Reviews

I’ve figured something out about Ronald Kelly’s writing that makes me not like. It’s like, his ideas are great but also very predictable? And also beyond that he appears super fat phobic in his writing. And he used the g slur in the short story The Cistern. And I’ve found more than one inconsistency with plot points and spelling errors. Which shouldn’t bother me? But it does. So - ideas good. Execution - not so good (for me). It bugs me cause I can see the potential in his ideas.

booktrishandmagic's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book has been on my wishlist for AWHILE. I finally caved and bought it just in time, and I am SO glad that I did! I really enjoyed each of these short horror stories. They all were about Halloween in some way or another. Each one unique and different than the others. The Halloween Store, Mr. Mack, and Pretty Little Lanterns were my favorites. I highly recommend this for fans of Halloween and short stories! It’s perfect for spooky season.

ilaxaria's review

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Content Warnings

bookswithshayydeniece's review against another edition

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4.25

1.The Halloween Store- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2.Mister Mack is Back in Town-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3.Blood Suede Shoes- ⭐⭐⭐
4.Clown Treats- ⭐⭐⭐⭐
5.The Cistern- ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
6.Pretty Little Lanterns-⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
7.The Amazing and Totally Awesome Fright Creature-⭐⭐⭐
8.The Last Halloween: An Essay-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

creepepaper's review

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4.0

The Halloween store and other tales of hallows Eve was really delightful. I was afraid it would be two immature and childish but it is written for an older audience. I would say teens perhaps older teens could also enjoy it. There are a couple of f-bombs but not overwhelmingly so and definitely not more than most the kids are using these days anyways.

Ronald is an older gentleman. I googled him and discovered that he's nearly 63 years old. Which is absolutely okay He gives a great old style feeling to Halloween and the stories have this vintage feel of that nostalgic Halloween you experienced as a kid. However, some of his tails were modern and about children. The language the children use was archaic in today's terms. This is the kind of words and conversations you expect kids to have in the '70s or '80s and maybe the '90s but even then it was a little older style language for kids of the '90s. Two young boys were reading through their dad's old '80s comic book collection in one of the tales and one of the boys grows tired of the superheroes and he wants to read about Vampirella; You know that got spooky chick with her boobs hanging out. Not to be that person, but I'm a high school English teacher and I hang out with 14 to 19-year-old people all day long and I promise you they do not know who Vampirella is, big boobs or not. These kids hardly know who Chuck Norris is. The other day I had to explain who Miley Cyrus was to at least a third of the classroom.
However, aside from the slight anachronism mistakes of the stories, They're still fiction which means that these kids don't have to fit the mold in which I expect today's teens to be. So overall it didn't really affect the story or my enjoyment, but it did pull me out of the reality of it a little bit. It was almost necessary for them to have the dialogue in which they did so that the stories retained the nostalgic feeling that they had.

Overall, I really enjoyed these stories and if one load a little bit into the boring territory the next one was definitely exciting enough to erase any negative feelings that I had towards the book as a whole. Great Halloween read It's great to get you into the spooky season I would recommend it.

pbanditp's review against another edition

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4.0

So who wants to go back to October? Don’t we all. Well with Ronald Kelly, you can.
You are whisked away to the Halloween’s of your youth, when you planned months in advance for the perfect costume, when you walked down the dark streets with your best friends, and where your biggest concern was that someone was going to give you a popcorn ball or an apple instead of your favorite Snickers Bar.
However, Ronald Kelly shows you there was a lot more you should have been afraid of within these pages.
Nostalgia and friendship combine into a great build up in the story , The Halloween Store, as you follow four friends as they save for vintage costumes and really get into character.
The first story had me laughing out loud several times, while the second story, Mister Mack is Back, is every parents nightmare. Imagine your daughter being abducted by the same creature that abducted you as a child, or the fear of a sheriff when human heads are used as Jack-o-lanterns...again.
Come trick or treating with us but maybe you want to skip your favorite teachers house this year, and don’t go back a visit the festival in your hometown, and never order a Fright Creature through the mail, they eat too much.
This was a fun collection that brings memories flooding back. The writing style was a falling autumn leaf, mesmerizing as you glide into his world. I immediately went and looked up Kelly’s other books because I knew there had to be more to Fear County that the slight mention in this book. That is a place I am going to visit as soon as I can.
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Thank you to NetGalley and Crossroad press for a copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

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