Malefic

Listener Reviews

1. 5.0(1)

   Don't Buy the Cheap House in a Nice Neighborhood

   Follow on to the first book titled, The House of Long Shadows. While this is a series, this book stands alone quite well and while you would miss out on the origins of the house, you get enough of a recap to understand what is going on. Ambrose Ibsen does really good series so I would recommend that you start with the first one, just so you get to experience all this haunted house has to offer. The neat thing about this story is that while this is based on the same haunted house from the first book, it is taken in a completely different direction and provides both a great story and more explanation about the haunting.

   The plot to this book is quite a bit different from the first story and is a bit more like a standard haunted house story, something Ibsen has perfected. I really liked how Dr. Marcel interacted with the ghost world through his deceased wife. That piece of the plot was something I wish there was more to and I hope it continues into the next book. The one thing I was thinking the entire time I was listening was that I want an uncle like Dr. Marcel.

   Much like the first book in the series, there are not a lot of characters. Those who are in this are fleshed out quite well and you can’t help but root for Dr. Marcel. His nephew seemed weak and inept and his inability to handle the situation made me dislike him. Dr. Marcel reminded me of the original Van Helsing, an older and fairly competent paranormal hunter, helping out his inexperienced nephew by taking on a task way out of his league. Even though he might not be as competent as he needs to be to tackle the house, he is someone I would want on my side. I really hope to see more of Dr. Marcel in the next story. Lastly there is Fiona, one of the evil presences who happens to share my daughter’s name. Been looking at her closely lately to make sure her imaginary friends are just that, imaginary.

   The Ibsen – Hempel team is fantastic. The two work very well together and between Hempel’s fantastic narration and Ibsen’s ability to create tension, I couldn’t stop listening. Hempel provided, as always, a narration that brings you into the story and provides the right amount of emotion and personality to each character. I was super excited to start this book and now that I’m done I can’t wait for the next.

   I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

   Valeria Swain · November 14, 2018

2. 5.0(1)

   Chilling

   This book is spooky, scary and just plain creepy. It is exactly what I expected! The narrator did an excellent job as usual. I didn’t want it to end and when it did, I wanted more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out. This author is the best horror writer in my opinion and the narrator never disappoints.

   Hailee Ayala · November 9, 2018