Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom by Josh Allen || Bite-Sized MG Horror Stories

Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom

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!

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Goosebump-like stories that subvert expectations.
• Horror lite, for the scaredy-cats among us.
• Bite-sized stories that can be read quickly and on the go.
• Fun, creepy illustrations that add to the atmosphere.

Many thanks to Holiday House and Rockstar Book Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.

This is the perfect time of year to be reading scary stories! But if you’re anything like me, you get scared a little too easily. As sad as it may sound, I’m always excited to see new middle grade horror, because that’s about the level of scary that I can tolerate on a regular basis!

Only If You Dare is an anthology of 13 bite-sized horror stories reminiscent of Goosebumps and the perfect fall read . . . even for readers who can’t handle something too scary. It’s just creepy enough to let you know fall is here!

This book has definite Goosebumps vibes to it, with subverted expectations and things not quite as they first appear. Plus, it’s great for anyone who wants little chunks of stories, perfect for when you’re on the go and just have a few minutes here and there to read. The only real drawback was that I found a lot of the stories weren’t particularly memorable. They were fun to read (and would make great read-togethers), but then I quickly forgot them when I moved on to the next book. They just didn’t make a lasting impression on me personally.

The stories in Only If You Dare are great for young readers: revolving around issues they’ll relate to, and just spooky enough without being too scary.

This book would be great for younger middle grade readers who are getting into the Halloween mood. There’s even a scary story about a phone taking over a young girl’s life. What’s more relatable than that?! I think older readers may not get the same shock value out of these stories, because the endings are somewhat predictable if you’re a bit older. They very much reminded me of my Goosebump days, though, where I never quite knew how the book was going to end, even though I always expected some sort of surprise twist (even though now that I’m older, I can definitely see a Goosebumps ending from a mile off!).

Only If You Dare isn’t just stories, either. There are some really creeptastic illustrations that help set the mood of the stories!

They’re not overly graphic and not too creepy, but they definitely pull you into the story and set the tone. Coleman capitalizes on the spooky mood Allen sets, and the two go together wonderfully. I absolutely loved the illustrations and couldn’t get enough of them!

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to a couple of my favorite stories from this anthology!

The Substitute

First Lines:

One-Line Summary: The kids in this class get a lesson they hadn’t bargained for when their substitute teacher starts telling them a crazy, made-up scary story. It is just made up . . . right?

Favorite Quote:

Crazy Playz

First Lines:

One-Line Summary: When Jayson snags himself a job at just 13, it sounds almost too good to be true. Which means, of course, it is.

Favorite Quote:

Scrabbled

First Lines:

One-Line Summary: Ramona knew she shouldn’t watch a scary movie when at home alone, but she does it anyway. Now not even her favorite comfort game of Scrabble can save her.

Favorite Quote:

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 | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

About Sarah J. 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 | Goodreads | Instagram

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

Week One

Week Two

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