The Haunting Of Room 904 by Erica T Worth, I listen to the audiobook narrated by Ina Barone, who has a very relaxing yet awesome voice for this type of story. The story is about Olivia, who on the night of her Doctoral graduation found out her sister committed suicide and she has been living with the trauma and guilt of it ever since, but that isn’t the only change in her life. She has also due to her sisters demise gain the ability to speak to the dead and experience their thoughts and emotions something she has turned into a business along with her best friend Alejo/Alejandro. Lately the haunting she’s been called to,. Has something to do with her and her sister‘s death but what it is she cannot quite figure out. When the hotel where her sister died call asking for her help to intervene on the haunted room where her sister was found. Olivia doesn’t know if she wants to do it or not, but she soon realizes if she wants the answers to her sister‘s death and the strange hauntings she’s been called to. She’s going to have to take the job and it will change her life forever. I really really love monster stories, and when the golem came to life, I was so super excited. This was such a great book, I want to say I had the Kindle version of this book as well but found myself when wanting to read it mainly picking the audio for the great narration. I love the fast pace narrative. all the crazy stories that were in the main story like the one about the hotel the Wolfman the really isn’t much negative. I can say about this book. I do think Olivia was made out to be almost like a supernatural person with her life partner being gay Alejo, whose name kept changing in the book from Alejo to Alejandro and that was annoying. I found it odd that the only people she knew were lesbians and I found Sarah to be such a job. I would not bring her to any escape room haunted intervention and don’t know why Olivia did Olivia seem like a much smarter person than that but I digress in my last complaint is stalker. Josh seemed like a cartoon character and not a real person. Other than that, I really really like this book I do want to say, however in the book she states that Christians Catholics and white people only believe in God and Satan and I must disagree. There are many colors to white people; there’s Muslim white people, buddhist, Wicken, in every religion in between. To say that every white person believes in Christianity… I do, but I am one person and there are many others that don’t. Some people don’t believe in anything. sorry for my tiny rent, but generalizing is a pet peeve of mine and I wish it didn’t annoy me so much when people say one group of people do an absolute when that is impossible. This book was great. I definitely recommended that was just one small sentence that I made into a mountain. I apologize. Read the book or even better listen to the audio version. #NetGalley, #McMillanAudio, #EricaTWorth, #TheHauntingOfRoom409,

Olivia never saw herself as a Paranormal Investigator, but when her sister dies, and she begins seeing spirits, it seems the natural course of action. Using her Native American roots, she helps others rid themselves of unwanted spirits. However, she begins to have dreams of Naiche, her sister, and begins to realize there is more to her suicide and death, and maybe her spirit is not at rest either. And what is the connection to the historical Native American Massacre? This novel is excellent for readers who love a good mystery and the intertwining of historical concepts with fiction.

The Haunting of Room 904
by Erika T. Wurth
Pub Date: Mar 18 2025

The Haunting of Room 904 is a paranormal thriller that is as edgy as it is heartfelt and simmers with intensity and longing. A terrifying and resonant novel about a woman who uses her unique gift to learn the truth about her sister’s death.

It was an excellent book, It had all the medium/spiritual/conjuring you would expect in a paranormal story.

I found it to be a great read with reliable characters with real emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed the supernatural and cult elements of this story. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Many thanks to #NetGalley and #Flatironbooks for an early E-ARC of this great book!

Hotels are one of my favorite settings for thrillers, and this premise immediately grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, the writing felt disjointed and didn't keep me engaged, so this was added to my DNF pile.

Rating 4.25 ⭐️

Set in Denver, The Haunting of Room 904 follows Olivia, a top paranormal investigator who inherited powerful medium abilities from her sister Naiche, who tragically took her own life at the Brown Palace Hotel in room 904. Throughout the book, Olivia is called in to solve various paranormal cases, all while trying to uncover the truth behind her sister’s death and break the curse haunting room 904. The mystery-solving element reminded me of Scooby-Doo and the gang, which made it even more fun!

The book also brings awareness to the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, weaving flashbacks of the event into the paranormal storyline. I appreciated how Erika included educational resources at the end to further explore this part of history.

As a Mexican American, I felt a deep connection to the characters, and I loved how the book mentioned Mexican folklore, like La Llorona. The story also touches on serious issues such as wealth privilege, racial bias, immigration, substance abuse, domestic violence, and toxic relationships.

Overall, I loved the paranormal horror aspect, and I can easily see this story translating into a gripping movie. It was an engaging read with a perfect mix of supernatural suspense and real-world social commentary.

🎧 Audiobook Review:
The eerie intro and outro music were the perfect touch, setting the ideal mood for the book. I mostly listened to it at night before bed, and Ina Barrón’s narration was simply phenomenal. It kept me hooked and added the perfect spooky atmosphere!! 👻

I highly recommend anyone that is interested in the novel to listening to the audiobook. For those who gave it a low rating, I encourage you to give it another shot with the audiobook—it really enhances the experience, especially with the pronunciations and the spooky vibes.

Thank You Flat Iron Books, Erika T. Wurth, & Macmillan Audio for allowing me to review the ebook Arc and Audiobook of The Haunting of Room 904!! ❤️

I was eager to get my hands on this book. A horror with paranormal elements and a mysterious death had all the of the qualities to be a great read.
Olivia Bacente was never supposed to have the gift; that was always her sister Naiche. But after Naiche is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Olivia begins seeing spirits. Within years, she becomes a highly sought-after paranormal investigator, but her sister's loss always haunts her. When the Brown Palace contacts her about the unexplained occurrences where a woman dies in Room 904 regardless of which room she checked, she may finally learn the truth about her sister. However, nothing is as it seems when she faces a vindictive journalist, a dangerous cult, and the shock of her sister's secret life.
This book just wasn't for. It seemed like it would be a compelling read a horror with paranormal elements, but it ultimately fell flat. There were so many things happening in this story that it just became a distraction, and I lost interest. I still think that the premise is good, and with some adjustments, it could work. But it just wasn't for me, and had it not an ARC, it would have been a DNF for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I feel like this book has so much potential, but it had so much going on at the same time that I had difficulty keeping up with the plot/subplots. I think there are some important topics being touched on, but the flow and writing didn’t match or seem appropriate for those topics, if that makes sense?

I think I might have enjoyed this more on audio. Although it fell a little flat for me, there were still parts I enjoyed and the creepy paranormal elements were fun. I still would read more by this author.

Olivia’s younger sister Naiche died by suicide several years ago. Now the hotel where Naiche died wants Olivia to come, as a paranormal investigator, to figure why women are killing themselves in room 904 of the hotel.

Unfortunately, I did not care for this book at all. I thought it was very disjointed and skipped all over the place. I’m still not sure why certain characters didn’t tell Olivia crucial information. There was also a repetition in the writing of certain phrases, particularly involving eyes: they squinted (15 times) and narrowed (a whopping 45 times) so often that instead of following the story I found myself wondering which bodily movement description would pop up next.

I was reminded of a Scooby-Doo episode more than once while reading this book.

I enjoyed this story. The vibes were creepy, the characters were believable and compelling, and the idea for the story itself was great, too. I also really liked the setting, I thought it added a nice depth to the story. I love watching/listening to ghost hunting shows as background, so this read felt oddly comforting to me. This was a solid ghost hunting/ghosty mystery story.

This was a good classic psychic-medium-vibe ghost story. Every five years, a woman checks in to room 904 only to be found dead from suicide in the room 3 weeks later. Good creepy vibes, great characters… creepy setting. Ghost hunting fans will love this one. The backstory of the sand creek massacre was sad, and one that I had little information on prior to this novel.. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to preview this uncorrected proof in exchange for my h9nest review.

3.5 Stars

I’m not quite sure what genre I would categorize this book into. It has a paranormal element, and the main character can interact with spirits. The first 25% was really interesting. It was strong in the horror/paranormal elements and had me hooked. Then the book shifts to a mystery/thriller and domestic drama, where we follow Olivia as she tries to figure out what happened to her sister, who committed suicide years ago. She doesn’t believe her sister killed herself and discovers that her sister stayed in a room where more than one woman has died. Then it was never really strong in either genre and leaned more general fiction.

The majority of the book is about solving the mystery of Olivia's sister. There are many different threads we follow: Is it Olivia's obsessive ex-boyfriend? Her queer friend? Or did she kill her sister? With all these different suspects, the plot gets a little muddled, and the pace slows down quite a bit in the middle. However, it's really well-written, and for the most part, I enjoyed the overall story.

I also really enjoyed the paranormal aspects of the book. These were some of my favorite moments, as they helped increase the pace of the book, and I would become reinvested after these scenes.

I’ve never read anything by Erika Wurth before, but I really connected with her writing style. Although this book wasn’t perfect, I think she’s an author I would want to read from again.

Thank you to NetGalley and FlatIron Books for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Erika T. Wurth knocked me out with her last novel WHITE HORSE and I could not wait to read THE HAUNTING OF ROOM 904.

Two of the things I really appreciated in THE HAUNTING OF ROOM 904 are (1) the use of eBay listings and (2) the incorporation of the Sand Creek Massacre to show the horrific violence this country has inflicted on Indigenous people. Wurth incorporated the history of the American Indian Movement in WHITE HORSE to stunning effect and she does the same here with the Massacre. The eBay listings create a realness, like any one of us could have purchased them.

The protagonist Olivia is fantastic, too, like Kari in WHITE HORSE. They feel like badasses who inhabit the same world while still being distinct. Olivia's humor stands out, especially in her interaction with Alejo.

As much. as I loved several elements of THE HAUNTING OF ROOM 904, it never fully came together in the same way that Wurth's previous novel did. I'll certainly suggest that my students check out this new title, but I'll still be teaching WHITE HORSE for now.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the e-galley.

I loved the native american background and information on the massacre. The educational resources were helpful. The horror read was very over the top and seemed better suited for a young adult novel, but the premise was interesting.

After unexpectedly inheriting her late sister Naiche’s ability to commune with the dead, Olivia Becente becomes Denver’s top paranormal investigator, though the loss still haunts her. When the historic Brown Palace hotel seeks her help to solve the recurring, unexplained deaths of young women in room 904, Olivia’s search for answers entangles her with a dangerous cult, a vengeful journalist, betrayals from those she trusts, and shocking truths about Naiche’s hidden life.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this digital e-arc.*

I had been very much looking forward to this book after Wurth's previous novel WHITE HORSE, and while I did enjoy a fair amount about it, it did have some stumbles here and there. Starting with the positives, I liked the lore and the build up up the Brown Palace, as well as Olivia's background and backstory about her family and how she became a reluctant medium after her sister's death. Olivia is also just a fun snarky main character who was easy to like, and I thought that her 'monster of the week' cases that we saw bits and pieces of in the overall story were fun and creepy at times leading up to the big overall arc. I also really liked the way that Wurth brings in the ideas of family trauma and generational trauma and weaves them into the story, specifically the way that the United States has been so violent towards Natives throughout its inception (the focus being the Sand Creek Massacre was so haunting). Some of the stumbles, however, mostly had to do with choppy pacing and some awkward transitions, as well as perhaps bringing in more lores than we had time to focus on. It made the read jarring at times. That said, I still really enjoyed the ghostly things that Wurth brought out and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

This book! This book is so good. It is one of those where you want to do nothing else until you have finished the book. I was completely hooked on every character and their fate. This was a 10/10 for me.

I absolutely could NOT put this book down! It had its scary (creepy) moments but it also had its scary how can humans do this moments too. This story had another story (based on the actual event, Sand Creek Massacre) woven in as well. It was also giving The Conjuring in the best possible way! This story was just so compelling and I just really was absolutely absorbed in all the lore from so many different cultures that were involved. There was also queer representation and some extremely important issues (immigration and racism) represented in this book, that were integrated perfectly. I just really enjoyed this book so much! Also, the author is a professor at my Alma Mater (WIU go leathernecks!) That’s pretty cool! Thank you SO much to Flatiron Books for sending me this free ARC I absolutely loved it!!!!

This was my first book by Wurth, and definitely won't be my last! I loved this book! It was like all the best parts of the ghost hunting shows, with each new episode being a clue along the way!

I loved the characters, especially our MC and Alejo - I loved their relationship and their bond and the way that they've always got eachothers backs.

There's even a little romance (and a stalker) thrown in, as well as some family history and trauma to unpack. Honestly, my only issue with this book is that there are A LOT of characters and sometimes I lost track of who was who. A few of them seemed unnecessary or like they could've been combined together with the same effectiveness.

Overall, this is a great read and definitely leaves me wanting to pick up more of Wurths books!

This was an interesting story because it combined a real historical tragedy with Native American culture and family grief. The main character is a paranormal investigator, which comes with all kinds of issues because so many people don't believe her. There were multiple places with suspense and I didn't want to stop. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I love the way Erika's writing shifts and changes with each new book, especially these last two from her, weaving in new levels of creepy supernatural horror while also pushing the Native American voice and experience forward.

Her female characters are flawed badass toughies that I can't help but wish I knew in rl. Well, ok maybe not in the case of this particular book. You can keep Olivia and her paranormal investigative self far far away from me because ain't no way I want to get caught in the crosshairs of the vengeful spirits she's tangled up with in The Haunting of Room 904. Spirits trapped in wooden boxes and hotel mirrors, dark evil entities literally breathing down your neck, and an occult group called the Sacred 36 who attempted a ceremony that backfired... yeah, no thanks, I'll be waaaay over here in my book room flipping pages, living safely on the periphery!

It's also another great example of grief fiction. The death of Olivia's sister, and the guilt she feels over not taking her call for help seriously 5 years ago, weighs heavily on her, and this new case she's picked up might just be the one chance she has to right the wrong she's been living with.

Cover those mirrors y'all!