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The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories Book Review

 

Title: The Darkest Night: 22 Winter Horror Stories

Editor: Lindy Ryan

Authors: Gwendolyn Kiste, Tim Waggoner, Josh Malerman, Hailey Piper, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Clay McLeod Chapman, Lindy Ryan, Christopher Brooks, Eric LaRocca, M. Rickert, Lee Murray, Cynthia Pelayo, Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon, Kelsea Lu, Jessica McHugh, Nat Cassidy, Rachel Harrison, Thomas Hutson, Kristi deMeester, Sara Tantlinger, Darcy Coates, Jeff Strand, Mercedes M. Yardley, Jamie Flanagan

Genre: Horror

Published: 9/24/24 by Crooked Lane Books

I received a copy for review through NetGalley.

 

This anthology is the perfect read for the holiday season. The 22 stories are all winter themed with chilly snowy settings. A handful are specifically holiday themed and so much fun. 

The Mouthless Body in the Lake by Gwendolyn Kiste: A spooky and haunting start, but I wish it was not in 2nd person. (3 stars)

Cold as Ice by Tim Waggoner: Another 2nd person story with a creepy creature. (3 stars)

Children Aren't the Only Ones Who Know Where the Presents are Hidden by Josh Malerman: This seemed to be a story in the same world as Incidents Around the House. (5 stars)

The Vermin Moon by Hailey Piper: A tale of a mother's grief. (4 stars)

The Body of Leonora James by Stephanie M. Wytovich: This story had beautiful flowery language, but that made it somewhat hard to follow. (3 stars)

Mr. Butler by Clay McLeod Chapman: This was a very unique story, and unexpected. (5 stars)

Feast of Gray by Lindy Ryan and Christopher Brooks: A man reflects on a traumatic life and has a haunting experience. (4 stars)

I Hope This Finds You Well by Eric LaRocca: Horror in a gay gentleman's club set in the past. (4 stars)

The Buried Child by M. Rickert: A sad story of grief and trauma. (4 stars)

Father's Last Christmas by Lee Murray: A dark fairy tale of cut throat royalty. (5 stars)

The Warmth of Snow by Cynthia Pelayo: A dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship with a lot of Shakespeare. (3 stars)

Wintry Blue by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon: A scary story of a father and daughter try to save a woman who was attacked by a creature. (5 stars)

Carol of the Hells by Kelsea Yu: Wow, this story is so sad and well done. (5 stars)

Full of Toys, a black-out poem by Jessica McHugh: I am assuming this black-out poem came from The Night Before Christmas. It did well making it creepy. (3 stars)

Nice by Nat Cassidy: A Christmas obsessed boy is convinced to be naughty by one of Santa's helpers. (5 stars)

Thaw by Rachel Harrison: A romantic Christmas trip in an isolated cabin turns sinister when a snowman appears in the yard. (5 stars)

Candy Cane by Thommy Hutson: A author of a serial killer series is visited by an unexpected guest at his isolated cabin. (5 stars)

Eggnog by Kristi deMeester: A holiday party gone so wrong. (5 stars)

Threads of Epiphany by Sara Tantlinger: A dark fairy tale folk horror story about as woman who seeks help from a witch. (5 stars)

The Ladies' Society for the Dead by Darcy Coates: A group of women meet to share ghost stories and hold a seance. It is great ghost story. (5 stars)

Being Nice by Jeff Strand: A 17 year old boy tries to prove he should be on the nice list which goes horribly wrong. This story is mixed with a fair bit of humor that I enjoyed. (5 stars)

Ghosted by Mercedes M. Yardley: A woman is haunted by her dead husband. (5 stars)

Bruiser by Jamie Flanagan: A nurse has strange encounters with a patient in a nursing home. (4 stars)

My Rating: Averages to about 4.5 out of 5 stars


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