DEAD LEAVES: 9 Tales from the Witching Season (Dead Seasons)

I purchased this book for a Halloween themed read for the month of October. This book contains 9 short stories to get you in the haunting season. Ghosts, insanity, dash of sci-fi, monsters, and terror. Decently large print and only 100 pages. A couple of the stories are a little over descriptive which made it drag on a bit, but not for long. At first I started reading it with minimal hopes. Once I got to the end I thought that it turned out to be a really good read. In the back of the book the writer has lists of recommended books and movies which listed many of my own favorites. A good listing for those that would like to venture further with the Halloween spirit. I would say it's a read for young adults and up. I’m glad I got to read it.

Fan of KPB ever since reading Sour Candy!This compilation of Halloween Horror stories was just what I needed for Spooky Season. I read them all in one go, but they could’ve easily been read one at a time as they weren’t connected.

3.5/5 starsThis was a good collection of nine spooky short stories from the same author that varied from stories about ghosts, being buried alive, and ancient fairy stones. My favorite stories were Someone to Carve a Pumpkin, How the Night Receives Them, Tonight the Moon is Ours, and The Tradition.Below is a list of all the stories, brief non-spoiler synopsis, thoughts and their individual rating from me!Andromeda - 3.5 starsSynopsis: Hannah receives starts to receive strange text messages and odd things happen in this apocalyptic story.Thoughts: Good start to this collection! I really liked how eerie this one felt, similar feelings to Bird Box or an M. Night Shyamalan movie. You just didn't know what was going on or what would happen next and I really liked it!Someone to Carve the Pumpkins - 4 starsSynopsis: Chuck and Joe discuss whether the old lady in the long abandoned house is a ghost.Thoughts: This was such a good ghost story! It's better if you don't know anything going in.Haven - 2 starsSynopsis: Tom's mother has just died and he returns to his old family home to spend the night.Thoughts: I don't know what kind of story this was, but it was strange and boring in parts. I would honestly call it more sci-fi than horror.How the Night Receives Them - 4 starsSynopsis: Carrie walks home at night along the roadside and meets a detective in his car.Thoughts: I really loved this story. It was starts off a little odd until you realize what's happening. It has such a good detailed backstory even though it's a short story.Tonight the Moon is Ours - 4 starsSynopsis: A city boy sneaks out at night to meet two locals that tell him the tale of a fairy stone.Thoughts: I really liked how mysterious and strange this one felt. It felt like a creepy retold fairytale. It's possibly my favorite in this collection!The Toll - 3 starsSynopsis: An elderly textile tycoon finds himself trapped underground in a coffin.Thoughts: This one was an okay read. It was more about the backstory and how the elderly man could have ended up where he did. It wasn't too scary or creepy to me, more mysterious.Will You Tell Them I Died Quietly - 2 starsSynopsis: Evan attends his mother's funeral, but what caused her death?Thoughts: This one was just too odd for me. It was hard to follow the mysterious things at the funeral. I didn't really care for it. I think it would have been a lot better if it was a bit longer and had more details of what was going on.The Tradition - 4 starsSynopsis: Evelyn wakes up on Halloween night in an abandoned house with no memories.Thoughts: This was another good spooky story that would tie for favorite of the group! It was so good. I really liked how you slowly found out bits and pieces of Evelyn's memory and what really happened.The One Night of the Year - 2.5 starsSynopsis: Every Halloween night, Caleb and his dog Rufus wait for the visitors to arrive.Thoughts: This one was okay. I expected more of a story, because it started off really well and creepy! It just didn't follow through to the end. It was a definite let down.Overall, I liked this collection and would definitely recommend it for the few stories I really loved!

Great collection of short stories set during autumn. I didn’t feel that many of these had a Halloween vibe, but was still a good read for the season.

The stories were a fun read. Like scary stories to tell in the dark for adults. The actual physical book had several pages not attached to the bind. Not ripped out just straight up not attached. So I’d turn a page and the page would fall out of the book. It wasn’t all but it was every few pages. Slightly annoying but it is what it is. Still recommend just a heads up as hopefully whoever printed the books has fixed the issue for future copies

I've never been disappointed by anything Kealan Patrick Burke has written, and this is no exception. I've been reading his work for years, and he's consistently one of the best horror writers working today. This particular book is a small collection of nine autumnal stories perfect for setting the spooky mood for the Halloween season.On offer here are apocalyptic stories, ghost stories, and much more, all with some kind of Halloween theme. While some are more explicitly Halloween-based than others, all did a great job of getting me in the proper frame of mind for my favorite season. Of course I liked some of the stories more than others, but I honestly couldn't find even one that I'd consider a weak link. If you like horror at all, you'll love this book.As an added bonus, the book also includes lists of recommended books and movies to watch during the Halloween season. The lists are not limited to "Halloween stories" specifically, but they do make for great references if you're looking for something spooky and fun to read or watch.Highly recommended.

Kealan Patrick Burke is master of horror tales.This collection of stories is a must for anyones book shelves,with not a weak one among the 9 .The story One night of the year is worth the price of the book on its own.A farmer waiting in his chair for a horror to appear from the corn field in front of his home,as it does every year,confronts the terror with his only companion his faithful dog.This could have easily been a novella,but all the tales could as they are all 5 star excellent.Great writing.

Initially I wanted to save this book for Halloween, but I had a lazy Sunday and thought, "what better way to spend this day than to read some creepy Halloween stories?" And so, that's what I did. And this book of 9 short stories did not dissapoint.For starters, there is not one bad story in this collection. Not one. Even my least favorite story (The Tradition) I'd still give 3 stars! I love how varied these tales turned out to be and how they are able to tug on the heartstrings.Burke has a way with words and easily gets you into the Halloween spirit. He's such a talented writer and is able to suck you into each story right from the start.The stand out stories for me were:*Someone To Carve The Pumpkins*How The Night Receives Them*The Toll*The One Night Of The YearIf you want to read something fitting on Halloween (and are done with The Halloween Tree) I can really suggest going with this collection. It gets you in the spirit, has a lot of heart, is beautifully written, and is plenty creepy.

Are you looking for some Halloween short stories? Then look no further! Some great tales in this one that really get you in the mood for Halloween!

3.75 stars.I love Kealan’s work! His stories ALWAYS freak me out!Dead Leaves is a collection of 9 short stories. My favourite being Andromeda.I love that he has also included in the book a list of his recommendations of books and movies for The Witching Season.

Loved this. Really got me in that Halloweeney spirit! Recommended 100%