Becky

Ouija boards are ALWAYS a bad idea

Revisado: 03-11-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Say it with me - Ouija boards are NEVER a good idea.

After a young couple uses the board in a graveyard, a tornado appears out of nowhere, unearthing all the dead in the small town and bringing them back to life. The residents of Lordsland have no idea the terrors that are about to be unleashed upon them.

This zombie novel was a TRIP. There's plenty of gore and disturbing moments, plenty of characters you want to see fail, and a lot of stressful moments. There were so many characters that it was a little hard for me to keep track who was who (that's definitely a me thing - exhausted mom brain has a rough time with this sometimes).

The narrator did an excellent job!

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Beware random invitations to strange islands...

Revisado: 01-18-25 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Out of nowhere, eight starving artists - each with a different artistic medium - get a strange email/letter inviting them to an art residency by a mysterious individual. It promises a trip to an elusive island and one artist receiving a life changing amount of money.

Many of them jump at the opportunity, some more reluctantly than others. The trip starts off alright, but once the residency actually begins, the contestants quickly realize that there is more at risk than just money. They're pushed to their limits, and there are terrible consequences for losing.

If there's one thing I've learned from horror books and shows, you're much better off just leaving your money troubles to yourself. When you try and enter strange competitions with the hopes of winning big, you're more likely to lose your life. Another thing I've learned is that I would NOT be good at escape rooms.

There were quite the wide variety of characters within the contestants - some that you're greatly rooting for, and others that you hope leave in the first couple rounds (I lucked out there for one of my most disliked characters 🤣)

I really didn't care for the narrator and felt that she didn't fit the book well at all, but the story was good enough to keep me reading and wanting to know what happens. Usually if I can't take a narrator, I dnf the audiobook and switch to a physical/ebook copy, so you know the story was good enough to go through it 🤣

If you're looking for a quick, stressful read, look no further. But make sure to watch out for any strange invitations you may receive. Maybe just throw them out before dropping everything and accepting it.

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A Werewolf Story Like You've Never Read Before

Revisado: 10-14-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Story - 4 stars

Male Narration - 5 stars

Female Narration - 1 star

A Werewolf's Diary follows a collection of characters, the center being Matt, a human who has survived a horrific animal attack that he suspects wasn't an animal attack at all. As he recovers, he notices strange occurrences beginning to happen: he heals ridiculously quickly post attack, his muscle tone changes completely without any training or exercise, his eyes are turning blue for no reason. After some research, he discovers that he was likely the victim of a werewolf attack, and he is turning into a werewolf himself. We see diary entries from him, his girlfriend Lisa, his boss James, and that of several other werewolves later in the book, though the story focuses primarily on Matt and his journey.

I have to say, this was definitely a different kind of book, and I thought it was very interesting reading the different POVs in diary form. The characters were interesting, growing to love some of them and seriously loathe others. I was curious to see what happened throughout. The male characters' narrations were spot on, each one completely different, and the voices really seemed perfect for the character.

Now onto what took away from the story.

Check your triggers. I read them at the beginning, and typically they don't bother me. The first half or so of the book really had me wondering if they were even necessary, wondering if they were placed on the correct book. And then I got to a certain character's diary entries. Hooooooooo boy. It went on entirely too long for me, the graphic torture and SA of some characters were completely unnecessary for the length provided. What could have been a couple minute description of what happened turned into a 20-25 minute long chapter. I had to skip forward, thinking that maybe I was past it, and nope, it was still going on for the whole chapter. Like I said, I'm not typically one to shy away when it gets to that content if it's a brief mention/description, but it was FAR too much for me.

What really took away the most was the female narrators. The pacing, pronunciation, inflection, everything just seemed... off. There was no emotion, no personality. It really took away from the audiobook experience and had me wanting to stop it entirely every time I got to one of Lisa's chapters. Hayley was a little better, but there were still moments that made me say "..... really?"

All in all, I would recommend this book (maybe skipping the incredibly graphic chapters if you need to), but not the audiobook unless the female narrators change.

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Be careful during your next game of truth or dare

Revisado: 10-02-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Thomas has an amazing life, but something threatens his day to day life. Months back, after witnessing a shocking turn of events during a drunken game of truth or dare, he decides to incorporate that into his life. But just like a bag of chips, you can't do it just once.

This novelette was such a short, yet absolutely wild ride. There were several moments that made me yell at my phone as the audiobook was playing. There were so many poor decisions made in this book, maddening ones at that. But the way it was done is intentional and works well for the story.

I can't wait for the sequel!

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Heed the storm warnings...

Revisado: 08-28-24

We focus in on the coastal California town of San Refugio. Retired lifeguard Peter and restaurant owner Carla are working through their relationship, both seemingly afraid that the other wants to hold off on moving to the next step. Carla is still grieving the loss of her son, lost at sea a while ago. As they prepare for a massive storm that's supposed to hit their town, a tourist is injured while in the ocean, with a strange injury on his body. It looks almost like a sting from a ray, but it's far worse than any sting ray attack that anyone has ever seen, with a large, black, oozing and gaping hole at the center, surrounding skin turning purple. At the same time, forecasts vary, with one saying that the storm will miss them, and another saying the bulk of it is headed right for them. The residents and tourists are left wondering which path to take, that of evacuation or normalcy.

Another person is attacked and killed by the same strange wound, this time a longtime resident and beloved member of the small society. As Peter, Carla, and the rest of the town tries to prepare for the maybe-or-maybe-not, they also have something else to fear. Something dangerous lurking in the water.

I NEED to read the rest of the Dark Earth Rising series - I've heard they're standalones and can be read in any order. But if they're all like this - great character development, fantastic writing and storytelling, super stressful and panic attack inducing stressful moments - then I'm in for a treat when I read the others. I listened to the audiobook to try and get another brawl book down while reading one on my kindle, and I'm glad I did. The narrator did a great job, projecting every emotion possible into it.

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What would you do to protect your family's image?

Revisado: 08-24-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

It's November. Wanda, a mother and housewife of a perfect family, is cleaning the room of her 16 year old son Nathan, when she makes a horrific discovery. She finds his notebook, and it's filled with page after page of very detailed and very disturbing drawings. She mentions it to her husband Charles, but he brushes it off. As the days go on, she starts noticing an eerie trend with her oldest. She's getting calls from the school about his behavior. She notices him eyeing his younger brother Simon in a frightening way. And what does he keep doing alone in the woods?

She grows more and more scared of Nathan every day, fearing for not only her youngest, but also for her family's perfect image. As Nathan shows more and more signs of becoming unhinged, Wanda is desperate to keep his actions and behaviors a secret from the world. She'll do anything for her perfect family.

This book shook me to my very core. At no point did I actually know where things were heading. We see characters unravel. We see secrets come out. We see a story unfold. We see that, like in life, things are not always what they seem behind closed doors.

The narrator did an incredible job. You could feel the tension growing in Wanda's voice throughout the entire thing.

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Creepiest entry in the series so far

Revisado: 08-21-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Dean Lockwood has always known about the existence of ghosts - his family is in the business, after all. His grandparents started it all, and they and Dean's parents have traveled the country helping people through supernatural happenings. His parents have mostly sheltered him from it, waiting until he was old enough to explain more. When he was young, he had his first experience with a ghost. And it absolutely terrified him.

Now that he's a teenager, his curiosity is getting the better of him. He knows about his parents' locked storage room, and wonders about the mysteries that lie inside. His classmates know about his family, and although his friends are supportive and curious as well, some of his peers are doubtful and make fun of him. It all comes to a head when Dean has enough, exploring things that he shouldn't, and then daring his bullies to meet him at the haunted Mt. Hope Orphanage. The horrors that await them all may prove to be more than Dean's inexperienced mind can handle.

This is the 5th entry in the Scareville series, and by far the creepiest. There were some moments that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. From the first sentence, you can get a feel of the experience you're about to have. And the ending??? Please tell me we'll get a continuation of the story at some point!

The narrator, who has read for all of the boy MC Scareville books so far, did an excellent job (as always).

I may have to hold off on reading this one to my younger two a bit, and my oldest may even be too creeped out for now. This one may be my favorite of the series so far!

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Greywood Bay is not as calm as it seems

Revisado: 08-15-24

Zelda Ruiz is a teenage girl who tragically becomes orphaned at the opening of the book. Her uncle, Mark, flies from Spain to California, experiencing a strange phenomena before receiving the dreaded phone call. His sister and her husband, who owned a gaming company and have created what might just be the best and most popular immersive cell phone game in existence, have stated in their will that Mark is to become guardian over Zelda. After the funeral, the two decide that this city has nothing left for them, and they pack up and move to the small town of Greywood Bay. There, Zelda makes friends, and Mark finds a teaching job at the local private school. All seems like it's the great start of their new, unexpected life.
But something is hidden in Greywood Bay. Something hungry. Something that will soon unveil itself to the world. And no one can stop it.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did an incredible job keeping up with the tone of the book. The building dread, the sorrow, the anxiety was captured so well in print and in voice. Zelda is an incredible heroine, and Mark is an amazing childless uncle turned father figure. The characters are strong in this book, from Zelda's new friends, to the creepy man living in the scrapyard, to the college boy who lived through a near death experience.

I absolutely loved this book, and I can't wait to read Tides of Darkness!

I feel like I should take a star away though. I need a Critical Mass game in real life, and I don't have one. Oh well. I guess books will have to do. 😉

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Revenge at its most gruesome

Revisado: 07-09-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

*4.75 stars*

How far would you go for revenge?

The town of Tall Oak absolutely adores their high school football players. Senior and quarterback Justin Jackson can do no wrong in most peoples' eyes, including the police force. Every year, he takes his star players to a cabin in the woods for a week of drinking, drugs, and other debauchery. This year is especially important, as this is the last get together they'll have before college.

As the story goes on, we find out that they aren't the golden boys that people believe them to be. They're pigs. They're rapists. They don't ask, they take. But they don't take any responsibility for their actions. With their fathers on the police force, and one even being the mayor, the town doesn't hold them responsible, either.

Their trip begins, the team completely carefree as they drink and watch videos of the horrific acts they've committed. But as the night goes on, they discover that they're not alone. And whoever is with them wants them to hurt. Wants them in excruciating pain.

This isn't a whodunit, a shock at the reveal of the rabbits, anything of the sort. It's clear from the beginning who is torturing the football players. But it doesn't take away from the story at all. This is a brutal read. It's so descriptive in the best and worst ways.

As a parent, I could see it from the moment the first rabbit came into view. Would I do the same thing in their position? I'd want to, but I'm not sure I would actually go through with it.

I don't even want to say why I took a quarter star off because it'll give away the ending. Let's just say that one character's story made me extremely heartbroken, especially at the end. It had to end that way, there really wasn't any other option, but man it hurt my heart.

This is a STRONG debut, one that feels like it was written by a seasoned author. I gladly look forward to any future releases!

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Be careful who you ask for help

Revisado: 06-17-24 El oyente recibió este título gratis

It's 1987. Micah has been having an extremely rough time coping with his mother's death, and has been distancing himself from his wife, Lynn, and two sons in the few years since her passing, his temper flaring easily when he gets upset. Lynn sees a coupon in the newspaper for a cheap weekend at Disney Land (reminding me that this book is set in 1987), and although they'll be scraping pennies together to do it, he decides it's worth it to try and set their family on the right path again.

All goes well. The trip reminds Micah of how things used to be, of times when they were a happy family. But a flat tire on the way home threatens that nostalgia. After realizing that their recently purchased vehicle is without a spare, Micah leaves his family to walk and find help. He finds Clyde, a large, burly car mechanic, who takes him back to his shop to try and find a spare tire that will work.

Micah gets suspicious of Clyde's intentions as time passes, and as the day goes on, he realizes that he and his family are in grave danger. What he doesn't realize is exactly what that danger may be.

Although I was thoroughly confused at parts, and still remain confused at certain aspects by the very end, I thought this was an interesting story that kept me hooked the entire time. It's a wild ride for sure, definitely a situation I would never want to be in with my children, ESPECIALLY in a time without cell phones.

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