My track record with CJ Tudor as a horror author has been a bit hit or miss, and her latest anthology A Sliver of Darkness leans more in the vein of “hit” for me. She tends to write over-the-top, somewhat convoluted thrillers that somehow can still be a lot of fun and it was interesting to see what she did with a shorter word count for each story. I will say the success of each one varied quite a bit, and this anthology did lack a clear throughline that I look for in these types of collections. But this is probably the best time I’ve had with a short story collection in a while.

My favorite of the works here was the opener of the collection - inspired by the author’s musings on using ships being used as a contingency plan in the event the Earth’s surface becomes inhospitable. Ships on the ocean that is, not ones designed to send us to outer space. I have a soft spot for isolated communities with sketchy hierarchical systems that develop in the aftermath of an apocalypse (think: City of Ember) and this was a great version of that.

I have to say I was confused by Tudor’s inclusion of a story centered on a character she had previously written in one of her full length novels. She claimed it could be read and understood completely separate from the previous work but after finishing it I still couldn’t shake the sense of leaving something half-finished. This may have just been one to leave in the drafts, especially since it seemed from her author’s note she was already interested in revisiting this character in another full-length work.

In the end, I think A Sliver of Darkness is a perfectly-timed fall release that features some real standouts and few stories I felt were mostly mid. It could have benefited with more cohesion in the connection between each story but that’s not something most anthologies really seem to capitalize on in any case. But I’m happy to say Tudor’s writing seems to work for me in either short or long form and I’ll be looking out for her next release.

Thank you to the publisher Ballantine Books for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

I'm a fan of C.J. Tudor and, of course, a big fan of horror. I was so excited when I found out this author was releasing a book of short horror stories. There is something so eloquent about good horror in small bites like this. This is a perfect genre for short stories.

One of my favorite things about this collection is the introductions to each story that let me peek into Tudor's life and see how the author finds inspiration.

These were bone-chilling, unnerving and unsettling so of course I loved it! I definitely recommend picking this one up and enjoying on a dark night!

Out November 8, 2022!

This was a fun short story collection. I liked most of them but only a few stood out. My favorites were Gloria, Last Meal on Earth & Runaway Blues. I did enjoy how the author had an introduction for each of the stories and explained where their inspiration came from.

I don’t normally like collections of short stories. I find it hard to connect with a character or a plot because they’re over so quickly and then moving on to another. However, there were some stories in this collection that I really enjoyed! “Gloria” and “Final Course” jumped right into the story and you are immersed into the world from the start. There were many I thoroughly enjoyed and only a few I didn’t connect with.
Overall, this was a good collection of short stories.

C.J. Tudor has to be one of my favorite new authors. I have read EVERY. SINGLE, BOOK she has written. And she NEVER disappoints. A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of short stories and I loved every one.

This was a pleasant surprise. I’m not usually one for short stories as I never feel like I get enough time in each one. These were all well thought out and unique ideas. I don’t know that they were very scary but I liked the execution nonetheless.

This collection of short stories was truly what I needed to not only get me in the Halloween spirit, but also as a palate cleanser. I'm not one for short stories, but these were such a ride!

Dark, horrifying, twisty, and even a bit dystopian, these short stories are perfect for those looking for a quick thrill. Tudor created such atmospheric stories with characters who had me invested in the short amount of time I got to know them. Some of these stories had some pretty good twists, too!

Honorable mentions for these stories: Runaway Blues, Gloria, Final Course, and Dust. These reminded me of why I read Tudor's work in the first place. Just too good. 😮‍💨🤌🏻

Many thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and C.J. Tudor for my e-ARC of A Sliver of Darkness in exchange for my honest review.

While I wouldn't say these are straight up horror books, they were creepy and weird. End of the Line and the story with the Butterflies were a couple of my favorites in this book, I would have happily read more about each of them. I really enjoyed the way C.J Tudor had an introduction to each of the stories, and I really enjoy the way they were written. I can't wait to see what she will write next!

I confess I'm not much of a short story fan. But C. J. Tudor is certainly trying to change my mind with her A Sliver of Darkness. These are excellent shorts. I also enjoyed her giving the reader a little background on each of the stories. I want to thank NetGalley and Ballantine for an early copy to review.

I love short story collections but have never read one of this genre. Maybe I should start, because I enjoyed this collection by Tudor. Each story weren't too long or too short and had just the right amount of thrill and darkness. Like all short story collections, some stood out more than others. There were 11 stories in all. My favourites were 'The Block', 'Runaway Blues', 'Final Course' and 'Butterfly Island', which I hope will expand into a novella one day.

The Block: An abondoned building, known to the locals as "the Block", caught the attention of a group of teenagers. What started off as a challenge, ended up with the whole gang being trapped in it and as always with teeangers, chaos ensued. Although ending wasn't unexpected, I kind of liked it.

Runaway Blues: This one, according to the author, was inspired by one of the songs from My Chemical Romance. It was eerie and gave me the chills. I loved the tone of the story and how sinister it was. A couple frequented a bar called Blue Flamingo. There they met a talented young man, known to everyone as the Fat Man, whose voice captured everyone's heart, including the couple. Things took a dark turn when a headless body of a woman was found, The couple suspected it had something to do with the Fat Man.

The Final Course: Woah. This one, dark dark dark, just the way I like it. Father and daughter were invited to a reunion part of the father's friends. They accepted it as they needed to get out of the city where things were getting worse, with all the riots, looting and burning of cars. They thought they had finally found a safe place to live - a large house and land with lots of potential to start anew. But things started to get sinister when they found out the truth behind the invitation.

Some other stories which I thought had a lot of potential, but fell a little short on its impact, that feeling that lingers after reading it, were 'I'm Not Ted' and 'The Copy Shop'. I liked what 'I'm Not Ted' tried to say and the 'lighter, funny' side of 'The Copy Shop', but something in them was lacking, and I just couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.

I think, overall, what made the stories more interesting were the author's introduction to each of them, giving it some sort of a background story and what inspired it. A great read for those who enjoy short stories.

Thank you publisher and NetGalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A very readable collection of short stories. It starts off really strong with End of the Liner (which I've already started recommending), The Block, and Runaway Blues, but the endings to some of the other stories (like Butterfly Island) don't hit as hard. Most feature in some way the dread of a coming apocalypse or the ambivalence of already having lived through one, so the whole collection feels cohesive. It's a good selection of Tudor's strengths, which are secretly awful characters who are hiding even from themselves, mysteries that you have to wait for the narrator to solve for you because goddamn it they knew all along, and terrifying plots. I just wish the endings were more consistently amazing.

I’m normally not a short story fan, but I am a CJ Tudor fan and I enjoyed reading her short stories. They were creepy, innovative and perfect entering October. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for a chance to read this collection!

I really enjoyed these short stories. The authors novels are wonderful and the short stories also reflect the talent and imagination shown in the novels.

A beautiful, chilling collection of stories. Love all her novels and really enjoyed this short story collection. Particularly liked the forwards that detailed the story genesis. Haven’t felt that connected to an author since reading Harlan Ellison in my teens. Looking forward to what she comes up with next.

Highly recommended.

This was exactly what I needed to get me into spooky season! The short stories were creepy and dystopian, and kept me turning the pages. One of them really creeped me out and I had to try to not think about it at bedtime, because it was keeping me up! I was missing having a novel by this author this year, so this was a very pleasant surprise! Can’t wait to read her next one!

A Sliver of Darkness is a collection of short stories by author CJ Tudor, all delightfully dark and creepy! Some of the stories have a Twilight Zone vibe to them; others are end-of-of-the-world themed, and all are twisty and spooky, ending with a moral thrown in to live (or die) by. There are ten stories, all quick and enjoyable reads, and they’re sure to satisfy fans until the next book. Great idea! I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just “meh” for me. It only got 3 stars because I have liked the author in the past. For me, short stories can be quite boring. I rarely find them interesting and this was sort of the case with this book. They aren’t bad; they’re just not my cup of tea. The first one with the cruise ship was interesting, though … but it left so many questions!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed the short story collection overall. Some of the short stories were better than the others and some of the short stories I wished were full books. This was well-written and all the stories were interesting. The Block and The Copy Shop were my two favorite stories from the collection. The End of the Liner and Butterfly Island I wish were longer. Then for me, I'm not Ted was my least favorite. All the other stories I really enjoyed overall.
I would definitely recommend this short story collection to my friends and family.

As somebody who reads full on bookks and not a book full of stories, I'm happy to report that I have officially found something new that I like. It was different in a really good way, as it each story was short and to the point and just like a book, it grabbed my attention and I wanted to read it. The only downfall I found to short stories is that it leaves me with the wanting for more. I highly recommend to anybody who is hitting that reading slump to give a book of short stories a chance because they will help you over that hurdle. As for this book, I don't think 5 stars is enough, as I wish I could rate each and every story individually. C.J. Tudor did an amazing job of channeling Stephen King in her stories, it was almost like reading a Stephen King book. She has a way with words that sink their claws into you and keeps ahold of you until the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC of this in retrurn for an honest review.

While i am not normally a fan of short stories, I am a fan of this author and these stories didn't disappoint Interesting, disturbing, scary at times. And was glad to see some insight into the creation of them.