I wanted to love this, and although I DID love the concept (who doesn’t love spooky Halloween tales?), the stories didn’t do it for me. Most felt geared toward younger readers.

arc review:

although twisted tales to tell in the night attempts to invoke the storytelling of scary stories to tell in the dark, it fails to deliver.

while the stories are spirited and show enthusiasm, many of the plots are disjointed and confusing, and the horror is muted.

Although it is marketed to adults, this collection might work better for middle-grade readers just discovering horror, not for crazed horror addicts like myself.

Out September 16th, 2025
This anthology is like knocking on the creepiest house on the block and getting a full-size candy bar—every story is a treat, and some are downright tricks. Edited by Stephanie Rose and William Sterling, Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night is a deliciously dark homage to the classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but with fresh voices and modern twists that make it feel both nostalgic and new.
Why I Loved It:
*Perfectly Packaged Horror: Each tale is short, sharp, and spooky—ideal for late-night reading or campfire storytelling.
*Seasonal Vibes All Year: The stories drip with Halloween atmosphere, from haunted houses to cursed candy, making it feel like October no matter the calendar.
*Standout Stories: “We Don’t Go in the Howards’ House” by William Sterling gave me chills, and “You’re Never Too Old for Halloween” by Brian McAuley was surprisingly poignant.
Final Musings:
This is the kind of book you keep on your shelf and pull out every fall—or whenever you need a little fright. Whether you're a horror aficionado or just love Halloween, this anthology is a must-read. It’s scary good fun, and I’ll definitely be rereading it with the lights off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Death by TBR Books for this Spooky ARC!

Omg this book of short stories was everything I wanted and more. Scary stories to tell in the dark was a staple when I was a kid and I was obsessed. These stories gave me the exact same feeling. I want more!

4.5 ⭐️

This was the PERFECT read for spooky szn! 18 spooky short stories all packed into one anthology. I found myself flying through every creepy tale. It reminded me a bit of the movie ‘trick r’ treat’, defo had similar vibes!

My fave stories were:

The panthera project
Mrs Kings candy
Last requests
You’re never too old for Halloween

All of them were so good though. Thank you NetGalley for the arc. HIGHLY recommend!

You get what youre looking for with this. Spooky tales similar to the ones you grew up with, but newer.

This reads more like a collection of short stories to celebrate halloween and not a Halloween Horror anthology. I felt like maybe this is meant for younger readers and not avid adult horror fans. There was nothing scary here. Some of the stories were bland and some were downright confusing.

This was everything that I wanted in a Halloween Horror anthology novel, each storyline worked well in the universe and was invested in what was going on with each book. I enjoyed how good each story was in this collection and enjoyed the different authors. I enjoyed that it got me into the Halloween spirit and glad I was able to read this.

One if the best spooky story collections out there. This captures the exact same feel, the tension, the fear, the disgust, as Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. It's the exact same short fiction concept, but made for an older audience. The phenomenal stories are well worth the read!

The cover instantly gave me a wave of nostalgia, taking me back to the days of reading “scary stories to tell at night” Inside, the twists and turns kept me hooked, each tale perfect for sending a shiver down your spine. With its eerie atmosphere and suspenseful storytelling, this is the kind of book you want to read aloud around a campfire on a crisp October night—perfect for Halloween.

Fun scary stories book that reminded me a little of the ones I absolutely loved when I was a kid. This isn’t as good as those ones but is pretty decent.

Thank you, NetGalley and Death by TBR Books, for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This was a decent collection of horror based short stories. As with all short story collections, there are some hits and some misses. I had a few more hits than misses by only a little. A lot of these fell flat. I didn't recognize the authors that wrote these stories. I grew up reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and I did enjoy the nostalgia but that only goes so far. I did enjoy the artwork on the cover. This was still mostly fun and I'd still recommend it.

his really missed the mark for me.

When you read the forward and it’s talking about ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “The Haunted Mask”, you get really excited for what is about to come.

But I was let down, all the stories were really weak and really clunky to me. It did read like AI was given a prompt to write as many Halloween stories as possible. None of the stories felt personal, none of the stories read like they had any heart. None of the stories had the flair of what was mentioned in the forward.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this eARC! The 90s kid in me was so excited for this one! The artwork checks all the nostalgia blocks.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night.

I love Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a kid and I still do as an adult.

Not surprisingly, when I saw the cover, I thought it was a new anthology of the famous scary series.

I was open minded to give this anthology a shot but I was neither scared or impressed.

Maybe I'm too old for the tales even though I have a copy of Scary Stories and read it regularly when I want a scare but these stories was nothing new I haven't read before.

I actually found some of the characters unrealistic, whiny, and poorly developed which I know is difficult to do when its a short story.

I appreciate the authors' attempt to recreate the charm, thrills, and chills of the original Scary Stories but nothing will ever compare to the original.

Had a lot of fun reading this collection of stories. Very reminiscent of scary stories to tell in the dark, which hit me right in the nostalgic feels. I did find that though the book is supposed to be geared towards older demographic, teens, and middle school age, kids might be able to handle it as well. all in all, great collection.

Unfortunately, my favorite thing about this book was the cover. As a kid, I was a huge fan of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps, and this book promised a "grown-up" version of those tales. However, other than the occasional curse word, these stories felt like they were aimed at a very young audience. The writing was very simple and juvenile, which is fine for kids' books, but felt out of place here. I think I was expecting scarier stories, and most of these felt cliche. I understand that they're meant to be an homage to the stories we read growing up, so I understand the cheesiness to a degree, but for me, most of them missed the mark. The only one I really liked was "Best Friends Forever." Some of the others were okay, but most weren't memorable. I know that these were flash fiction pieces, but I think a lot of them would have been better if they were longer and more fleshed out. I do hope this anthology finds its audience, though, and that others enjoy it more than I did!

A chilling and nostalgic collection of bite-sized horror! Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night delivers eerie, addictive stories with clever twists and a classic campfire feel. Perfect for late-night reading, creepy, fun, and full of atmosphere. Highly recommend for fans of short-form horror!

I quite enjoyed this collection of spooky short stories! Anyone that loved the series "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" by Alvin Schwartz will love this as well!

Full disclosure I am one of the editors of this wonderfully spooky anthology. These fun size tales will tickle your Halloween fancy and I have read them over and over again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!