Many thanks to my friends at @viking @pameladorman @prhaudio for the #gifted free copies of this book. 

 

“We have to be quiet,’ she whispered. ‘We have to be quiet! If we’re not quiet the monster will get us!”

 

Terrifying.  Brilliant.  Sometimes monsters aren’t just a thing of nightmares.  

 

This book got INTO MY HEAD.  I felt as though I was trapped.  The walls of the secret room closing in.  Riddled with anxiety, I kept reminding myself to breathe, even if quietly for fear of who might hear.  Sierra’s writing held me tight in its grip, not letting me go.  

 

This premise is one of my worst fears.  Home alone with my son.  An intruder in the middle of the night.  Would instinct kick in?  Or would I be paralyzed by fear and overthink everything?   

 

With each new detail, I wove together theory after theory.  So many theories.  I questioned everything.  And the clever plotting kept me on my toes the whole way through, never quite sure.  This had me turning pages faster and faster, fully addicted to the unfurling.  

 

Somewhere along the way, my terror subsided only to be replaced by visceral anger and white-hot RAGE.  This isn’t just some storyline.  This happens to women.  And as my frustration boiled over, it reminded me: sometimes the worst monsters aren’t the ones you run from.  

 

What a debut!  It’s skillfully crafted and fiercely feminist.  It’s a page turner rife with tension.  And that ending!   I CHEERED.  

 

🎧 In print, this storyline is truly scary.  But somehow Emily Ellet’s narration amplified each and every fear. Rife with tension, her performance brought the unnamed protagonist’s story to life and enhanced each emotion.  It was such a masterful portrayal that I found myself needing breaks to catch my breath.