HALLOWEEN BEYOND: PIERCING THE VEIL, DARK TIDES BOOK FOUR (Crystal Lake Publishing, October 2022) Anthology, paperback, 175 pages.
Synopsis on the Goodreads website . . . . .
THE TALKING-BOARD by Lisa Morton: Can ancient magic exist in the modern world?
When Kayla’s sister Hailey went missing in the nearby Ghost Woods on Halloween night, the last person to see her was the solitary, elderly Brigid. Kayla, who has long suspected Brigid of being involved with Hailey’s disappearance, dreads the first anniversary of her sister’s vanishing even as her best friend Sophie urges her to put the past behind her.
Halloween nears and Kayla pays a visit to the pop-up Halloween Beyond store, where an enigmatic clerk named Maeve convinces her to buy a talking-board. Kayla begins receiving messages which claim to be from Hailey, but is it actually something more sinister calling out from beyond the veil?
Brigid—who may be a witch—offers to lead Kayla into the Ghost Woods on Halloween in search of answers. Kayla discovers dark truths about herself as she and Brigid confront the terrifying supernatural forces that claimed Hailey.
NEW BLOOD by Lucy A. Snyder:Maddie is keen for Halloween, but when she moves to a strange coastal town, a Devils’ Night party forces her to face eldritch dangers that threaten her entire family.
A GENTLEMAN’S SUIT by Kate Maruyama: Halloween Beyond is magic. The store’s inscrutable clerk finds Lex exactly the right costume which somehow makes people see the nonbinary Lex for who they really are.
It’s Lex’s last Halloween at home before college, and it had better be good. When Lex’s father, Beto, known locally as the King of Halloween adds an enormous animatronic Death on a boat to the collection in his elaborate front yard haunt, Halloween night takes a deadly turn.
Lex is having trouble letting go of old friendships, of home, of Halloween itself, but they now face the hardest kind of letting go.
This anthology is perfect for fans of Halloween stories, supernatural, horror anthologies, classic horror, Mystery and suspense, the occult, magic, strong female protagonists, and thrillers.
My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
The Dark Tide books always feature one common element among the individual stories. In this case it's the mysterious Halloween Beyond store and Maeve, a Halloween Beyond employee with ulterior motives. Both the store and the employee play piviotal roles in all three stories.
All three stories feature strong lead characters and focus on empowerment. All three are youthful and developing, two females and one non-binary gender.
The opening story "The Talking-Board" by Lisa Morton deals with ancient magic existing in the modern world, and a young woman's quest to locate her younger sister who disappeared one year ago on Halloween night. Morton adds a mysterious predecessor to the Ouija board, an odd Halloween-themed store, fairies, a ghost woods, Irish folklore and witchcraft for a thoroughly engaging and surprisingly uplifting tale.
There's a reference to Lovecraftian themes (Dagon, Innsmouth, etc) in "New Blood" by Lucy Synder, a captivating story of an exclusive Halloween party for middle-school students in a strange coastal town.
The strongest story in this trio and my favorite is "A Gentleman's Suit" by Kate Maruyama. As it begins it appears to be a silly story with Lex's father, known as the King of Halloween, splurging on animatronic lawn decorations for Trick Or Treat night. But from there the story quickly evolves to a powerful tale of pre-college Lex coming into their own, establishing their identity, and counciling and consoling others who took different paths. The ending is particularly moving.
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