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The Hungry Dark
Macabre murders plague a rural town as a scam-artist psychic races to find the answers in this haunting thriller from award-winning author Jen Williams, perfect for fans of Camilla Sten and Alex North.
As a child, Ashley Whitelam could often see odd things nobody else could: quiet, watchful figures she called the Heedful Ones kept a strange vigil wherever she went. As an adult, she keeps these visions to herself, but she’s turned her taste of the beyond into a career as a “psychic” – parting people from their money with a combination of psychology and internet research. When the Lake District is gripped by a series of grisly child murders, Ashley offers her services to the police for the free publicity. But as Ashley leads the police on a fruitless search around the small town of Green Beck, she catches a glimpse of those old ghosts of her childhood and, following them into the woods, she finds something she never expected: the corpse of the latest missing child.
The press fly into a frenzy and the police grow suspicious: either Ashley’s psychic abilities are real, or she is guilty of murder. Hounded by interviews and interrogations, Ashley teams up with Freddie Miller, a podcaster covering the crimes. As they investigate, Ashley realises that there’s no way to distance herself from these murders: whoever or whatever it is that’s haunting the Lakes is haunting her, too.
Master of unsettling suspense Jen Williams is back with another chilling, dark read that will draw readers into a gruesome and atmospheric nightmare.
As a child, Ashley Whitelam could often see odd things nobody else could: quiet, watchful figures she called the Heedful Ones kept a strange vigil wherever she went. As an adult, she keeps these visions to herself, but she’s turned her taste of the beyond into a career as a “psychic” – parting people from their money with a combination of psychology and internet research. When the Lake District is gripped by a series of grisly child murders, Ashley offers her services to the police for the free publicity. But as Ashley leads the police on a fruitless search around the small town of Green Beck, she catches a glimpse of those old ghosts of her childhood and, following them into the woods, she finds something she never expected: the corpse of the latest missing child.
The press fly into a frenzy and the police grow suspicious: either Ashley’s psychic abilities are real, or she is guilty of murder. Hounded by interviews and interrogations, Ashley teams up with Freddie Miller, a podcaster covering the crimes. As they investigate, Ashley realises that there’s no way to distance herself from these murders: whoever or whatever it is that’s haunting the Lakes is haunting her, too.
Master of unsettling suspense Jen Williams is back with another chilling, dark read that will draw readers into a gruesome and atmospheric nightmare.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2024
42 people are currently reading
1161 people want to read
About the author
Jen Williams
37 books1,635 followersJen Williams lives in London with her partner and their small ridiculous cat. Having been a fan of grisly fairy tales from a young age, these days Jen writes dark unsettling thrillers with strong female leads, as well as character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of adventure and magic. Her debut novel, The Copper Promise, kicked off the Copper Cat trilogy in 2014, and since then she has twice won the British Fantasy Award for her second trilogy, the Winnowing Flame. Her first thriller, Dog Rose Dirt, was published with HarperCollins in July 2021. Jen has two upcoming releases in 2023: Games for Dead Girls with Harpercollins, and Talonsister with Titan. When she’s not writing books she enjoys messing about with video games and embroidery, and also works as a part-time bookseller and a freelance copywriter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
March 30, 2024
My thanks to Crooked Lane books, Jen Williams and Netgalley.
I've noticed how mixed the reviews are with this book, but I'm here to tell ya' that I kinda thought of this was the bomb-diggity!
As usual, I'm just going to let y'all know how I felt and not a review.
Okay! Ha! Just kidding.
I'm typing with 2 fingers and a thumb, and even if all my digits weren't encased in a god awful cast, and I wasn't high on painkillers.... I doubt I'd leave a coherent review!
Honestly? I was a bit weirded out by the heedless ones. Nobody needs THAT in their lives.
I liked everything about this story, except for the people. I just wanted the MC to get real. Being a breadwinner and also a stepping stool? Urgh!
Still, I had a great time with this story. Honestly? The Heedless Ones were a bit freaky.
I've noticed how mixed the reviews are with this book, but I'm here to tell ya' that I kinda thought of this was the bomb-diggity!
As usual, I'm just going to let y'all know how I felt and not a review.
Okay! Ha! Just kidding.
I'm typing with 2 fingers and a thumb, and even if all my digits weren't encased in a god awful cast, and I wasn't high on painkillers.... I doubt I'd leave a coherent review!
Honestly? I was a bit weirded out by the heedless ones. Nobody needs THAT in their lives.
I liked everything about this story, except for the people. I just wanted the MC to get real. Being a breadwinner and also a stepping stool? Urgh!
Still, I had a great time with this story. Honestly? The Heedless Ones were a bit freaky.
March 7, 2024
Shadows of a thousand years rise again, unseen…
We’ve all probably been to places that for no apparent reason give us the heebie-jeebies. It could be a house that gives you chills, maybe a hill or a mountain, they’re just bad places where bad things happen. Red Rigg Fell in the Lake District is one example with legends, unexplained occurrences, and a strong sense of evil. Ashley Whitelam experiences just such when in 2004 she stays at Red Rigg House with other disadvantaged children, courtesy of the wealthy Lyndon – Smith family. In the present day, she’s a psychic known as the Spirit Oracle, conducting sham seances with the “assistance” of her brother, Aidan. He wants her to branch out by offering her assistance to the local police force currently stumped by the” Gingerbread House” murders. Eight children have been gruesomely murdered over a span of six years and currently there’s a young boy who has been missing for the last two weeks. Each child prior to death has been fed a sugary treat hence the Grimm dark fairytale label. The police decide they have nothing to lose by accepting Ashley‘s offer and she makes a shocking discovery. However, are these latest victims the tip of the iceberg?
I really want to enjoy everything this book has to offer because the premise is great and it has fantastic potential. There are a number of aspects that I think are very good and are well done. First of all, the Lake District setting is superb, it’s an area of outstanding natural beauty which provides a stark contrast to the darkness lurking on the fells. This is a very effective element and the visual descriptions are good. There are some creepy moments and some exceptionally good spooky images, especially provided by the “Heedful
Ones”. I enjoy too, the witchcraft, superstition, the legends, ancient gods, boggards and faeries which are a fascinating backdrop to the storytelling. You can understand how this landscape can lead to legends and superstitions.
However, there’s just too much going on in the slow burner plot, and I’d much prefer one or two aspects to be well developed, but instead we get:
1. Ashley, the psychic
2. Her mysterious traumatic past and premonitions.
3. The Gingerbread House murders.
4. A romance with a Podcaster and his podcasts.
5. Ashley’s dysfunctional family dynamics which at times, don’t feel very authentic.
The one detracts from the other, it gets confusing, disjointed and lacks a cohesive whole. I am underwhelmed by the ending too, which, considering the lengthy buildup, feels rushed.
Overall, there are many good elements in this novel, but it could’ve been way better.
With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Harper Collins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
We’ve all probably been to places that for no apparent reason give us the heebie-jeebies. It could be a house that gives you chills, maybe a hill or a mountain, they’re just bad places where bad things happen. Red Rigg Fell in the Lake District is one example with legends, unexplained occurrences, and a strong sense of evil. Ashley Whitelam experiences just such when in 2004 she stays at Red Rigg House with other disadvantaged children, courtesy of the wealthy Lyndon – Smith family. In the present day, she’s a psychic known as the Spirit Oracle, conducting sham seances with the “assistance” of her brother, Aidan. He wants her to branch out by offering her assistance to the local police force currently stumped by the” Gingerbread House” murders. Eight children have been gruesomely murdered over a span of six years and currently there’s a young boy who has been missing for the last two weeks. Each child prior to death has been fed a sugary treat hence the Grimm dark fairytale label. The police decide they have nothing to lose by accepting Ashley‘s offer and she makes a shocking discovery. However, are these latest victims the tip of the iceberg?
I really want to enjoy everything this book has to offer because the premise is great and it has fantastic potential. There are a number of aspects that I think are very good and are well done. First of all, the Lake District setting is superb, it’s an area of outstanding natural beauty which provides a stark contrast to the darkness lurking on the fells. This is a very effective element and the visual descriptions are good. There are some creepy moments and some exceptionally good spooky images, especially provided by the “Heedful
Ones”. I enjoy too, the witchcraft, superstition, the legends, ancient gods, boggards and faeries which are a fascinating backdrop to the storytelling. You can understand how this landscape can lead to legends and superstitions.
However, there’s just too much going on in the slow burner plot, and I’d much prefer one or two aspects to be well developed, but instead we get:
1. Ashley, the psychic
2. Her mysterious traumatic past and premonitions.
3. The Gingerbread House murders.
4. A romance with a Podcaster and his podcasts.
5. Ashley’s dysfunctional family dynamics which at times, don’t feel very authentic.
The one detracts from the other, it gets confusing, disjointed and lacks a cohesive whole. I am underwhelmed by the ending too, which, considering the lengthy buildup, feels rushed.
Overall, there are many good elements in this novel, but it could’ve been way better.
With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Harper Collins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
April 12, 2024
2.5 Stars
Even though I had some difficulty immersing myself in the story and building a connection with the characters, I found the novel's use of a crime podcast, a killer on the loose, and a psychic to be quite intriguing. While the story didn't quite meet my expectations, it's important to note that everyone has different tastes and preferences. Additionally, there are many positive reviews available for this novel, so it might be worth giving it a try.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Jen Williams, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Even though I had some difficulty immersing myself in the story and building a connection with the characters, I found the novel's use of a crime podcast, a killer on the loose, and a psychic to be quite intriguing. While the story didn't quite meet my expectations, it's important to note that everyone has different tastes and preferences. Additionally, there are many positive reviews available for this novel, so it might be worth giving it a try.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Jen Williams, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
March 26, 2024
Narrated by Emma Fenney
Presented by Dreamscape Media
Some excellent creepy vibes, though a bit long and meandering for my tastes.
I liked the setup, with the kids going missing and the Heedful Ones haunting our sham psychic. It was an interesting idea and it had me instantly intrigued.
Sadly, I lost interest very fast. There's a lot of family issues that I didn't care for, and didn't fully understand, to be honest. I felt it was unnecessary and slowed the story down considerably.
Freddy with his podcast was pretty predictable and again, didn't make too much sense to me. It seemed a thin excuse to get Ashley working on the case of the missing kids.
It just seemed like there were a lot of threadbare ideas holding this one together, and it never quite delivered. There were some cool spooky ideas but then it was back to mundane things; the storytelling just didn't have the consistency we needed to be properly impressed by all the eerie happenings.
I did enjoy the backstory of the setting, and there were still some great moments that held me captivated. But ultimately this one fell short of fully sucking me in.
The narration was fine, but again I was reading at 2x speed without any issues because it was so slow and full of pauses. There wasn't a huge amount of characterisation in the voices, and at times Freddy sounded a lot like Ashley. It wasn't a deal breaker, but it didn't add much to the story for me.
This may read better on paper, but it's slow in places which takes away from the creepiness this should have held well throughout. The setting and story is perfect for horror vibes, but the story wastes time with people drama, slowing things down to a more mundane pace.
If you're into crime stories with a supernatural twist, this one could work for you, but be prepared to wait patiently for the best stuff.
With thanks to Netgalley for an audio ARC
Presented by Dreamscape Media
Some excellent creepy vibes, though a bit long and meandering for my tastes.
I liked the setup, with the kids going missing and the Heedful Ones haunting our sham psychic. It was an interesting idea and it had me instantly intrigued.
Sadly, I lost interest very fast. There's a lot of family issues that I didn't care for, and didn't fully understand, to be honest. I felt it was unnecessary and slowed the story down considerably.
Freddy with his podcast was pretty predictable and again, didn't make too much sense to me. It seemed a thin excuse to get Ashley working on the case of the missing kids.
It just seemed like there were a lot of threadbare ideas holding this one together, and it never quite delivered. There were some cool spooky ideas but then it was back to mundane things; the storytelling just didn't have the consistency we needed to be properly impressed by all the eerie happenings.
I did enjoy the backstory of the setting, and there were still some great moments that held me captivated. But ultimately this one fell short of fully sucking me in.
The narration was fine, but again I was reading at 2x speed without any issues because it was so slow and full of pauses. There wasn't a huge amount of characterisation in the voices, and at times Freddy sounded a lot like Ashley. It wasn't a deal breaker, but it didn't add much to the story for me.
This may read better on paper, but it's slow in places which takes away from the creepiness this should have held well throughout. The setting and story is perfect for horror vibes, but the story wastes time with people drama, slowing things down to a more mundane pace.
If you're into crime stories with a supernatural twist, this one could work for you, but be prepared to wait patiently for the best stuff.
With thanks to Netgalley for an audio ARC
April 8, 2024
This was an interesting thriller. I listened to the audiobook and felt the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. I really liked the setup and I thought this plot had a ton of potential. I had a hard time staying interested in the story though. There were some poor family dynamics that I didn’t understand or care for that distracted me. It was only about the last 10 percent of the story that really kept my interest. The story of Ashley when she was a child and suffered a tragedy that launched her career as a psychic and the present tense. As the past story slowly unfolds you understand more and more of the present story. In the past Ashley and a group of 39 other children are given a bit of charity in the form of a free holiday in the mountains full of activities and fun. But tragedy ends the holiday early and Ashley has been haunted by it ever since. In the present day a serial killer has been kidnapping children and leaving the dismembered parts of their bodies in the woods. The police have linked at least missing children, and Ashley’s brother convinces her and her father it will be good publicity if she offers to help the police, even if she isn’t successful. Overall this one was entertaining and while it was twisty I wasn’t surprised by any of the big twists.
March 24, 2024
What is not to like? The scene is set under a large dooming fell in the Lake District, a charming little village next to it; an ancient curse and a mystery of disappearing children. To top it off, the main character - Ashley - is a bogus fortune teller with a very controlling family and a complicated history of her own. It made me hungry in the dark, gobbling up pages when I should have been sound asleep !
Ashley is a very likable character, despite being a despicable crook. She robs the grieving and mourning from their money who naively hope to get a message from their deceased loved ones, but she is mainly doing it to get love from her parents, something she has always been denied. She craves what she has always been missing and it is her way of getting some attention from the people who should have raised her to be an independent woman, but instead kept her being a child in order to line their own pockets. If anyone, I despised her parents way more than Ashley herself for her fraudulent behaviour.
The disappearing children and Ashley's involvement were very well narrated, and the side characters living in Green Beck were all very well portrayed. But the main character next to Ashley certainly was the house on Red Rigg fell, breathing and gurgling with its own life and history and as it turned out its own curse as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a whole and I will certainly keep the author on my radar, as she has a very fluent writing style and narrates a story just as I like it. I wish to express a heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ashley is a very likable character, despite being a despicable crook. She robs the grieving and mourning from their money who naively hope to get a message from their deceased loved ones, but she is mainly doing it to get love from her parents, something she has always been denied. She craves what she has always been missing and it is her way of getting some attention from the people who should have raised her to be an independent woman, but instead kept her being a child in order to line their own pockets. If anyone, I despised her parents way more than Ashley herself for her fraudulent behaviour.
The disappearing children and Ashley's involvement were very well narrated, and the side characters living in Green Beck were all very well portrayed. But the main character next to Ashley certainly was the house on Red Rigg fell, breathing and gurgling with its own life and history and as it turned out its own curse as well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book as a whole and I will certainly keep the author on my radar, as she has a very fluent writing style and narrates a story just as I like it. I wish to express a heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 14, 2024
The Hungry Dark
by Jen Williams
Mystery Thriller Paranormal
NetGalley Audio ARC
Pub Date: Apr. 9, 2024
Dreamscape Media
Ages: 16+
Ashley Whitelam, under the strict control of her father, makes her living as a psychic, her popularity contributed to what happened to her as a child. But her brother, to create more publicity, talks their father into having Ashley offer her help to the police to find a missing boy. During the ride along, she told them to stop in random spots as to keep with the scheme, until the ghostly figures of her childhood, what she called the Heedful Ones, appeared on the side of the road.
Overcome with the need to follow them, they lead her, and the police to the body of the boy.
The publicity stunt paid off, and now the press wants interviews, but it also made the police suspicious of her. But the Heedful Ones are still lurking in the shadows, haunting her.
I received an audio copy from NetGalley and the narrator did a good job, but the story was slow. The MC, Ashely, really bothered me. When I first started to read this I thought she was a teenager, but when I realized she was in her thirties(?) and allowed her father to control every aspect of her life, while her brother had his own place, my opinion of her dropped. Sure, I get she suffered trauma as a child, but she knew what her father was doing, and the only thing she did to 'rebel' was to get a car.
Another letdown was the lack of the supernatural aspect and the little there was, was not scary or that suspenseful. Plus, I had a few suspects as to who did it within the first half of the story, and 'spoiler'...
It was an ok of a read, but I would have liked it more if the supernatural elements were more often and scarier. This was more of a murder mystery instead of a supernatural horror/ghost story.
2 Stars
by Jen Williams
Mystery Thriller Paranormal
NetGalley Audio ARC
Pub Date: Apr. 9, 2024
Dreamscape Media
Ages: 16+
Ashley Whitelam, under the strict control of her father, makes her living as a psychic, her popularity contributed to what happened to her as a child. But her brother, to create more publicity, talks their father into having Ashley offer her help to the police to find a missing boy. During the ride along, she told them to stop in random spots as to keep with the scheme, until the ghostly figures of her childhood, what she called the Heedful Ones, appeared on the side of the road.
Overcome with the need to follow them, they lead her, and the police to the body of the boy.
The publicity stunt paid off, and now the press wants interviews, but it also made the police suspicious of her. But the Heedful Ones are still lurking in the shadows, haunting her.
I received an audio copy from NetGalley and the narrator did a good job, but the story was slow. The MC, Ashely, really bothered me. When I first started to read this I thought she was a teenager, but when I realized she was in her thirties(?) and allowed her father to control every aspect of her life, while her brother had his own place, my opinion of her dropped. Sure, I get she suffered trauma as a child, but she knew what her father was doing, and the only thing she did to 'rebel' was to get a car.
Another letdown was the lack of the supernatural aspect and the little there was, was not scary or that suspenseful. Plus, I had a few suspects as to who did it within the first half of the story, and 'spoiler'...
It was an ok of a read, but I would have liked it more if the supernatural elements were more often and scarier. This was more of a murder mystery instead of a supernatural horror/ghost story.
2 Stars
April 9, 2024
Another amazing book by Jen Williams!! I honestly love everything she puts out and this book is no different. I can't even tell you if I'm a bigger fan of her fantasies or her thrillers, they're all equally entertaining.
Here we follow Ashley, who, after being the sole survivor of a tragic event during her childhood, became a famous (scam) psychic. She used to see spirits that she called The Heedful Ones leading up to said event, then they disappeared for eighteen years. But now they're back, just as a bunch of kids are turning up dead. Coincidence? You'll have to read to find out.
I loved the premise so much, and the fact that Ashley actually found a body, the police were all like "MA'AM HOW???". That was probably my favourite chapter, it was so well written. The whole book is, but yeah, that one was extra spooky.
We have a dual timeline going on, the present one and the 2004 one where the "event" occurred. I'm trying really hard to not mention what happened because it was so fun learning about it bit by bit. I couldn't wait to get to the past chapters to get some more crumbs.
The present chapters were interesting too, we not only got to see how a lot of fake psychics make their money, but also Ashley's family drama, her attempts to solve the murders, dealing with seeing the Heedful Ones again, and falling for Freddie.
The inclusion of romance isn't something I was expecting, but I don't mind it. Freddie seems very nice and like the exact kind of person Ashley needs to help her get away from her controlling family. I don't understand why he did what he did at 87% instead of defending Ashley, but well...nobody is perfect.
The romance also isn't distracting, it's very minimal, and the two spend most of the book as friends. I think they make a good team when it comes to investigating.
I did see the ending coming, something about the villain(s) just screamed they were in on it. And I liked the supernatural element to it all. If you ask me, every thriller ought to have a dash of paranormal.
The atmosphere was on point, as expected. There's a haunted mountain, a big spooky house where the tragedy happened, and the Heedful Ones are weird enough on their own. What's not to like?
I feel as if this book passed by in a flash, but I can also see why someone might feel it's a bit slow at the start. It takes a while for the story to get going, but I was instantly hooked, just like I am every time when it comes to this author. I can't wait for her next thrilling read, I hope we won't have to wait too long for it.
*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Here we follow Ashley, who, after being the sole survivor of a tragic event during her childhood, became a famous (scam) psychic. She used to see spirits that she called The Heedful Ones leading up to said event, then they disappeared for eighteen years. But now they're back, just as a bunch of kids are turning up dead. Coincidence? You'll have to read to find out.
I loved the premise so much, and the fact that Ashley actually found a body, the police were all like "MA'AM HOW???". That was probably my favourite chapter, it was so well written. The whole book is, but yeah, that one was extra spooky.
We have a dual timeline going on, the present one and the 2004 one where the "event" occurred. I'm trying really hard to not mention what happened because it was so fun learning about it bit by bit. I couldn't wait to get to the past chapters to get some more crumbs.
The present chapters were interesting too, we not only got to see how a lot of fake psychics make their money, but also Ashley's family drama, her attempts to solve the murders, dealing with seeing the Heedful Ones again, and falling for Freddie.
The inclusion of romance isn't something I was expecting, but I don't mind it. Freddie seems very nice and like the exact kind of person Ashley needs to help her get away from her controlling family. I don't understand why he did what he did at 87% instead of defending Ashley, but well...nobody is perfect.
The romance also isn't distracting, it's very minimal, and the two spend most of the book as friends. I think they make a good team when it comes to investigating.
I did see the ending coming, something about the villain(s) just screamed they were in on it. And I liked the supernatural element to it all. If you ask me, every thriller ought to have a dash of paranormal.
The atmosphere was on point, as expected. There's a haunted mountain, a big spooky house where the tragedy happened, and the Heedful Ones are weird enough on their own. What's not to like?
I feel as if this book passed by in a flash, but I can also see why someone might feel it's a bit slow at the start. It takes a while for the story to get going, but I was instantly hooked, just like I am every time when it comes to this author. I can't wait for her next thrilling read, I hope we won't have to wait too long for it.
*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
April 10, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for gifting me an advanced copy. Below you'll find my honest review.
Thanks to Jen Williams, now I want to read more books about "fake psychics" with actual powers, and I'm not entirely sure where to find more!
I really liked this one. It checked a lot of boxes for me - creepy old house, ghostly apparitions, mystery, powers, characters with fleshed out histories...
While I did figure out the "twist" at the end long before I got there, I still think it was well done and quite a fun book to read. There were some repetitive things and some slow paced sections for me, so coupled with figuring out the big moment, I decided to give it four stars.
I'll definitely be picking up more from Jen Williams and highly recommend this book to horror/mystery/paranormal/creepy ghost story fans.
Thanks to Jen Williams, now I want to read more books about "fake psychics" with actual powers, and I'm not entirely sure where to find more!
I really liked this one. It checked a lot of boxes for me - creepy old house, ghostly apparitions, mystery, powers, characters with fleshed out histories...
While I did figure out the "twist" at the end long before I got there, I still think it was well done and quite a fun book to read. There were some repetitive things and some slow paced sections for me, so coupled with figuring out the big moment, I decided to give it four stars.
I'll definitely be picking up more from Jen Williams and highly recommend this book to horror/mystery/paranormal/creepy ghost story fans.
September 28, 2024
The writing felt a bit all over the place, but the concept of "the heedful ones" was interesting. The story felt a bit thin to me where the meat of it is a very small portion, and the majority is a lot of filler. The second half of the book was hard for me to get through, but the ending was interesting.
Reading notes along the way...
23% I don't get the hold that this girl's parents have over her and why she doesn't leave at 32 if it's so stifling and bad. I wish it was explained what she's afraid of.
45% her family is SOOO ANNOYING and I still don't get why she abides by it? For some reason, I'm really stuck on this detail, and it's triggering me to read.
52% I'm starting to skim this as I'm really bored. I want to dnf, but I also want to dnf any more books lately, so I'm gonna try to keep going 😩. I don't think we needed the flashback portions where Ashley is a child or the romance with the podcaster.
66% the concept of the fair folk is reallllly interesting to me I'd love more focus on that and Ashley's grandmother who seems to have the same gift of seeing the heedful ones that she calls "the shadow people".
95% the ending reveal is interesting! 💯 I was wondering when they would bring back up the hill or like cave whatever from that mining story. That curse lore combined with the cult like family is pretty creepy to imagine.
Reading notes along the way...
23% I don't get the hold that this girl's parents have over her and why she doesn't leave at 32 if it's so stifling and bad. I wish it was explained what she's afraid of.
45% her family is SOOO ANNOYING and I still don't get why she abides by it? For some reason, I'm really stuck on this detail, and it's triggering me to read.
52% I'm starting to skim this as I'm really bored. I want to dnf, but I also want to dnf any more books lately, so I'm gonna try to keep going 😩. I don't think we needed the flashback portions where Ashley is a child or the romance with the podcaster.
66% the concept of the fair folk is reallllly interesting to me I'd love more focus on that and Ashley's grandmother who seems to have the same gift of seeing the heedful ones that she calls "the shadow people".
95% the ending reveal is interesting! 💯 I was wondering when they would bring back up the hill or like cave whatever from that mining story. That curse lore combined with the cult like family is pretty creepy to imagine.
December 5, 2023
So the plot of ‘plucky psychic helps police solve terrible crimes’ really seems trite and played out…and I really wasn’t sure I was going to be all in on this one.
Well, color me surprised!
I really liked this one. Our main character is absolutely a scam artists – she’s a sham psychic who (oops!) can actually see some odd and terrifying things. The book gives us a couple of timelines – both chilling for different reasons – and absolutely kept my interest.
Now, I did figure out the who of things very early. For a scammer, our girl certainly is just a little naïve. But I liked her very much and was rooting for her.
Definitely a good read. Hugely suspenseful and definitely eerie.
• ARC via Publisher
Well, color me surprised!
I really liked this one. Our main character is absolutely a scam artists – she’s a sham psychic who (oops!) can actually see some odd and terrifying things. The book gives us a couple of timelines – both chilling for different reasons – and absolutely kept my interest.
Now, I did figure out the who of things very early. For a scammer, our girl certainly is just a little naïve. But I liked her very much and was rooting for her.
Definitely a good read. Hugely suspenseful and definitely eerie.
• ARC via Publisher
June 8, 2024
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2024/05/21/...
Jen Williams is an author who first came to my attention with her fantasy novels, but I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying her recent foray into horror-tinged crime thrillers. The Hungry Dark is her latest work which once more serves as a testament to her versatility.
The book begins with an introduction to protagonist Ashley Whitelam, not your typical dodgy psychic. Sure, she may be a part of a family of con artists running sham seances, relying on an earpiece and her brother Aidan doing social media research to whisper details in her ear when performing her readings for the audience. But Ashley also has a secret. When she was a young girl, she could see shadowy “people” in the world around her that no one else knew were there. Calling them the Heedful Ones, Ashley learned to keep these visions a secret, especially after a traumatic event altered her family life forever. The ghostly figures stopped appearing, and Ashley kept a low profile in order to play her part in her father’s scams.
Eventually though, Ashley begins to chafe at the role, especially as the schemes become increasingly more questionable and ambitious. To drum up more publicity for their psychic business, Ashley’s father has volunteered her services to the local police, who are investigating a string of brutal killings dubbed the “Gingerbread House” murders due to the fact that all the victims are children found to have been generously fed with delicious treats before their deaths. Nothing was supposed to come out of it; the police were desperate enough and Ashley was simply running through the motions. But on her ride-along with the officers, Ashley catches sight of the Heedful Ones for the first time in years, which leads her to a discovery which blows up the case, landing her in the public eye.
Like it or not, Ashley has now become involved in the murder investigation, attracting both admiration and suspicion. She has also drawn the attention of an American podcaster, Freddie Miller, who tracks her down with an offer to team up on a true crime show about the Gingerbread House murders. As Ashley wrestles with how much she should reveal to Freddie, terrible memories begin to resurface, of an idyllic time spent in the mountains abruptly cut short by a deadly incident.
There is a lot happening here—one could even say too much, which might be this novel’s only drawback. Breaking the plot down into its major parts, we have no less than half a dozen threads to follow. First, we have the main storyline in the present, which focuses on Ashley and her family’s part of an active but tightknit group of charlatans running the psychic grift. Next, we have the Gingerbread House murders and the investigation. Then an element of romance is introduced once Freddie enters the picture. All the while, we also have Ashley’s struggles with her overbearing father, an issue which frequently comes in conflict with her obligation to her family as well as her desire to achieve more independence. Flashbacks are used to fill out her backstory at Red Rigg House, where Ashley spent some time as a child in their underprivileged charity program, which ended in disaster. And then of course, there is the mystery of the Heedful Ones.
Once all these elements are thrown together, the result is a tense thriller full of twists. But in getting there, we encounter some pacing and balance issues. Each thread vies for the reader’s attention, and in the process, we have a few ideas that are left feeling incomplete or underdeveloped. The tension builds, but occasionally, it feels like we’re juggling too many balls at once. For instance, the atmosphere is great, but the setting isn’t quite as immersive as it could be. Similarly, character development falls short of its full potential from the crowded narrative. I loved Ashley’s journey, but her motivations felt elusive at times, and her interactions with family members often had a baffling quality.
Still, I found The Hungry Dark a compulsive and entertaining read—everything I could ever ask for in a thriller. Several times the book’s ambition would cause it to stumble under the weight of its own complexity, but the suspense and intrigue makes up for it. The tensions are palpable, and I loved the blending of mystery, horror, and supernatural elements. If you enjoy dark thrillers, this is a journey worth exploring.
Jen Williams is an author who first came to my attention with her fantasy novels, but I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying her recent foray into horror-tinged crime thrillers. The Hungry Dark is her latest work which once more serves as a testament to her versatility.
The book begins with an introduction to protagonist Ashley Whitelam, not your typical dodgy psychic. Sure, she may be a part of a family of con artists running sham seances, relying on an earpiece and her brother Aidan doing social media research to whisper details in her ear when performing her readings for the audience. But Ashley also has a secret. When she was a young girl, she could see shadowy “people” in the world around her that no one else knew were there. Calling them the Heedful Ones, Ashley learned to keep these visions a secret, especially after a traumatic event altered her family life forever. The ghostly figures stopped appearing, and Ashley kept a low profile in order to play her part in her father’s scams.
Eventually though, Ashley begins to chafe at the role, especially as the schemes become increasingly more questionable and ambitious. To drum up more publicity for their psychic business, Ashley’s father has volunteered her services to the local police, who are investigating a string of brutal killings dubbed the “Gingerbread House” murders due to the fact that all the victims are children found to have been generously fed with delicious treats before their deaths. Nothing was supposed to come out of it; the police were desperate enough and Ashley was simply running through the motions. But on her ride-along with the officers, Ashley catches sight of the Heedful Ones for the first time in years, which leads her to a discovery which blows up the case, landing her in the public eye.
Like it or not, Ashley has now become involved in the murder investigation, attracting both admiration and suspicion. She has also drawn the attention of an American podcaster, Freddie Miller, who tracks her down with an offer to team up on a true crime show about the Gingerbread House murders. As Ashley wrestles with how much she should reveal to Freddie, terrible memories begin to resurface, of an idyllic time spent in the mountains abruptly cut short by a deadly incident.
There is a lot happening here—one could even say too much, which might be this novel’s only drawback. Breaking the plot down into its major parts, we have no less than half a dozen threads to follow. First, we have the main storyline in the present, which focuses on Ashley and her family’s part of an active but tightknit group of charlatans running the psychic grift. Next, we have the Gingerbread House murders and the investigation. Then an element of romance is introduced once Freddie enters the picture. All the while, we also have Ashley’s struggles with her overbearing father, an issue which frequently comes in conflict with her obligation to her family as well as her desire to achieve more independence. Flashbacks are used to fill out her backstory at Red Rigg House, where Ashley spent some time as a child in their underprivileged charity program, which ended in disaster. And then of course, there is the mystery of the Heedful Ones.
Once all these elements are thrown together, the result is a tense thriller full of twists. But in getting there, we encounter some pacing and balance issues. Each thread vies for the reader’s attention, and in the process, we have a few ideas that are left feeling incomplete or underdeveloped. The tension builds, but occasionally, it feels like we’re juggling too many balls at once. For instance, the atmosphere is great, but the setting isn’t quite as immersive as it could be. Similarly, character development falls short of its full potential from the crowded narrative. I loved Ashley’s journey, but her motivations felt elusive at times, and her interactions with family members often had a baffling quality.
Still, I found The Hungry Dark a compulsive and entertaining read—everything I could ever ask for in a thriller. Several times the book’s ambition would cause it to stumble under the weight of its own complexity, but the suspense and intrigue makes up for it. The tensions are palpable, and I loved the blending of mystery, horror, and supernatural elements. If you enjoy dark thrillers, this is a journey worth exploring.
June 2, 2024
When supposed psychic Ashley is called upon by the police to help with a spate of missing children cases, no one is more surprised than Ashley when she stumbles upon the body of one of the kids. But someone from Ashley's past is out to get her - can she find out what's going on before it's too late.
Wow! I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. The premise was exciting with the scam artist psychic. I felt for Ashley with the way she was treated by her family and understood her need to run free occasionally. This was such a page turner, I was literally on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. I love my thrillers and this one was different to what I'm used to which was a very pleasant change.
Wow! I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. The premise was exciting with the scam artist psychic. I felt for Ashley with the way she was treated by her family and understood her need to run free occasionally. This was such a page turner, I was literally on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. I love my thrillers and this one was different to what I'm used to which was a very pleasant change.
May 4, 2024
Very much a book outside of my usual genres (thanks book club!) and I read it in three or so sittings. It's atmospheric, vibey and has lots of rooms for theories. I had hundreds, 90% of which were wrong, or too fantastical for the level of paranormal goings on in the book but I had great fun doing it. The ending was somewhat predictable in the sense that my strongest theories from the start were correct and my middle theories wildly off piste, but that didn't spoil my enjoyment, and it was broadly satisfying.
Whilst I could probably propose ways I would improve this book (including a more fleshed out ending), I can also say that for an almost first time reader of this genre this was a great place to start. It was so readable!
I almost want to know if any of the patterns I picked up meant anything in the back of the author's mind or if I just read too much into everything 😅
Whilst I could probably propose ways I would improve this book (including a more fleshed out ending), I can also say that for an almost first time reader of this genre this was a great place to start. It was so readable!
I almost want to know if any of the patterns I picked up meant anything in the back of the author's mind or if I just read too much into everything 😅
December 5, 2024
I got up early to finish this! THD is a very enjoyable gothicky thriller. There were a couple of quibbles about the ending, but it was a 5⭐️ for pure enjoyment read.
March 28, 2024
This was a gripping read and such a great story. It was a great twist on a haunted house/ghost story. It had all the feels and the audiobook really brought the story to life! Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this! Highly recommend
March 24, 2024
I freaking loved this book! It was fabulously eerie, dark, gruesome, thrilling and super suspenseful! The female protagonist was very likeable as was her partner in crime, some other characters not so much. The storyline is solid, told with alternating timelines, bringing it all together in a climatic end.
So if you're in the mood for something spooky and a little bit gory that will keep you in the edge of your seat, look no further!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an eARC of The Hungry Dark. Expected publication date 9/4/24.
So if you're in the mood for something spooky and a little bit gory that will keep you in the edge of your seat, look no further!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an eARC of The Hungry Dark. Expected publication date 9/4/24.
October 29, 2023
Red Rigg Fell is a cursed mountain in Britain’s Lake District, where according to legend, bad and unexplained evils occur on the Fell and in it’s surrounding vicinity—and have been since time-in-memoriam—as reader’s learn in Jen Williams dual-timeline atmospheric fiction noir thriller, “The Hungry Dark.”
With an angelic demeanor, snowy hair, and waif-like build, young Ashley, is among 40 children invited to attend overnight camp at Red Rigg mansion located by the Fell. While there Ashley awoke from nightmares hysterically screaming the house was going to burning down. She was ignored and returned to her bunk—hours before a madman set fire to the house.
Ashley’s ability to see “ghosts” started with the fire. These Headful Things, as she referred to were confusing because she doesn’t know their intentions.
As we continue on in the “Hungry Dark, are some terrific red herrings for Ashley to fish; deceits and lies by those most unlikely for her to untangle; and sadly, many break and mend relationships—because some of her inner circle allege to be on her side—but are they really? Or are they the devil in disguise????
JoyReaderGir1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Jen Williams, and Publisher Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company, LLC for this advanced reader’s copy for review.
With an angelic demeanor, snowy hair, and waif-like build, young Ashley, is among 40 children invited to attend overnight camp at Red Rigg mansion located by the Fell. While there Ashley awoke from nightmares hysterically screaming the house was going to burning down. She was ignored and returned to her bunk—hours before a madman set fire to the house.
Ashley’s ability to see “ghosts” started with the fire. These Headful Things, as she referred to were confusing because she doesn’t know their intentions.
As we continue on in the “Hungry Dark, are some terrific red herrings for Ashley to fish; deceits and lies by those most unlikely for her to untangle; and sadly, many break and mend relationships—because some of her inner circle allege to be on her side—but are they really? Or are they the devil in disguise????
JoyReaderGir1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Jen Williams, and Publisher Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company, LLC for this advanced reader’s copy for review.
April 29, 2024
As a child Ashley Whitelam was haunted by strange ghostly figures she called the Heedful Ones but they haven't been around ever since what happened at Red Rigg House 18 years ago. Ashley, now an adult, has been working as a psychic medium with her brother, Aidan, providing her information about her audience via an earpiece. She doesn't have any real psychic talents so she is alarmed when Aidan announces he's had the idea of Ashley offering to help the police with a local case involving missing children. Ashley is cajoled into taking part by her father & brother, but no-one is more surprised than her when she leads the police to the body of the latest missing child. Now the police think she is involved in the kidnappings & murders & the press are beginning to pay attention too. In desperation, Ashley turns to a true crime podcaster, Freddie Miller, for help in finding out who is behind the crimes but can she trust him? Can she trust anyone?
The paranormal aspect of the story was the most interesting for me & I thought it was well-handled - eerie but without being too over-the-top. Basically Ashley has an 'Oda Mae Brown' moment where the paranormal becomes very real to a 'fake' psychic. The mystery aspect was less interesting so as the baddie was really easy to spot so there was no real surprise in the 'reveal' at the end. I thought it was well-written but went on for a bit too long. Overall, it's an intriguing mix of suspense & paranormal horror, but slightly too longwinded in getting to the point. 3.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publisher, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
The paranormal aspect of the story was the most interesting for me & I thought it was well-handled - eerie but without being too over-the-top. Basically Ashley has an 'Oda Mae Brown' moment where the paranormal becomes very real to a 'fake' psychic. The mystery aspect was less interesting so as the baddie was really easy to spot so there was no real surprise in the 'reveal' at the end. I thought it was well-written but went on for a bit too long. Overall, it's an intriguing mix of suspense & paranormal horror, but slightly too longwinded in getting to the point. 3.5 stars (rounded up)
My thanks to NetGalley & publisher, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
April 10, 2024
An eerie murder mystery thriller, with a supernatural element making for a compelling read! I loved the way there are flashbacks throughout, unveiling past events and developing the FMC backstory! The toxic family dynamics were interesting to read and added to the FMC being isolated within the plot. You definitely feel for her and don’t know who to trust. There is also some light romance sub-plot that doesn’t add much to the actual story but was fun to read. The pace is steady throughout, I wanted to keep reading and find out the next reveal! Then there’s the build up to a big finale that only good thrillers have! This definitely delivered on that and it ended on a high.
Macabre, disturbing and thrilling. Definitely a must read for lovers of this genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
Macabre, disturbing and thrilling. Definitely a must read for lovers of this genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
September 2, 2024
This one has an incredibly eerie setting and a hauntingly atmospheric vibe!
Told through dual timelines, this serial killer thriller features intriguing unreliable protagonists, and I was completely captivated by the psychic and podcaster duo.
Although this wasn’t exactly my favorite, I was still deeply fascinated by the psychic and the 'Heedful Ones.'
3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads
Told through dual timelines, this serial killer thriller features intriguing unreliable protagonists, and I was completely captivated by the psychic and podcaster duo.
Although this wasn’t exactly my favorite, I was still deeply fascinated by the psychic and the 'Heedful Ones.'
3.5 stars rounded to 4 for Goodreads
April 26, 2024
This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum!
Actual rating: 4.5👑
I received an eARC from HarperVoyager via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m going to start with an apology. I was supposed to have my review before The Hungry Dark was published, but then I fell behind on stuff. I’ll be honest, I thought this might happen, because even though I was eyeing this book on NetGalley, I knew time would be tight, so I would have let it slide. But then an opportunity came to get my hands on an ARC, and the temptation was just too great. At least we are still in the release month, so…
The Hungry Dark is my first Jen Williams book ever. I know, I know. I just somehow never had the chance to read anything by her, and that was the biggest reason why I eventually decided to get the ARC. I went into the book blind, and I had no expectations set. I know some of my friends love her books, so I hoped that this would be a bandwagon I could happily jump on. The jury is still out on that, but I can say for sure that this most definitely wasn’t my last Jen Williams book. I breezed through it in a couple of days and boy am I lucky with thrillers/mysteries this year.
The Hungry Dark tells Ashley’s story, who lives with her family in a small village in Cumbria and works as a medium. After an accident in her childhood, her father decided it would be a good idea to make money out of the media circus and so decided to build up a career for Ashley and the family. She is an adult now, and as she is about to face the place of her literal nightmares, she also finds herself in the middle of a police investigation of kidnapped and murdered children all over England. What starts out as a con, takes a wild turn and gives Ashley the opportunity to face her demons – be they shadowy or very real.
There are a lot of things to love about this book. The setting, the writing, the characters (and not necessarily their personalities but how they are written, their complexity, that they feel like real people and not at all one dimensional), the plot, and the relationships of the characters. I’m not going to go into everything because we’d be here for a very long time, but I’d like to talk about a few aspects that made this book so good in my eyes.
For me, the main focus of The Hungry Dark was the family dynamics. I know this kinda sounds weird since there is a murder investigation going on with mysterious elements and I promise it gets just enough attention to keep you invested, but what got me invested was Ash and her relationship with her family. If I had to describe it, I probably would go for toxic. It certainly felt uncomfortable to read about their interactions, and some bits hit a bit too close to home. The way Ash was treated like a troublesome teenager instead of the 32 years old woman she is was just cringy AF. I honestly was more invested in Ash getting away from that family than I was in finding out what’s behind the main mystery. It was lovely how different she was around Freddie, how he could make her come out of her shell.
A common complaint with me is that the conclusion feels rushed. I think Williams handled the revelations really well, there were still surprises coming until the end, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Or turning the pages, really. She kept the suspense up, but also we got clues throughout, and even though you slowly start putting the puzzle together, it still manages to punch at the end. It has some predictable bits, but The Hungry Dark is certainly one of the better thrillers I’ve read. My only complaint is that the book ends abruptly. Don’t get me wrong, the main plot gets wrapped up nicely, we get answers and everything. But since I was so invested in Ash’s relationship with her family, I wanted to see more about how things went down there.
This might not be my most coherent review, so let’s just say I can absolutely see why Jen Williams has such loyal fans. The Hungry Dark is a delightfully dark and twisted thriller, about toxicity, really. And how every act has its consequences. That sacrifice is not always the solution we seek. All in all, The Hungry Dark is a novel I can recommend to anyone who loves a bit of heavy reading. Well worth your time!
Actual rating: 4.5👑
I received an eARC from HarperVoyager via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m going to start with an apology. I was supposed to have my review before The Hungry Dark was published, but then I fell behind on stuff. I’ll be honest, I thought this might happen, because even though I was eyeing this book on NetGalley, I knew time would be tight, so I would have let it slide. But then an opportunity came to get my hands on an ARC, and the temptation was just too great. At least we are still in the release month, so…
The Hungry Dark is my first Jen Williams book ever. I know, I know. I just somehow never had the chance to read anything by her, and that was the biggest reason why I eventually decided to get the ARC. I went into the book blind, and I had no expectations set. I know some of my friends love her books, so I hoped that this would be a bandwagon I could happily jump on. The jury is still out on that, but I can say for sure that this most definitely wasn’t my last Jen Williams book. I breezed through it in a couple of days and boy am I lucky with thrillers/mysteries this year.
The Hungry Dark tells Ashley’s story, who lives with her family in a small village in Cumbria and works as a medium. After an accident in her childhood, her father decided it would be a good idea to make money out of the media circus and so decided to build up a career for Ashley and the family. She is an adult now, and as she is about to face the place of her literal nightmares, she also finds herself in the middle of a police investigation of kidnapped and murdered children all over England. What starts out as a con, takes a wild turn and gives Ashley the opportunity to face her demons – be they shadowy or very real.
There are a lot of things to love about this book. The setting, the writing, the characters (and not necessarily their personalities but how they are written, their complexity, that they feel like real people and not at all one dimensional), the plot, and the relationships of the characters. I’m not going to go into everything because we’d be here for a very long time, but I’d like to talk about a few aspects that made this book so good in my eyes.
For me, the main focus of The Hungry Dark was the family dynamics. I know this kinda sounds weird since there is a murder investigation going on with mysterious elements and I promise it gets just enough attention to keep you invested, but what got me invested was Ash and her relationship with her family. If I had to describe it, I probably would go for toxic. It certainly felt uncomfortable to read about their interactions, and some bits hit a bit too close to home. The way Ash was treated like a troublesome teenager instead of the 32 years old woman she is was just cringy AF. I honestly was more invested in Ash getting away from that family than I was in finding out what’s behind the main mystery. It was lovely how different she was around Freddie, how he could make her come out of her shell.
A common complaint with me is that the conclusion feels rushed. I think Williams handled the revelations really well, there were still surprises coming until the end, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Or turning the pages, really. She kept the suspense up, but also we got clues throughout, and even though you slowly start putting the puzzle together, it still manages to punch at the end. It has some predictable bits, but The Hungry Dark is certainly one of the better thrillers I’ve read. My only complaint is that the book ends abruptly. Don’t get me wrong, the main plot gets wrapped up nicely, we get answers and everything. But since I was so invested in Ash’s relationship with her family, I wanted to see more about how things went down there.
This might not be my most coherent review, so let’s just say I can absolutely see why Jen Williams has such loyal fans. The Hungry Dark is a delightfully dark and twisted thriller, about toxicity, really. And how every act has its consequences. That sacrifice is not always the solution we seek. All in all, The Hungry Dark is a novel I can recommend to anyone who loves a bit of heavy reading. Well worth your time!
April 10, 2024
"The Hungry Dark" by Jen Williams is a mystery and a paranormal thriller. It is set in England in modern times.
Ashley is a paranormal psychic who thinks she is a scammer, but she actually has strong intuition. Her brother, Aiden, suggests she work with the police to help find a lost child thought to be a victim of the Gingerbread House murders. To everyone's surprise, she finds the body. Now, the police think she had something to do with the murder. She can't tell them the shadowy faceless creatures she calls the Heedful Ones showed her the way to the body.
She teams up with Freddy, an American man who is there doing a true crime podcast about the Gingerbread House murders.
There is a very ancient and gothic style house, Reddrick House, that is the setting for several important scenes. This house is so atmospheric that it is like another character.
Ashley's father is so domineering and emotionally abusive that he scares me more than anything else in this book.
This is a really good book with a very exciting ending. I do recommend this for thriller lovers!
Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5, Emma Feeney
Cover - 4/5
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Jen Williams for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Ashley is a paranormal psychic who thinks she is a scammer, but she actually has strong intuition. Her brother, Aiden, suggests she work with the police to help find a lost child thought to be a victim of the Gingerbread House murders. To everyone's surprise, she finds the body. Now, the police think she had something to do with the murder. She can't tell them the shadowy faceless creatures she calls the Heedful Ones showed her the way to the body.
She teams up with Freddy, an American man who is there doing a true crime podcast about the Gingerbread House murders.
There is a very ancient and gothic style house, Reddrick House, that is the setting for several important scenes. This house is so atmospheric that it is like another character.
Ashley's father is so domineering and emotionally abusive that he scares me more than anything else in this book.
This is a really good book with a very exciting ending. I do recommend this for thriller lovers!
Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5, Emma Feeney
Cover - 4/5
Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Jen Williams for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
April 1, 2024
This book was an experiment that went positively well.
The young girl in the story can see heedful ones (paranormal) ever since she was a child, but others find it difficult to believe. Nevertheless, her father knows how to leverage her hysteria, trauma and skills to his own benefit and directs her to build a career as a psychic. But at one conjecture she finds the corpse of a missing boy. And this discovery raises another question: is she truly psychic or a murderer?
There are several things that worked really well for me in this book. The character development of the antagonists is done so well, that you just can't stop yourself from despising them. The goofy spooky vibe mixed with the premonitions makes it a good fit for horror. There was also an element of closing the circle that helped you make sense of why all this was happening. I did have fun reading it.
Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media and @sennydreadful19 for the Audiobook.
Genre: #horror #mystery #thriller
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
P.S: the book references the mines of Moria at one conjecture and it was such a great thing to read as an LOTR fan.
#TheHungryDark #NetGalley
The young girl in the story can see heedful ones (paranormal) ever since she was a child, but others find it difficult to believe. Nevertheless, her father knows how to leverage her hysteria, trauma and skills to his own benefit and directs her to build a career as a psychic. But at one conjecture she finds the corpse of a missing boy. And this discovery raises another question: is she truly psychic or a murderer?
There are several things that worked really well for me in this book. The character development of the antagonists is done so well, that you just can't stop yourself from despising them. The goofy spooky vibe mixed with the premonitions makes it a good fit for horror. There was also an element of closing the circle that helped you make sense of why all this was happening. I did have fun reading it.
Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media and @sennydreadful19 for the Audiobook.
Genre: #horror #mystery #thriller
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
P.S: the book references the mines of Moria at one conjecture and it was such a great thing to read as an LOTR fan.
#TheHungryDark #NetGalley
April 28, 2024
This was a real surprise for me. I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did.
I thought it was creepy, atmospheric, I loved the descriptive language, it felt very vivid to me. I was hooked really early on and I needed to know what was going to happen, I didn’t want to stop reading. I had a great time writing down my theories and seeing how they developed throughout the book.
There were times I thought the book was jumping around a little too much and I wanted them to concentrate on one thing. There are also probably some plot and character issues I’m not noticing because I was so caught up in the story but I really don’t care, I had a great time and enjoyed myself throughly.
I read the book physically because I wasn’t a fan of the audiobook narration, I stand by my decision and I’m glad I own a copy of the book.
I thought it was creepy, atmospheric, I loved the descriptive language, it felt very vivid to me. I was hooked really early on and I needed to know what was going to happen, I didn’t want to stop reading. I had a great time writing down my theories and seeing how they developed throughout the book.
There were times I thought the book was jumping around a little too much and I wanted them to concentrate on one thing. There are also probably some plot and character issues I’m not noticing because I was so caught up in the story but I really don’t care, I had a great time and enjoyed myself throughly.
I read the book physically because I wasn’t a fan of the audiobook narration, I stand by my decision and I’m glad I own a copy of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2024
Narrated by Emma Fenney ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Jen Williams ⭐⭐⭐⭐
DARK! TWISTY! Please make Ashley into a series that communicates with spirits so they can move on! I loved her!
This was a fantastic premise the only thing that really frustrated me was the father and if this isn't becoming a series I would have loved for Ashley to have stood up to him and gain some control over her life.
by Jen Williams ⭐⭐⭐⭐
DARK! TWISTY! Please make Ashley into a series that communicates with spirits so they can move on! I loved her!
This was a fantastic premise the only thing that really frustrated me was the father and if this isn't becoming a series I would have loved for Ashley to have stood up to him and gain some control over her life.
October 3, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Okay so, this book scared the crap out of me.
This was my first Jen Williams book and it didn’t disappoint
This is definitely a perfect spooky read for October
Okay so, this book scared the crap out of me.
This was my first Jen Williams book and it didn’t disappoint
This is definitely a perfect spooky read for October
September 30, 2025
Loved the imagery of the lakes but didn’t like the ending
Read
August 29, 2024Enjoyed this much more than games for dead girls! ♥️ While the ‘who’ felt obvious to me from the outset, the ‘why’ was really fun xxxx
March 14, 2024
Thank you to Booklist and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC and the opportunity to review another Jen Williams novel!
As a child, Ashley Whitelam was the sole survivor of a horrific fire at Red Rigg Fell, an English mountainside mansion with a sinister past. Now Ashley uses her notoriety to make a living as a psychic, though she hasn’t had any visions since the fire. When her brother suggests she offer her talents to the police investigating a slew of missing children, Ashley reluctantly tags along on a search. Without warning, the visions return, showing Ashley the exact location of a body and throwing her into the spotlight. Traumatized and in need of answers, Ashley teams up with an American true-crime podcaster to bring new light to a dark and disturbing case. Williams (Games for Dead Girls, 2023) needs no introduction in the genre of horror suspense. Her winning mix of heart-pounding plot, eerie urban legends, unreliable protagonists, and full, lush character development will not disappoint. Recommended for all those who enjoy an extra bite with their thrillers.
As a child, Ashley Whitelam was the sole survivor of a horrific fire at Red Rigg Fell, an English mountainside mansion with a sinister past. Now Ashley uses her notoriety to make a living as a psychic, though she hasn’t had any visions since the fire. When her brother suggests she offer her talents to the police investigating a slew of missing children, Ashley reluctantly tags along on a search. Without warning, the visions return, showing Ashley the exact location of a body and throwing her into the spotlight. Traumatized and in need of answers, Ashley teams up with an American true-crime podcaster to bring new light to a dark and disturbing case. Williams (Games for Dead Girls, 2023) needs no introduction in the genre of horror suspense. Her winning mix of heart-pounding plot, eerie urban legends, unreliable protagonists, and full, lush character development will not disappoint. Recommended for all those who enjoy an extra bite with their thrillers.
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