Favorites: "The Lion at the Gate" and "End of the Liner". ( )

Welcome to a series of macabre short stories that are the perfect reads for the Halloween and wintry season. Each story is unsettling, with a different kind of twisty, creepy situation for readers to contemplate.

Throughout my reading, I could not help but wonder which short story the author would turn into a novel. I know which were my favorites. Get this book to figure out yours!

The stories are dark and reminiscent of the type of content from Alfred Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone. I found the stories with the dystopian theme to be the most unsettling.

Horror lovers and those who enjoy mystery/thrillers will enjoy these stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer an honest review. ( )

I'm a big fan of C.J. Tudor's writing. She's got a vivid (and darkly creative) imagination that has hooked me with every book she's written. I was thrilled to see that her latest, A Sliver of Darkness, is a collection of short stories.

I like the portability of short stories, the ability to pick out a tale, and have a satisfying start to finish experience. But, with A Sliver of Darkness, I couldn't just read one....I binge read all eleven tales in a day. They're all so so very different and I just had to see what the next one would be about.

Tudor writes a detailed description of how each story came to be, what triggered the idea. I really liked knowing the 'why/how/what behind every story. It's fulfilling for readers like me that wonders where an author finds or imagines their idea for a book or a tale. Some of them are innocuous comments, a memory from years gone by, a location or a personal event.

Did I have a favorite? Besides all of them? The first one, End of the Liner was apropos - what would happen if a cruise ship escaped the plague by not ever docking? Or being dared to go inside that abandoned building. How about graffiti art - that's just a tad too good? A name that just pops up in your brain - right Ted? Or a reprise visit from a character that briefly appeared in one of Tudor's past books. Anyone else remember Gloria from The Hiding Place? How about a beautiful butterfly sanctuary on an isolated island that ends up being much different than a group of people imagined - or hoped? Tudor has hinted that this last tale might be fleshed out in the future. I hope so!

An easy five stars for A Sliver of Darkness.

Wanting more from C.J. Tudor? Me too! Can't wait for her new book - The Drift - coming out January 31/23. ( )

A Sliver of Darkness is a great collection of short stories. Every story is different but they all live up to the blurbs by being bone-chilling, mind-bending, nightmare-inducing and spine-tingling. They are full of creepy people – and some people who normal but are anything but. Every story has a twist. Just when you’ve gotten yourself into the macabre mindset and think you’ve figured the ending out, bam, you’ll be surprised by something you never saw coming. Thanks to Ballantine Book and NetGalley for providing a copy of A Sliver of Darkness. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review. I enjoyed this book and recommend you read it; you’ll shiver, shudder and be thoroughly satisfied when you are done. ( )

This was a fantastic collection of stories! I have been a fan of C.J.Tudor’s writing ever since I first got my hands on a copy of The Chalk Man several years ago. When I saw that she had a collection of stories being published, I couldn’t wait to dive in. I was not disappointed because I liked every single story in this book.

If I were to rate each story individually, I would give each of the either 4 or 5 stars. All of the stories were creepy enough to completely capture my interest. There is a little bit of everything here including a not-so-dreamy cruise, dangerous graffiti, a scary not quite abandoned building, a real estate transaction gone wrong, and even a butterfly sanctuary that could give you nightmares. really liked that the author wrote an intro to each of the stories that gave some insights into how the story came to be.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite story out of this collection and thought that each and every story in this book was well worth a read. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group. ( )