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em1803's review against another edition
4.0
I only read 5 stories from this collection with my bookclub and the spider story fucked me uppppp. Really good variety of authors with their own style and twist to Halloween.
em1803's review
4.0
I only read 5 stories from this collection with my bookclub and the spider story fucked me uppppp. Really good variety of authors with their own style and twist to Halloween.
biteintobooks's review
4.0
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've never read a Halloween book so close to Halloween and I enjoyed it a lot. I'll be going to the cinema this Saturday, ALL NIGHT. To watch 4 new Horror-movies. This book has me in the mood already. I'm a huge horror fan, the spooky kind, the wtf-kind and especially the gory kind. It's all in this book and I highly recommend this book to read during Halloween times, for all the horror-fans out there.
A longer review can be found at Bite Into books
I had so much fun binge-reading these Halloween stories and to read something in one of my favorite genres again. I don't read horror a lot and I do remember now why I love it so much. I highly recommend this book as a Halloween read, to just be creeped out, grossed out and have your own little WTF moment.
I've never read a Halloween book so close to Halloween and I enjoyed it a lot. I'll be going to the cinema this Saturday, ALL NIGHT. To watch 4 new Horror-movies. This book has me in the mood already. I'm a huge horror fan, the spooky kind, the wtf-kind and especially the gory kind. It's all in this book and I highly recommend this book to read during Halloween times, for all the horror-fans out there.
A longer review can be found at Bite Into books
I had so much fun binge-reading these Halloween stories and to read something in one of my favorite genres again. I don't read horror a lot and I do remember now why I love it so much. I highly recommend this book as a Halloween read, to just be creeped out, grossed out and have your own little WTF moment.
vondav's review against another edition
5.0
With a title like this, I knew that this was a must read for Halloween. A collection of 16 short stories all with the Halloween theme. This anthology was a treat to read, whilst I was familiar with quite a few of the authors, I did not know what to expect from this book.
A few stories that jumped out at me were as follows:
Black Widow by Christina Bergling: One of the enjoyments of Halloween is “what costume to wear” Dane only had one enjoyment, to see how many girls he could sleep with to tick off his costume bucket list. He knew that his look was in, when he got an invitation. Attending the party, he saw Charlotte dressed as a spider, and the next one on his bucket list. But was it a night of passion. This story reels you in, Charlotte comes across as a sweet girl and you could see why Dane would zone in on her. The twist at the end shows just what a sweet girl she is.
Girlfriend by Andrew Lennon: Simon had finished just broken up with his girlfriend Susan. She was a bit of a control freak, so he was looking at getting his life back together. After a fatal phone call, was his life ever going to get back on track. I felt sorry for Simon, you could tell that Susan wore the trousers in the relationship and when they broke up, it was like a new start for him. I could not put this story down as I just wanted to know what happened next. If this book was made into a film, it would be riddled with jump scares. A ghost story, where there are no winners.
The Coffin Man by Mark Lukens: Every little village has its own urban legend, and the little village when Dennis and Kara were staying was no different. Living in Kara’s grandma’s house, Dennis is soon bought up to speed with the legend. Whatever you do, do not look out the window if you hear noises, just in case the Coffin Man sees you. The telling of the legend, made this a creepier story, but the ending was a surprise.
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Steven Stacy: If you have watched Halloween, then you would have heard of the surname Strode, but what if Laurie died and her younger brother Tommy was in an asylum for her murder. Amber her other sister still hated Halloween, but this year she had a plan to draw out the real killer, but on this Halloween, is the real killer revealed. This story is a real slasher story, the tension is built up to Halloween night. The death scenes are bloody and intense read.
Halloweenland by Kevin J Kennedy: What Halloween book is not complete without a scary carnival story, and I was not disappointed. Both lovers of Halloween, Zak and Wendy were really excited as Halloweenland was coming to their town. On the day of the carnival they both got up early, so they could enjoy the whole day, but as the night draws in, the carnival becomes darker and the trip through the funhouse had an unexpected ending. As soon as Zak and Wendy exit the funhouse, the action starts with killer pumpkin clowns and strange dog creatures, you can imagine Zak and Wendy fighting for their lives. Although this is a horror story it is also a coming of age and the relationship between Zak and Wendy was so sweet and innocent.
I loved this book and whilst I have only reviewed a few of the stories, I can honestly say I loved them all. I have one question what holiday anthology will Kevin Kennedy come up with next. A great horror read.
A few stories that jumped out at me were as follows:
Black Widow by Christina Bergling: One of the enjoyments of Halloween is “what costume to wear” Dane only had one enjoyment, to see how many girls he could sleep with to tick off his costume bucket list. He knew that his look was in, when he got an invitation. Attending the party, he saw Charlotte dressed as a spider, and the next one on his bucket list. But was it a night of passion. This story reels you in, Charlotte comes across as a sweet girl and you could see why Dane would zone in on her. The twist at the end shows just what a sweet girl she is.
Girlfriend by Andrew Lennon: Simon had finished just broken up with his girlfriend Susan. She was a bit of a control freak, so he was looking at getting his life back together. After a fatal phone call, was his life ever going to get back on track. I felt sorry for Simon, you could tell that Susan wore the trousers in the relationship and when they broke up, it was like a new start for him. I could not put this story down as I just wanted to know what happened next. If this book was made into a film, it would be riddled with jump scares. A ghost story, where there are no winners.
The Coffin Man by Mark Lukens: Every little village has its own urban legend, and the little village when Dennis and Kara were staying was no different. Living in Kara’s grandma’s house, Dennis is soon bought up to speed with the legend. Whatever you do, do not look out the window if you hear noises, just in case the Coffin Man sees you. The telling of the legend, made this a creepier story, but the ending was a surprise.
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Steven Stacy: If you have watched Halloween, then you would have heard of the surname Strode, but what if Laurie died and her younger brother Tommy was in an asylum for her murder. Amber her other sister still hated Halloween, but this year she had a plan to draw out the real killer, but on this Halloween, is the real killer revealed. This story is a real slasher story, the tension is built up to Halloween night. The death scenes are bloody and intense read.
Halloweenland by Kevin J Kennedy: What Halloween book is not complete without a scary carnival story, and I was not disappointed. Both lovers of Halloween, Zak and Wendy were really excited as Halloweenland was coming to their town. On the day of the carnival they both got up early, so they could enjoy the whole day, but as the night draws in, the carnival becomes darker and the trip through the funhouse had an unexpected ending. As soon as Zak and Wendy exit the funhouse, the action starts with killer pumpkin clowns and strange dog creatures, you can imagine Zak and Wendy fighting for their lives. Although this is a horror story it is also a coming of age and the relationship between Zak and Wendy was so sweet and innocent.
I loved this book and whilst I have only reviewed a few of the stories, I can honestly say I loved them all. I have one question what holiday anthology will Kevin Kennedy come up with next. A great horror read.
ericarobyn's review against another edition
5.0
Collected Halloween Horror Shorts: Trick 'r Treat is a wonderful collection of short stories. Some of the stories are bizarre, some are brutal, some are sad, some are terrifying; this collection has something for any horror fan!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
My thoughts:
I usually struggle with short story collections. But in this case, I just couldn't put the book down! I was totally hooked and I absolutely loved most of the stories! Out of sixteen stories, there were only two that weren't really for me. The rest were thrilling in different ways.
Gosh, what an awesome collection! I can't wait to check out another collection soon!
And how cool is that cover!? It was designed by Lisa Vasquez.
Here are my rating breakdowns for each story:
Forward - Nev Murray
This is one of the best forwards I have ever read! I was already excited to dive in to this collection, but the forward made me even more excited! The first few sentences had me chuckling! And I totally agree with Nev, I believe Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year! I loved the slight personal touches as well as the compliments to the authors within the collection.
Christina Bergling - Black Widow - 4.5/5
Man, this one totally creeped me out! What a great story! The author totally nailed the college-bro persona.
Richard Chizmar - Mister Parker 5/5
Woah, this one was sad! Poor Mister Parker. I hate pranks!
Andrew Lennon - Girlfriend
Ah yes, the crazy ex! Always a terrifying story! Don’t drink and drive folks! 4.5/5
Mark Lukens - The Coffin Man 5/5
So spooky! I loved the idea of this story. There’s something about stories and not being able to look out windows that’s always hit for me!
Suzanne Fox - The Devils Fruit 4/5
What a fun twist on the typical Halloween game, bobbing for apples!
Christopher Motz - The Halloween Playground 4/5
Woah! This was quite the dark story!
James Matthew Byers - Jenny Greenteeth 1/5
I’m just not a poetry fan…
Steven Stacy - Don't Fear the Reaper 2/5
I didn’t care for this one. Too much teenage girl drama. I also wasn’t really following the story at the start. Fans of the Halloween movies may have better luck with this story though.
This passage was pretty funny though:
“Yeah… hopefully. I think I’d be in a Stephen King book, myself. Really dark, fucked-up shit.”
“I think you’d be in some random short story, if you were that lucky,” Emma giggled again.
Mark Cassell - A Story of Amber 3/5
This one was bizarre and brutal!
Briana Robertson - Trick Turned Treat 0/5
Not a story for me.
Lisa Morton - Pumpkin Rex 5/5
I loved this one! What a fun tale! This needs to be a movie!!
J.C. Michael - The First Shot 4/5
While reading this one, I felt that it was setting something up. Sure enough; there’s a note at the end of the story saying that it’s a prequel for “You Only Get One Shot.” Clever!
Stuart Keane - Hollowed Be Thy 2/5
Another one that’s just not for me with the language.
Peter Oliver Wonder - Dressed For Success 3/5
The idea behind this story was so neat!! I wish it could have been just slightly longer to give us a better taste of the plot.
John R. Little - The Halloween Phantoms 3/5
Phew, another wicked sad one! But what an interesting plot.
Kevin J. Kennedy - Halloweenland 5/5
I’m a total sucker for any story that is set in an amusement park! This one was so awesome! The characters were lovely, the action was thrilling, and the plot was interesting! This one is going to be part of a series of tales, and I cannot wait to read more!
My final thoughts:
This is definitely a collection that I will be coming back to from time to time to reread! It was such a spooky collection! I can't wait to re-read it around Halloween!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
My thoughts:
I usually struggle with short story collections. But in this case, I just couldn't put the book down! I was totally hooked and I absolutely loved most of the stories! Out of sixteen stories, there were only two that weren't really for me. The rest were thrilling in different ways.
Gosh, what an awesome collection! I can't wait to check out another collection soon!
And how cool is that cover!? It was designed by Lisa Vasquez.
Here are my rating breakdowns for each story:
Forward - Nev Murray
This is one of the best forwards I have ever read! I was already excited to dive in to this collection, but the forward made me even more excited! The first few sentences had me chuckling! And I totally agree with Nev, I believe Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year! I loved the slight personal touches as well as the compliments to the authors within the collection.
Christina Bergling - Black Widow - 4.5/5
Man, this one totally creeped me out! What a great story! The author totally nailed the college-bro persona.
Richard Chizmar - Mister Parker 5/5
Woah, this one was sad! Poor Mister Parker. I hate pranks!
Andrew Lennon - Girlfriend
Ah yes, the crazy ex! Always a terrifying story! Don’t drink and drive folks! 4.5/5
Mark Lukens - The Coffin Man 5/5
So spooky! I loved the idea of this story. There’s something about stories and not being able to look out windows that’s always hit for me!
Suzanne Fox - The Devils Fruit 4/5
What a fun twist on the typical Halloween game, bobbing for apples!
Christopher Motz - The Halloween Playground 4/5
Woah! This was quite the dark story!
James Matthew Byers - Jenny Greenteeth 1/5
I’m just not a poetry fan…
Steven Stacy - Don't Fear the Reaper 2/5
I didn’t care for this one. Too much teenage girl drama. I also wasn’t really following the story at the start. Fans of the Halloween movies may have better luck with this story though.
This passage was pretty funny though:
“Yeah… hopefully. I think I’d be in a Stephen King book, myself. Really dark, fucked-up shit.”
“I think you’d be in some random short story, if you were that lucky,” Emma giggled again.
Mark Cassell - A Story of Amber 3/5
This one was bizarre and brutal!
Briana Robertson - Trick Turned Treat 0/5
Not a story for me.
Lisa Morton - Pumpkin Rex 5/5
I loved this one! What a fun tale! This needs to be a movie!!
J.C. Michael - The First Shot 4/5
While reading this one, I felt that it was setting something up. Sure enough; there’s a note at the end of the story saying that it’s a prequel for “You Only Get One Shot.” Clever!
Stuart Keane - Hollowed Be Thy 2/5
Another one that’s just not for me with the language.
Peter Oliver Wonder - Dressed For Success 3/5
The idea behind this story was so neat!! I wish it could have been just slightly longer to give us a better taste of the plot.
John R. Little - The Halloween Phantoms 3/5
Phew, another wicked sad one! But what an interesting plot.
Kevin J. Kennedy - Halloweenland 5/5
I’m a total sucker for any story that is set in an amusement park! This one was so awesome! The characters were lovely, the action was thrilling, and the plot was interesting! This one is going to be part of a series of tales, and I cannot wait to read more!
My final thoughts:
This is definitely a collection that I will be coming back to from time to time to reread! It was such a spooky collection! I can't wait to re-read it around Halloween!
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