e-Audio, 15:12:04
Narrated by: Angel Pean & Sandra Okuboyejo
Release Date: February 28, 2023
Published by: Simon & Schuster Audio
Read from: January 27-February 7, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: Libro FM (I received a copy of this ALC from the publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Childhood sexual assualt (off page, some details discussed), childhood physical abuse (corporal punishment, off page, described), childhood physical abuse, (conefinement punishment), childhood neglect, gaslighting, grooming, suicide (off page mention), killing of a goat (off page, described), discussions of fatphobia, body horror/gore, violence, death
For fans of: Ghost Stories, Haunting of Hill House, Horror, Haunted Houses, YAThe Haunting of Hill House meets Sadie in this evocative and mind-bending psychological thriller following two teen girls navigating the treacherous past of a mysterious mansion ten years apart.
Daisy sees dead people—something impossible to forget in bustling, ghost-packed Toronto. She usually manages to deal with her unwanted ability, but she’s completely unprepared to be dumped by her boyfriend. So when her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario where she spent her childhood summers, Daisy jumps at the chance to escape. But the house is nothing like Daisy expects, and she begins to realize that her experience with the supernatural might be no match for her mother’s secrets, nor what lurks within these walls…
A decade later, Brittney is desperate to get out from under the thumb of her abusive mother, a bestselling author who claims her stay at “Miracle Mansion” allowed her to see the error of her ways. But Brittney knows that’s nothing but a sham. She decides the new season of her popular Haunted web series will uncover what happened to a young Black girl in the mansion ten years prior and finally expose her mother’s lies. But as she gets more wrapped up in the investigation, she’ll have to decide: if she can only bring one story to light, which one matters most—Daisy’s or her own?
As Brittney investigates the mansion in the present, Daisy’s story runs parallel in the past, both timelines propelling the girls to face the most dangerous monsters of all: those that hide in plain sight.
*MY THOUGHTS*
For whatever reason I am in a horror mood. I finished reading this and immediately started on She is a Haunting. Both of which are amazing. But this one made me stop and question wtf I just read. And I LOVE horror like that. Anything that makes me question reality is right up my alley. And this does just that.
Ok so boom…. The way this book is written is crazy. It goes back and forth between the past and present. I’m not usually a back and forth type person, but I had to see what this one was all about. And tho it does get confusing a little, it wasn’t bad. I hope it doesn’t deter anyone from reading it like it almost did me. I WILL advise tho if you’re listening to it, don’t listen on a high speed if you’re not also following along. Because again, it does have some timeline messiness.
The way the characters were is what made me round this down. I did NOT like the way she kept talking about her mom but we only talk to her mom once and we don’t get much info about her mom. I wanted to know what happened to her mom and what was said and who she was. And why she went there and said it changed her? Did she go through something scary? Was she just lying? I know it says in the synopsis that she thought it was a sham, but I wanted to hear from the mom. Why did she lie like that? What was the point? I don’t know. I wanted to know more about Brittney and her’s background. It was weird just to hate the mom for no reason.
The other characters were amazing. I LOVED Daisy. She was just misunderstood. But she was a good person under all of that. I didn’t think she deserved what happened to her, but she was also a rebellious teen who didn’t care about what was being said for her own good. And although the mom was dead wrong, she should have listened lol The interviewer is the one who got on my nerves tho. Like she was mean to the wrong people? Like her bestie? WHY? Her bestie was the one who kept her in check tho and I appreciated that.
The creepy stuff was ON POINT. I watched Hill House without blinking, but this kinda had me questioning some things. I got a perm while I was reading it and had a scab and was freaking out about it lol It was….. An experience. But I knew that just meant I was hella into the book and I wanted more. Also the ending? I was heartbroken and sad, but also freaked tf out. I actually finished it while I was waiting for some food in a restaurant, so I was making some “OMG” faces while I was on my phone. It was kinda crazy. I was shook when the sunglasses were mentioned again.
The narration was the best thing about this book tho. Angel Pean is a beast. And I’ve only listened to one thing that Sandra Okuboyejo did, Jackal from Erin E. Adams. And I loved that one too. They both did a wonderful job playing these characters. Definitely the joys of making sure that not only are their own voices reviewers, own voices authors, and own voices narrators. I loved everything about this audio.
This book is so good. The horror is real, the characters are good, and the plot will keep you glued to your seat. I hope you all pick this up when it comes out. Trust me, if you like to be scared, you won’t want to miss this opportunity. (I went back and placed holds on both her previous books from my library because of this book. I anticipate if you haven’t read those, you will be doing so too.
Overall, I give this
