Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

I really love this book. It was so unexpected and so interesting. Also Suprisingly emotional. I loved the characters even though I would be nothing like the main character (I like to be ignorant so life is easier haha), The writing was so hooking and I just recommend this for pretty much everyone. Great ending as well.

I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book as it was really written for middle schooler horror fans. I'm way past that age group but could not stop listening to the audio version of this book. I was hooked from the very beginning. Colby is a twelve year old boy who wakes up naked, cold and with no memories of his past life. He has been somehow transported to a penthouse tower where other kids are living where all they do all day is eat, swim and play video games. Until the chimes ring and they all gather to play 'The Game'. Full of suspense and action The Tower will entertain any fan of horror, not matter what age. Recommended. 5 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for a chance to listen to an ARC audio version of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of The Tower.

I enjoyed this book, not what I typically read but I did like it. I feel this was more horror than thriller with some gruesome monsters and descriptions. It kept my attention and I thought it ended well.

In this chiller/thriller, twelve year old Kolby wakes up in a white room where he is cold, wet, and naked. He begins to discover that he is in a luxury penthouse with a bunch of other kids. There seems to be no adult present, Even weirder is the fact that he has no memory of how he got there or anything prior to waking up in this cold room.

The penthouse is equipped with anything a kid would ever want, still, of course Kolby wants to go home, but realizes there is no exit passage. The only way to leave is to play Scavenger Hunt with teams. After each Scavenger Hunt Item is found and returned, the Tower will grant them a reward. Kolby has to think outside the box in order to flee this real life or death escape room.

But can he even trust the other kids? Who is actually running this Escape Tower? When the action concluded my reader needs longed for a part 2.

The Tower is a quick young adult read filled with suspense, and absolutely thought-provoking. I feel it will receive much circulation.

Hmmmm. I'm not even sure what to say about this one. It was giving me James Dashner vibes (The Maze Runner), but less intense, and a little stranger. As a middle grades book it was probably a "thriller," and a cute story that ended slightly unexpectedly. I'm glad it had an ending that didn't leave a lot of loose ends, but it was still a little trippy. Not my favorite, but a quick read and held my attention well. 3.75 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.4 stars

I enjoyed this light thriller. Kolby wakes up in a white room where he is cold, wet, and naked. As he explores, he realizes he is in a luxury penthouse with a bunch of other kids, and there are no adults in site. He soon realizes that he has no memory of how he got there or anything prior to being there.

The penthouse is equipped with anything a kid would ever want, yet Kolby wants to go home. He soon realizes there is no exit. The only way to leave is to play Scavenger Hunt in the city with teams. After each Scavenger Hunt Item is found and returned, the Tower will grant them a reward. Kolby has to think outside the box to play the game yet plan an escape.

Can he trust those around him? Will his plan to escape work? Who is actually running this emphasis, Tower? The ending will leave you spiraling and hoping for a part 2.

I recommend this for anyone that is looking for a quick read that is YA, suspenseful, and thought-provoking.

I was hooked from the beginning sentence in this middle grade novel. Kolby has a lot of questions he needs answered when he wakes up naked and with little memory. He meet lots of other children playing video games having fun and getting pizza deliveries. But, Watch out! when the Tower chimes- everyone freezes and a terrrifying game begins. The book is full of suspense and adventure that will keep you entralled until the ending that you won't see coming.

A instant hook! Kolby wakes up in a strange place without clothes but with a lot of questions. As The Tower's other residents reveal themselves he meets Gen, Elias, Quinn & Quaid among others. Everyone is happily riding water slides, playing video games and getting pizza deliveries. However, when the Tower chimes- everyone freezes and a new game begins. Kolby questions all of this and even tries to escape, but the Tower always wins/controls him. This suspense keeps the reader intrigued, just long enough until he starts to get answers about all the floors in the Tower. He gets some more information from Gen- but unlike the others - he does not accept his fate.
This is an excellent middle grade novel with lots of suspense, unknown components as well as vivid characters. I think the students will be able to accept the pieces of the story that do not have answers or obviously fit into a nice neat plot. This leap of faith and acceptance is necessary for the reader to finish.

Beginning reminded me of Michael Vey Prisoner 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Topics: horror, friendship, bravery, trust, courage, evil, personification
Recommended: Grades 6 +

#NetGallery #TheTower

SPOILERS BELOW
Each floor of the tower has paper macche mannequins of the children that were there during that specific year. They play the games to get pieces the tower needs to rebuild itself. It in fact has a heart and blood running through its structure. The Tower can "glamour" other people that see these children in the streets. The Gaunts also add an element of danger and control to this story. They actually take Elias away after he was shot because the Tower does not allow injured children back. Kolby wakes up in the hospital at the end when he refuses to help build Tower #2. He realizes that The Tower was taking the souls of children that had recently/ almost died. That way no one was really missing them because they believed the kids were gone.

Dark and growing more and more grim as it progresses, "The Tower" is a slow-burn, atmospheric mystery/horror for MG readers. It begins with Kolby, the protagonist, waking up in a strange place without any memories. Throughout the book, that lack drives him forward. Anaxagoras skillfully weaves the mystery, pitting Kolby's cautious yet caring personality up against those of the other "inmates" with him. Not every person, and certainly not every kid, is a Katniss Everdeen, an Arya Stark, or Jon Snow. Most kids reading this will be just normal suburban kids--like Kolby. And as the story progresses, and as more and more of the world around Kolby is revealed to be truly horrific, Kolby tries--and usually fails--to rally the other kids against the atrocities that they simply take for granted. Despite that, in the end, Kolby manages to rise to the challenge in his own way, and it makes for a satisfying conclusion.

Great characters and characterization, a deep and disturbing mystery, and good narration make this a winner.

This had a very intriguing premise. A mysterious tower with children with no memory. High tech, fun living but lots of questions. I was surprised when the book took a turn for the worst and became more horror than thriller. This is a dark story. It was a bit too much for me. The narrator did a great job.

Overall this was a good, fast paced middle grade read. The characters at times would seem overly dramatic to me, but given their age I gave some grace to this. The friendships and theme of “standing up to the system” reminded me a lot of Percy Jackson. I think this book would be for PJ fans. I think more of the ending could have been tied up though. I wanted all the answers.

✨Arc Review ✨ Out on March 4th 2025 ✨

Much thanks to @netgalley & @theanaxagoras

12 year old Kolby wakes up naked, cold, and no memory. Soon he discovers he is 1 of 12 kids, also with no memories, living alone in an extravagant penthouse in the tallest tower of the city. There’s no adults anywhere. The kids are busy playing in the Olympic sized swimming pool or playing video games on the huge flat screen tv. They have pretty much anything they could ever want, which just magically shows up in the manifesting room. The only thing they don’t have is a way out. None of the kids seem to mind being stuck there. Kolby doesn’t seem to understand why they’re just okay going along with everything. Kolby just wants to escape. Unfortunately, the only way out is to participate in the towers enigmatic game. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt that takes place around the city. Gen, the apparent leader, picks players for the teams. She also knows more than she says about the tower. She knows the dark truth about their fate. When the game starts Kolby thinks he’s figured out a way out only to have it not be as simple as it seems.

🧌 This middle grade sci- fi horror/thriller starts slow but the story is so intriguing. I really thought I wasn’t going to like it but it grew on me. I won’t say much for fear of ruining anything but each chapter revealed more and more and trying to figure out wtf was happening had me unable to stop listening. Again, it was slow, so be prepared for that, but for me that was the only downside. If you give it a chance, each chapter will have you more intrigued than the last. Solid writing. Solid story line. Loved the ending! Definitely recommend!

The Tower is a YA/Children’s fiction book about children showing up in the penthouse with no memory of how they got there or their previous life. They spend their days enjoying games and activities until the Tower has them participate in a game outside the building walls. While the other children seem content to live this new life Kolby wants to go home and is determined to figure out how to make that happen. While I enjoyed the book, parts were repetitive and pace was slow at times. David Anaxagoras wrote a very creative story and Christopher Gebauer was a great narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley & RBMedia for letting me read this ARC.

I did not expect this book to be this dark when I started listing or for it to be more supernatural than a thriller. I did really like that the book was pretty dark and gruesome but it is a middle grade book so maybe it is a bit too dark for that age group.

I was really hooked during the entire book and was very interested to learn more about the tower and the games. I do have to say I was a bit disappointed in how the tower worked and what we learned about it. It feels like there could have been a more interesting storyline to it. Even at the end I felt like I still didnt completely understand how the tower works and its backstory. Like I want to know why the tower was created and by who.

Wow, I really enjoyed this Middle Grade light horror/ thriller novel.

I am thankful to have gotten the ALC for free from RB Media through Netgalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

I think that this book may be hit or miss for some reviewers as it’s definitely a middle grade novel but it deals with some darker themes. However, with some support from teachers and parents this book could teach a young reader a lot about teaching life lessons about emotions, social issue and more in an entertaining way that is not necessarily straight forward.

This book is listed as a mystery/thriller but it is more inline with the children’s horror genre however lightly. I also enjoyed and appreciated the male main character who showed love and compassion to the friends he meets during his journey as Kolby is such a great role model for younger readers to learn from.

As far as the narration. It is recorded painfully slow however I think that may be by design as there is some difficult material for a younger reader to grasp and the slower speed can aid in that aspect. Thankfully, you can speed it up. I found putting it at 1.5x speed put it at a natural speaking pace and it improved the narrator, Christopher Gebauer’s, vocals. At that speed it sounded perfect for the reader age and content of the prose as it was calming and took any fear out of the scarier passages.

The book comes out on March 4, 2025 exclusively on audiobook.

My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books

⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.

A nice engaging novel I found love the haunted genre of it .love it totally its so engaging make me awaken the whole night

This story had a lot of promise, but it ultimately fell short of its potential. While it builds intrigue, it never truly delivers on the excitement it seems to promise. The pacing is slow, and instead of progressing toward something impactful, it feels like the same elements are repeated for hours. With a stronger focus and more dynamic storytelling, this could have been a thrilling experience. As it stands, it’s a bit of a letdown.

This was a good read. I enjoyed the games that was played and the way they had to play. This was written very well and descriptive. I felt like I was part of the book because it was so descriptive. This was a first for me for this Author but overall I would def read another one!

The Tower
by David Anaxagoras
Narrated by Christopher Gebauer

The Tower by David Anaxagoras sounded really promising. The idea of it is wonderful. Unfortunately, I feel that this book fell a bit flat. The Tower has a big Lovecraftian feel to it, but I won't go into specifics because I don't want to give away any spoilers. The lack of character development and the speed at which this story moves made it difficult for me to want to finish. Kolby wakes up in a white room, not knowing how he got there. What he finds is that he's trapped in a tower with other kids like him, who have no real memory of how they got there or anything else, aside from their name. There are all of the fun things that a kid could want, and participating in "games" reaps wonderful rewards. Kolby realizes that there is something off though, and as he works to unravel the tower's secrets, things start to come to light...scary things.

As I said, this story needs to be re-written to really shine. Character development needs some work and the pacing of this story was rough. The narration was performed well, but even good narration couldn't keep me invested.

Thanks to RBMedia, NetGalley, and the author for the chance to listen to and review this audiobook.

Kolby wakes up not knowing where he is, no memory, no clothes and no idea how he got to the tower.
He gradually makes friends with the other children who are in the same situation.
There are monsters outside the tower that they call the gaunts. Kolby and the children can't be seen on the streets if they are careful.
He tries on multiple times to escape but it isn't as easy as running away, because he always ends up back at the tower.
The narrator did a great job, but he was quite a slow reader and I got a bit bored