Thank you to NetGalley and Death by TBR Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Okay, "Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night" promises to be a short story collection that will spook and creep you out. In the preface, editor Stephanie Rose refers to the likes of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (a clear reference seen in the title) as inspirations for the collection. So, as a kid who grew up loving (and still loving) creepy stories, I knew I had to read this collection. That said, I am baffled.

From the preface, I assumed this was going to be a collection for the adults who grew up reading the previously mentioned series, but actually reading the short stories, it seems that this collection was made specifically for children. If that's the case, then I am the wrong audience. If it's not the case, this was very bad. Each story lacked that creepy factor that I still associate with something like the Scary Stories... series and the fun of Goosebumps. I mean, truly, it felt like each short story was writing using a ChatGPT prompt. They were not enjoyable to read and so many of them ended so quickly with an ending that seemed to want the reader to go "Oh! Wow, what a TWIST." I mean, this collection had such uninspired, bland, and lifeless stories that as a queer woc, I feel insulted that Rose points out the collection's use of work from OwnVoices authors.

I would not recommend this seemingly AI-written collection to anybody to be honest. Unless you are reading this to an absolute child.

I think this is great book for young readers although I expected it to have more of the vibe that Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark did but these stories were pretty mild in comparison. Still a very cute read!

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology
Edited by Stephanie Rose & William Sterling
Published by Death TBR Books

“It’s Halloween. Weird stuff happens.” Says Shannon in Morgana Macabre’s Halloween Special by Wendy Dalrymple.

This is quite the anthology, a little sweet, a little spicy and all of it just right. A well-written anthology that put me back in the mood of being 10 and in Woolworth’s with all the sparkle and promise of Halloween coming soon with all of the decorations and excitement! And then I read the next story and the next and none of them disappointed. I floated on a high while reading this and I did not want this journey to end.

From classic horror tales, to the bizarre, (I’m talking to you, Booger Sugar!), from slightly bloody to buckets of blood, to the ultimate revenge - this book delivers a fun time. The sense of nostalgia stayed with me until the end, there’s just something that really grabs me by the guts in these tales. I also appreciate the diversity of voices in this collection.

When I began this book I thought it was for kids, and most of the stories are middle school friendly, but I would recommend it to adults who are Halloweenies as well (any story that mentions Wet & Wild has my attention). The stories are rich and the writing is vibrant. I am looking forward to reading more from these writers and it was a great way to dip my toes into the new era of horror writers and find new favorites.

My thanks to Death TBR Books for allowing me to read this ARC which gave me much joy.

Holy adolescently inspired AI-slop Batman. I can’t remember the last time I gave a one star review, but if there was ever a book that embodied what a one star review looks, smells, tastes, feels like… this is the one. What a terrible way to pay homage to such an iconic series.

This book was very nostalgic for me to read! I remember reading the others when I was a child and I had to jump on it to read it when I saw it on NetGalley! It was a great collection of scary stories I got to tell to my little boy! Hopefully, he'll have a place in his heart for these stories like I did for the other books ♡!

I wanted to love this, and although I DID love the concept (who doesn’t love spooky Halloween tales?), the stories didn’t do it for me. Most felt geared toward younger readers.

arc review:

although twisted tales to tell in the night attempts to invoke the storytelling of scary stories to tell in the dark, it fails to deliver.

while the stories are spirited and show enthusiasm, many of the plots are disjointed and confusing, and the horror is muted.

Although it is marketed to adults, this collection might work better for middle-grade readers just discovering horror, not for crazed horror addicts like myself.

Out September 16th, 2025
This anthology is like knocking on the creepiest house on the block and getting a full-size candy bar—every story is a treat, and some are downright tricks. Edited by Stephanie Rose and William Sterling, Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night is a deliciously dark homage to the classic Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but with fresh voices and modern twists that make it feel both nostalgic and new.
Why I Loved It:
*Perfectly Packaged Horror: Each tale is short, sharp, and spooky—ideal for late-night reading or campfire storytelling.
*Seasonal Vibes All Year: The stories drip with Halloween atmosphere, from haunted houses to cursed candy, making it feel like October no matter the calendar.
*Standout Stories: “We Don’t Go in the Howards’ House” by William Sterling gave me chills, and “You’re Never Too Old for Halloween” by Brian McAuley was surprisingly poignant.
Final Musings:
This is the kind of book you keep on your shelf and pull out every fall—or whenever you need a little fright. Whether you're a horror aficionado or just love Halloween, this anthology is a must-read. It’s scary good fun, and I’ll definitely be rereading it with the lights off.

Thank you to NetGalley and Death by TBR Books for this Spooky ARC!

Omg this book of short stories was everything I wanted and more. Scary stories to tell in the dark was a staple when I was a kid and I was obsessed. These stories gave me the exact same feeling. I want more!

4.5 ⭐️

This was the PERFECT read for spooky szn! 18 spooky short stories all packed into one anthology. I found myself flying through every creepy tale. It reminded me a bit of the movie ‘trick r’ treat’, defo had similar vibes!

My fave stories were:

The panthera project
Mrs Kings candy
Last requests
You’re never too old for Halloween

All of them were so good though. Thank you NetGalley for the arc. HIGHLY recommend!

You get what youre looking for with this. Spooky tales similar to the ones you grew up with, but newer.

This reads more like a collection of short stories to celebrate halloween and not a Halloween Horror anthology. I felt like maybe this is meant for younger readers and not avid adult horror fans. There was nothing scary here. Some of the stories were bland and some were downright confusing.

This was everything that I wanted in a Halloween Horror anthology novel, each storyline worked well in the universe and was invested in what was going on with each book. I enjoyed how good each story was in this collection and enjoyed the different authors. I enjoyed that it got me into the Halloween spirit and glad I was able to read this.

One if the best spooky story collections out there. This captures the exact same feel, the tension, the fear, the disgust, as Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. It's the exact same short fiction concept, but made for an older audience. The phenomenal stories are well worth the read!

The cover instantly gave me a wave of nostalgia, taking me back to the days of reading “scary stories to tell at night” Inside, the twists and turns kept me hooked, each tale perfect for sending a shiver down your spine. With its eerie atmosphere and suspenseful storytelling, this is the kind of book you want to read aloud around a campfire on a crisp October night—perfect for Halloween.

Fun scary stories book that reminded me a little of the ones I absolutely loved when I was a kid. This isn’t as good as those ones but is pretty decent.

Thank you, NetGalley and Death by TBR Books, for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

This was a decent collection of horror based short stories. As with all short story collections, there are some hits and some misses. I had a few more hits than misses by only a little. A lot of these fell flat. I didn't recognize the authors that wrote these stories. I grew up reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and I did enjoy the nostalgia but that only goes so far. I did enjoy the artwork on the cover. This was still mostly fun and I'd still recommend it.

his really missed the mark for me.

When you read the forward and it’s talking about ‘Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” and “The Haunted Mask”, you get really excited for what is about to come.

But I was let down, all the stories were really weak and really clunky to me. It did read like AI was given a prompt to write as many Halloween stories as possible. None of the stories felt personal, none of the stories read like they had any heart. None of the stories had the flair of what was mentioned in the forward.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this eARC! The 90s kid in me was so excited for this one! The artwork checks all the nostalgia blocks.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night.

I love Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark as a kid and I still do as an adult.

Not surprisingly, when I saw the cover, I thought it was a new anthology of the famous scary series.

I was open minded to give this anthology a shot but I was neither scared or impressed.

Maybe I'm too old for the tales even though I have a copy of Scary Stories and read it regularly when I want a scare but these stories was nothing new I haven't read before.

I actually found some of the characters unrealistic, whiny, and poorly developed which I know is difficult to do when its a short story.

I appreciate the authors' attempt to recreate the charm, thrills, and chills of the original Scary Stories but nothing will ever compare to the original.