rachelunabridged's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Animal death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
jamiezaccaria's review against another edition
4.0
Spooky, if a little confusing. An entertaining read.
shrikekali's review against another edition
4.0
I wanted a quick scary book for Halloween and that’s just what I got with THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN!
mad_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
Reading THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN took me back 40 some odd years to reading Stephen King's CARRIE. No, this is not a remake of an old book, not at all. It recalls the creepy, the not quite skin crawling creepy, the earlier work evoked. There is also something in the construction of the tale that also harkens back to mid-70s resurgence of written horror.
I have had the pleasure of reading both Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss before. Their collaboration appears to be pretty seamless, although I will confess that the last chapter, the putting-it-all-together chapter, sounded like pure Prentiss to me. There is no doubt that both of these authors know how to raise those little hairs on the back of your neck with a word here and a word there. I would say save THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN for reading on that particular holiday, but that would deprive you of the unease of reading it now. Besides, it never hurts to rehearse for a night-long marathon read on a crisp night in October.
If you are looking for spoilers, you won't find them here. No. You must read THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN yourself to find out just what the story is, just who the characters are, and who the children themselves are. If Halloween is your favorite holiday (it IS mine), then this book belongs on your 'must read' list.
I obtained this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I have had the pleasure of reading both Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss before. Their collaboration appears to be pretty seamless, although I will confess that the last chapter, the putting-it-all-together chapter, sounded like pure Prentiss to me. There is no doubt that both of these authors know how to raise those little hairs on the back of your neck with a word here and a word there. I would say save THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN for reading on that particular holiday, but that would deprive you of the unease of reading it now. Besides, it never hurts to rehearse for a night-long marathon read on a crisp night in October.
If you are looking for spoilers, you won't find them here. No. You must read THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN yourself to find out just what the story is, just who the characters are, and who the children themselves are. If Halloween is your favorite holiday (it IS mine), then this book belongs on your 'must read' list.
I obtained this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
ceeemvee's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This novella was a quick read. The story centers around Harris, the handyman at the Stillbrook Apartments, his wife, Lynn, and their children. They are residents at Stillbrook, along with a few other strange characters. When Halloween is cancelled, things go awry, to say the least.
The book is told primarily from Harris and Lynn’s viewpoints, with some secondary viewpoints along the way. Harris and Lynn’s marriage and family problems take center place. Each of them overtly favor one child over the other. It makes it very hard for the reader to side with either as you can sometimes see both of them may be right. Then things start to get really strange with their children and with other Stillbrook residents. Unfortunately, the book then ends with a gory, grisly ending which I just didn’t care for. The writing is a collaboration of two authors, and I loved the writing style and the creepy disturbing tone of the book right up until the way-too-graphic-for-me ending.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
This novella was a quick read. The story centers around Harris, the handyman at the Stillbrook Apartments, his wife, Lynn, and their children. They are residents at Stillbrook, along with a few other strange characters. When Halloween is cancelled, things go awry, to say the least.
The book is told primarily from Harris and Lynn’s viewpoints, with some secondary viewpoints along the way. Harris and Lynn’s marriage and family problems take center place. Each of them overtly favor one child over the other. It makes it very hard for the reader to side with either as you can sometimes see both of them may be right. Then things start to get really strange with their children and with other Stillbrook residents. Unfortunately, the book then ends with a gory, grisly ending which I just didn’t care for. The writing is a collaboration of two authors, and I loved the writing style and the creepy disturbing tone of the book right up until the way-too-graphic-for-me ending.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
dtaylorbooks's review
1.0
Holy wow, was this bad. From the characters to the pacing to the plotting of suspense and horror, it was all bad.
The characters, the husband and wife, are insufferable assholes. They hate each other, they hate their marriage, they’re bad parents, they spend most of the book complaining about each other or about the other tenants around them. Literally nothing good about either of them.
The pacing was just off. The story hung around way too much on minutiae and unnecessary explanations of unnecessary things that bore no relevance to the plot itself. And that leads into plotting and the build-up of the horror, which was practically non-existent. It’s like the authors had an idea but had no idea how to actually execute it. Between the unnecessary info dumps on the random things in the couple’s lives and the buckshot scattering of “spooky” details that, I think, were meant to build suspense, there amounts to absolutely nothing scary going on in this book.
The build-up is so unevenly speckled throughout the story that it’s barely cohesive and the focus is all off. We get random POVs thrown in that are supposed to add suspense but since, as the reader, you have no idea who the characters even are and the story spends zero time with them, you’re left feeling nothing and the little breath of cold air you get with these little snippets ends up warming pretty quickly. And then the end is just dumped on you, practically out of nowhere, but since you care absolutely nothing for any of the characters it means nothing. Die in a fire, guys. Makes no difference to me.
THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN was a total disappointment. There’s nothing scary about it. The story is bad, characters don’t even develop so I can’t say the character development’s bad, the plotting is bad. It’s just bad. Skip it. It’s not even cheesy horror. It’s just bad horror. Read something else. Anything else. A cereal box is scarier. All those preservatives . . .
1
The characters, the husband and wife, are insufferable assholes. They hate each other, they hate their marriage, they’re bad parents, they spend most of the book complaining about each other or about the other tenants around them. Literally nothing good about either of them.
The pacing was just off. The story hung around way too much on minutiae and unnecessary explanations of unnecessary things that bore no relevance to the plot itself. And that leads into plotting and the build-up of the horror, which was practically non-existent. It’s like the authors had an idea but had no idea how to actually execute it. Between the unnecessary info dumps on the random things in the couple’s lives and the buckshot scattering of “spooky” details that, I think, were meant to build suspense, there amounts to absolutely nothing scary going on in this book.
The build-up is so unevenly speckled throughout the story that it’s barely cohesive and the focus is all off. We get random POVs thrown in that are supposed to add suspense but since, as the reader, you have no idea who the characters even are and the story spends zero time with them, you’re left feeling nothing and the little breath of cold air you get with these little snippets ends up warming pretty quickly. And then the end is just dumped on you, practically out of nowhere, but since you care absolutely nothing for any of the characters it means nothing. Die in a fire, guys. Makes no difference to me.
THE HALLOWEEN CHILDREN was a total disappointment. There’s nothing scary about it. The story is bad, characters don’t even develop so I can’t say the character development’s bad, the plotting is bad. It’s just bad. Skip it. It’s not even cheesy horror. It’s just bad horror. Read something else. Anything else. A cereal box is scarier. All those preservatives . . .
1
longtimereader's review
5.0
Totally works for creepy. Written with plenty of suspense, are these kids normal or not? Seriously creepy neighbors, birds that scream, two kids who's parents might be divorcing, a cover-up, all in one apartment complex. Reminiscent of the ever well know King, this book didn't disappoint me. Where is the guilt going to fall?
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
wellwortharead's review
4.0
"The Halloween Children are everywhere and they know our fears"
This was a hair raising tale perfect for a Halloween read or any time of year if you love horror like I do.
Lynn and Harris seem like a typical married couple, living with their 2 young children Matt and Amber in an apartment building where Harris is the on site handyman. Lynn is a combination stay at home mom and computer tech support operator for a company that enables her to work from home.
"When did you realize something wasn't right that Halloween night?"
"When I discovered that so many of my neighbors were dead."
Lynn has an obvious propensity to favor her daughter over her son. Harris has the opposite tendency.
The closer we get to Halloween the more strange things get at Stillbrook Apartments culminating in a party you won't want to attend!
I received a complimentary copy for review.
This was a hair raising tale perfect for a Halloween read or any time of year if you love horror like I do.
Lynn and Harris seem like a typical married couple, living with their 2 young children Matt and Amber in an apartment building where Harris is the on site handyman. Lynn is a combination stay at home mom and computer tech support operator for a company that enables her to work from home.
"When did you realize something wasn't right that Halloween night?"
"When I discovered that so many of my neighbors were dead."
Lynn has an obvious propensity to favor her daughter over her son. Harris has the opposite tendency.
The closer we get to Halloween the more strange things get at Stillbrook Apartments culminating in a party you won't want to attend!
I received a complimentary copy for review.
shellshellyshellshell's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book via NetGallery.
This is a story about a family with two children, living in an apartment building in the lead up to Halloween. While there are hints at creepy goings on and possible nastiness at the apartments in the past, this is more a story about a family going through a rough patch. When Halloween does finally arrive it isn't actually very frightening, just a series of grisly tableaux really. The ending is quite good but the story is somewhat lacking in suspense and, overall, I was a little disappointed. However, it is a quick read and fine if you want a dysfunctional family drama with a bit of gore rather than a full on horror story.
This is a story about a family with two children, living in an apartment building in the lead up to Halloween. While there are hints at creepy goings on and possible nastiness at the apartments in the past, this is more a story about a family going through a rough patch. When Halloween does finally arrive it isn't actually very frightening, just a series of grisly tableaux really. The ending is quite good but the story is somewhat lacking in suspense and, overall, I was a little disappointed. However, it is a quick read and fine if you want a dysfunctional family drama with a bit of gore rather than a full on horror story.
amalia1985's review
3.0
"If my jokes had anything to do with what happened to our family that Halloween, I’m really sorry. I wish I could take it all back."
When you behave as if your children are idiots, when you don't respect their individuality and try to appear smart with jokes that are colder than Siberia during the winter, when you threaten and refuse to listen, then the fault lies with you. That's what's given to Harris and Lynn, two of the main candidates for the Worst Parents Ever in the History of Literature award....
Harris is a handyman who lives in a block of flats with his wife and two children, Mattie and Amber. Harris' employer decides to cancel the annual Halloween festivities in their premises under the pretext of security issues. As if this wasn't enough, Lynn forbids her children from anything that has to do with Halloween and all Hell breaks loose. Or does it?
This is a simplistic summary, because it's very risky to disclose parts of the story. There are many layers, many red herrings and quite a few frightening moments. There are certain chilling instances, mostly focusing on the children that made me stop reading and try to predict what's going to come next. However, while the story is ambitious and interesting, the book suffers from its characters and the number of gimmicks that grow old after a while.
Now, while the descriptions are excellent in creating a heavily foreboding feeling and the dialogue is fairly adequate, the characters are frustrating. Of course, I know that I probably shouldn't complain about it. After all, it's a Halloween thriller, not Dostoevsky. What complexity should I expect? And yet, I've read many books in the genre that had characters who rivaled the mystery of the plot. Here, frustration has no end.
Harris is an idiot. He takes nothing seriously, he chooses sides and favours one of his children in a very narrow-minded way and can't put two and two together. Same problems arise with his wife. Lynn is very unlikable right from the start. "Unlikable" doesn't even begin to describe it.She talks about "family time" when each family member when is either staring at their bloody phones or surfing the internet. She is a horrible, despicable person, unfit to be a mother.Unfit to be anything, really. Her idea of motherhood is so terribly misshapen that I felt uncomfortable while reading her chapters and I am neither a mother nor a wife. What mother favours one of her children blindly while thinking that her second child is Satan incarnate? Lynn isn't a human being, she's a creature devoid of any soul or feelings. A heartless, hateful woman with an ego bigger than the size of Europe. Because of her, I understood why many readers abandon a book because they hated the characters so much. If it hadn't for curiosity and the well-structured atmosphere, I would have abandoned it early.
Props to the writers that chose to end their story in the way they did. It was fairly unpredictable and satisfying, in my opinion. If you choose to read it, keep your mind open because you'll have to suspend disbelief. Keep your calm because there are quite a few gruesome scenes and keep your patience with the stupidity of the couple. It is an atmospheric, well-written thriller without being campy. It's just that there are better books of the genre out there.
My reviews can also be found on:https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
When you behave as if your children are idiots, when you don't respect their individuality and try to appear smart with jokes that are colder than Siberia during the winter, when you threaten and refuse to listen, then the fault lies with you. That's what's given to Harris and Lynn, two of the main candidates for the Worst Parents Ever in the History of Literature award....
Harris is a handyman who lives in a block of flats with his wife and two children, Mattie and Amber. Harris' employer decides to cancel the annual Halloween festivities in their premises under the pretext of security issues. As if this wasn't enough, Lynn forbids her children from anything that has to do with Halloween and all Hell breaks loose. Or does it?
This is a simplistic summary, because it's very risky to disclose parts of the story. There are many layers, many red herrings and quite a few frightening moments. There are certain chilling instances, mostly focusing on the children that made me stop reading and try to predict what's going to come next. However, while the story is ambitious and interesting, the book suffers from its characters and the number of gimmicks that grow old after a while.
Now, while the descriptions are excellent in creating a heavily foreboding feeling and the dialogue is fairly adequate, the characters are frustrating. Of course, I know that I probably shouldn't complain about it. After all, it's a Halloween thriller, not Dostoevsky. What complexity should I expect? And yet, I've read many books in the genre that had characters who rivaled the mystery of the plot. Here, frustration has no end.
Harris is an idiot. He takes nothing seriously, he chooses sides and favours one of his children in a very narrow-minded way and can't put two and two together. Same problems arise with his wife. Lynn is very unlikable right from the start. "Unlikable" doesn't even begin to describe it.She talks about "family time" when each family member when is either staring at their bloody phones or surfing the internet. She is a horrible, despicable person, unfit to be a mother.Unfit to be anything, really. Her idea of motherhood is so terribly misshapen that I felt uncomfortable while reading her chapters and I am neither a mother nor a wife. What mother favours one of her children blindly while thinking that her second child is Satan incarnate? Lynn isn't a human being, she's a creature devoid of any soul or feelings. A heartless, hateful woman with an ego bigger than the size of Europe. Because of her, I understood why many readers abandon a book because they hated the characters so much. If it hadn't for curiosity and the well-structured atmosphere, I would have abandoned it early.
Props to the writers that chose to end their story in the way they did. It was fairly unpredictable and satisfying, in my opinion. If you choose to read it, keep your mind open because you'll have to suspend disbelief. Keep your calm because there are quite a few gruesome scenes and keep your patience with the stupidity of the couple. It is an atmospheric, well-written thriller without being campy. It's just that there are better books of the genre out there.
My reviews can also be found on:https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/