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Repeaters
NAMED TO KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST OF 2012
“Some people wait a lifetime for love; others wait many. Repeaters is the story of black and murderous love, a cautionary tale that, in the hands of the gifted Erica Ferencik is often terrifying and truly unforgettable. You’ll be riveted by this bold and brilliant novel.”
- Mary E. Mitchell, author of Love in Complete Sentences
“A chilling, suspenseful, erotic read.”
- Chris Mooney, author of Remembering Sarah
“Some people wait a lifetime for love; others wait many. Repeaters is the story of black and murderous love, a cautionary tale that, in the hands of the gifted Erica Ferencik is often terrifying and truly unforgettable. You’ll be riveted by this bold and brilliant novel.”
- Mary E. Mitchell, author of Love in Complete Sentences
“A chilling, suspenseful, erotic read.”
- Chris Mooney, author of Remembering Sarah
- GenresHorror
382 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2011
29 people are currently reading
559 people want to read
About the author
Erica Ferencik
7 books964 followersOprah chose Erica Ferencik’s debut novel, The River at Night as a #1 Pick, calling the book “the page-turning novel you’ve been waiting for, a heart-pounding debut.” Entertainment Weekly named it a “Must Read,” and calls the novel “harrowing…a visceral, white knuckle rush.” Miramax has recently optioned the novel for a film.
Her new novel, Into the Jungle, one woman's terrifying journey of survival in the Bolivian Amazon, will be released on May 28, 2019. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it: “[A] ferocious fever dream of a thriller…Ferencik delivers an alternately terrifying and exhilarating tale.” Her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 8, 2013
Erica Ferencik managed to write one of the most chilling tales I have ever read! I couldn't put it down and now I have to sleep with the lights on at night.
You absolutely must read this book. Everything is in there...love, suspense,the supernatural, twists and turns that will keep you guessing. What more could you ask for?
I can hardly wait for her next book to come out!
You absolutely must read this book. Everything is in there...love, suspense,the supernatural, twists and turns that will keep you guessing. What more could you ask for?
I can hardly wait for her next book to come out!
February 10, 2017
Right at the beginning I thought "This is beautiful AND horrible... What have I gotten myself into?" I quickly realized I'd gotten myself into a good story. I don't usually buy into the whole reincarnation thing, but the way this story is told I feel like even a nonbeliever can still get caught up in the story as if it were factual. It was interesting to have a blind character at the center of things, and to see the contrasts between blind and sighted when the reincarnation takes place. The story itself is full of plot and at times moves perhaps a little quickly in order to make sure all of that plot gets stuffed into one book, but that doesn't really make it all that unpleasant to read, in fact, I think it would be overly annoying if every tiny blurb was stuck in where it should be. Time passes, you can't have a reincarnation story without a lot of time passing. What isn't there doesn't really need to be there in the same way you don't always see people on television shows going out to eat or waking up in the morning, you just know it's another day because it was night in one scene and after the commercials it's daylight again. I won't go into the twists at the end. I'm not sure if I saw them coming or if they were totally unexpected. That is a very hard thing to describe without telling anyone what happens, so I'll have to leave that up for others to describe after they've finished.
August 27, 2023
Loved it! Such a different experience.. I already read two books from the same author but this one was published before she "became famous" so it wasn't easy to find.. it's not mentioned in her site.. I was even wondering if it was the same author!
In fact it was very different from her other works, but I loved it all the same. It's difficult to describe, I loved the reincarnation idea, it's played well, it merges with everyday life as if there wasn't anything supernatural at all, just normal human struggle with life. And I loved the lesson at the end (if I did understand it correctly!). There is a lot of emotions in this novel, a lot of love above all the rest.
In fact it was very different from her other works, but I loved it all the same. It's difficult to describe, I loved the reincarnation idea, it's played well, it merges with everyday life as if there wasn't anything supernatural at all, just normal human struggle with life. And I loved the lesson at the end (if I did understand it correctly!). There is a lot of emotions in this novel, a lot of love above all the rest.
February 8, 2017
A whole new take on reincarnation that would definitely engage the reader as it's so intriguing; with the usual "good" vs. "bad" characters. It's a great story but I thought jumped a little too quickly at different parts of the novel. Some reviewers thought it to be "horror" like, or even a "thriller." I didn’t find it to be either - could have been a lot more creepier.
I would have given the book four stars if it wasn't for the grammatical mistakes. The fact that I had to read sentences and paragraphs over and over again to figure out the first person narrative was irritating to say the least; not to mention the number of times there were run-on sentences that were part of one paragraph; all of which continued throughout the entire novel. For example:
Kim flinched slightly at the sound of Astra's voice. "Maybe later." For a strange moment, Astra felt almost as if Kim were looking into her eyes. "C and I are going for a walk."
I don't know if this only occurred in ebook format.
I would have given the book four stars if it wasn't for the grammatical mistakes. The fact that I had to read sentences and paragraphs over and over again to figure out the first person narrative was irritating to say the least; not to mention the number of times there were run-on sentences that were part of one paragraph; all of which continued throughout the entire novel. For example:
Kim flinched slightly at the sound of Astra's voice. "Maybe later." For a strange moment, Astra felt almost as if Kim were looking into her eyes. "C and I are going for a walk."
I don't know if this only occurred in ebook format.
June 24, 2017
This was completely bonkers. Re-incarnation aside, this is basically a painfully unsexy melodrama about crazy ladies fighting over a man. It could have been kind of charming if not for its questionable portrayal of women. I quite enjoyed the author's novel about crazy ladies going white water rafting though.
December 1, 2024
Their bodies bare the marks of their death. They are the murdered among us; slipping out of one life and instantly forced into another, unless they learn to accept love.
This was so good! I didnt expect to love this as much as I did! It was very well written and a great take on reincarnation!
This was so good! I didnt expect to love this as much as I did! It was very well written and a great take on reincarnation!
February 25, 2013
I loved Erica Ferencik's first novel, Cracks in the Foundation, a witty, hysterical and poignant view into the septic tank of the real estate business starring great mother and broker Ginger Kanadoo. Ferencik's move from satire to truly scary horror fiction is completely different and equally successful. Repeaters is a page-turner, the kind that makes the reader slow herself down to hang with these characters a little bit longer before all nerves are shattered. If you think you have issues with your mother, wait until you meet Astra!
March 10, 2012
This was a very unexpected great read. Not high literature by any stretch of the imagination but a riveting and thrilling quick read. I finished it in less than 24 hours and even stayed up late to complete it. By a local Boston area writer. It was great fun. Do check it out if you like psychological horror stories.
June 27, 2013
I usually don't like SF novels, but this one is a really good one, absolutely worth reading.
May 1, 2013
Flipping AMAZING! Could not put it down. Crazy... eerie... shocking... à must read!!!
Suggested it to my book club and its this months book!
Suggested it to my book club and its this months book!
December 19, 2013
This book was awesome. I could not put it down for a second. I highly recommend this book. It was very different from anything I have recently read.
September 8, 2019
The tears kept coming, but she didn't seem sad. Her face was open and elated. "Some of us, when we die, Lucy, we don't really die. We go to another body. We're called Repeaters."
The story opened with a short chapter about a mother bird selfishly taking the life of her young. It was dark and oddly beautiful at the same time, and it foreshadowed the story that was to come. Repeaters was mesmerizing, dealing with themes of reincarnation and the dark human behaviour of self preservation. Humans are essentially selfish, putting their own individual needs above all others. Dr Astra Nathanson is the epitome of selfish.
Nineteen year old Kim decides to reconnect with her mother after getting engaged, and it proves to be the undoing of a lifetime. Astra is cold and reptilian with her daughter but sweet as can be with Kim's fiancee Constantin. They are both lulled into a false sense of security when they visit Astra in her cliff top mansion for the weekend.
The first half was truly amazing. I was glued to the story and flew through it quickly. As dislikable as Astra was I found myself warming to her a little. She seemed almost normal for awhile. The true essence was unfinished business. Repeaters are only repeating life, not their mistakes. Only their scars remain, and in Kim's case, her blindness at times. It is possible to fix things in order to live a more fulfilled life and thus end the need to repeat it. Personally, I don't believe in reincarnation but it was fun to bend reality for a minute.
It wasn't all good, though. It was too long, with Ellen (and Peter) getting way too much air time. Their characters where background noise and didn't need to be featured as often. Astra's therapy sessions with troubled teens were also unnecessary, as well as her live of exercise. But these are minor complaints. I thought the ending was going to be boring and predictable, especially as there was such a long lead up but I was pleasantly surprised. You just have to look for the signs.
The story opened with a short chapter about a mother bird selfishly taking the life of her young. It was dark and oddly beautiful at the same time, and it foreshadowed the story that was to come. Repeaters was mesmerizing, dealing with themes of reincarnation and the dark human behaviour of self preservation. Humans are essentially selfish, putting their own individual needs above all others. Dr Astra Nathanson is the epitome of selfish.
Nineteen year old Kim decides to reconnect with her mother after getting engaged, and it proves to be the undoing of a lifetime. Astra is cold and reptilian with her daughter but sweet as can be with Kim's fiancee Constantin. They are both lulled into a false sense of security when they visit Astra in her cliff top mansion for the weekend.
The first half was truly amazing. I was glued to the story and flew through it quickly. As dislikable as Astra was I found myself warming to her a little. She seemed almost normal for awhile. The true essence was unfinished business. Repeaters are only repeating life, not their mistakes. Only their scars remain, and in Kim's case, her blindness at times. It is possible to fix things in order to live a more fulfilled life and thus end the need to repeat it. Personally, I don't believe in reincarnation but it was fun to bend reality for a minute.
It wasn't all good, though. It was too long, with Ellen (and Peter) getting way too much air time. Their characters where background noise and didn't need to be featured as often. Astra's therapy sessions with troubled teens were also unnecessary, as well as her live of exercise. But these are minor complaints. I thought the ending was going to be boring and predictable, especially as there was such a long lead up but I was pleasantly surprised. You just have to look for the signs.
January 31, 2020
Good start, involving reincarnation: so-so after that
I read this author's other two books first, (Into the Jungle and The River at Night) and liked them, so went on to read this one. I liked the first few chapters of Repeaters, but after that the story scenes became rather dull, in my opinion, even though some of them are meant to be amazing or shocking. There are also numerous formating goofs, which lead me to guess that this book was the author's first and not edited as well as it should have been. The author writes well and uses proper english, but frequently there are sections of dialogue that run together in one paragraph, so that it's hard to tell who said what. Also, the plot becomes predictable and the remaining "heroine" of the story is a bit too petulant and whiny to be likable. But I did finish reading. The ending was predictable.
Of her three books, I liked The River at Night best, which seems to be the consensus of the online reviews I read. I also like Into the Jungle, the newest book. This writer does have talent, but Repeaters is not as good as the other two books. Again, I think it was her first book, but I happened to read it last. If this is a new author for you, skip this book and read The River at Night instead. Repeaters is only worth reading if you like seeing how an author's work progresses. This book isn't great, but may interest some readers.
I read this author's other two books first, (Into the Jungle and The River at Night) and liked them, so went on to read this one. I liked the first few chapters of Repeaters, but after that the story scenes became rather dull, in my opinion, even though some of them are meant to be amazing or shocking. There are also numerous formating goofs, which lead me to guess that this book was the author's first and not edited as well as it should have been. The author writes well and uses proper english, but frequently there are sections of dialogue that run together in one paragraph, so that it's hard to tell who said what. Also, the plot becomes predictable and the remaining "heroine" of the story is a bit too petulant and whiny to be likable. But I did finish reading. The ending was predictable.
Of her three books, I liked The River at Night best, which seems to be the consensus of the online reviews I read. I also like Into the Jungle, the newest book. This writer does have talent, but Repeaters is not as good as the other two books. Again, I think it was her first book, but I happened to read it last. If this is a new author for you, skip this book and read The River at Night instead. Repeaters is only worth reading if you like seeing how an author's work progresses. This book isn't great, but may interest some readers.
March 15, 2020
I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books I’ve read by this author. This book was different from the most recent she’s published but the story was great! Still a thriller with fantasy thrown in, but I love her use of human nature in all her stories.
February 6, 2023
Super cool plot, got me hooked at the very beginning. I loved Astra as a character and reading her POVs. The middle could have used a little editing, maybe taken out 75 pages or something. I need someone else to read this so I can talk about the ending!!
February 24, 2017
Good thriller
This is a captivating and fun thriller. It grabs you by the second page and makes it difficult to put down.
This is a captivating and fun thriller. It grabs you by the second page and makes it difficult to put down.
September 17, 2013
Wow. Ruthless, as the description above states, is no where near the proper word for Dr. Astra Nathanson. This book is creative and clever, well rounded and filled with suspense, mystery and cool callousness.
Erica does a fantastic job of creating a new idea, or theory, around reincarnation. Taking elements from common beliefs she has woven together a tight web of ”Fatal Attraction” meets “Chances Are.” The chapters are quick, so you find yourself whipping through this book in now time. The plot is easy to follow. The creepiness, however, lingers well after the book has been put down.
I could not find any loop holes in the book, any plot deviations, it was strongly written thriller based around a well established doctor of psychiatry Dr. Astra Nathanson, who is a Repeater. She has lived many lives and is brought back because she has never learned the lesson put forth on this earth. She is so cold and calculated, she gives birth to a daughter, Kim Nathanson, in hopes to find the love she needs to leave this earth finally. When her daughter is more than she can handle, she abandons her.
Years later, with the prompting of her fiance’ Constantine Kim calls her mother to let her know she is engaged to be married. Dr. Astra Nathanson insists that they come and see her. It all goes down hill from there. Crazy, witty, twisted and riveting.
This book will make me think twice about people with scars or birthmarks. This is a definite must read for 2013! It will quickly be added to my “Best Paranormal of 2013″ list on Good Reads.
I would pay full ticket prices in today’s movie theaters if this were developed properly into a movie.
Erica does a fantastic job of creating a new idea, or theory, around reincarnation. Taking elements from common beliefs she has woven together a tight web of ”Fatal Attraction” meets “Chances Are.” The chapters are quick, so you find yourself whipping through this book in now time. The plot is easy to follow. The creepiness, however, lingers well after the book has been put down.
I could not find any loop holes in the book, any plot deviations, it was strongly written thriller based around a well established doctor of psychiatry Dr. Astra Nathanson, who is a Repeater. She has lived many lives and is brought back because she has never learned the lesson put forth on this earth. She is so cold and calculated, she gives birth to a daughter, Kim Nathanson, in hopes to find the love she needs to leave this earth finally. When her daughter is more than she can handle, she abandons her.
Years later, with the prompting of her fiance’ Constantine Kim calls her mother to let her know she is engaged to be married. Dr. Astra Nathanson insists that they come and see her. It all goes down hill from there. Crazy, witty, twisted and riveting.
This book will make me think twice about people with scars or birthmarks. This is a definite must read for 2013! It will quickly be added to my “Best Paranormal of 2013″ list on Good Reads.
I would pay full ticket prices in today’s movie theaters if this were developed properly into a movie.
February 27, 2013
I was really swept up in this novel; one of those couldn't-wait-to-turn-the-next-page deals. REPEATERS is a riveting supernatural thriller filled with reincarnation, romance, and the vilest villainess this reader has ever encountered. Truly, a chilling page-turner. Its plot concerns reincarnation, and those -- called Repeaters -- who are aware of their reincarnated state, and how they can become trapped in an immortality of endless reincarnation. The antagonist (at times -- and maybe these are the best parts of the book -- she comes across as a dark protagonist) is Astra, a many-times reincarnated soul who yearns for love, a love that will deliver her from her cursed immortality, even if it means doing some very evil things to achieve it. Astra is truly, truly bad, and yet, while she isn't likable, I did pity her in a way -- she's like a patheric, self-centered child. She's of course a sociopath, but more than that, a walking id devoid of the restraints of conscience, and in a scary way I could relate to her primal desires. Besides its strong characterizations, there are a couple of plot turns in this novel that will make your head spin. Read this...I REPEAT, read this!
October 1, 2011
Erica Ferencik has a wonderfully humorous but evil mind. Or perhaps make that an evilly humorous, wonderful mind. In Repeaters, she introduces us to some reincarnates who either died violently or haven't yet learned to love, and who repeat and repeat their lives as time moves on until they finally experience loving another human being and are at last able to escape from themselves. It's not clear where they escape to, exactly, but at least they are released from coming back as depraved humans or reptiles or feeder animals.
The main character, Astra, is the perfect repeater. A former snake, she issss beautiful and glamorous, sexy, intelligent, fiendish, stubbornly dumb about love, selfish, murderous, and a mother who abandoned her blind six-year-old daughter to a private school. Astra took her to the school and left her there and never went back.
The main character, Astra, is the perfect repeater. A former snake, she issss beautiful and glamorous, sexy, intelligent, fiendish, stubbornly dumb about love, selfish, murderous, and a mother who abandoned her blind six-year-old daughter to a private school. Astra took her to the school and left her there and never went back.
February 24, 2013
So unexpectedly engrossing, you don't dare to stop reading. Normally I stay away from books labeled supernatural thrillers, playing on so often used themes of reincarnation, romance and murder, but Erica Ferencik's novel goes well beyond the chilling twists and turns of a gripping horror story. This is a truly unsettling tale that deals audaciously with the ambiguities of motherhood, love, rivalry, revenge and their never-ending cycle. There seems to be a terrifying question lurking behind the gripping scenes of this page-turner - can we ever really know when, or if 'good' wins or love ever prevails? Repeaters is not just a supernatural psychological thriller, it is a thought-provoking challenge that makes you uneasy going to sleep...
March 7, 2013
I read a lot of books but I don't normally write reviews. I just had to comment on this book though. I am not scared by slashers and I am not squeamish about blood splatter. Hence I find much of the horror / thriller genre too boring to waste precious time reading. What makes a good creepy thriller is a great story told in a way that it takes you out of the world you are really in and places you in to a world that you really don't want to be in. You don't dare stop reading. This disturbing other-world is like an imp sneaking around in some dark corner of your mind and your only hope is it might just leave you alone if you finish the book. This is one of those books and I just had to write to tell you this is one well written creepy read.
February 10, 2016
Hmm what an appropriate book to finish on Friday the 13th... I have mixed feelings about this book. Most of it was really interesting and suspenseful, but the whole time jumping months and years at a time felt off (not sure how to explain it, and I understand the need for it, even). Ending was a bit predictable and I kept waiting to Lucy to remember Carmella's comment about not becoming "her mother." In the end she chose the right path, but I think the reader could have benefited from that "ah ha" moment.
February 22, 2013
I could not put Repeaters down! Super creepy. Fast paced. Gorgeous prose. Short chapters. Unique plot line. Flawed characters. Horrible Villain. Slap you in the face ending - my new favorite way for a book to end!
This book is destined to be a movie. It's got a dastardly plot line you will not see in today's rehashed/sequeled out movies. Ms. Ferencik is brilliant to write something this creative.
I get the chills just thinking about the plot and characters ...
This book is destined to be a movie. It's got a dastardly plot line you will not see in today's rehashed/sequeled out movies. Ms. Ferencik is brilliant to write something this creative.
I get the chills just thinking about the plot and characters ...
March 5, 2013
An intelligently written thriller! I really enjoyed the main character Astra--she's scary, clever, and believable. She's a repeater who doesn't die--she just keeps coming back in a different form, but bears the all the hideous marks of how she died in her previous lives. The only way she can escape this cycle is to find love--Won't give away too much, but you will look at reincarnation a completely different way!
March 7, 2013
Ferencik has written a book so scary and beautiful that you will want to be a repeater just so you can read it again and again for the very first time! Astra is a villain for the ages. You will love to hate her and hate to love her, but you won't be able to help yourself. Once you read the first page of Repeaters, you will be powerless to put the book down and powerless over the book's stunning emotional impact. Ferencik is a master storyteller!
June 5, 2018
1.5 stars, rounding up to 2.
On the one hand, the characters were interesting and engaging, and the overall story kept my attention, which would count as a 3-star rating.
On the other hand, the predictability factor was way up there, and the "ick" factor in the relationships was thru the roof, which would be 0-stars, but you have to give at least 1-star.
On the one hand, the characters were interesting and engaging, and the overall story kept my attention, which would count as a 3-star rating.
On the other hand, the predictability factor was way up there, and the "ick" factor in the relationships was thru the roof, which would be 0-stars, but you have to give at least 1-star.
November 17, 2014
Interesting subject matter
story started off okay but then got to be predictable. the ending was kind of anticlimactic. don't really recommend it.
story started off okay but then got to be predictable. the ending was kind of anticlimactic. don't really recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews