All Hallows Eve

Book of Shadows, Book 1

By: Michael Penning

Narrated by: Stacey Devonport

Alice Jacobs didn't believe in ghosts...until her daughter was taken by one.

When Alice's husband disappears while investigating a series of strange and terrible incidents in the bustling seaport of Salem, she is forced to bring her young daughter, Abigail, along from Boston while she takes up the search. But she soon learns of a terrible curse that has the entire town bracing for nightfall: One hundred years after the infamous witch trials, the vengeful spirit of a woman hanged for witchcraft will rise from hell to claim the souls of Salem's children.

Alice dismisses the old legend as foolish superstition until Abigail is snatched from her bed by a sinister woman made of smoke and mist.

Desperate to find her daughter before the sun rises and she is lost forever, Alice races against time on a spine-chilling adventure that takes her from forgotten dungeons and gloomy cemeteries to the haunted forests of Gallows Hill. Along with a roguish sailor searching for his own missing child, she battles deadly supernatural forces and uncovers a dark secret that may be the key to saving Abigail's soul...if only she can survive the most terrifying night of her life.

Suspenseful, thrilling, and dripping with atmosphere, your copy of this hauntingly good historical horror story will have you sleeping with the lights on.

©2020 Michael Penning (P)2023 Michael Penning

A fun classic Halloween Story

I would give this book a 3.4/5. There were definitely some redundant parts of the books that felt more like fluff and fill, that I didn't feel contributed much to the story. There were also some unnecessary descriptions and random people dying that popped in for one part of the story, yet took up an entire chapter. Overall, it was a fun classic halloween story read that I could see being a fun Halloween movie that I wouldn't mind watching. It took me about 10 chapters to finally get to the good parts of the book, but the last half was definitely the best and made up for a lot of the boring parts in the beginning. Not quite sure how this has so many over 4 star reviews... I would give it at it's best and highest a 3.5 on a good day.

Beware Rebecca Hayle

Alice chose the exact wrong time to go searching for her husband Samuel. He's been missing for months, and the last place she knew he was is Salem, Massachusetts. It's been decades since the end of the witch trials, and he was there investigating some terrible incidents that had been occurring.

As she and her daughter Abigail arrive in Salem, they're met with a horrifying scene. Thousands upon thousands of bones are washing ashore. According to the townsfolk, it's the sign of a terrible curse nearly come to fruition. It's All Hallows Eve, and they believe this is the night that Rebecca Hayle, an accused witch put to death a century before, is coming back to get revenge on the town by taking their children. They're hunkering down in order to protect their young ones. They try warning Alice to take her daughter and leave town immediately, but she doesn't believe in such nonsense and just wants to find Samuel.

Unfortunately, by the time she sees first hand the reality of their fears, it's too late. Abigail has been taken. Now she has two disappearances she desperately needs to solve before the night ends and her daughter is lost forever.

For those that love witches/Salem lore/etc., I think you'll enjoy this book a lot. There were some moments of exposition that seemed unnecessary at the time, but it all helped build the dread that the entire town was rightfully feeling. And by the time the book was nearing its end, I was incredibly shocked at the reveals.

The narrator did an incredible job. I felt especially creeped out when she had to whisper certain parts. It didn't help that I was wearing headphones and felt like there was someone whispering directly over my shoulder.

Excellent read. I look forward to reading the following books in the series!

Meh...

The story was just okay. There were somethings that didn't make sense at times, but I think the worst part for me was the narration. I think I'm spoiled with some of the amazing narrations I've recently listened to, because this person sounded like she was a news anchor reading off que cards instead of bringing me into the story. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either.

Salem, halloween, and witches

Loved this so much. I love witches and Salem. Add in Halloween and a vengeful spirit and my little spooky heart is happy.

Very good story!

I must say that I was surprised by the quality of this story because it was given away free by the author. Michael Penning is a new author to me. The story was scary, intriguing, with several levels of complexity. I was never bored. The story grabbed me right from the beginning and kept me in its grip. I couldn’t guess or foresee what was going to happen. The female lead character is strong, brave, and smart. The narrator, Stacey Devonport did a helluva job bringing, Mr. Penning’s written words to life. Loved it! Thanks for the book, Michael!

Loved it!

Story was fun and thrilling there were minor items that I personally wished would have been fleshed out more but overall it was a great story. Its a great read for the fall spooky season. The plot twists were entertaining and the overall ambiance set by the author was compelling. I immediately downloaded the rest of the initial trilogy and intend on reading the short stories as well! Highly recommend to those who enjoy supernatural books or creepy mysteries. It was also incredibly refreshing to not have some of the tropes that populate the YA supernatural genre!

Such a wonderful read.

This story was amazing. Read it in February and it transported me right into October. This is a perfect witchy read for a spooky night. It definitely had me wondering how things were going to end. It made my heart hurt for the characters. And it definitely made me see the reasoning behind the witches wrath. Absolutely amazing. I will be reading thus again come Halloween time.

mehh

Quite boring and made little sense. There was some excitement at times and I felt the need to finish it but the ending wasn't very satisfying. The narration was the worst part. Although the narrator has a very pleasant voice, she reads it in a very monotone voice with little ups and downs so it was easy to drift from the book and loose track of the story. I wouldn't recommend it.