Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom

Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom by Josh Allen

Release: August 31st 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Holiday House
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Thirteen chilling short stories to keep you up at night–but only if you dare.

You never know what’s out to get you. Though you might think you’re safe from monsters and menaces, everyday objects can turn against you, too. A mysterious microwave. A threatening board game. A snowman that refuses to melt. Even your own heartbeat has its secrets. Thu-thump. Thu-thump. When you stop to listen, each beat sounds more menacing than the last.

Master storyteller Josh Allen brings thirteen nightmare scenarios to life in this page-turning collection that’s perfect for budding horror junkies. In his wondrous world, danger waits behind every doorway . . . even in the most ordinary places.

Eerie illustrations by award-winning artist Sarah Coleman accompany the stories, packaged in a stunning hardcover edition complete with glow-in-the-dark jacket. Readers will sleep with one eye open!

About Josh Allen:

Josh Allen checks under his bed before switching off the light each night. During the day, he teaches creative writing and literature at Brigham Young University-Idaho. His debut book for young readers, Out to Get You, received two starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection. He lives in Idaho with his family.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

About Sarah Coleman:

Sarah Coleman was an early pioneer of hand lettering and has illustrated covers for many renowned books, including the 50th anniversary edition of To Kill a Mockingbird and Newbery Honor-winner Wolf Hollow. Her design clients range from Coca Cola and Starbucks to The New York Times. She lives in the UK.

Website | Twitter | Instagram |Goodreads

Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom Review:

I love how “Only If You Dare” has various oddities to hold your interest and scare you. I enjoyed reading most of the tales and found the collection to be impressive.

The Substitute – What a great start to the book! I loved Hazel, and Mr. Fernsby was disturbing as he picked on Ava.
The Perfect Girl – is a lovely story, and Celeste stands out as the strange girl, but the ending felt weird.
Lumpy, Lumpy – This story was more disgusting than eerie.
Hi, Jenny – I liked this one because it is something that could happen in reality. Also, buzz buzz is creepy!
Crazy Playz – I liked this story mainly cos of Jayson. He is hilarious.
The Snowman Who Wouldn’t Melt – The Snowman gave me the shivers and made me reminisce about an old Fear Street novel by RL Stine with the same name.

Scrabbled: The plot between Ramona and the Specter was the highlight of the tale. I also liked how the author incorporated a game of scrabble in it.
My Hand, Right There: The main character is creepy and unnerved me about his hand carving obsession
Wake up: Poor luna! This one gave me “IT” vibes because of the sinister jester and Luna’s recurring nightmare.
We all Scream for Ice Cream: This story was too short for me to get scared. While like I concept, the ending felt incomplete.
One of a Kind: This one was probably the most disturbing because of my fear of spiders.
One More Piece: Oh, spooky dolls! This one was an exciting tale.
The Heartbeat you Hear is a nice ending that will make you focus on your Heartbeat.

Overall, “Only If You Dare” is an exciting collection of spooky stories perfect for Halloween.

Giveaway:

3 winners will win a finished copy of ONLY IF YOU DARE: 13 STORIES OF DARKNESS AND DOOM, US Only.

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I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom by Josh Allen Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!