Scan barcode
sharron_joy_reads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Eight Halloween tales set in the weird town of Autumncrow. Stories of love, magic, monsters, loss, horror and pumpkins. This is a perfect Halloween treat with fun creepy short stories all set around the same small eerie town.
In Autumncrow every Halloween is perfect, there are ghosts at every turn, monsters in the forest, pumpkins that come alive, flesh eating zombies, trick or treat and so much more. This is a perfect cosy Halloween read, the stories are twisted and odd but not too scary and with a Goosebumps feel, such fun!
bookswithbethany's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
4.0
Autumncrow is a collection of short stories all centred around the small Ohio town of Autumncrow. The town where it is always Halloween. I loved the fact that each story cracked open the wounds of the town, the backstory, the creation, and the inhabitants, and their way of life. I have been an avid subscriber of Cameron Chaney’s YouTube channel, Library Macabre, and had a funny feeling this was going to be as haunting as his content. The stories are packed with humanity, depravity, and emotion.
My instant thoughts on Autumncrow took me back to my youth reading Goosebumps from R.L. Stine. It was that same edge and harboring intent that I connected with and now reminded me of now. The book focuses on the residents and the first story that spoke to me was Pumpkin Light, a familiar scene, familiar inhabitants, but a different story. The setting is chilling but we have an old woman reminiscing. The story was a perfect start to get me warmed up to what was to come. The tone was set, the narrative was precise and haunting even when describing the most average of a task.
With an almost gentle start, Chaney jumps in his truck and speeds off into the distance. With a kick up of dirt and stones that gentle start is a thing of the past. All safety is gone, and the stories take a decidedly dark turn.
Autumncrow’s next story is Burnt Brownies which is by far my favourite story in the collection. This is where you get a true taste for just how immersive the writer’s style is. The story is predominately a regretful tale of neglect and sibling love gone awry. As siblings get older, they grow apart, they are interested in different things and they make a shift in their life towards adulthood. This story did knock it up a notch and I could feel my anxiety pulsing as the story edged towards its conclusion. Halloween can be haunting, but brownies can kill.
Autumncrow was a brilliant selection of short stories. The psychological exploration of grief, relationships, and fear was outstanding. I was seriously impressed with just how real the themes were portrayed. The author was able to put me in the character's shoes, I felt the emotions, often with papercut-like rawness.
My instant thoughts on Autumncrow took me back to my youth reading Goosebumps from R.L. Stine. It was that same edge and harboring intent that I connected with and now reminded me of now. The book focuses on the residents and the first story that spoke to me was Pumpkin Light, a familiar scene, familiar inhabitants, but a different story. The setting is chilling but we have an old woman reminiscing. The story was a perfect start to get me warmed up to what was to come. The tone was set, the narrative was precise and haunting even when describing the most average of a task.
With an almost gentle start, Chaney jumps in his truck and speeds off into the distance. With a kick up of dirt and stones that gentle start is a thing of the past. All safety is gone, and the stories take a decidedly dark turn.
Autumncrow’s next story is Burnt Brownies which is by far my favourite story in the collection. This is where you get a true taste for just how immersive the writer’s style is. The story is predominately a regretful tale of neglect and sibling love gone awry. As siblings get older, they grow apart, they are interested in different things and they make a shift in their life towards adulthood. This story did knock it up a notch and I could feel my anxiety pulsing as the story edged towards its conclusion. Halloween can be haunting, but brownies can kill.
Autumncrow was a brilliant selection of short stories. The psychological exploration of grief, relationships, and fear was outstanding. I was seriously impressed with just how real the themes were portrayed. The author was able to put me in the character's shoes, I felt the emotions, often with papercut-like rawness.
buddahbeam's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
chicks50's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
michaelrcalkins's review
4.0
4.5/5 stars.
A perfect halfway to Halloween read for any spooky people.
Chaney delivers some really great stories here, and builds a fascinating mythology around the town of Autumncrow. I felt like every story I read built more and more lore and it made it difficult to put down!
Particular stories i want to shout out (although all are great!)
“Pumpkin Light”: a beautiful little spooky story with a great emotional hook that I found surprising. Got a little misty eyed and loved the resolution.
“Saving Face”: might be the story that freaked me out the most honestly, just because of some of the gruesomeness towards the end. Read this story in bed with the lights off and a particular action the main character took made me cringe hard.
“I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed”: Probably my favorite story of the book, with a great central conceit and setting. I love carnival/funhouse/haunt set horror stuff and this did a great job bringing that flavor to the equation. Chaney seemingly incorporates a viral internet video that freaked the living hell out of me as a child to brilliant effect. Also loved how he foreshadowed the finale with setup conflict. Also, kinda want to try a grilled apple and cheese sandwich? Never heard of that before!
Also CRYP-TV is really cool, and it becomes really wholesome at one point, luring you into a false sense of security and then Chaney just hits you with a tire iron haha. Loved that.
I do also want to talk about “There Are Monsters Here”, which I think is a really strong story, tackling trauma and how we can run from the past, while also seemingly being an allegory for anxiety and depression, at least that’s how I read it. I really connected with those themes and thought the way Chaney brought it all to a head was thrilling and i couldn’t stop flipping the pages. It was a bit jarring to hop from Autumncrow stories, filled with autumnal atmosphere and the Halloween atmosphere to something so emotionally brutal and very unrelated. But I do want to stress that it’s a great story that I totally recommend.
Overall, Autumncrow is a book I can’t help but enthusiastically recommend, especially to those of us for whom Halloween is a year round celebration. Pick this up on Amazon or kindle, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Cannot wait for Autumncrow High!
A perfect halfway to Halloween read for any spooky people.
Chaney delivers some really great stories here, and builds a fascinating mythology around the town of Autumncrow. I felt like every story I read built more and more lore and it made it difficult to put down!
Particular stories i want to shout out (although all are great!)
“Pumpkin Light”: a beautiful little spooky story with a great emotional hook that I found surprising. Got a little misty eyed and loved the resolution.
“Saving Face”: might be the story that freaked me out the most honestly, just because of some of the gruesomeness towards the end. Read this story in bed with the lights off and a particular action the main character took made me cringe hard.
“I Have No Mouth and I Must Feed”: Probably my favorite story of the book, with a great central conceit and setting. I love carnival/funhouse/haunt set horror stuff and this did a great job bringing that flavor to the equation. Chaney seemingly incorporates a viral internet video that freaked the living hell out of me as a child to brilliant effect. Also loved how he foreshadowed the finale with setup conflict. Also, kinda want to try a grilled apple and cheese sandwich? Never heard of that before!
Also CRYP-TV is really cool, and it becomes really wholesome at one point, luring you into a false sense of security and then Chaney just hits you with a tire iron haha. Loved that.
I do also want to talk about “There Are Monsters Here”, which I think is a really strong story, tackling trauma and how we can run from the past, while also seemingly being an allegory for anxiety and depression, at least that’s how I read it. I really connected with those themes and thought the way Chaney brought it all to a head was thrilling and i couldn’t stop flipping the pages. It was a bit jarring to hop from Autumncrow stories, filled with autumnal atmosphere and the Halloween atmosphere to something so emotionally brutal and very unrelated. But I do want to stress that it’s a great story that I totally recommend.
Overall, Autumncrow is a book I can’t help but enthusiastically recommend, especially to those of us for whom Halloween is a year round celebration. Pick this up on Amazon or kindle, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Cannot wait for Autumncrow High!