3.5 Stars ( )

All Hallows is one of those books that I was hoping would get better as I went along, but unfortunately this had a story line that meandered too much for my liking, destroying any tension that built up. Not only did it do this once, but several times throughout the story, leaving me a bit disappointed in the overall experience. It's not that it was boring and I definitely didn't dislike it by any means, but scary? No. Full of tension? No. Full of tingles and shivers? No.

First of all, the nostalgic feeling of the 80s was something I loved about this book. At first, I thought it was going to be one of the strengths of the book, that whole neighbourhood feeling when everyone got together to enjoy a night full of fun and escapades. The Barbosa's always put on an epic Haunted Woods and this was to be their last one so they wanted it to be a good one, while the Koenig's were getting ready to host their after-Halloween party. Fun, right? It was until the author decided to bring all this neighbourhood drama into the story about a philandering alcoholic husband who created chaos with a number of friendships; I am not usually opposed to this drama, but the focus on it took away from the unfolding drama that was supposed to be the highlight of the story, the return of the Cunning Man.

When the slasher stuff finally starts to happen, I was already starting to lose interest in the story, about two-thirds into the book. Children dressed in these vintage clothing, a clown, a Raggedy Ann, and a scarecrow, would not really have drawn that much attention in 1984 even though I remember Madonna and Michael Jackson being hugely popular costumes as well as Star Wars. There was always someone dressed as a clown. But I did appreciate all of the 80's references to remind people of the time line.

As a result of all this, the plot is the weakest point of the novel, with the Cunning Man and the creepy children sort of running in the background, and once in a while they show up to deal with some neighbourhood kid, but the whole story becomes disjointed because of all the other stuff going on. When the Cunning Man and the kids should have been absolutely terrifying, the author had already lost me with the other drama, enough hat I didn't really care about what was happening. And on a side note, I did have an issue with one of the relationships, although not the relationship itself, but the openness of it. This was 1984, and I do have an issue when modern sensibilities and thinking are put on the past for as teen growing up the 80s, exploring all forms of sexuality was not really acceptable. We are talking about the time of the AIDS epidemic when fear mongering was quite high, so teenagers were definitely not encouraged to openly explore their sexuality. And furthermore, a lot of people left their doors unlocked during this time period and would definitely not have been thinking someone is a pedophile the moment they saw someone, especially in a small neighbourhood like this, especially not kids. That is current-day thinking. Small things, but they were jarring nonetheless.

Verdict
All Hallows had a lot of potential, but the over-focus on the neighbourhood drama which included everything from infidelity to alcoholism to job loss to abuse, affected the overall story and rendered the Cunning Man and his children to the background. Unfortunately, instead of the eerie and creepy, I got disjointed and...weird. I did really appreciate the nostalgia and the creepy forest and would love to have had a haunted forest like that while I was growing up, but it was not enough to save this book for me. ( )

It's Halloween night in 1984, and the residents of Parmenter Road are unprepared for the horrors that await them. As secrets between neighbors and exposed and families start to fragment, a dark presence awakens that seeks to fully tear these people apart.

The cover and description of the book -- a supernatural '80s-themed horror story -- had me intrigued almost immediately, so I picked the book up and started reading, and man did it have me hooked. It has quite a vast cast of characters, which to some may be too much, but to me it adds depth and an extra layer of world-building that really helps this book flourish. And there's quite a shocking twist later on that adds to the whole suspense of the novel, and adding an almost fantasy-like feel to it. As far as criticisms go, I do feel like some of the characters who were set up rather early sort of lost any and all focus later in the book (which did make sense for the story, although I was a bit disappointed because I was hoping for more interactions between certain characters). The whole neighborhood drama subplot -- while it does add, well, drama to the story -- did feel a bit distracting at times and a bit immersion breaking, but it still added a critical element to the story and its characters. And, as some books tend to do, the conclusion feels a little rushed -- not the actual wrapping-up of the story, but the final bit of the conflict seems to throw a lot on you (world-building wise) that doesn't really give you any time to breathe. Also, this book does get dark ... and by dark, I mean DARK. Lots of characters die, so be prepared for that. (There's also quite a bit of foul language, so if that's a red flag for you, then be prepared for that as well.) Apart from these things, though, this is a phenomenal horror novel that really sets the stage for a quite thrilling adventure that fans of the genre should enjoy.

Content Concerns: There's quite a bit of violence throughout the novel, and it does get somewhat graphic at times. There's also references to affairs going on between a few neighbors, and although this is frowned upon, it does lead to the fragmentation of several families. There is also quite a bit of foul language of differing severity; I began this book before I really kept count of how much language, but just know there is quite a lot.

(May 9, 2023) ( )

******* This review contains spoilers******

Sigh......here we go again. I find myself repeating this like a broken record lately........this was too modernized. It would have been fine set in a modern society. However, this is supposed to take place in 1984. There was zero 80s nostalgia. I was alittle shocked that the writer didn't even try to make it feel like the 80s...little to no references to cult classics, no iconic character costumes, no wholesome home vibes, etc. I forgot several times while reading that this wasn't a modern setting. The only real throwback was the lack of cellphones. The ideals and mindset of the teens was all wrong for the 80s and the characters were experiencing very modern world issues.

Next gripe.....was this a horror book or a woman power mantra??? Though the story was supposed to be about a neighborhood, really a single street, that is thrown into a Halloween horror, and more specifically, 2 families.....it really revolves mainly around 2 teen friendships and a marriage. There is another marriage involved and a few supporting characters, but only scantily. Its primary focus is the female cast, and surprise......all of the male characters are the "bad guys" and they all die. Only the repressed, but "oh so strong" women survive. Only one main male character is alive at the end.

The ending..... I was a bit put off by the conclusion. The one surviving male hates Halloween now?? After making such a big part of his story his love of the holiday??I love Halloween and was really digging his enthusiasm for my fave holiday.

All that said.....and contrary to my complaints......I actually did like this. The idea was very original and the pace was a nice and steady build to the climax. I was never bored or tempted to abandon this book, despite my gripes. Its a nice mix of drama and horror. I do recommend this read, just don't expect 80s vibes or gender equality. ( )

This was really good! I was in the mood for something a little creepy and this book set on Halloween night 1984 was just what I needed. It did take me a minute to really get into the story since there are a lot of characters to get to know and keep straight but it didn’t take long for me to be hooked. There was a lot going on in this book and I couldn’t wait to find out how everything would turn out.

There was so much drama in this neighborhood that could have played a part in my worst nightmare, not to mention the actual threat of the creepy kids showing up and The Cunning Man. The book is told from various points of view of different people living in the neighborhood it is set in. I liked that we get a variety of perspectives from a wide range of characters since it really paints a clear picture of what is going on. There was a lot of intense family drama in addition to the threat to the lives of the people that encounter The Cunning Man.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Ronnie Butler and January LaVoy did a great job with the story. I have enjoyed January LaVoy’s narration in the past but I believe this was my first time listening to Ronnie Butler. I think that they both handled a large cast of characters very well and really helped to bring the story to life. I thought that their voices complemented each other incredibly well and I can certain that their narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I loved the ’80s setting and the creepy vibe that was present throughout the story. I thought that the story had a lot of excitement along with more than a few surprises. I would definitely read more of this talented author’s work.

I received a digital review copy of this book from OrangeSky Audio and St. Martin’s Press. ( )