I have thoroughly enjoyed the reading run up to Halloween with these anthologies and Halloween Carnival Volume 3 is no exception to this, added to the fact this one features a story by one of my favourite writers, Kelley Armstrong. There are five stories included.
The Way Lost is by Kelley Armstrong. This story is about a strange town where children disappear onto the forest every Halloween and nobody asks any questions. Dale, a young boy, promises his mother he won’t go into the forest but will he be able to resist?
La Cavalera is by Kate Maruyama tells the tale of a different kind of cultural appropriation of a sugar skull and when friendships turn bad.
The Devils Due by Michael McBride is the story of a town that has made a deal with the devil and the repercussions of not paying up.
A Thousand Rooms of Darkness by Taylor Grant is a story of the fear of Halloween and the things that come with.
The Last Night of October by Graham Chapman tells a story of loneliness, lost friendship and a strange Halloween night visitor.
5/5. I enjoyed every story. The Last Night of October, I felt could have been shorter and I nearly took a mark off for that but amongst such good stories it didn’t seem worth it. The last book I reviewed in the Halloween Carnival series, I noted there wasn’t much in the way of supernatural. This volume, I felt was more in keeping with a horror element, ghosts, killers and monsters. There was certainly some supernatural to satisfy me. The Way Lost had a twist I didn’t see coming. La Cavalera had some gore and madness and The Devils Due made me want to watch it as a movie. It was impossible to pick a favourite out of these. The first three stories I felt were the strongest but I loved them all.
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc copy for an honest review.
Once Upon The Wytching Hour 