[5 Stars]

Wow, I didn't really have any expectations for this one but it blew me away. The narrator, Pete Cross, did a great job. I really liked how he didn't make all the female voices sound whiny or too high-pitched, which is a pet peeve of mine. But he did still have good voice inflection, so I never felt lost on who was speaking.

In terms of the plot, the author did a great job. I thought this was excellently paced, the tension was palpable, I was thoroughly engrossed the entire time, loved the atmosphere, and I really believed in the stakes. Also, the level of gore in this is astronomical (please check TW for basically everything, this has a lot of terrifying stuff in it).

I also liked how no character was really 'good'. Beth was the closest we got to a morally upright character, but even she did bad things. This factor really added a lot to the tone and intrigue of the book.

The only thing I didn't particularly care for was the explanation of the Mayor's powers. His character definitely needed some more fleshing out to make everything feel a bit more plausible. As it stands, the final reveal on his powers and whatnot was flimsy enough to detract from my enjoyment. But despite that, this is still a solid, no pulled punches horror that's definitely not for the faint of heart. I'd recommend it!


TW: rape, loss of a baby, loss of a loved one, cannibalism, auto-cannibalism, talk of pedophilia, torture, murder, gore, violence, suicide, suicide ideation, and more

I received a free audiobook for n honest review. I am very impressed with this book! I think the narrator did an awesome job with voice inflection for the various characters. It really helped define who was speaking when if you happened to miss that part. Plus, it added to the enjoyment of the experience. The author keeps you guessing and in suspense throughout the whole book. I couldn't wait to get to the next part right up until the end! It's nice to see both strong female and male characters, especially when they work in tandem. This book is perfect for people who love mysteries, murder stories, or horror. It's so far, the best book I've read/listened to this year! It would be an excellent choice for reading groups too, because there would be tons of discussion material.

Curtis Quinn is a Chicago mob legend and the woman he loves has disappeared. He follows her trail to the town of Harlow. He quickly learns it is under control of a tyrant, and what transpires is an unsettling graphic story of control, fear, and vengeance.

Dynamic characters, crazy small town packed full of big secrets, graphic descriptions that make you feel as if you’re right there experiencing the horror, and so much more - To put it simply, this book was great. I’ve debated what to put in the review, and at the risk of saying too much and spoiling the fun, I want to simply urge you to pick it up - because this is a book that needs to be experienced going into it somewhat blind.

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This book was really, really freaking good! The setting was amazing and it had a really strong and unique concept. I loved Beth Jarvis and many characters from her town, but I didn't care about the other main character, Curtis Quinn, as much, just because he simply wasn't as likable, being very morally grey and all. I also think the villain, also known as The Mayor (or Galen), could have been far, far scarier, considering the kind of things he did in his spare time (eating folks and the like). One thing I would like to say is that some of the graphic cannibalism scenes made me quite uncomfortable, specifically those where The Mayor and other characters described eating Kate Jarvis's baby alive from her womb and how the experience was, etc. I just didn't feel like that specific part was necessary to the story, especially since the baby's father, Curtis Quinn, seemed extremely detached from her fate and never showed signs of ever loving her or actually being disgusted.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Dreamscape Media for an advanced readers audio book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Told through two characters, Curtis Quinn retired mob enforcer and Beth Jarvis, a 17 yo living in the town of Harlow who is about to learn all of the town's dirty secrets.

To Dust You Shall Return is not for the faint of heart as it gets very gory. If I was reading I would have skimmed many sections but that is much harder to accomplish with an audiobook. I would have like more of a back story on The Mayor and how he became so powerful. Gore cut my rating a bit but there were some interesting concepts that kept me reading.

Narrator did a good job.

What a dark and gruesome story! A great horror read. Told from two perspectives - Beth and Curtis. Morally Gray heroes (or antiheroes) with no escape and a truly evil villain. Very macabre with satisfying storytelling with bizarre twists throughout. Though there is a supernatural element, the truly terrible is reserved for the average man and what they are willing to do (or allow to happen) in the name of self-preservation. The narrator of the audiobook was excellent with subtle adjustments to differentiate his characters.

The Short Version: Imagine Marv from Sin City wanders into Gatlin, Nebraska or Derry, Maine to showdown the supernatural terrors within and that’s To Dust You Shall Return. A CRIMINALLY under-hyped horror novel that’s equal parts Stephen King and Frank Miller.

The Long Version: I got to listen to the audiobook version of this novel thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

Curtis Quinn, a former mob enforcer, is looking for his missing girlfriend. When his search leads him to the cultish town of Harlow, where residents live in deference to the mysterious Mayor, things go off the rails. The search will generate more questions and a trail of blood as a battle of wills ensues.

First off, thank god I have a tendency to judge books by their covers (I know, I know, I’m not supposed to), because I haven’t seen this book in any must read lists or popular upcoming releases lists and that’s a damn shame. The premise here was intriguing and once it gets going I was hooked.....HARD.

Pacing is a real strong point, especially early on. The atmosphere the author creates surrounded me like fog, and the scenes in the mysterious town of Harlow kept me churning through this audiobook like a wheat thresher. There are a couple moments later on where it sags ever so slightly, but these are momentary stumbles.

The characters were EXCELLENT. Give me an anti hero with a long trail of bodies behind him, give me a mysterious and supernatural villain with wit, and a knack for twisting the knife and I’m all the way there. The Mayor is one of my favorite antagonists recently, I absolutely loved how he was constructed and presented.

I must note that starting around the halfway point, this book really goes on overdrive with the graphic violence and viscera. This book is NOT for the squeamish, it will make you squirm and possibly straight up hurl.

This was creepy, and gory, and twisty, and I could not get enough....absolutely loved it from beginning to end.

Let’s be honest, there were flaws in this novel. The dialogue tags were a little effusive, and in the audiobook a bit jarring at times. The dialogue occasionally was witty and snappy to the point it started to feel unnatural, but only briefly. The explanation for The Mayor’s supernatural powers made some sense, but was implausible on other levels. Even as much as I loved The Mayor, we could have fleshed out his backstory with more specifics to really inform us of his origin and how he got to where he is (would have pushed the novel into an ungainly length I’m sure so I get why it’s not in there).
I was able to forgive all these flaws because I was already so enamored with the characters and the story.

The audiobook presentation was solid but did have a couple drawbacks also. The narrator was fine, but not superb. There was a lot of room to amp up the emotion and tension, but the narration was more or less steady, relying on the listener to generate that. Also the POV changes between the two protagonists within the chapters frequently and in the audiobook it can be a little jarring (I assume it’s presented more smoothly in the audiobook)

Overall a highly enjoyable 4 out of 5. Flawed in places, but in ways I can forgive and not for everyone, but a novel that should be on more people’s radars

Component Ratings
Idea/Concept: 5 out of 5
Female Protagonist: 4.5 out of 5
Male Protagonist: 5 out of 5
Antagonist: 5 out of 5
Pacing: 4.5 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Dialogue: 3.5 out of 5
Narrator’s Performance: 3 out of 5
Ending 3.5 out of 5