Book Review: The 31st Trick-or-Treater by Ben Farthing
The 31st Trick-or-Treater
Author: Ben Farthing
Published: September 24, 2025
Paperback: 324 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: October 1-31, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars
Book Description:
Thirty-one nights. Thirty-one chapters. One final nightmare.
Last Halloween, thirty trick-or-treaters vanished into the night.
This October, they’re coming back—one by one, each day of the month. But every child carries the same chilling warning: something is returning on the 31st.
Bob has never stopped searching for his daughter. Now, as the shadows of Halloween grow longer, he must face the darkness that stole her—before it takes everything again.
The 31st Trick-or-Treater is a Halloween advent novel: thirty-one nights, thirty-one chapters, and one final nightmare waiting on Halloween.
Jessica’s Review:
Ben Farthing got the inspiration for The 31st Trick-or-Treater from Per Jacobsen’s 25 Days which I read last Christmas. He even spoke to Jacobsen. Finding out about this connection and the advent style which I enjoyed with 25 Days, I decided to read this one from Farthing. And the premise was intriguing: Last Halloween 30 trick-or-treaters disappeared and now this year one is coming back every night in October. What will happen on October 31st this year!?!?!
And I enjoyed it. This year October was a super busy month with me working on average 10 hours a day 5 days a week. Needless to say, I did fall behind, but was able to get caught up. After working those long hours, I would get home, have a quick bite to eat, shower and maybe just a little free time before bed, which was mentally and physically exhausting.
Some of the chapters were longer and some were shorter. When a chapter was shorter it was hard to not read further. The book seemed to have been written and put together very quickly so it is far from perfect. Earlier print versions (such as mine) have errors that were caught after the fact, which were corrected for the kindle versions and later print versions. With some more work and planning it could be a really good novel!
I love the concept of kids going missing for one year and then returning the next year one night at a time. And just what is going to happen on the 31st. The reader goes on the journey with Bob to find out what will happen.
There are unanswered questions left at the end and I would love to see a sequel to find out what might happen next! I do plan to read it again next Halloween, just not advent style.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
