I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

There were some WINNERS in this collection and I really enjoyed my time reading them. This collection was full of unique stories both unlike I’ve ever read before but also sort of similar to Stephen King books. I love short story collections and this is one of my favorites. In short story/novella collections I like to rate every story individually since they can be so different.

📖End Of The Liner - Unique and interesting cultish sci-fi mystery. I wish this story was longer! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖The Block - Amateur “It” by Stephen King vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖Runaway Blues - Sexist and slightly racist. Seems like it was written by a man but I liked the creepiness and the setting ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖The Completion - This one was even grosser and more sexist than the last one. So full of misogyny and pretty lackluster. ⭐️
📖The Lion At The Gate - A little weird but I liked where it went. Would’ve been better if it was longer ⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖Gloria - I wasn’t sure where this one was going. It was interesting and had good plot twists ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖I’m Not Ted - Short and sweet. Very unique ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖Final Course - Atmospheric, apocalyptic, dark, creepy, disturbing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖The Copy Shop - Pet Semetary-esque sci-fi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖Dust - Very creative, disturbing and eerie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖Butterfly Island - Very readable, didn’t really like the ending ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I had a whole paragraph written out but I’ll just say that some of these stories are VERY sexist and slightly racist and fatphobic and although I overall liked this collection, I do not condone those messages.

What would it take for me to, one day, give an anthology 5 stars? I honestly don’t know. Especially considering this was one of the best sets of horror short stories I’ve read in a long time!

So much great stuff here. C. J. Tudor really shows that she has range, a crazy imagination, and real staying power (even though she only has 3 full novels under her belt). If you don’t already know about Tudor (where have you been!) and a big thriller horror buff then get on the boat before it gets as big as the Nesbo, King, Hill, Rice cruises are; because that is how big I believe Tudor is destined to be. She’s much of the way there; just not quite at the status of being a household name yet.

I am immediately going to be purchasing her novels for my horror buff husband and myself to read. I can’t believe I waited this long to be on the Tudor ship.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Thanks NetGalley for a e-copy for an honest review.

I find it so hard to rate/review a book filled with little stories, but I will try. I already love C.J.Tudors stories so this was a fun read.

I loved how the author writes a little introduction to each story, about what mindset/what inspired her to write the story.

Some stories I love and a few I was “meh” about. But still all in all the stories were well written and made one think. My absolute favorite was the first story “End of the Liner” and I loved it so much I wished it was an actual full length book, because I did not want it to end!

I will definitely recommend this book.

This is a short story collection but a much loved author who is revered for amping up the creep factor and delivering plots to scare and shock. This collection holds 11 short stories with a range in creep and scare. For those that enjoy this format of writing it may be worthwhile, others may find it disjointed as the stories themselves don’t connect.

Regardless, I am a fan of this author and look forward to future tales to keep me up at night!

The Chalk Man was one of my favourite books a few years ago.

I read the following three books from CJ Tudor and while none of them felt as strong as it did I still enjoyed them.

I really enjoy short story collections. But I literally had to force myself to continue to pick this one up. Reluctantly I kept hoping there would be a saving grace somewhere. Sadly the women were all insufferable and weak caricatures of perky, pert, lovely women. While the men were painful to read about. If I didn’t know this was written by a man I would 1000% not believe you if you told me a woman wrote it. The men were solid man writes man characters.

I don’t like to tear a book apart but I just could not salvage my interest in this.

The beginnings of each story where CJ explained her ideas for each story was cool. I thought it was nice to see an authors thought process in writing. But, my interest ended there.

I hope The Drift is better after this…

Thrilling!

I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. A Silver of Darkness contains a collection of eleven spooky short stories. I appreciated how C.J. Tudor shared her inspiration for each one of the stories, as I always catch myself wondering what the author was thinking while writing. The stories were good, and I love the concept of reading short stories but I didn't fall in love with all of them. Some I definitely enjoyed more than others. That being said, I am positive that there is a story for everyone.

Thank You to C.J. Tudor and Penguin Random House Canada, for the digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed these stories, some were quite unexpected. I also felt they were well-complemented by the individual intros.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I simply loved this compilation of short horror stories!!

Each story immediately draws you in with the plot and the characters and quite simply, these stories are expertly written.

This is my first time reading Tudor and she's already on my favorite author list.

My favorite short stories in this compilation are, End of the Liner and Final Course. I could see both of these as novels.

If you like horror stories, this is a must read!

This is a fabulous collection of horror short stories penned by one of my favourite authors. I’m not the biggest fan of short stories, because I’m pretty picky about wanting a compelling plot, setting, and characters, and that’s extremely hard to pull off in a short story, where the word count is limited. But somehow, CJ Tudor lived up to my wildest expectations! I absolutely adored this anthology, and there wasn’t a single story that didn’t grip me. This is why I gave this anthology 5 stars!

Each story is prefaced with an introduction. I loved these little snippets into the author’s life and her inspiration for the different stories. It provides a level of relatability to the entire thing–another dimension–because she speaks about losing her father and how difficult it was for her to write a novel during the pandemic. This is why she scrapped that book she’d been working on and produced this collection of short stories instead.

Each story was more intriguing, creepy, and well-written than the last. I love the way that CJ Tudor blends horror and mystery with realistic fantasy and sci fi. We even get to revisit old characters from previous books she’s written, which made me squee with excitement!

Nobody asked for this, but here are my top five stories in the anthology: The Block, The Lion at the Gate, I’m Not Ted, The Copy Shop, and Butterfly Island.

The last story (Butterfly Island) was extra intriguing and so disturbing, and the author says she might extend it into a novella. Please do! I can’t wait!

I loved this spooky anthology by one of my favourite authors, and I need more than just a sliver of her darkness! Haha I’ll see myself out after that…

This is a collection of 11 short stories. I usually don't read short stories but I really enjoy the author so I thought I would give tem a try.

I have to say m favorites were I'm not Ted and Final course. Definitely an entertaining read.

The book definitely delivers what is advertised.

Thank you netgalley for my review copy!

A Silver by Darkness by C.J. Tudor is an anthology of her short stories.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Penguin Random House Canada  and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis and Opinions:

A number of her short stories.  As always, I will provide a brief synopsis and a review of each story on an individual basis.


End of the Liner ... Over 50 years have passed since the world's soil became contaminated, and the people were moved to cruise ships.  But there are certain rules on these ships and not everyone is a fan.  I loved the characters, and I am hoping 75 is too young for retirement too. This was absolutely wonderful!  5 stars

The Block ... Some kids enter an abandoned building and find something waiting for them.  Very creepy.  I loved the questionable ending!  5 stars

Runaway Blues ... A Jazz singer falls in love with a dancer, and his fans follow the story.  This was a little "heady"....okay poor pun.  Again, although I sort of expected it,  I loved the ending.  5 stars

The Completion ... A rather vile real estate agent thinks he is about to make the sale of the century.  I didn't like the character, nor the ending, but I may be biased as my ex was a realtor, so I don't think  the story agent got what he deserved...Okay, who's wicked now?  3 stars

The Lion at the Gate ... A group of kids take a short-cut to school, and find a lion spray-painted on a gate.  It is more than it seems.  Loved the characters, and the premise. The ending was perfect!  5 stars

Gloria ... An assassin who survived death, meets a girl who thinks she may be redeemed.  The assassin isn't so sure.  This was a great story using characters from other books.  4 stars

I’m Not Ted ... A man arrives at the "Elevation Department", but insists he is not Ted...but is tempted by Ted's life.  This was okay if somewhat predictable.  3 stars

Final Course ... When the world turns dark, irrational fears develop, and the weak get blamed. A man and his daughter go to stay with friends from university, but even there, discrimination abounds. Interesting.  I loved Millie, who isn't quite the underdog.  4 stars

The Copy Shop ... A woman discovers a shop where she can get a "better" copy.  This concept was really fun, and the ending perfect!  5 stars

Dust ... A woman spends time in a strange hotel,  with some strange characters, refusing to remember her past.  This one did nothing for me.  2 stars

Butterfly Island ... A group of people struggling to find a safe haven when a virus has taken over the world, head to a Butterfly Sanctuary on a "deserted" island.  I wasn't fond of the characters, but really loved the story.  3 stars


I liked how the author introduced each story with a "how it came about" paragraph or two.  A couple of these stories will stay with me for a while!  Overall, this was really good, with some really "out-there" ideas.  CJ Tudor has a wicked imagination, and shares it well.

It's hard to pick a favorite, but it may have been The Lion at the Gate.  BTW, I loved the cover.

I'm a big fan of C.J. Tudor's writing. She's got a vivid (and darkly creative) imagination that has hooked me with every book she's written. I was thrilled to see that her latest, A Sliver of Darkness, is a collection of short stories.

I like the portability of short stories, the ability to pick out a tale, and have a satisfying start to finish experience. But, with A Sliver of Darkness, I couldn't just read one....I binge read all eleven tales in a day. They're all so so very different and I just had to see what the next one would be about.

Tudor writes a detailed description of how each story came to be, what triggered the idea. I really liked knowing the 'why/how/what behind every story. It's fulfilling for readers like me that wonders where an author finds or imagines their idea for a book or a tale. Some of them are innocuous comments, a memory from years gone by, a location or a personal event.

Did I have a favorite? Besides all of them? The first one, End of the Liner was apropos - what would happen if a cruise ship escaped the plague by not ever docking? Or being dared to go inside that abandoned building. How about graffiti art - that's just a tad too good? A name that just pops up in your brain - right Ted? Or a reprise visit from a character that briefly appeared in one of Tudor's past books. Anyone else remember Gloria from The Hiding Place? How about a beautiful butterfly sanctuary on an isolated island that ends up being much different than a group of people imagined - or hoped? Tudor has hinted that this last tale might be fleshed out in the future. I hope so!

An easy five stars for A Sliver of Darkness.

Wanting more from C.J. Tudor? Me too! Can't wait for her new book - The Drift - coming out January 31/23.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advanced reading copy of A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor.

I have previously read from C.J. Tudor and I am excited to see what her short stories are like. This is a collection of 11 short stories.

I would round this collection up to 3.5 Stars. As much as I enjoyed The Block, Runaway Blues, and Final Course the rest were either just mediocre or misses for my reading tastes unfortunately.

I loved the personal inserts that C.J. Tudor added before each short story. It was nice to have a small glimpse of insight to where she got the idea for each story.

End of the Liner
3.5 Stars
A story about a pandemic where people flee to cruise ships designed by the Creators for survival.

The Block
5 Stars
A group of 13 year olds go into an abandoned building and they find more than they bargained for. This one will stay with me for a while.

Runaway Blues
5 Stars
This tribute to Stephen King is chefs kiss. The twist at the end mind boggling. This is a story about a couple, Stella and Jack, who like blues music and find themselves entangled with another couples relationship.

The Completion
3.5 Stars
Ransom is a real estate agent in hopes of bringing the Bragshaw mansion to completion and Bragshaw has his own plans.

The Lion at the Gate
2 Stars
A group of kids find a lion graffiti. Kind of dull.

Gloria
3 Stars
Gloria is a character from C.J. Tudors novel The Hiding Place. Gloria meets a little girl named Alice.

I’m Not Ted
2 Stars
This is about a man who is not Ted and he is being put to a test.

Final Course
4 Stars
In a post apocalyptic world filled with darkness five friends from university get together for dinner.

The Copy Shop
2 Stars
As C.J. Tudor says it’s about a broken vase, a stale marriage, and a conundrum.

Dust
3 Stars
A woman finds herself vacationing at The Villa De Las Almas Pardidas.

Butterfly Island
3 Stars
During the apocalypse a mix match group of individuals find themselves going to a billionaires island of butterflies.

My Halloween companion this year was a spooky short story collection by one of my favorites, C.J. Tudor. I am not a particularly big fan of short stories in general but I definitely make an exception when they are written by someone whose writing I love as much as I love Tudor's.

I devoured this collection. In particular I enjoyed that each story came with a little intro written by Tudor explaining the origin or the inspiration behind it. The book consists of 11 stories covering a wide range of topics and vibes. My favorites were Final Course, End of the Liner, I'm not Ted and The Copy Shop. C.J. Tudor is a great storyteller but she also has an undeniable talent in creating worlds and spaces that are my kind of "twisted". An overly ambitious and unscrupulous real estate agent, a haunted building, a talented blues musician with a dark love story, various versions of our society post global catastrophes of different kinds. These stories are not just clever and entertaining but also deep and insightful and leave the reader not just feeling but also thinking about some of life's big topics.

If you haven't discovered C.J. Tudor, I'd highly recommend any of her novels but this short story collection is also a wonderful introduction into her style. And if you are already a fan, all I can say is I can't recommend this book enough! It will both dazzle and spook!

A big thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love short stories once in awhile. And these ones hit the spot. Weird, creepy and just d9wn right interesting. I shouldn't thank an author for not editing a full book but this time I will.
Thank you Tudor for this wonderful book


Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Happy Halloween 🎃

I’m not the biggest fan of short stories but I was really in the mood for something quick & eerie for the holiday. I’m so glad I read this because Tudor pens some really amazing, creepy little tales. It’s hard to review short stories without giving anything away. The author does such an amazing job of pulling you into different worlds & making you so invested in a brief amount of time. Her mind comes up with some scary things but probably the scariest part is the plausibility of so many of them.

I was so curious to see what this author could do with a short story format and I wasn't disappointed. Very good, strong story, good twist and entertaining! Awesome!

I am rating this enjoyable, gripping collection of short stories 4.5 Stars. This was a collection of eleven demented and disturbing short stories by C.J. Tudor. These thrillers were the type of short story I enjoyed, and I felt they were all above average. I don't often favour short stories. These appealed to me because they were written as complete plots with believable characters in extraordinary circumstances and a definite twist at the end. These short thrillers included horror, suspense, supernatural and the uncanny. None seemed inconclusive, and any expansion of the storylines was unnecessary. She prefaces each story by explaining how she was inspired to write each one. I especially enjoyed End of the Liner, The Block, Runaway Blues, and Butterfly Island.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advance copy of this terrific advance collection of thrilling horror and supernatural short stories. Publication is due November 8th.

Tis the season for chilling tales of horror and mayhem and no one does it better than C. J. Tudor. A Sliver of Darkness is her latest, a collection of eleven dark and twisted stories guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of the most jaded reader. It’s hard to pick a favourite but I think that has to go to ‘The End of the Liner’ but, honestly, they’re all creepy good fun. I also found it added to my enjoyment that, at the beginning of each story, Tudor gives an explanation of what motivated her to write.Overall, an excellent collection, perfect for the Halloween season.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>