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All Hallows
Burdened by old age and secrets that could topple an empire, Maren Glover is hounded by slinking beasts and monstrous adversaries.
As Samhain slips into darkness, Maren navigates vengeful witches, uncouth vampires, costumed children, a raging werewolf, an unhinged creator goddess, and relentlessly bad humor.
With predators of legend vying to collect the bounty on her head, Maren must trust in luck, sass, a youth-obsessed ex, and centuries of preparation to overcome brute force and blunt the sharpest of fangs.
Her bag of tricks running low, the odds of Maren's survival wane. Then again, she does have night worms on her side...
As Samhain slips into darkness, Maren navigates vengeful witches, uncouth vampires, costumed children, a raging werewolf, an unhinged creator goddess, and relentlessly bad humor.
With predators of legend vying to collect the bounty on her head, Maren must trust in luck, sass, a youth-obsessed ex, and centuries of preparation to overcome brute force and blunt the sharpest of fangs.
Her bag of tricks running low, the odds of Maren's survival wane. Then again, she does have night worms on her side...
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 10, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 28, 2019
The first half or so of this book is very leisurely paced so make sure you set yourself down in a quiet place with no distractions so you will be able to immerse yourself into its world and leave reality behind. I live in a small house with people, too loud TV’s, paper thin walls (good for spying but not so good when you want quiet!) and super needy animals and I found it best to hide myself outside where the dog always eventually found me, haha.
All Hallows is very dialogue heavy. If I had to guess, I’d say the book was 80 – 90% dialogue. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book written in this manner and it took a little getting used to – thus the hiding outside to get away from distractions so I could 100% focus on the story. I found it best to read big chunks at a time rather than pick it up and put it down a million times like I typically do with most of the things I read.
Maren is a crusty old witch who doesn’t put up with anyone’s nonsense. She has this practical cruelty and fairness about her that I just adored. I could never anticipate exactly what she was up to and I loved that. She’s been on the planet a very long time and she knows how to take care of herself. She has a bag of tricks including her treasured night worms – a creation she’s spent her entire life perfecting and she will need them this All Hallows eve as terrible creatures crawl out of the woodwork to accost her and put her skills to the test. To say too much will ruin the experience for you. Just know this book is gruesome and everything in it is completely unexpected. It is unlike most anything I’ve read in the horror genre and there’s one scene with a young mom and her screaming baby that is complete madness. I had NO clue what was going on but I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what the hell was happening.
I have to admit that All Hallows was a bit tricky for me to follow at times because Maren sometimes goes off on thought tangents and doesn’t always finish a conversation but I liked that off-kilter feeling once I got used to the style. Maren’s thoughts and conversation are also peppered with dark sarcasm which I found highly amusing. She thinks and says things that would have most people cringing and she made me laugh so much with her honest observations.
The ending leaves room for another adventure featuring Maren and her otherworldly friends and frenemies but it also ties up this adventure well without leaving me hanging and I appreciated that! This would be a great choice to read on a cold autumn night with a fire crackling for ambiance. It has that type of old-timey charm with some added gore and sarcasm to make things lively.
4 Stars
All Hallows is very dialogue heavy. If I had to guess, I’d say the book was 80 – 90% dialogue. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book written in this manner and it took a little getting used to – thus the hiding outside to get away from distractions so I could 100% focus on the story. I found it best to read big chunks at a time rather than pick it up and put it down a million times like I typically do with most of the things I read.
Maren is a crusty old witch who doesn’t put up with anyone’s nonsense. She has this practical cruelty and fairness about her that I just adored. I could never anticipate exactly what she was up to and I loved that. She’s been on the planet a very long time and she knows how to take care of herself. She has a bag of tricks including her treasured night worms – a creation she’s spent her entire life perfecting and she will need them this All Hallows eve as terrible creatures crawl out of the woodwork to accost her and put her skills to the test. To say too much will ruin the experience for you. Just know this book is gruesome and everything in it is completely unexpected. It is unlike most anything I’ve read in the horror genre and there’s one scene with a young mom and her screaming baby that is complete madness. I had NO clue what was going on but I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what the hell was happening.
I have to admit that All Hallows was a bit tricky for me to follow at times because Maren sometimes goes off on thought tangents and doesn’t always finish a conversation but I liked that off-kilter feeling once I got used to the style. Maren’s thoughts and conversation are also peppered with dark sarcasm which I found highly amusing. She thinks and says things that would have most people cringing and she made me laugh so much with her honest observations.
The ending leaves room for another adventure featuring Maren and her otherworldly friends and frenemies but it also ties up this adventure well without leaving me hanging and I appreciated that! This would be a great choice to read on a cold autumn night with a fire crackling for ambiance. It has that type of old-timey charm with some added gore and sarcasm to make things lively.
4 Stars
June 16, 2019
Look, sometimes you like to get your ankles wet in the kiddie pool, and sometimes, especially after a few adult beverages, you wanna jump in the angry ocean and tell the riptide to go straight to hell. All Hallows is the first book by Sheridan Bradford and is not your typical horror novel. Think of the intense, dense dialogue of Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino collaborating with the spirits of Victorian authors in a musty room by candlelight.
The book centers around Maren, a real son of a witch. She discovers there is a bounty on her head and is beset during the course of one day by chupacabras, witches, vampires, werewolves and more. I especially loved the scene with a dying baby, frazzled mother, and a terrible solution that involves fingers. It made the book for me. Sheridan literally could have written, "All work and no play makes Sheridan a dull boy" for the next 100 pages and I would have been fine. Luckily, he didn't. While I would have liked to see more action and less talking about what was going to occur, especially when Maren has to face her enemies, I was intrigued by Sheridan's writing process and choices. If you read this before going to sleep, I promise, it will alter your thought patterns. You will become Maren, and in turn, Sheridan Bradford.
Bradford's command of language, unique perceptions of the world and ear for (sometimes quite dense) dialogue make for something I've never quite seen before. He may be ahead of his time. He may be a one of a kind (because aren't we all special snowflakes?). I'm not entirely sure.
I know one thing. This ain't your memaw's horror novel. It's something...other. I got a lot of the same vibes reading All Hallows I had when I first dipped my toes in the Lovecraft waters, though there are no deep sea gods here. Maren is a wonderful, eccentric character. Like me, she just sometimes needs to shut her yap. Or at least finish her thoughts (there's a lot of meandering starting and stopping, though she is ancient and prone to lapses of memory. Oddly, other characters have the same problem, which robs her of what can be a delightful quirk). Did I want to see more action and less talking? Yes. But has this book made me step back and think more than others? Yes.
All Hallows is an experience unto itself. Get out of your comfort zone and discover something new and singular in its approach to genre.
The book centers around Maren, a real son of a witch. She discovers there is a bounty on her head and is beset during the course of one day by chupacabras, witches, vampires, werewolves and more. I especially loved the scene with a dying baby, frazzled mother, and a terrible solution that involves fingers. It made the book for me. Sheridan literally could have written, "All work and no play makes Sheridan a dull boy" for the next 100 pages and I would have been fine. Luckily, he didn't. While I would have liked to see more action and less talking about what was going to occur, especially when Maren has to face her enemies, I was intrigued by Sheridan's writing process and choices. If you read this before going to sleep, I promise, it will alter your thought patterns. You will become Maren, and in turn, Sheridan Bradford.
Bradford's command of language, unique perceptions of the world and ear for (sometimes quite dense) dialogue make for something I've never quite seen before. He may be ahead of his time. He may be a one of a kind (because aren't we all special snowflakes?). I'm not entirely sure.
I know one thing. This ain't your memaw's horror novel. It's something...other. I got a lot of the same vibes reading All Hallows I had when I first dipped my toes in the Lovecraft waters, though there are no deep sea gods here. Maren is a wonderful, eccentric character. Like me, she just sometimes needs to shut her yap. Or at least finish her thoughts (there's a lot of meandering starting and stopping, though she is ancient and prone to lapses of memory. Oddly, other characters have the same problem, which robs her of what can be a delightful quirk). Did I want to see more action and less talking? Yes. But has this book made me step back and think more than others? Yes.
All Hallows is an experience unto itself. Get out of your comfort zone and discover something new and singular in its approach to genre.
July 15, 2019
It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. It demonstrates none of the dipping-the-toe nervousness typical of first novels. Quite the opposite, All Hallows comes crashing out of the author’s imagination with scant regard for risk. And its author, W. Sheridan Bradford, takes quite a few risks. For one, he’s made the borderline-demented decision to construct his novel almost entirely from dialogue. For another, he’s saturated his work in arcana (and not gradually; from page one you’re playing catch-up). And, finally, he’s decided the ideal choice of character to provide a window into this discombobulating clash of form and content is a rambling, forgetful, ruthless old (really old, not just grandma old) witch.
And yet, somehow, it all works wonderfully. Maren is a delightfully eccentric character. The bucket-loads of arcana create a sense that the events of a single day are woven into an intricate, ancient tapestry. The dialogue-driven format is sleek and gives Mr. Bradford the facility to jump to and from the past without the need for interruptive flashbacks.
This is certainly not a book for the reader looking for a casual, easy-reading experience. It can be hard work but the author is always willing to meet you at least halfway. My only criticism would be that it’s occasionally episodic and fragmented, but this is a minor gripe for a debut novel that feels like anything but.
It goes without saying that I’m eagerly awaiting Volume II.
And yet, somehow, it all works wonderfully. Maren is a delightfully eccentric character. The bucket-loads of arcana create a sense that the events of a single day are woven into an intricate, ancient tapestry. The dialogue-driven format is sleek and gives Mr. Bradford the facility to jump to and from the past without the need for interruptive flashbacks.
This is certainly not a book for the reader looking for a casual, easy-reading experience. It can be hard work but the author is always willing to meet you at least halfway. My only criticism would be that it’s occasionally episodic and fragmented, but this is a minor gripe for a debut novel that feels like anything but.
It goes without saying that I’m eagerly awaiting Volume II.
September 24, 2019
This is less a novel than a connected series of separate events. First we see Maren dealing with a child she wants to help in some way. Then she collects a soul for a night worm. Then she deals with Abby and her baby Kenna. Finally she has a string of encounters as various people come for the bounty on her. There’s no real arc to keep you holding on when things are slow.
And yes, there are slow parts. The first time hits when Maren is talking to a dying woman and feeding her magic cookies, and the author spends several pages on cookies. I was actually a bit impressed with that, frankly. The second time comes when Maren is sitting in a gazebo waiting for whatever her seeing stone has guided her to, and you kind of have to be patient to get to the good stuff. The third spot happens while Maren is sitting in the gazebo next to Abby and her baby Kenna, and we spend a while inside Abby’s head as she muses on all sorts of things. This one got actively boring. It’s a shame, because the later material is quite riveting.
The narrative is very dialogue-heavy in places, and it feels like the author is so busy making all the dialogue “clever” that he never includes enough context. I frequently felt quite confused, and felt like I was missing all sorts of stuff. The characters are quite unique and interesting, which is the one thing that almost made me want to read any further novels, but the confusion soured my read-through enough that I don’t think I’d enjoy the experience.
Content note for gore (there isn’t much of it, but what there is feels extremely visceral). Also bits of bigotry in Abby’s musings.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/09/r...
And yes, there are slow parts. The first time hits when Maren is talking to a dying woman and feeding her magic cookies, and the author spends several pages on cookies. I was actually a bit impressed with that, frankly. The second time comes when Maren is sitting in a gazebo waiting for whatever her seeing stone has guided her to, and you kind of have to be patient to get to the good stuff. The third spot happens while Maren is sitting in the gazebo next to Abby and her baby Kenna, and we spend a while inside Abby’s head as she muses on all sorts of things. This one got actively boring. It’s a shame, because the later material is quite riveting.
The narrative is very dialogue-heavy in places, and it feels like the author is so busy making all the dialogue “clever” that he never includes enough context. I frequently felt quite confused, and felt like I was missing all sorts of stuff. The characters are quite unique and interesting, which is the one thing that almost made me want to read any further novels, but the confusion soured my read-through enough that I don’t think I’d enjoy the experience.
Content note for gore (there isn’t much of it, but what there is feels extremely visceral). Also bits of bigotry in Abby’s musings.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2019/09/r...
May 23, 2019
A witch. A vampire and a werewolf met in a street on Halloween night..
This book was a gift by the author for an honest review..
If you follow me on Twitter I’ve mentioned while reading this book that’s it’s like nothing I’ve read before. Most of the entire book is done by conversation by Maren the witch either talking to herself, her countless creatures especially her priceless night worms, her victims or collection of Halloween nightmares like ancient creatures, a vampire, a werewolf, an insane goddess or her sister witch. Action scenes are described by observation by Maren mostly except one disturbing scene with a young mother and a baby in the park who meets Maren in a time of crisis, for both of them. No spoilers, I couldn’t if I wanted too! Unsettling because sense of time or place isn’t always apparent but works here for this story. Audible would have a field day here because it would be the perfect medium to hear this story rather then actually read it. I’m blown away by this mind scramble and look forward too your thoughts! Enjoy!
This book was a gift by the author for an honest review..
If you follow me on Twitter I’ve mentioned while reading this book that’s it’s like nothing I’ve read before. Most of the entire book is done by conversation by Maren the witch either talking to herself, her countless creatures especially her priceless night worms, her victims or collection of Halloween nightmares like ancient creatures, a vampire, a werewolf, an insane goddess or her sister witch. Action scenes are described by observation by Maren mostly except one disturbing scene with a young mother and a baby in the park who meets Maren in a time of crisis, for both of them. No spoilers, I couldn’t if I wanted too! Unsettling because sense of time or place isn’t always apparent but works here for this story. Audible would have a field day here because it would be the perfect medium to hear this story rather then actually read it. I’m blown away by this mind scramble and look forward too your thoughts! Enjoy!
May 17, 2019
i enjoyed reading this book - it was always leading up to something bizarre ! Good characters, good gore, crazy plot - there was everything a horror fan needs ! It felt a bit wordy at times (and i will admit I had to look several words up), but he redeemed himself with the gore and grossness. I look forward to more from Mr. Bradford. I don’t want to give away any plot points, etc....if you feel a bit lost at first, keep reading....it all comes together nicely 😀
dnf
October 10, 2019I'm setting this one aside for now. I read a little under a hundred pages. It's kind of confusing, and a bit more complicated than what I'm in the headspace for right now.
June 13, 2019
Defined as ‘literary horror’ by the author, “All Hallows” may be a bit off-putting to some readers. However, for those who like their horror richer and deeper than the usual blood and guts slasher quick reads out there, this novel may be exactly what you’re looking for.
All Hallows follows the old (nay – ancient) and somewhat cantankerous old witch, Maren Glover along as she tries to make her way home on Halloween Night. There is some pre-amble to this stroll through town, which may seem somewhat out of place, until you get further into the book then it all falls into place and makes sense. She encounters other creatures of the night, other witches, an eleven-foot-tall werewolf (But don’t call her that, that only makes her angrier and do you really to make an eleven-foot-tall werewolf even more pissed off at you? No, no you do not.), and a vampire just to name a few. All of them are sorely tempted by a high bounty placed on Maren’s head. But, Maren, old and road-weary as she is, keeps her handy-dandy bowling bag of tricks always on hand and she isn’t about to go quietly or easily into that sweet night. And, oh, does she love her sweets! Maren is a wonderful character. I couldn’t get enough of her absent-minded, somewhat disorganized old lady ramblings throughout the book. All the characters in this book are described with a flourish that keeps them each memorable and unique.
My only complaint about the book is that I think the author went a little overboard with the lengthy wording and word choices in the first half. In a couple of instances, there were sentences that covered almost an entire page. Yes, a single sentence drawn out with enough commas and semi-colons to drive my high school English teach mad. This is typical of the old Gothic Horror novels that I so love, so it wasn’t terribly off-putting to me in that regard. This, along with wishing I had a thesaurus on hand, made the first half of the book a bit of a struggle.
That being said, once I reached the halfway mark, everything changed! The narrative quickened. The sentences and paragraphs shortened. The dialogue and characters blossomed and were a delight. They drove all the action forward at a wonderful pace. It became a book I couldn’t wait to have time to sit down and get back into. Had the first half been written like the second half, I would have easily given it a higher rank without a second thought. It was all worth it in the end and I’m hoping Mr. Bradford puts out more work soon – very soon. Please!
All Hallows follows the old (nay – ancient) and somewhat cantankerous old witch, Maren Glover along as she tries to make her way home on Halloween Night. There is some pre-amble to this stroll through town, which may seem somewhat out of place, until you get further into the book then it all falls into place and makes sense. She encounters other creatures of the night, other witches, an eleven-foot-tall werewolf (But don’t call her that, that only makes her angrier and do you really to make an eleven-foot-tall werewolf even more pissed off at you? No, no you do not.), and a vampire just to name a few. All of them are sorely tempted by a high bounty placed on Maren’s head. But, Maren, old and road-weary as she is, keeps her handy-dandy bowling bag of tricks always on hand and she isn’t about to go quietly or easily into that sweet night. And, oh, does she love her sweets! Maren is a wonderful character. I couldn’t get enough of her absent-minded, somewhat disorganized old lady ramblings throughout the book. All the characters in this book are described with a flourish that keeps them each memorable and unique.
My only complaint about the book is that I think the author went a little overboard with the lengthy wording and word choices in the first half. In a couple of instances, there were sentences that covered almost an entire page. Yes, a single sentence drawn out with enough commas and semi-colons to drive my high school English teach mad. This is typical of the old Gothic Horror novels that I so love, so it wasn’t terribly off-putting to me in that regard. This, along with wishing I had a thesaurus on hand, made the first half of the book a bit of a struggle.
That being said, once I reached the halfway mark, everything changed! The narrative quickened. The sentences and paragraphs shortened. The dialogue and characters blossomed and were a delight. They drove all the action forward at a wonderful pace. It became a book I couldn’t wait to have time to sit down and get back into. Had the first half been written like the second half, I would have easily given it a higher rank without a second thought. It was all worth it in the end and I’m hoping Mr. Bradford puts out more work soon – very soon. Please!
February 6, 2020
All Hallows was an interesting read. Bradford reached out and I agreed to check it out for review consideration, and I am glad I did.
The MC, Maren, is a great witch-y character and I truly enjoyed getting to know her. She is snarky and intelligent; she is as intriguing as she is scary. Some of the scenes in this book are deliciously gruesome and the night worms are just absolutely disgusting.
Like a few others have mentioned, there is quite a lot of dialogue in this book. One scene in the beginning just dragged for me as the conversation went on and on. There are several of these throughout the book. If you like a heavy amount of dialogue in a book you might have a better experience. There are some great reviews on here for this one, but this was my experience. I think the great scenes and the story itself would've had more impact on me if it was condensed quite a bit, the heavy details along with the dialogue just lost me more often than not and it could be confusing.
That said, I'd definitely pick up another story by this author. Maybe a short story or a novella would be a better fit for me.
The MC, Maren, is a great witch-y character and I truly enjoyed getting to know her. She is snarky and intelligent; she is as intriguing as she is scary. Some of the scenes in this book are deliciously gruesome and the night worms are just absolutely disgusting.
Like a few others have mentioned, there is quite a lot of dialogue in this book. One scene in the beginning just dragged for me as the conversation went on and on. There are several of these throughout the book. If you like a heavy amount of dialogue in a book you might have a better experience. There are some great reviews on here for this one, but this was my experience. I think the great scenes and the story itself would've had more impact on me if it was condensed quite a bit, the heavy details along with the dialogue just lost me more often than not and it could be confusing.
That said, I'd definitely pick up another story by this author. Maybe a short story or a novella would be a better fit for me.
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