I just finished reading A Sliver of Darkness, and by this book it appears that irony is the new creepy. I kept waiting for the twist at the end, the horrific resolve that sends shivers down your spine, that cants your view of the whole story as you take in the horror…not so much with this one. But I’ve been spoiled by years of random horror tales from Lovecraft on, I just love that hook; you know the feeling. The stories here were good, but as I say, I like the jolt at the end.

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but every now and then an author I really like puts out a book and I feel compelled to give them a try. I'm so glad I did this time! I really enjoy the way Tudor tells a story, and I'm pleased to report that the attention to detail, pacing, characterization, and suspense comes through every bit as strongly in the short story format as in the long-form novel. This was a really entertaining collection of creepy tales with fantastic twists that I really enjoyed!

A Sliver of Darkness is a fascinating collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors C.J. Tudor. Each tale begins with a short introduction giving insight into the authors inspiration for each story. Often times with anthologies, I only like a few of the stories in the collection however, I found each of the tales in this collection to be unique and entertaining. Below I have provided a list of the included titles with a short, spoiler free, synopsis...

End of the Liner- A post-apocalyptic tale in which the world becomes uninhabitable while aboard a luxury cruise ship. The story is told from the perspective of Leila Simmonds, an original passenger, who is now nearing her retirement.
The Block- A group of kids decides to break into a mysterious, seemingly abandoned, tower block only to discover that something sinister has made itself at home inside.
Runaway Blues- A young couple befriends a mysterious Jazz musician whose music is inspired by the love of his life. When she leaves him for another man his dark side emerges.
The Completion- A post-apocalyptic tale in which a corrupt real estate agent will do just about anything to finalize a deal...but this might be his last sale.
The Lion at the Gate- A group of kids cut through a forbidden area and find a sinister lion spray painted on the gate.
Gloria- Gloria, now retired, specializes in "clean up" is hired for a job when she meets a mysterious young girl named Alice and decides to intervene.
I'm Not Ted- A case of mistaken identity places one man in a moral dilemma when he is offered an upgraded life...all he has to do is say he is who they think he is.
Final Course- A post-apocalyptic tale in which a young girl and her father are invited to mansion for a 20th reunion where they are offered protection from what lurks outside...but the monsters may be closer than they think.
The Copy Shop- A woman discovers a copy shop that provides a unique service, one in which the reproduction appears to be better than the original.
Dust- A woman is trying to escape reality at a luxury hotel but is continually haunted by the sins of her past.
Butterfly Island- A post-apocalyptic tale in which a group of people decide to go to an uninhabited island, once a butterfly sanctuary, for safety but find themselves in danger from something much worse.

I love a new to me short author and story collection and was very excited to begin this. However, I soon discovered that most of the stories weren’t to my taste. Each story here, I felt, was missing something small but crucial.



eARC kindly provided by Ballantine Books / Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I loved that she had an intro to each short story! It made them even more personal and relatable! Each story was done so well, and had just the right amount of detail. I wish there were more like this! They were long enough to get scared but short enough to hold my attention.

The second story totally reminded me of my favorite horror movie Quarantine, and I LOVED it!!! So much diversity in the stories too.

Highly recommend!

I loved the last book this author did and this one didn’t disappoint. Definitely had all the elements I was looking for in a book. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone

Tudor's work is SO hit or miss for me, and this was definitely a miss. I didn't love the majority of these stories, and they really didn't draw me in.

I am very picky about short stories, but I am a fan of C.J. Tudor so I requested an ARC and I’m so glad I did! The stories were good and varied, I enjoyed seeing her in a new format. I also enjoyed the introductions very much, they gave a nice peak into the author’s life.

Having never read a book by this author, I went in with no preconceived notions or ideas about what the stories would be like. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I love reading horror short stories that are exciting, quick reads and this book met those criteria. Each story was unique and interesting. I will certainly be reading more books by this author. Highly recommend this if you enjoy horror stories.

A Sliver of Darkness

[Blurb goes here]

While I enjoyed a few short stories in this anthology, I didn't liked them all. And liked even less the introduction to every single one. It was something akin to driving through an empty highway and having to stop every few minutes for some inane reason. I read a few, but those seemed to spoil de story that followed. Needless to say, I ended up skipping them, thinking to myself that they seemed to be fillers to lengthen the book.

Other than that, as far as anthologies go, this was a very interesting one, and one that I will revisit in the future.

Thank you for the free copy!

Thank you Netgalley and Ballentine Books for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm not normally a fan of short stories, (with the exception of Stephen King), but I really liked this collection. I haven't read anything by CJ Tudor before this, but her books came highly recommended so I was really excited to have Ballentine Books grant my wish. I was not disappointed. This was the best collection of short stories outside of King's work that I've read. Normally novels of short stories are a DNF for me, but this book was great. Granted, I enjoyed some stories more than others. My favorites included:

End of the Liner
Runaway Blues
The Completion
Final Course
The Copy Shop

My least favorite was Gloria. I may have liked it more if I had read more of Tudor's work as Gloria is a supporting character in one of her other books.

All in all, a solid 4 star collection. I would highly recommend this book. Especially for fans of King's short stories like me.

Wow, such a great collection of short stories! I enjoyed every single one. I loved the author’s writing style, each story kept me on the edge of my seat. All of them were dark, creepy, and so unique! Highly recommend this amazing set of spine-tingling tales.

A Sliver of Darkness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriler
Format: Kindle Ebook
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: C.J. Tudor
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 256
Goodreads Rating: 4.37

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Ballantine Books and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: In Final Course, the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In Runaway Blues, thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In Gloria, a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a cold-hearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in I'm Not Ted, a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen, fatal consequences.

My Thoughts: Most authors find there niche and continue to grow and mature in it. However, Tudor is unlike most authors. She can write both short stories and novels, such a rare author. She does not disappoint with her latest book. My favorite story was Final Course, an epic last dinner scenario. All the rest were fabulous as well. I normally do not like short stories, I prefer novels, however, these are done with such expertise that I loved them! The writer channels in thriller, chiller, horror, dark, disturbing, with a small twist of humor in these stories. The various stories take inspiration and homage tribute from/to Stephen King. These stories keep your interest, they are short, well written, and are just brilliant. The book releases later this year and I highly recommend that you preorder it!

A very refreshing book. It's a collection of short stories written in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. It's nice that each story is not written like the other. What I mean is there is no certain style that CJ Tudor adapts to. That is hard to do in my opinion. It's a nice break from reading one big novel. It's like lemon water to refresh my mind.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this collection of short stories very interesting! I loved how the author began each one by telling the reader how the idea came about. It made it feel more personal. Of course, I enjoyed more than others, but that's to be expected. I recommend to any horror/thriller fan!

What can I say....C.J Tudor has written another 5 star book. When I saw this available I requested it without reading the blurb just knowing it's going to be fantastic! Highly recommend reading this gem

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Sliver of Darkness.

I enjoyed the author's previous book so I was excited when my request was approved.

This was a fast and enjoyable read; usually I'm not a fan of short story collections since I usually only end up liking one or two, but I liked all of the stories.

There's a bit of a Stephen King vibe to them since they have horror and/or supernatural elements.

I also enjoyed the brief background the author gives for each story, explaining where she came up with the idea.

Are the stories scary? No.

Are they a quick and fun read? Sure.

I think most people will enjoy them, even if they're not into horror or supernatural stories.

A short story collection by C.J. Tudor, yes please!

First and foremost, read the personal introduction then dive in! Also, each short story has a brief explanation as to what inspired her to write that short story.

I am not always a fan of short stories, but I am a fan of C.J. Tudor, so I dove in and was not disappointed. With most short story collections, there are ones that I like more than others and those that do not work for me.

Every single short story in this book worked for me!!!!!! True, there were ones that I enjoyed more than others, but everyone was enjoyable (and fun)! Some were darker than others, but all were original, well thought out and creepy. I usually get upset with short stories due to feeling that just as they were getting good, they end. But here I thought Tudor ended them at the appropriate times. She provides the thrills and chills in her imaginative stories.

If you are a fan of short stories, a fan of Tudor and looking to try something new - look no further!

Tudor has established herself as a solid horror writer and now she has proven that she can nail the short story as well.

Creative, well written and dark!

#ASliverofDarkness #NetGalley

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Solid collection of horror short stories. There are eleven in total and while 2 of them were 3 star reads for me, the rest were 4 or 5! My favorites were End of the Liner, The Block, Final Course, and Butterfly Island. I particularly liked that Tudor introduced every story with the reason/inspiration behind why she wrote it. The stories were well-written in a chilling and eerie fashion, varied in length, and had satisfying conclusions. Very evident that a lot were inspired by Stephen King so if you’re a fan of King, do not sleep on this book! Many are apocalyptic/pandemic themed in either alternate realities or taking place in the near future, something I find both scary and enjoyable to read. If you’re a fan of horror, you’ll really enjoy this.

C J Tudor is amazing and every book I’ve ever read from her has been great. I automatically buy any book that comes out from her and she’s in my top 5 favorite authors. I was so excited to be able to read A Sliver of Darkness and I can honestly say it is truly awesome. Every story was so unique and different than other stories I’ve read. I enjoyed each one. I had a few favorites that really stood out to me though; End of the Liner, Runaway Blues, and Final Course.

End of the Liner; 5/5 What if you were stuck on a vacation cruise for the rest of your life? Paradise, right? Perhaps not. Great story and that ending!

The Block; 4/5 This one read more like a YA and was a story about an abandoned, creepy building. Kids decide to break in and chaos ensues. Fun and creepy read.

Runaway Blues; 5/5 This one was just awesome and dark. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming and it was a unique story.

The Completion; 4/5 A lying businessman who is a very scum human being, end of the world vibes and creepy old manors, what more could you ask for?

The Lion at the Gate; 5/5 Kids running late for school decide to cut through the woods, only to come across some very interesting (and disturbing) graffiti. Fast paced and unnerving.

Gloria; 4/5 This one just proves that sometimes real people are scarier than ghosts.

I’m Not Ted; 4/5 What would you do if you woke up and found yourself in someone else’s place? Interesting concept and good storylines.

Final Course; 5/5 The sun is gone and creepy, grotesque monsters cover the world. What would you do to save the ones you love? Creepy and atmospheric.

The Copy Shop; 5/5 This one was a fun read and I enjoyed the story. What would you choose copy if you could get an exact replica, but somehow have it be even better?

Dust; 5/5 Very unnerving, creepy and atmospheric. A woman goes on a holiday only to be disturbed by creepy visions, a strange worker and unrelenting sand storms.

Butterfly Island; 5/5 People gather to go to an abandoned island only to find it’s inhabited by something (or someone) dark and definitely deadly.

Great book, I highly recommend giving this a read!