Book Review
Tropes : Halloween, 1980s, Supernatural
Triggers : LGBTQ+ Shaming, Infidelity, Abuse, Death
My Recommendation: Skip reading the synopsis.. GO IN BLIND!!
Synopsis:
“With the 80’s nostalgia of Stranger Things, this horror drama from NYT bestselling author Christopher Golden follows neighborhood families and a mysterious, lurking evil on one Halloween day.
It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, horrifying secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them…and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?
New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales…but in this suburban Halloween drama, Golden brings the horror home.
All Hallows. The one night when everything is a mask…”
Quick Review:
Looking for a night of tricks and treats?
In this multi-POV story, we take a trip through a 1984 Massachusetts neighborhood as the spookiest night is upon them. But by morning, there will be a lot less of them..
If you like suburban drama but through not-so-typical characters with a supernatural entity roaming through the dark for its next victims, this may be the book for you!
The vibes give off mixed feeling between spooky and haunting, dramatic and realistic. I did enjoy the more legend/paranormal parts of the book with the creepy children running around and the Cunning Man lurking from the forest, while I wasn’t the biggest fan of all the triggering drama each household was fighting through (and there is alot of it). If it gives you perspective, I’m not the type of reader who watches reality TV or dives into all the tea spilt on the internet. So reading those sections was more of a page turning event rather than soaking it all in.
But the spooks.. I was here for!!
The fast-paced, slashing conclusion to the book was what really drew me in, leaving all the build-up worth it in the end.
I’d say if you’re wanting a book that makes you proclaim “this is Halloween,” I’d recommend this one for any reader’s Halloween TBR!
Would I Recommend?: Yes
How I Read It: Library eBook
Pros
- Scare Factor : 3/5
- Predictability : 2/5
- Ending : 4/5
- Fast-Paced
- Set on Halloween Night
Cons
- See Trigger List
- Neighborhood Drama
- Slow Build Up
Final Rating:
More Book Information:
Published: January 24, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Adult Horror
Pages: 325
Bones n Coffee Books 