Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to this audiobook and give my feedback. This story is a dark and twisty thriller. We follow the main character who makes a living as a psychic/medium. We discover early in the book that she is conning people for money. She is a fraud. Or is she??... There was some good build-up of suspense and the natural/supernatural elements were blended well together. The narrator was good and had a pleasant voice to listen to. Sometimes the book dragged in places, but overall the story was interesting and the loose ends were tied up nicely. 3.5

This book was so good! I enjoyed it a lot, the characters were well thought out, and I felt the narrator did a wonderful job. I can be so picky with my audio but this one was good, I'd gladly read another book by this narrator and author as well.

Wow! So much happening is in this book and to Ashley. Her family is a total bag of dicks and uses her for her "ability" to make them money regardless of what she wants. I love that she finally got her backbone in place, stood up to her family, and did what she wanted to - living life on her own terms, finally!

This was my 1st read by Jen Williams but it will not be my last, I am adding all of her books to my TBR!


#TheHungryDark
#NetGalley

What a fantastically dark twisty thriller. We follow the main character who makes a living as a medium and as we find out early in the book that she is swindling people out of money to talk to their dead loved ones. She is a fraud. Or is she? This book walks the line between the natural and Supernatural or maybe just superstitious. I loved the gloomy landscape which added to the whole feeling of suspense and possible spiritual connections. The characters were lovable and the villains were numerous. This is an enjoyable Thriller that I can't wait to share with my book club.

The narration of this book we really good. I throughly enjoyed the reader's voice and whole to book was read. For the book, I struggled staying interested throughout the book. The storyline was good, I just felt that it dragged in a lot of places. The end tied up nicely, leaving you glad you kept on with the book.

"The Hungry Dark" by Jen Williams is an electrifying journey into a world where darkness reigns and secrets lurk in every shadow. Set in a hauntingly atmospheric landscape, Williams weaves together a tale of suspense, mystery, and the supernatural that will leave readers spellbound.

The story follows our protagonist, Ellie, a young woman with a troubled past who finds herself drawn into a sinister conspiracy that threatens not only her own life but the very fabric of reality itself. As Ellie delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding the enigmatic town of Blackstone, she discovers dark forces at work and must confront her own inner demons in order to survive.

One of the book's standout features is its richly drawn characters. From the brooding detective with a haunted past to the eccentric occultist with a penchant for the bizarre, each character leaps off the page with their own unique quirks and motivations. Readers will find themselves drawn into their struggles and rooting for them as they navigate the treacherous landscape of Blackstone.

Williams' writing is atmospheric and evocative, painting a vivid picture of a world shrouded in darkness and uncertainty. Her prose is both lyrical and haunting, drawing readers in with its poetic beauty while keeping them on the edge of their seats with its spine-tingling suspense.

At its heart, "The Hungry Dark" is a story about the power of fear and the resilience of the human spirit. As Ellie confronts the horrors of Blackstone, she must confront her own fears and doubts in order to uncover the truth and save herself and those she loves.

"The Hungry Dark" is a masterfully crafted tale that will appeal to fans of horror, mystery, and the supernatural alike. With its compelling characters, atmospheric setting, and spine-chilling plot twists, Jen Williams has delivered a gripping read that will linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.

I'm not sure how to review this book...it was somewhat dark, a little predictable, and meandering. It was also interesting enough for me to push toward the end.

I think part of the big problem was the main characters relationship to her parents (mostly her father). I get it, he's overbearing, but it was SO unbelievable how much she pandered to him. There were other family dynamics that I didn't appreciate either - they just felt disingenuous.

However, the "heedful ones" sightings were interesting. I like a bit of paranormal flair to my books at times and I think it worked and it didn't in some cases. She's "psychic" (supposedly - which is not a spoiler since it's in the description) but she's afraid people won't believe that she sees these creatures....uh, how does that work?

I did want to like it, I did push to the end and was slightly surprised at who the "bad guy" was, but at the same time it was such a small part of it at the end that I felt a little cheated.

My rating: 3*

___
Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

What a strange and yet good book. I had a hard time stoping because I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Ashley can see the dead and the horrible past of the haunted house on the hill side. They are showing her how to find the dead and how to help break the cure that her ancestor put on the land.

Going into The Hungry Dark, I was excited to see how it would balance out the thriller elements with the horror aspects. On the one hand, Ashley Whitelam is making a living off of being a psychic, but it’s all a sham. She agrees to help the local police find a missing kid, the latest victim in the Gingerbread House murders, all as a ploy to get more business for herself. But on the other hand, there are legitimate supernatural beings—the “Heedful Ones”—that Ashley can see, even if no one else believes her. This is how she was able to find the missing child, and indeed, how she got into the unsavory business of being a fake psychic. Eighteen years ago, she survived a horrific event that left her traumatized, and she hadn’t seen a Heedful One since… until now, that is. How much of The Hungry Dark would be a realistic thriller about bloodthirsty killers? How much would be about the supernatural and the curse over the local community?

This novel is mainly divided into two narratives: The present-day story in 2022, in which Ashley is helping a true crime podcaster solve the Gingerbread House murders. In between, we get a look into what happened back in 2004, when Ashely survived a tragic event that she was somehow able to predict but not prevent. In addition to these chapters, we also get excerpts of the Murder on My Mind podcast hosted by Freddie Miller, whom Ashley is helping during his series on the Gingerbread House murders.

The Hungry Dark weaves in a lot of elements to great effect. There’s the fake psychic business Ashley has with her dad and brother, her secret ability to see Heedful Ones, the case of the Gingerbread House murders, Ashley’s traumatic past in 2004, her troubled relationship with her family, her tentative romance with the true crime podcaster, and an old curse that may have some bearing on it all. While that may seem like too much to juggle, I thought it all came together well here. It kept the story engaging throughout, even with a slightly slower pace through most of the book.

Audiobook
Emma Fenney is a great narrator in The Hungry Dark, with a tone that lends itself well to the spooky, harsh atmosphere of the novel and main character. She doesn’t put on drastically different voices for the characters, so they’re not always as easily distinguished by timbre or accent, but that doesn’t detract from the story at all. I listened to the audiobook at 1.5x speed and found that to be a good pace; otherwise it felt a bit too slow.

Final Thoughts
The Hungry Dark is an eerie and engrossing novel that merges thriller and horror equally. With its stunning yet severe backdrop, characters who aren’t always likable, and a tale that gets more complex as it unfolds, this is a book that would appeal to a wide variety of readers and could work really well as a film or series adaptation. It’s my first time reading Jen Williams, but I’m definitely curious to read more from her soon.

This is a spooky, fun, horror thriller mystery that kept me listening straight through to the end. Ashley is a medium/psychic who is being used by her family as a con artist to help her family financially. Her father is her agent and her brother does the research and feeds it into her earpiece as she does group readings. She hates it and it makes her feel dirty, but she cannot seem to pull herself away from her dysfunctional family. As children from the area keep disappearing the police are baffled, there is a serial killer on the loose. Ashley offers up her services to help find the serial killer - mainly for the publicity it will bring the family business. But the truth is that Ashley does have paranormal gifts. Since childhood she has seen shadows which she calls the Heedful Ones and when the shadows point her to the body of a missing boy she receives all kind of media attention. The police question how she could have known this information. Ashley teams up with an American podcaster to try to solve more of murders of lost children and as they get closer and closer to the truth danger is present everywhere. This is a very fun read full of old time folklore and ghostly apparitions. I very much enjoyed it.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a chance to listen to an audio version of this ARC novel.

3.5 stars

The Hungry Dark by Jen Williams - I was so excited for this book, but sadly, it wasn't what I was hoping for. However, I honestly don't know exactly what I was hoping for, and it was a decent read, so I can't be too mad. I think maybe the supernatural elements threw me off when I was expecting a normal thriller.

This audiobook is narrated by Emma Fenney

•Thank you to @dreamscape_media & @crookedlanebooks

I honestly would never have thought that I would enjoy this story that much!
We get to know Ahley, who even as a child could see things nobody else could.

Now as an adult, she keeps these visions to herself, but she works as some kind of “psychic”­ (with lots of external help). Not only she but rather her whole family makes a living out of her business.

When a series of gruel child murders occur, Ashley's brother offers her help to the police. Nobody expects much either the police or Ashley (it is rather more for publicity reasons) so even stranger when she is indeed able to help.

I really liked everything about this story narrated by the wounderful Emma Fenney

Thank you #NetGalley #Dreamscape Media for this audiobook

I loved the lore/mythology in this thriller/horror book . I also liked that we had an interesting and dysfunctional family dynamic and how Ashleys psychic powers worked. I think this ran out of steam towards the end because I found the mystery pretty predictable but, like I said I enjoyed the other elements enough to rate this book positively.

I got a copy of this book from Netgalley.

Reminiscent of Mexican Gothic. Children are disappearing and have been for 100s of years. After a traumatic experience as a child, life for Ashley's family radically changed. She is finally coming to terms with the trauma, and moving forward, she is dramatically pulled back into a situation that turns out to be related to the earlier episode.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this ARC! The book is available for purchase as of April 9, 2024 and I highly recommend it if you’re into paranormal thrillers.
This was a five star read for me right up until the big reveal at the end. I could not stop listening and was hanging on to every word and it’s not everyday that you find a book like that. The FMC is a thirty something year old “psychic medium” who is under her father’s control as he uses her “gifts” to sustain their family financially. I use quotes because it’s all a sham, except for her actually seeing apparitions, but the other stuff is made up. There’s a serial killer loose in their small community and as a publicity stunt she agrees to “show police where the boy is” only she actually finds him, which leads to secrets revealed and more questions. I truly loved this book, but the ending seemed disconnected somehow and I can’t explain it.

This is what thrillers should be. There are so many "popcorn thrillers" out there now, which I love. I love the psychological suspense of them, but, in my opinion, they're more mystery or suspense. They're not true thrillers, at least the way I think of them, but The Hungry Dark meets all the requirements. It's dark and gritty. It's not a one-sitting binge listen, even though the desire to know what has and will happen is real. For true thriller lovers, I can't recommend this one enough!

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.

Definitely a book I would buy for friends and would be recommending.

I thought this was a great thriller! I enjoy paranormal mixed with action, and this book has both! It's really fast-paced and well plottted out. The narrator on the audio book was great. This is my first Jen Williams book that I've read. It will not be the last!

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

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.***