It didn't drag.

Not a wasted credit and I read it in less than 2 days.
Ok?

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Guess I’m a sucker for cheesey B-movies

The afterword was hilarious because I was thinking I wanted to see this on screen (with a particular actor in mind). Granted it will probably be a cheesy b-movie but I’ll take it.

Very disturbing but also entertaining.

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Another brilliant listen

After the Threshold series. I did not think Peter Clines could capture me so well but I listened to this in one day!!! Now what do I listen to??? I was so entertained and like 14 I will listen over and over again!!

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Hard going at times.

14 is on my list of all time favourite books, unlike this one. Every time I heard the words, ‘I don’t know what that means’, I wanted to scream. There are elements that remind me of Stephen King’s ‘The Institute’ and Greg Hurwitz’s Orphan X series but this required a bit too much suspended belief for me. Not his best.

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yes and no

Fascinating idea, but a little clishe and pg13 for me. if it had included more realistic details and less of the "old alcoholic ex soldier saves the day" I would've loved it. I wasn't charmed by the girl either.

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Good, but not his best

Good story, but I still preferred Paradox Bound. The narrator is OK, but not as easy to pay attention to as Ray Porter.

Overall, worth a listen. People need to remember it's just a fictional story!

Not suitable for snowflakes who need trigger warnings on everything

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Up there with your best work: 14, and The Fold!

I love Clines' dynamically drawn heroes protecting the innocent, trying to settle karmic accounts, but some will find this book difficult. Perhaps not as difficult as confronting the reality from which its inspiration was no doubt drawn: human trafficking, the caging and separation of immigrant children from their parents etc. It is full of the ironies and hypocrisies of this recent and dark chapter of history approached in a complex and allegorical manner developing the themes of the dehumanization of migrants and children and the impact of neglect on the developing human mind. It does this as all good horror does by not directly talking about it, but by remaining a tightly written allegorical horror story and page turner.

Clines' novel has a very clear moral center, (unlike the moral equivocation in something like "let the right one in" for instance and many more) which is the point and why I felt someone should write this review. It is in no way any more disgusting than a good horror story should be while making a clear moral point, which is what good horror has always done. But the impact of that point depends of course on what one might bring to the novel oneself. It will be controversial perhaps but with that said, thank you Mr. Cines for writing it, it made me angry but not with you or your book which is quite simply up there with your best work such as 14 and The Fold!

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Totally not what I was expecting

Mind you, I don’t know what I expected, but this is not “like” other works I’ve read by Peter Clines.

I was gripped from a very early stage, looking for excuses to listen to it and not able to stop listening as the action moved on.

The narrator is excellent. I found his performance immersive. He was believable as Hector and also for Natalie, which is a hell of an achievement!
The story has just the right amount of pace and tension. It also has unexpected twists and turns.

Yeah, I recommend it.
I also recommend other books by Peter Clines. I haven’t found one I don’t like yet.

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2 people found this helpful

An exciting listen

His other books are more original but as always he’s writing is fast paced and characters really strong, it had a lot of Stranger Things about it but I don’t think that’s a particularly bad thing as I love Stranger Things, it’s a bit gross in parts and brutal but that’s all part of the story. The performance was really good too.

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Another belter...

Really enjoyed this and it absolutely gripped me the more it went on. Sometimes graphic injury description that made me wince it was so relevant to the pace and situation. A great 'read'.

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1 person found this helpful