This collection of short stories had me absolutely engrossed. Each story is a wonderfully bite sized morsel of terror to be consumed rapidly and with abandon. I’d recommend this to anyone that loves a story with a dark fantasy twist and atmospheric vibes. I can’t wait to give this to my mother for Christmas!

Out of (I believe) 26 stories, I gave 13 of them a 4 star rating or above (5 stars x 6, 4.5 stars x 2, 4 stars x 5), and only 4 stories received anything below a 3 star rating. That's a pretty solid collection in my opinion. It's always difficult to rate collections, especially when they are written by many different authors with different writing styles. Obviously there will always be some stories you like more than others, but all in all this was really enjoyable, and it finally got me to read (and FINISH) a book again.

Never Whistle at Night by Shane Hawk is a captivating and thought-provoking collection of short stories that delves into the darkness that resides within the human psyche. Each story in this protagonist, Jack Pansay, is a complex and deeply flawed character whose descent into darkness is both tragic and compelling. Hawk's exploration of Pansay's ill-fated flirtation with Mrs Keith-Wessington is captivating, as he deftly captures the collection is a masterclass in storytelling, with Hawk's writing skillfully luring the reader into a mesmerizing realm where reality and the supernatural intertwine seamlessly.Hawk's atmospheric descriptions are vivid and evocative, creating an immersive reading experience that allows the reader to feel as if they are a part of the haunting worlds he has created. The protagonist, Jack Pansay, is a complex and deeply flawed character whose descent into darkness is both tragic and compelling. Hawk's exploration of Pansay's ill-fated flirtation with Mrs Keith-Wessington is captivating, as he deftly captures the emotional turmoil and ambiguity that accompanies forbidden love.

A collection that shines, with some amazing brief horror stories with tropes explored with nuance and new angles.

I read this on my Kindle and also listened via audiobook. I was very torn on what to rate this and decided upon 3.5 because the hard stories were very hard to listen to.

These stories range from eerie to dark, from imaginative to realistic, from gory to concerning. They were all so interesting, with some I really enjoyed and some I almost skipped. Some focus more on lore and seem further from reality while some are painfully realistic.

Overall, I think I liked the book but some of these stories were very hard to read and listen to.

I enjoyed the short story format because it kept it interesting and made it easy for me to pick it up and read a quick story and feel like I had a good spot to leave off on for next time.

Some of these stories are pretty disturbing so I would make sure to check content warnings because there are some big ones here!

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy and PRH for my audio copy!

What a wild ride! I'm not usually into anthologies, but this one was a winner. From disturbing to gothic, this collection has everything a dark fiction fan could want!

Never Whistle at Night offers a variety of spine-chilling, harrowing, and gruesome stories. I enjoyed the variety of writing styles and sub-genres of horror that were included. This book is perfect to pick up during the Halloween season. The indigenous perspective and experiences of generational trauma and colonialism were horrifying to read about just on their own...considering they come from real life history. The infusion of indigenous culture, legends, and religion make the stories of Never Whistle At Night a notable anthology.

This anthology was such a beautiful representation of indigenous dark fantasy. Some of these stories horrified me, some made me cry, but all of them impacted me. Also the forward by Stephen Graham Jones really set the tone for all of book. I adored this and would highly recommend.

What an amazing compilation of stories! Equal parts terrifying, meaningful, and well written. I spaced these out to keep from creeping myself out too much and it was so wonderful to have a couple unique stories to read every day. I loved working through these over the fall but they are also perfect for long winter nights. The collections start strong and continue that way with so many regional and traditional stories told through a modern lens. I particularly enjoyed the story by Dani Trujillo. Highly recommended. I will be going back to this collection over the years and gifting it to my horror loving friends.

Great collection of short fiction spanning a broad variety of content. Some stories felt scarier, while others were more unnerving, while others were just plain upsetting. There's a delicate balance here between stories solidly rooted in reality, those that feel more fantastical, and those that hover in that hazy place between the two. I really enjoyed how many different nations from across North America are represented in these stories, giving readers exposure to a wide variety of source material. Anthologies can be tricky to rate because readers are bound to enjoy some stories more than others, but this collection is definitely one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for review.

This cover is stunning but the book was just ok. I did not like the plot or the pacing like I thought I would. The writing was ok so give this a try but it wasn’t for me.

Never Whistle at Night is a spine-tingling collection of original horror stories rooted in Indigenous folklore. The central theme warns against whistling after dark, lest you summon vengeful spirits. Tales range from ghosts seeking justice to creatures enacting bloody revenge.

While compelling concepts anchor each piece, the execution is sometimes messy, with unfulfilling endings that undercut the fright factor. As an anthology, the stories work together to create an eerie atmosphere. But as stand-alone reads, some lack adequate structure or satisfaction.

For fans of Indigenous horror looking for a chilling reminder that malevolent forces lurk in the darkness, this collection mostly delivers. Just don't expect every twist or turn to land. Those hungry for retribution will find it here, but others may be left whistling for more cohesive thrills.

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the ARC.

I have to ask myself why I keep reading collection of short stories when most of time, I don’t tend to like collections of short stories. So, with that as a warning, here I go with the review. I requested this ARC purely off the title. I get yelled at by my brother for whistling at night, so I wanted lots of creepy stories and maybe some whistling. I enjoyed many of these, but the range of stories included the horrific as well as genre horror. I consider horrific stories about abuse of children especially, and these are true historical atrocities but throw me when I am expecting monsters, especially considering the cute, colorful cover. Finally, the order of stories and the one that ended would not have been my first choice. I would have ended with Darcie Little Badger’s, as also one of my favorites. All in all, I think some different editorial choices could have been made, but there were lots of fun stories, and I really liked the introduction.

A gripping, scary, and fascinating anthology of short stories. I enjoyed reading this as a way to hear more from authors I already knew and to learn about authors I hadn’t read before. I’ll try not to get nightmares!

I loved this! Anthologies are one of my favorite genres because they so often let the author just go wild. These were all amazing!

While I expected more horror in this collection, I realize the term “dark fiction” is broad. What this collection does best is bring together a fantastic group of indigenous writers to highlight stories and perspectives we don’t often see. I loved every page.

I was given an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT clearly has a gorgeous, appealing cover, and the stories live up to the art in terms of variety and life. I enjoyed seeing how each author approached the horror genre and wove in themes about indigenous culture or their personal lived experience.

If you like short story anthologies, indigenous fiction, horror and realistic stories that make you think, that could definitely happen, add this book to your tbr. It’s also a great choice for Native American heritage month in November.

I’m always excited to read stories from diverse background, specially when I can learn of different cultures and where some stories and superstitions come from.

I’ve enjoyed reading the Indigenous stories in this book, and how the authors used mostly contemporary settings but working in old stories and myths. Full of monsters I’d never heard of.

Some stories have you jumping through emotions, some are more paranormal heavy, and others are creepy in the sense that the events could happen, some stories are even gruesome and unsettling. One element that’s frequently used is centering the colonizer as the source or cause of the evil. For me those are the scariest of all, the ones where the monsters are entirely human. The best scary stories are the ones that have some truth in them.

My favorites were:

🐍 Kushtuka by Mathilda Zeller
🐍 Hunger by Phoenix Boudreau
🐍 Snakes Are Born In the Dark by D.H. Trujillo
🐍 Before I Go by Norris Black
🐍 Scariest. Story. Ever. Richard Van Camp
🐍 Eulogy for a Brother, Resurrected by Carson Faust
🐍 Night Moves by Andrea L. Rogers
🐍 The Scientist’s Horror Story by Darcie Little Badger
🐍 Collections by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala

My only complaint was the lack of TWs, maybe mine didn’t have them yet since it was an arc, and I really hope the final version included them because I think there were several stories had me pause and take a break.

I think this anthology has a little bit of everything for everyone. The stories are short enough you can read them a bit at a time, savoring the mystery and spookyness of each one.

This was such a fun collection of short stories ranging from creepy to down-right disgusting!

I started this anthology as an e-book and then decided to finish via audiobook on a roadtrip and it was such a great reading experience. The narrators were all incredible and I loved getting to hear a little bit about each author after their story.

My favorites were: White Hills by Rebecca Roanhorse, Navajos Don't Wear Elk Teeth by Conley Lyons, Quantum by Nick Medina, Tick Talk by Cherie Dimaline, Snakes Are Born in the Dark by D. H. Trujillo, Behind Colin's Eyes by Shane Hawk, Sunday's by David Heska Wanbli Weiden, Limbs by Waubgeshig Rice.

This was an amazing collection of stories. Normally when I read horror books or short stories they're never really that scary to me. But this collection had me actively getting creeped out by certain stories. I loved every minute of reading this and I will be adding it to my own personal collection.