I was excited and anxious to read this book cause I'm such a huge fan of his dad. I didn't want to have any notions in my head and tried to forget his dad all together.... but look at him though!!

Anyway....

It was a big book, but oh, so epic!

I was enamored. This Christmas-like setting at times, not what you would think of when thinking of horror. Somehow I might not look at Christmas the same again. This story was just so different from anything I have ever read. And that's a good thing. Especially reading as much as I do.

I had to know what happened to this family. They seemed cursed to me. I loved how the book wrapped up too. I wasn't ready for a sequel and thankfully, there was no room to make one. Everything came together better than I could have hoped for.

I have a few more books waiting for me. Can't wait to get to them. If you like intense and thrilling reads, get this one. Don't be scared of its' size... the pages go fast.

 

 

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I liked this book quite a lot. I read Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill years ago and liked it but for some reason had never picked up anything else by the author. I have been hearing great things about this book for years and added the book to my audiobook library when I caught it on sale about a year ago. I am glad that I decided to finally listen to it because it was really well done. I found that I kept needing to listen for just a little bit longer simply because I had to know what would happen next.

This was a big story. We first meet Vic as a child. She has a special ability to find lost items with her bicycle and a magical covered bridge that seems to appear exactly where it is needed. Charlie Manx has his own special ability that involves a classic Rolls Royce and a trip to Christmasland. Christmasland might sound like fun but I don't think I will be trying to take a trip there anytime soon.

I grew to really like Vic over the course of this story. She wasn't perfect and made quite a few mistakes but I felt like she was always trying. Since nobody else could see or hear the things that were happening to her, she thought that she was crazy but she kept trying to move forward in her life. I thought that Lou complimented Vic perfectly. I loved how supportive they were of each other and how they both wanted what was best for their son.

I loved the way that this book was able to keep me guessing. The story took a lot of twists and turns and I was never quite sure which direction things would go. There were moments that were quite creepy and some that were truly horrible. No matter how bad Manx and his sidekick were, I always had faith that Vic would be able to work things out. This book really was a journey with lots of pieces clicking into place to make a complex picture.

This was the first time that I have had the chance to listen to Kate Mulgrew's narration and she did a phenomenal job with this book. I am so glad that I made the decision to listen to this story because I really do feel like she added to the experience. She handled a wide variety of character voices very well and added to the intensity of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. This was a very well done story filled with great characters and enough creepy situations to keep me hooked from beginning to end. I can't wait to read more from Joe Hill soon.

Initial Thoughts
I liked this book and thought that the narration was phenomenal. It is a big story covering a whole lot of years and I enjoyed the journey that I took with Vic, Lou, Wayne, and the rest of the characters. Manx and his sidekick were the perfect blend of evil and creepy. I loved the fact that nothing was impossible in this story. I don't think that I will be taking a trip to Christmasland anytime soon but this is a book that I could see myself picking up again in the future.

Book Source: Audible Purchase