All Hallows by Christopher Golden #bookreview #horror #thriller #TuesdayBookBlog

On By Teri PolenIn Book Reviews

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..

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Christopher Golden novel, and now I’m asking myself why.

One neighbor having a big Halloween Party, another hosting the last year of the Haunted Woods display, kids trick-or-treating – Parmenter Road is the place to be on Halloween. But those who survive the night will change their minds the next morning and count themselves lucky to be alive.

This is the type of neighborhood where everyone knows your business – or at least they think they do – and rumors abound. Most have some truth behind them. Many of these characters display some of the worst human traits – infidelity, alcoholism, pedophilia, bigotry, and homophobia to name a few And that’s in addition to The Cunning Man and the strange children combing the neighborhood that night. There’s certainly no shortage of horrors in this novel.

With multiple POVs (more than eight adults and teens), it was a little difficult to keep up at first. With each character dealing with their own perilous circumstances, it didn’t take long to distinguish between them. I love the setting – Halloween night in the mid 80s, a fairly small neighborhood surrounded by a forest, creepy children running around begging other kids to shelter them until midnight – it’s perfect. Honestly, I’m surprised this didn’t release in the fall instead of January. Several reviewers struggled with pacing, but I didn’t mind the slower pace in this case, and most of the story takes place in one night.

As a warning there are gory, disturbing, and heartbreaking scenes alike, so be prepared. Some aren’t for the faint of heart. This may be more of a slow-burn horror story, but I plowed through it in two sittings. So much time between Golden novels won’t happen again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

30 thoughts on “All Hallows by Christopher Golden #bookreview #horror #thriller #TuesdayBookBlog”

    1. I also loved the time period, Mae. No cell phones (which really would have come in handy in some of these scenes), and there was still a bit of innocence – you didn’t have to worry so much about your kid being carted off by some stranger.

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  8. I really like Stranger Things, Teri, and this does seem to have some of that vibe. The blurb is great. Your warning about “gory, disturbing, and heartbreaking scenes” makes me a little cautious, but it sounds like a book you couldn’t put down anyway. Thanks for the great review and recommendation.

    Liked by 1 person

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