I liked the premise here but I must confess that I found myself confused about what was going on more often than not. The back and forth shifts between the investigation into her sister's death and the indigenous woman's life work confusing to me and just when I would start to get into one of the storylines the perspective would shift and we would be back in the other. I'm sure if I had kept reading that at some point the importance of this back and forth would have made itself clear, but I was so confused at halfway through that I couldn't tell what I was even listening to anymore. I liked the narration fine, but the story lost me. I was not a good fit for this one... It felt like too much was trying to be shoved into one story.

Definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be. More melodramatic than scary. Liked the first chapter but it lost me after that. 2.5 stars rounded up.

This is a very slow-burn mystery, spooky/horror, with Indigenous characters, a lot of conflict, some whodunnit elements, and a creepy paranormal adversary. The characters were rich and diverse and I would like to see more of them as a series, if that's something the author might do.

I think if I'd been more in the mood for this type of story I'd have liked it more, but when I read it, it didn't leave much of an impression. The narration was flat so perhaps the physical book would've made me like it more. Hard to say. But I liked it enough that I'd read more by the author and more in this series.

This book has lots of supernatural elements, a good pace, and was interesting from the very start to the very end. I appreciated the inclusion of various cultures and beliefs from Indigenous cultures to Judaism. The narrator was spectacular and made the listening experience so enjoyable. I really liked this one!

This is my first Erika T. Wurth novel and probably won't be my last. Although I only gave it three stars, that doesn't disqualify her as a writer I'd be interested in reading again.

The reason that this book was a three star for me was because even though it was telling a somewhat linear narrative it felt very disjointed. It gave me the same vibes as when I read John Dies at the End, which felt disjointed because that was a story that was originally told episodically. There were moments when the story jumped from one scene to another that felt as though it was the same characters in the same world but they were in a new episode instead of being in the same exact story.

Over all the story was enjoyable and I thought that Wurth had a lot of interesting things to say.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow - haunting is right. This book was beautiful. Atmospheric, packed with indigenous history, lore and culture. It was tragic in its beauty. I inhaled this in two sittings because I couldn’t soak up the words fast enough. And the narrator was absolutely incredible.

Title: The Haunting of Room 904
Author: Erika T. Wurth
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Ina Barron
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Horror
Audiobook Pub Date March 8, 2025
My Rating: 3.1 Stars
Pages: 320

Olivia Becente’s sister Naiche had the gift of being able to commune with the dead but when she unexpectedly died in a hotel room under strange circumstances, Olivia suddenly sees and hears spirit.

Now a few years later, Oliva is Denver’s most popular paranormal investigator. The owner of the ‘Brown Palace’, a landmark Denver hotel needs help is solving why every few years, a girl is found dead in room 904, even if she checked into another room.

I am okay with Paranormal and horror - so was looking forward to this story. I was fine with the story but I am not a fan of profanity so had a hard time with these characters. (I know it me) Narrator Erika T. Wurth did a great job performing the characters. I just wish I had a way to bleep out the swearing.
I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Date scheduled for March 8, 2025.

Olivia's family and her work converge in a harrowing paranormal story.

I really enjoy Wurth's writing. I enjoy my interactions with their characters and the intense family ties. The paranormal elements are always fire, too!

In room 904 of Brown Palace, something sinister is going on and Olivia is brought in to investigate. Bestowed with a gift she didn't want, the ability to commune with the dead, she has a unique ability to find answers. The happenings in this hotel room I found so interesting! The idea that there is something drawing people to the room, the place where they will ultimately die, taking all control from them???? So GOOD!!

This case is closer though, because it involves her own sister. All she wants is to find answers to her sister's death and a cult connection to this hotel room may give her the answers she needs. Meanwhile, even though Olivia is renowned in the area for her results, she isn't without her haters. I found the aspect of a reporter so ravenously slandering her SO interesting. The way Olivia deals with the issue, the way she overcomes it was so entertaining.

I listened to the audiobook of The Haunting of Room 904, and the narration was 10/10!

YES to the portrayal of indigenous characters!

The audiobook was fantastic, and I really appreciate how it seamlessly incorporated cultural references tied to the supernatural, folklore, and inspired by true events.

The story features a diverse cast, with its core focused on a traumatic Native experience. Olivia, a paranormal investigator, delves into the connection between this event and the mysterious deaths of women in Room 904, including the loss of her own sister.

While it has a strong paranormal element, it still captivated me as a fan of thrillers. Good rec for those who enjoy Simone St. James

Well. This book was categorized as "general fiction" and after reading the synopsis I was expecting a Scooby Doo ending where the ghost is unmasked as a person with logical way things happened: secret dumbwaiter, trapdoor, etc. NOPE. This my friends is a paranormal horror novel. And a paranormal horror book that has too many details and not enough transitions. The author slaps us in one place, dumps a bunch of information, and then slaps us somewhere else. I spent a long time sitting on this review because I hate giving one star when someone has spent their time and energy on something, but this book is too clunky in its current iteration.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Erika Wurth, and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this audiobook.

Dr. Olivia Becente, psychologist and Denver’s top paranormal investigator, is called to The Brown Palace where a string of mysterious deaths keep occurring in one of their rooms, room 904. Dealing with the grief from the loss of her sister and her own personal ties to room 904, Olivia takes on the mystery that nobody else—police, private detectives, mediums—is able to solve; every five years, a woman dies in that room, whether by suicide or homicide, nobody can tell.

It has been over two years since we, as readers, were blessed with Wurth’s White Horse, a novel that sat with me so deeply and introduced me to Wurth’s writing—thank god for that. In The Haunting of Room 904, readers are met with the same foreboding tone and haunting atmosphere present in her last novel. If you’re looking for a paranormal horror set in Colorado with deep native history, you need look no further than this. 


Unfortunately, this story got too bogged down in details and it interrupted the narrative flow. Even still, though I didn’t love this book as much as White Horse, it remains an interesting read that I would recommend trying for yourself. I greatly enjoyed the audiobook narration performed by Ina Barrón but I think because of names and details, a physical copy is necessary for full enjoyment. This would be a perfect dual read—audio and physical in tandem.

Thank you Macmillan audio for the early copy in exchange for an honest review Available Mar. 18 2025

I've read [book:White Horse|60652964] (loved it), and I've read some of Wurth's short stories, and I mostly enjoy what I read. But this story was so... stuttering? I don't know how to describe it as anything other than a series of vignettes, sometimes alternating between the past and present.

I just had a hard time getting into this, because I kind of loved the way it started as a series of monster-of-the-week sort of situations. I saw a review that referenced the Friday the 13th tv show and I totally see what they meant with all the supernatural objects and magic lol But don't take my lol as directed at the content of this story - this is a dark, angry novel. Bad thing after bad thing comes for Olivia and it is so relentless that I had to take a break and start a new audiobook to clear my mind while listening to this.

The narrator, Ina Barrón, does a great job tbh, I don't know I'd have been able to finish this story otherwise (because it's a lot).

I can see this book being divisive. Being familiar with this author I wasn't surprised by the content or any of the themes, it was just...relentless.

Stuttering and relentless, those truly are the best words to describe this book.

I didn't hate it though!

Good...but not great. Best parts were the inclusion of all kinds of humans! Spooky but in a normal way.fans of Grady Hendrix and Stephen Graham Jones will enjoy this and recognize similar themes.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Paranormal thrillers aren’t usually my genre of choice, but The Haunting of Room 904 completely blew me away. From the first chapter, I was hooked.

The story follows a mystery set in a hotel room with a dark past, blending supernatural with mystery. The characters were well-developed and the plot kept me on edge and flipping pages well past my bedtime. Even though it’s out of my usual reading preferences, I couldn’t stop reading.

If you love a story that keeps you guessing, gives you chills, and delivers a satisfying ending, The Haunting of Room 904 is a must read. It might even convert you into a fan of paranormal thrillers like it did me!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I wish I had more specific feedback for this one but it just didn't hit for me. I expected (based on the title and description) a creepy story and other than maybe one or two scenes it just never got to even remotely creepy or scary. It was also just kind of odd and distracting that the nice big hotel is called 'The Brown Palace'-- what a terrible name for a nice hotel (or even a crappy hotel to be honest). Maybe there is some sort of reference I missed but it nagged at me the whole book and the combination of blah characters and not scary ghosts became a bit of a struggle to finish.

I listened to the audiobook of this, so maybe that's why it was a little confusing in some parts, but I did enjoy the paranormal activities and the story. Most of the characters were likeable and I did want to know how the story ended. A little let down by how quickly it wrapped up, but again that could be the audiobook and not the book itself.

I have been talking about this book to other horror readers and I have been describing The Haunting of Room 904 as “true and deep horror.” A am a huge fan of Wurth’s first novel, White Horse, and her second novel did NOT disappoint.

Olivia is an indigenous paranormal investigator, who begins to become personally haunted by the spirit of her sister, a dark entity, and a medicine woman. Dark spirits circle Olivia as she investigates a cult, a haunted hotel and desperate restless spirits who were massacred by white European settlers.

Olivia is great character, with levels of regret and distrust, love and pain, and a deep pride in her heritage and culture while withstanding racism and ignorance. I would love to see a series built around her character! The scenes of her clients and their haunted items were deeply terrifying and as each item keeps linking back to her sister and the cult, Olivia is pushed to her limits trying to save her mother, her friends and herself.

This story twists and turns and builds and builds toward a very satisfying climactic scene. Great characters, great dialog and relationships, at turns funny then devastating, heart warming then horrifying. A great read!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Okay, so this book was.... well, okay. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. WARNING: MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.

I enjoyed the unexpected addition of Indigenous lore. I also liked the "haunted hotel room" (not haunted HOTEL) setting. The representation of queer characters was also nice. Finally, I found the ending to be satisfactory. Not great or memorable, but satisfactory.

However, the book itself didn't deliver on the spookiness and mystery it promised.

The characters themselves weren't super flushed out, and their dialogue was very... childish at times. The subplot of the controlling ex-boyfriend also didn't add anything for me. I mean, yes, the character played a role, but it wasn't an integral or even an important role really. His interference got the MC's partner arrested, but only for like what I'd assume was 2 pages. (I listened on audio.) It was a bit pointless, and the story could have developed without him.

Additionally, the author didn't do a great job with her transitions. The book didn't flow well. It was like I went from being in one location, and BAM! I'm suddenly in another location. It was... jarring. It made it hard to keep up with the characters for the first half of the book.

I went into the book thinking it was going to be a horror story. It definitely is not that. It's more.... paranormal mystery? And while I'm okay with that, it wasn't what I was hoping for at the time, so I think it affected my overall enjoyment of the book.

As for audio aspects, those were fine. Zero complaints there.

I thought this one was interesting but found it a little hard to follow. It felt like it was a couple of stories wrapped into one.

Olivia is a paranormal investigator. After her sister Naiche dies under suspicious circumstances, Olivia investigates the folklore of a haunted hotel room where her sister died.

The book was full of prejudice, racism and nationalism which became a big focus of the story, and kind of took away from the ghost story.

There was also a lot of indigenous folklore which I found interesting, but it made the ghost story a little too convoluted for me.

Overall, I didn't dislike it but would have liked it more if there wasn't so much crammed into one story.

I thought the narrator did a good job with the book but wonder if I would have done better reading a physical copy at my own pace. I felt like I needed to keep rewinding to keep up with what was occurring in the story.