Title: Halloween Fiend
Author: C.V. Hunt
Publisher: Grindhouse Press
Release Date: February 15, 2019
Pages: 112
Book Source: Paperback

“Strang isn’t the small, quaint town it appears to be. It’s haunted every night by a creature the townsfolk refer to as Halloween. Once the sun sets each day, Halloween emerges to collect its treats: a small, live offering from each household. The residents comply because no one wants to be the target of Halloween’s tricks. But the nightmare of residing in Strang is nothing compared to the yearly ritual Halloween demands of the citizens on All Hallows’ Eve.” – Amazon

Scott’s Review

Barry Johnson lives in Strang. It’s a quaint part of Smalltown, U.S.A. It’s not just any small town though. Strang is visited each night by a creature that the townsfolk call Halloween. Halloween leaves the residents of Strang alone provided they leave him a treat on their doorstep each night before he arrives. Unfortunately, Barry’s mother was killed by Halloween after taunting the creature a few years ago. As a result of this unfortunate incident, Halloween taunts Barry each night outside his front door. In addition to Halloween visiting Strang each night, the residents are busy prepping for their annual Fall Festival which involves a longtime tradition that made my jaw hit the floor in disbelief.

“Trick or Treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. Crackers, fruit will not do. Give me candy. I want two. candy, candy, I want four. candy, candy, I want more… Sticky fingers. Tired feet. One last house. Trick or Treat.”

Maybe it’s the time of the year. Maybe it’s the Pumpkin Spice everything (lattes, cookies, coffee and dish soap). Maybe it’s the way the #bookstagram community has lit this fever among constant readers everywhere. I absolutely loved this book. If HALLOWEEN FIEND doesn’t get you in the spirit of Halloween, you might not have a pulse. Maybe I wouldn’t have loved it as much if I had read it on Saint Patrick’s Day or the Fourth of July, but with the weather cooling off and gigantic bags of candy everywhere, I absolutely loved HALLOWEEN FIEND. What a fun little novella! I smiled from ear to ear and on at least one occasion, I laughed out loud. For several minutes. Maybe I was tired. My cats were not amused. That much I know. The writing is sarcastic and witty and as I’ve mentioned, funny at time. Barry and the entire town of Strang are so nonchalant and matter-of-fact about Halloween visiting them nightly. The whole thing just made me grin with happiness. It’s so off-the-wall and brilliant all at the same time. I love stories like this! I found myself relating to Barry to some degree or at the very least, sympathizing with his situation.

“The thing itself shifted again and again to something human then something with possibly tentacles then to something winged or wide. I couldn’t be sure. It confused the mind to look directly at it. The shadow was what you had to pay attention to.”

​I was obviously rooting for Barry and the residents of Strang from the moment Halloween was introduced. You mean to tell me we hafta leave out a treat for this psycho creature every night for as long as we live? Oh, hellllllllll no! It’s a great story and as the tension begins to mount, it only gets better with each turn of the page.

The book, like most, got several mixed reviews, but thankfully, it received more 4 and 5 star reviews than not. Yay! I know I didn’t divulge a whole lot of information regarding the details of the book itself, but I really don’t want to add any spoilers. I don’t think I could elaborate much more on the story line without running the risk of spoiling a few key sections of the book. I will let you, as the readers, see for yourselves! HALLOWEEN FIEND is an awesome story and one I envision myself reading again every October. HIGHLY recommended and an easy 5-star read courtesy of me!

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