Review of All Hallows

Blurb: It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and two families are unraveling. Up and down the street, horrifying secrets are being revealed, and all the while, mixed in with the trick-or-treaters of all ages, four children who do not belong are walking door to door, merging with the kids of Parmenter Road. Children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup. They seem terrified, and beg the neighborhood kids to hide them away, to keep them safe from The Cunning Man. There’s a small clearing in the woods now that was never there before, and a blackthorn tree that doesn’t belong at all. These odd children claim that The Cunning Man is coming for them...and they want the local kids to protect them. But with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children of Parmenter Road?

Review: All the kids are excited that it's Halloween night in Coventry, Massachusetts. Yet even as the children are out trick-or-treating, families are becoming fractured. Yet even as his own family is being broken, Tony is determined to go through with the final Haunted Woods event behind his house. The woods house something much more frightening than jump scares and special effects this year. Small children are running from a mysterious monster called the Cunning Man. Who will protect them?

This is a horror story set in 1984, and it does have that authentic feel. It reminded me of when I was young and it was Halloween. Everyone gave out candy and decorated their houses. It was magical. This neighborhood had the feeling of closeness but there was a lot going on underneath that most kids wouldn't see. While this isn't labeled for any age group, it does feel mostly like a YA book for most of it. There are multiple points of view, and most of them are teens. Lots of teen drama and family conflicts. It does sometimes distract from the tension of the horror aspects, but it tries to blend them together.

The chapters switch between children, teens, and adults. I particularly liked the children's chapters, especially Charlie's, Rick's, and Billie's. They're each going through rough family moments, but then to have the supernatural terrors on top of it. The teens and adults were sometimes annoying. There's racism, sexism, and adultery, and that's only scratching the surface. I do wish the author would have focused just on the children and teens and let us see the adults actions through the kids' eyes.

I love the mystery of the Cunning Man, the odd children, and the blackthorn three, and how that comes together. I would have loved even more about them, or some local lore, but no living had heard about them. There are some great twists that makes it a worthwhile read even if it didn't raise any goosebumps.

You can find Christopher Golden on his site and buy the book here.