and this was the best way to make the book flow. The creep factor is on high alert with this book and no one is safe with the author. Basically, anything can happen to anyone at any time....and does. So, if you're looking for a spooky read with a few twists, this is a good one to grab.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This was a drag for me, though I really liked the idea and I generally enjoy this author. I look forward to the next release.

I have read other stories from this author and enjoyed them immensely, but (in my opinion), there were just too many problems with this one. To start, there were just too many characters and too many points of view that it was incredibly hard to keep up with who was supposed to be narrating what part. There were also some characters that stood out for all the wrong reasons (purposely acting a certain way and then being surprised when people judged them for it, or characterizing nearly every man in the book as a pervert).

In my opinion, I would have liked to have seen more of the supernatural plot. Tell me more about these children (and really, did no one even care about them because it seem like they would show up and be seen, and people would then just go on about their day)?

Tell me more about the urban legends surrounding the town. Do something that makes it interesting other than have more family drama than an episode of Jerry Springer.

On the whole, I think with another round of editing (which, as I received an ARC of this book, there might have been), I think this story could still be salvaged. There just needed to be less drama and more horror for it to really live up to what it promised.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Wasn't what I was hoping. Hadn't read anything by that author and there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of who was who. I'd liked to have more background on some of the characters. Would have liked to know more about cunning man. Character development was not there. Very fast paced. Lots of plot holes.

All Hallows is creepiness at its very best. I predict that it will be on Halloween must-read lists everywhere this fall, but true lovers of thrillers/horror won't be able to wait that long. As a New England girl myself, it was easy to place myself inside Christopher Golden's fictional haunted Massachusetts woods,. The spookfest is narrated by multiple characters over a single Halloween night, but all wrapped up neatly and tied with scary bow and ending with events that could only happen on a night when the veil is thin! I loved it.

Full disclosure, I didn't end up finishing this one, though I did get about 85% through before calling it quits. And let me tell you, I was TRUDGING through that 85%. I kept waiting for the horror in this horror novel, Yes, there were creepy aspects, but there were so many perspectives about people I didn't care about that it was hard to feel immersed.

I think the author was trying to go for a really character-driven story, but it just wasn't executed well. I don't have a ton to really say about this. It was so slow, and overall I was really let down on what seemed to be a really promising premise.

It's 1984 in Coventry, Massachusetts, and the Barbosa's are setting up their annual Haunted Woods display for Halloween, but amongst the usual trick-or-treaters are old-fashioned costumes and rumor has it that the Cunning Man has come out to play.

All Hallows by Christopher Golden is a perfectly spooky Halloween read that focuses on a close-knit neighborhood that's hiding plenty of secrets behind closed doors.

While the story itself isn’t anything groundbreaking, if you’re a fan of character-driven, Stephen King-esque supernatural horror, you’ll probably have a good time with this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

<b>Nothing in these woods could be more dreadful, more terrifying, than the selfish cruelty of ordinary people.</b>

It’s Halloween night in 1984, and kids are out trick-or-treating, Tony Barbosa is preparing his neighborhood-famous Haunted Woods for the last time, and the Koenig’s are gearing up for their annual party. Strange children approach each of the characters, on the run and asking for help and protection from the Cunning Man who’s after them. The story follows everyone in the neighborhood as they experience a Halloween full of drama and terror that they’ll never forget.

This is definitely a good spooky-time read, and the different points of view from everyone makes it more interesting. My favorite characters are Vanessa and Julia, and their moments were nice little reprieve from everything going on. I was a little underwhelmed with the villain(s) in this I guess, and it wasn’t very scary (which is great if you don’t want anything scary!), but overall it was pretty good.

<b>“Who’s the Cunning Man?”

“He’s trick-or-treat,” she said. “He’s Halloween. And he’s almost here.”</b>

I unfortunately dnf at 15%. There were several POVs and I was getting who was who mixed up. I felt myself not wanting to pick up the book.

Thank you for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

‘80s nostalgia, Halloween and creepy kids in vintage costumes?! Yes, please🙌 These are a few of my favorite things, after all. Well, maybe not the creepy kids…in real life anyway. Reading about them is much better.
When I came across the synopsis of All Hallows, I knew I had to read it:

“It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man.”

I will start with the good: solid ‘80s neighborhood vibe. The atmosphere was great, with lots of Halloween decorations and everyone all hyped up for the holiday.
The not so good: there is a ton of neighborhood drama and gossip, but nothing really happens. There were so many characters to keep track of that I got a bit frustrated. The book doesn’t really pick up until the last 25% or so. Then we start to see some horror. But even then it falls flat. I wanted a lot more of the creepy kids, The Cunning Man, and the haunted woods. Sadly, this one just didn’t deliver. Not a bad book, just not what I was hoping. I enjoyed his other book, Road of Bones, much more.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the digital ARC!