Reviews

Hark! the Herald Angels Scream by Christopher Golden

xavpas's review

3.0

This one was a fun read, but it was about 3 or 4 stories too long. Completing the book began to feel more like a chore rather than an expedition into Christmas themed horror stories. There were a few real winners in here, but most of the stories were your run of the mill, basic scary story.

spell_reader's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

shereadsmysteries's review

5.0

Absinthe & Angels- 5/5
Christmas in Barcelona- 5/5
Fresh as the New Fallen Snow- 3/5
Love Me- 4/5
Not Just for Christmas- 3/5
Tenets- 2/5
Good Deeds- 1/5
It's a Wonderful Knife- 5/5
Mistletoe and Holly- 4/5
Snake's Tail-1/5
The Second Floor of the Christmas Hotel- 5/5
Farrow Street- 4/5
Doctor Velocity- 1/5
Yankee Swap- 5/5
Honor Thy Mother- 3/5
Home- 4/5
Hiking Through- 5/5
The Hangman's Bride-5/5

mermaidsherbet's review

adventurous slow-paced

1.0

bluekiwicat's review

4.0

I really enjoyed most of the stories except for Doctor Velocity. That one made no sense and had nothing to do with the holidays. I feel like the author was friends with the editor who was doing them a favor.

biancarosesmith's review

4.0

I was really impressed with this Christmas anthology as a whole. There weren’t many stories I didn’t enjoy.

My favourites included:

readbyashleyd's review

5.0

First off, can we all take a second to appreciate how fabulous this cover is? Good, now that you’ve feasted your eyes, listen to me gush about this anthology! Usually short story collections are a mixed bag, some good mixed in with some bad and some just average. But this collection did not follow in others footsteps. This collection was absolutely stunning! Out of all the stories there’s only one single one I wouldn’t give 5 stars to and that’s pretty damn impressive! I found so many new authors I want to read and discovered new favourites from authors I already love. There’s really something for every horror fan here, from straight up classic gore horror to more subtle mind horror, this anthology has it all. And don’t let the fact that it’s a Christmas collection fool you, I’d read this gem year round!

erinxmegan's review

DNF @ 200 pages. I just can’t get into this at all.

emscordell's review against another edition

4.75

Only one or two “duds,” a lot that are wonderful that I want to read every year

booktrishandmagic's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

The first story was great.  And then it kind of went down hill from there for me.  I did not like most of this book.  It took forever to read.  I’ll admit, I skimmed a few of the stories.  I don’t want to give this a bad review, because its guts are good.  I just need more, longer stories.  So, this is the year I tried short stories and realized I definitely didn’t like them.  At least I tried.  But for fans of horror and short stories, this is certainly something you’ll want to read.