All Hallows - Fantastic New Read From Golden
“Tonight, the woods would be full of screams, and he intended to cherish every last one.”
Set on one Halloween night in 1984, a group of neighbors deal with a variety of obstacles from cheating, substance addiction, financial woes, strange children, and also…a terrifying shadow like creature with flames for eyes that’s stalking and killing everyone.
A fun Halloween romp that will quickly become a classic, Christopher Golden’s latest All Hallows comes out January 24th.
book mood board (all images from weheartit.com)
“With a smile, he threw back his head and sniffed at the air, searching for a particular scent, of rot and hunger, coppery blood and burning leaves. Of death and autumn.”
There is a huge cast here, but every character is so thought out and rounded, it’s easy to feel like you are apart of this ‘80s neighborhood. I have so many favorites; Tony, Vanessa, Barb, Ricky. Both the adult characters and the child characters hold their own in this fast paced story and act pretty realistic to their ages. Our villains in this story are VERY villainous. I had a lot of fun reading those passages and following all the twists and turns.
The vibe – I know a lot of people are tired of hearing things like “this has Stranger Things vibes” or “this is ‘80s nostalgia at its finest”. To Golden’s credit, this does not feel like a “set in the ‘80s for ‘80s sake” story. There isn’t a lot of references thrown in your face. To me, the reason for this being set in this time frame is because it was a different time where neighbors were more friendly and entire streets would be close, throwing block parties and taking care of each other. The core of this story is about family, neighbors, race, and class. And the ‘80s is a great place for that discussion to take place.
The horror elements of this book are great. The Cunning Man’s imagery gets creepier and creepier as he gets stronger. The mysterious children also play a huge part in scaring you. Some of the writing, especially around the children, is so incredibly descriptive that you can’t help looking over your shoulder…just to make sure.
Overall, All Hallows is just a really fun read with characters you can love, and some really creepy moments that will stick with you even after you’ve finished the book. A massive thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Pick up your own copy when All Hallows hits shelves January 24th.
“Who’s the Cunning Man?” “He’s trick-or-treat,” she said. “He’s Halloween. And he’s almost here.”
