Book Review: Apartment 401 by Boris Baćić
Apartment 401
Series: Haunted Places
Author: Boris Baćić
Published: February 28, 2021
286 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
There’s something wrong with Apartment 401…
When the newlywed couple Brad and Julia decide to move into their new home, they are ecstatic to start their new lives. They finally have a home of their own, and with a baby on the way, this couldn’t have come at a better time.
However, just one day in the apartment is enough to tell them that something is very wrong. Things go missing only to reappear in strange places, footsteps and whispers echo in the rooms, and every night, the same song plays from somewhere inside the apartment.
The longer Brad and Julia spend in the apartment, the more they learn about the dark secrets that haunt it. No longer able to afford moving to a new place, they have to make a decision – run away from their new home, or face the apparitions that plague it.
One thing is for sure, though. They are not the only inhabitants of Apartment 401.
Kim’s Review:
This is my book club’s pick for October … spooky season!!!
And this cover looks amazing, just saying. I really liked this story! The only reason for the 4 stars is because I didn’t like how it felt like all the loose strings wouldn’t be tied up by the end of the book. Once the twist happens, I want everything to fall into place. This twist was crazy and I admit that I didn’t see it coming, but once it did, I didn’t like how I had to fight to make the little details make sense. Other than that, this book was good! Creepy!
I don’t want to get into the plot line too much because I don’t want to give it away. At first, I thought it was going to be a Rosemary’s Baby type story but then it went full on ghosts and haunting! I enjoyed the characters and they all had me questioning their motives at one time or another. This is a great one for Halloween or just anytime you have a horror itch!!
Purchase Links:
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Book Review: Escape Room by Maren Stoffels
Escape Room
Author: Maren Stoffels
Published: July 7, 2020
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: August 4-5, 2021, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
Alissa, Sky, Cleo, and Miles just wanted something to do on a Friday night, so they signed up for an Escape Room. They have one hour to find clues, crack codes, and figure out puzzles. The Game Master told them they can always leave the game. But what if that’s not true? What if the Game Master has no intention of letting them out?
Jessica’s Review:
Unlike Fright Night, Escape Room worked decently for me: For one thing the main characters were actually in an escape room! I was anxious for the characters to get into the escape room, so once they got there at about 25% into the novel, I was ready for the action to happen! I didn’t pay much attention to the character backgrounds, so I was not attached to them. In fact, I was ready for the villain to kill them all, as I found these teenagers a bit annoying. There was teen drama with secrets, revelations, and one coming out. Once the ‘big twist’ happened, I did halfway think about listening to the audiobook again.
This was a shorter YA audiobook that had a full cast narration, which improved the book for me. The narration also includes the villain! I did want more from the villain. I think it would be a good book for the target audience of teens, but tame for the adult listener.
If you want something quick to read that isn’t quite scary for this Halloween, this one would be worth the read. The audiobook was just under four hours long and Amazon has it listed at 224 pages for the paperback version.
Stoffels has one more book: Room Service, which if it was offered on my Libby app, I would give a try.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
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Book Review: Fright Night by Maren Stoffels
Fright Night
Author: Maren Stoffels
Published: September 1, 2020
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 30-August 1, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 2 stars
Book Description:
Sofia isn’t so sure about Fright Night. When she suggested it to her friends, she was only thinking of it as an excuse to get closer to Dylan. Now that it’s happening, she’s worried that spending the night in a deserted forest is a bad idea.
But it’s totally safe–there’s even a safe word if things get too intense. And they do. Sofia and her friends are forced to face their greatest fears, and suddenly? It’s too late to turn back.
Jessica’s Review:
Fright Night is one that had promise from the book description, but it fell flat for me. I love haunted houses and a good scare, so I was ready for a book featuring teens going to a Fright Night to face their ultimate fears in the woods, a night that gets way out of hand. You have heard of those places that are run in the fall and people have to sign waivers and more to participate, but I would never dare to do them! OMG. But in this novel, we got two stories, the Fright Night end and then Dylan’s backstory which affected the present timeline.
Fright Night was not horror but it more of a psychological drama that was not scary. I honestly did not care about Dylan’s backstory and just wanted as good of a scare that a YA horror novel can give you. But it was not even really a good scare. I only finished it as it was a short audiobook at 4 hours. I’m hoping the author’s other book (Escape Room) I got through the Libby app is better, but honestly, I am not expecting much out of it.
Sadly, Fright Night is a novel I cannot recommend.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK