Book Review:

I’ll be honest, I don’t usually go for short horror collections. Too often, they feel like someone emptied their notebook of half-baked ideas and called it a book. Shiver isn’t that. What Allen has done here is weave a set of stories that feel self-contained yet connected by tone, like a mixtape of nightmares curated with real care. “Don’t Touch” stayed with me, not because of gore or shock, but because of the way it took one simple flaw—childlike curiosity—and spun it into something both absurd and terrifying. That’s editing gold: one strong idea, executed with precision, no fluff. What excites me about this book isn’t just that it entertains (it does), but that it could live in different spaces. I can imagine teachers sneaking excerpts into creative writing classes to show how to build tension without overloading. I can see filmmakers snapping up a story or two for short-film adaptations. As an editor, I’m always thinking about “what next,” and this feels like the start of a world that can expand beyond the page. That’s rare, and it makes Shiver worth paying attention to.

Book Review:

From an editorial standpoint, I admire the confidence in the prose. The sentences move. They have rhythm, almost musical at times, which makes the scares land harder because you’re lulled into the beat before the floor drops out. The characters, especially the kids, are drawn with a kind of messy authenticity that you don’t often see in horror. They’re not stock victims or precocious caricatures; they feel like real children navigating unreal situations. That mix of grounded voice and surreal imagery is what gives the book its punch. Would I publish this? Absolutely. Because beyond the chills, Shiver has personality. It feels alive. And in a market where so many horror titles blur together, this one has a heartbeat all its own.