When We Talk to the Dead: A Novel

by Ian Chorao, M.L. Sanchez (Narrator)

The island was abandoned years ago–but something dark was left behind, and it’s waiting for those bold enough to return.

Perfect for fans of Iain Reid, this slow-burning horror novel will sweep you out, and like a churning ocean, before you realize, it will pull you under its turbulent spell.

A remote deserted island off the coast of Maine holds dark memories and disturbing secrets for the family who once lived on its rocky shores. Though nineteen-year-old Sally de Gama remembers nothing about the accident that took place on Captain’s Island and destroyed her family when she was a little girl, she suffers from intense anxiety, pervasive bouts of dissociation, and gruesome nightmares. All Sally knows is that her mother hasn’t spoken since the accident that took the life of Sally’s twin sister. Following the tragedy, her family fled and never looked back.

When her mother suddenly dies, Sally and three college friends travel to the island—for her friends it’s an adventure to a strange, abandoned place. For Sally, it’s a desperate bid to recover some of her memories and understand what really happened to her family. But when memories begin to return, Sally is overcome by grief and rage that threaten to plunge her into madness—a madness that is fed by a malevolent presence stalking them on the island.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary

Audible Audio

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title, cover, and blurb seemed right up my alley, but this book was disappointing overall due to most aspects being too plain and simple. The characters were shallow, and character development was poor. World building was superficial, just scratching the surface. The writing style and sentence structure were gravely simple, more tell than show, a flaw that would have flattened even the best plot. Everything felt very monotone. Sadly, another case of a good idea with poor execution. I did giggle every time the character Maeve was mentioned- that's my cat's name.

Thank you to Netgalley for offering this title in their catalog. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Sarah Harney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of When We Talk to the Dead.

"Perfect for fans of Iain Reid". Iain Reid is my all time favorite author so when I see this, #1. I am definitely reading it, and #2 it better be incredible. Let me tell you...this was NOT it. Nothing happened for 90% of this book. The characters were one-deminsional, annoying and idiotic. There were so many superfluous details that didn't contribute in any way to the story line.

Not even in the same universe as an Iain Reid book and one of my least favorite reads of the year. Rant over, sorry (but not really)

1.5 stars

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars - thank you crooked lane for the early copy!

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMPdwE2E/

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 3 out of 5]

A twisty thriller that centres on a desolate island.

I can’t say I loved the characters, but I did enjoy the overall mysterious plot. The ending was pretty shocking, but I’ll admit I didn’t fully understand the motivations of the main players.

Definitely one to check out if you’re in the mood for suspense and complex family dynamics/history. Felt a bit more YA than general adult in tone.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Crooked Lane Books for a copy!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story did not at all go where I expected. It was a nice surprise to truly not know what could happen chapter to chapter. Was this supernatural? Something human that was just helluh creepy? It was nice to keep guessing.

The characters were well developed, but I did find the dialogue stilted in places. Something was always a bit odd, but perhaps that was intentional to provoke that unsettled feeling.

I would definitely read another book from this author and recommend reading this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Roberta R. (Offbeat YA) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excerpt from my review - originally published at Offbeat YA.

Pros: Haunting, tense, almost lyrical at times (horror notwithstanding), with diverse, fleshed out characters and intriguing dynamics.
Cons: A couple of major plot points (not of the supernatural/paranormal kind) require a strong dose of suspension of disbelief. The open ending may not sit well with certain readers.
WARNING! Violence/assault (not of the sexual kind), horror/blood and gore (I can't be too specific in order to avoid spoiler, but TW for drowning). Anxiety, intrusive thoughts, trauma, loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, mentally ill parent. Use of a derogatory term.
Will appeal to: Those who are looking for a blend of very real and psychological horror with a twist. Those who are fond of damaged, yet brave characters and complicated relationships.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

GHOST IMAGE

When We Talk to the Dead turned out to be a different novel than I'd envisioned - mind you that's not a bad thing at all, but I want you to have a better idea of what you're getting into if you decide to give it a chance (which you totally should 😉), so I thought I'd give you a heads-up. With very little help from the cryptic cover (though, after reading the book, I realised it was a good fit), and nothing else to go by than the blurb and the title, I thought I was in for a ghost story...which I suppose can be deemed true in a sense, but not the one you would imagine. OK, now it's me who's being cryptic, but I don't want to spoil the book for you either...Suffice to say, there aren't any ghosts in this story...not in the classic sense. But if you think of memories and trauma and lost loved ones and the child you used to be as ghosts, I suppose there are plenty... [...]

Whole review here.

[Milt Theo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the fifth book I've read this year posing as horror, but in truth being just a psychological thriller at best or a unnecessarily complicated and overdramatic mystery at worst. I really don't understand why authors want books with no horror elements to be categorized as belonging to that genre; since this very rarely happened in the past few years, I can only imagine it's for commercial reasons or perhaps because certain weird aspects of the story (usually confusing dreams or upsetting false memories or supposedly paranormal visions whose nature is never explained, precisely as it happens in this book) don't seem to belong anywhere, so they might as well be classified as weird fiction or psychological horror or whatever. Attach a promising though misleading title to the book (there are no dead, nor any talking to them), and you've got a horror novel.

The book under review tries really hard to pose as horror: more than two thirds of the story attempt to set up a creature feature/island horror/ survival horror melange, always hinting at supernatural and other bizarre elements without ever coming out and simply saying what it all amounts to. This creates so much circling back, so many unmotivated flashbacks, so much repetition, you start wondering why this wasn't cut down by the editor to the length of a novella and be done with it. But obviously the author promised to deliver a novel, so a novel it will be. Fair enough.

But when you finally realize that this was just a weak psychological thriller (weak in the sense that readers of thrillers would easily guess the "twist") and that all the horror elements were merely props, you also understand why all the labyrinthine and exhausting back and forth took so much space in the novel: it was just fluff. No experienced psychological thriller reader would accept so much pointless misdirection, so it makes sense to sell the book as the next best thing: horror.

For the reasons above, therefore, I cannot recommend the book to horror readers. Probably inexperienced thriller readers should be the intended audience, even YA mystery fans, but surely not readers of horror.

[OutlawPoet]

DNF @ 15%. This is described as a slow burn, but it was just too slow to catch my attention. Will likely work fine for other readers who appreciate atmosphere over pace.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the early audiobook of When We Talk to the Dead!

This book is felt fairly short — which I guess makes the slow pacing easier to get through. But, in general, I didn’t get too interested in the story until it was nearing the end.

And honestly the characters just weren’t that great. & I kept forgetting that they were adults because they read much younger.

This was not a winner for me, unfortunately.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook.

I finished this, but wasn't really a fan. It was creepy, but I didn't feel any sort of connection to the characters, so I didn't really care when things happened to them.

The writing is so choppy and simple. I'm pretty sure the FMC's name is every other word in the beginning.

Sally was a little pretentious with her being a "famous YouTuber"

I don't think I got many answers to the issues. Why was she left behind? Who was the woman in the video? What was the dog? What really happened to her mom? Who was it at the end?

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, This was my first time reading Ian Chorão, and I was drawn right away to the eerie title and premise. The story unfolds slowly, more character driven than plot heavy, and while that pacing sometimes tested my patience, it also allowed the atmosphere to build in subtle and unsettling ways. The themes of grief, memory, and the thin line between the living and the dead gave the novel a haunting tone that lingered with me even when I stepped away from it.

The writing style leaned toward the lyrical, which paired well with the gothic undertones of the story. There were moments where I wished the tension would tighten sooner, as some chapters felt stretched a little too thin. Still, I appreciated how Chorão layered small unsettling details throughout, creating a sense of unease that simmered beneath the surface rather than relying on overt scares.

Overall, while the book was slower than I usually prefer, the combination of haunting prose and atmosphere kept me engaged enough to see it through. I think fans of literary horror or gothic-inspired novels will find something here to savor, especially if they enjoy stories where grief and haunting intertwine.

**********************************************************
The Dreamscape Audio narration elevated the experience for me. Where the ebook felt slower, the audiobook gave the story a pulse. The narrator’s tone carried just the right mix of melancholy and tension, making the lyrical writing easier to absorb. I especially enjoyed listening late at night, it added a layer of eeriness that the ebook alone couldn’t quite deliver.

If I had only read the digital version, I might have rated it closer to 3 stars; however, the audio version pushed this up for me. The performance added weight to the characters’ emotions and gave the story a steady rhythm that kept me from drifting. For readers on the fence, I’d definitely recommend choosing the audiobook format if possible. #DreamscapeAudio

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spooky and atmospheric!

Captain’s Island located off the coast of Maine is a deserted and remote place. For Sally de Gama, this island holds dark memories from when she lived there as a child with her family. Her twin sister was killed in an accident there and afterward her remaining family fled, never looking back. When Sally’s college friends convince her to travel to Captain’s Island with them, she is hoping that she may be able to reconcile some of her most disturbing memories. But, instead, Sally finds herself overwhelmed by her grief and anger so intensely it threatens to plunge her into insanity.

The audio narration was fantastic performed by M.L. Sanchez

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for this ALC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on October 14, 2025

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ALC.

This was ... interesting. I might need to re-read it to finalize my thoughts. This story was fun and kept me engaged, it was easy to read, with enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. Some of the relationships were confusing. Difficult to keep track of who were friends - or were they lovers? Some of the storylines seemed to go nowhere and felt like padding the word count more than adding to the story itself. IT was supposed to be a horror, but lacked the tension and suspense needed. Is this an adult book? Or a YA? Not sure.

3 stars - I didn't love it or hate it, but it didn't really sparkle in my mind.

[Yamini · Rating 3 out of 5]

A remote island off the coast of Maine, long abandoned but never really empty. Years ago, something tragic happened there, something that tore Sally de Gama’s family apart. Her mother never spoke again, and Sally remembers almost nothing from that day. Now, after her mother’s death, she decides to return with a few college friends. For them, it’s just an eerie adventure. For her, it’s a desperate attempt to piece together her lost past. But once the memories begin to return, so does something dark that has been waiting all along.

A twin horror tale transpiring. The best thing here was the plot; the theme of an abandoned island with something sinister lurking created a perfect base for the eerie atmosphere. The mystery surrounding Sally’s forgotten past and the creeping presence in the woods built great tension throughout. The writing style is simple and unornamented, which worked well in places but left me wishing for stronger chills. Everything about the setting and setup screamed scary, yet the execution didn’t fully deliver the goosebumps I hoped for.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

  A big thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy to review!

3 stars

  This was a weird little book, but thankfully, I like weird.

  I was not expecting such gruesome deaths (but I kind of loved it?). It really added a whodunit element and boy was I suprised by that wild reveal.

Unfortunately, the lack of character development made the deaths feel less impactful. I had a hard time differentiating the characters.

  It was a pretty slow start, which might put off some people, but I was along for the ride the whole time and finished it in one sitting.

[Jessica Delia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ rounded up
Thank you so much NetGalley and Dreamscape media for giving me the copy of the audiobook.

I can honestly say, I thoroughly enjoyed this. My only complaint is it felt quite slow moving at the start and at parts I struggled to stay focused. Other than that, I found the characters to really evoke emotion within me which isn’t a usual thing to happen. I connected with Sally and her lack of remorse for what she did. The ending was fantastic and really allowed you to read between the lines at what happened.

As for the audiobook, the narration was clear and easy to listen too.

[Brigit (Cosy.horror.corner) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf - not for me. It definitely shouldn't be compared to Iain Reid's work. This was less mystery and thrills than expected, more circular dialogue that I couldn't connect with. The story may suit a YA audience.

I received an advanced audiobook copy from Netgalley.

[Nicole Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ian Chorao’s “When We Talk to the Dead” is a haunting, slow-burn psychological horror novel that looks into trauma, grief, and memory set against the eerie backdrop of a supposedly cursed island off the coast of Maine. Combining the creeping dread of a supernatural thriller with the brutal emotional weight of buried family secrets, this book is as much about the ghosts inside us as the ones we fear in the dark.

The story centers on Sally de Gama, a woman emotionally fractured by years of loss. Following her mother’s death, Sally returns to Captain’s Island, which is the site of her traumatic childhood and the drowning of her twin sister, an event she has completely blocked from memory. Accompanied by a group of close friends, Sally hopes to reconnect with her past. Instead, she finds herself trapped in a waking nightmare, stalked by something that may not be human and may have a connection to her she never expected.

The first third of the book unfolds slowly, focusing on Sally’s fractured mental state and the tension-laced dynamics among the group. The pacing was a bit frustrating as the horror doesn’t fully emerge until later. But for those patient enough to sink into Chorao’s world, the slow burn pays off. The eerie atmosphere builds gradually, laced with quiet dread with strange noises, disturbing memories, and the unshakable feeling that they’re being watched.

Chorao adds depth by switching perspectives, including glimpses from the creature itself, which is a presence that is lonely, angry, and disturbingly childlike. It doesn’t just kill—it hungers for connection, making its scenes unsettling and, oddly, tragic. There’s also a handful of gruesome, well-paced death scenes, made all the more intense by being shown from the victims’ points of view.

While some plot elements, such as a quickly developed romance between Sally and one of her companions, may feel unnecessary or rushed, they don’t significantly detract from the chilling core of the novel. What shines most is Sally herself. Fragile but determined, she’s a compelling and emotionally rich protagonist. Her journey to uncover the truth is both terrifying and profoundly moving.

The final act is explosive. As the island becomes a killing ground and the truth about the creature and Sally’s connection to it comes to light, the book transforms into a harrowing fight for survival. The last 20% is filled with action, gore, and emotional reckoning. While some twists are foreshadowed, others land with surprising impact, deepening the horror and heartbreak.

The ending is classic horror: open-ended, devastating, and thought-provoking. It leaves you with a lingering sense of sorrow and unresolved questions, not unlike the trauma it portrays.

Overall, “When We Talk to the Dead” demands patience and emotional investment, but rewards you with a richly layered story that merges supernatural horror with deep psychological exploration. For fans of slow-burn, character-driven horror with tragic undercurrents and an atmospheric setting, this one will linger long after the final page.

[Laura R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

When Sally was little, her family fled from the island they lived on, and nothing was ever the same. Sally can't remember her childhood, though she has vague memories of her twin sister who was lost in an accident, but ever since she has suffered from anxiety attacks and intense dissociation, plus it doesn't help that her mother has been in an asylum ever since. When her mother suddenly passes away, Sally and three of her college friends head to the island -- Sally to try and make sense of her past and hopefully gain back her memories, enter friends because Captain's Island is not only abandoned but known to be a little on the spooky side. As they remain on the island, Sally begins questioning her own sanity, but what none of them expects is something malevolent stalking them, watching from the shadows.

This was fantastic, because for the first time in a long time, I didn't know what was coming. There were some things that I felt were lacking, but it's more nitpicky things. So for me, I was able to suspend all of my disbelief and just go along for the ride. In terms of characters, I think this was my biggest issue because a lot of the characters felt very shallow and underdeveloped, but a part of me wonders, if it was done on purpose since Sally is our main character and, even though it's not told in her point of view the entire time, the majority of the book is from her perspective. And again, this is in third person, but with Sally being such an unreliable narrator, and her issues with anxiety and dissociation, it's easy to believe that what we know about the characters is surface level because that's all she really understands about them, especially since when we get there, POVs (all in third-person) we do get a little more in depth in terms of their actions and their pasts. What I loved about the horror in this is that it is slow burn, it takes its time creeping in, and just when you think you figured it out, everything changes. There was something really clever about the way.This book was written in terms of the actual writing style -- a lot of sentences felt choppy and short, which comes off as staccato when read aloud, adding to the eerie atmosphere that surrounds this book. Which, of course, brings me to the audiobook narrator and how well she did with bringing this book, the atmosphere, and the characters completely to life. I was absolutely hooked, but I will give a warning: if you don't like ambiguous endings and you don't like unhappy endings, then this book would not be for you. This was gruesome and gory and creepy and absolutely messed up, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this author's next book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When We Talk to the Dead is a tale of psychological trauma and grief intertwined with a hint of supernatural mystery. When Sally da Gama makes a decision to return to her childhood home on Captain's Island - a home and life she cannot remember details of - with her friends, they find out how cursed a grief-stricken location can become.

I honestly do not understand the claims that this novel was "too slow" to finish or enjoy. We are introduced to the five main characters, their personalities, traits, and relationships with each other to understand their purposes within the narrative. Once they arrive on the island, these established relationships start to show cracks as true feelings and thoughts are slowly revealed within their isolated stay.

The terror of the supernatural builds from there, enveloping the story into a foggy shroud of mystery. There were things that happened (spoilers) that I was not expecting, and they kept me continuing to read to find out what happens next. The consecutive twists at the end made me have a giant "OH" moment as their reveal were well executed and plausible.

Once things started to pick up within the plot, I had the distinct sensation of reading a story that was derailing into a teen horror movie in a naturally moving way (this is not a negative). I came into this book expecting a mediocre slowburn horror based on quick glances at the reviews but came away pleased that I gave this book its due turn.

What I Enjoyed:
- main character Sally definitely has some psychological trauma/grief issues that make her feel distant from everything that is happening -- makes her an interesting protagonist
- slowly creeping horror that remains long after the story ends
- twisty plot twists that made me give audible "OH" moments while reading
- fleshed out teen characters who both embody and throw off stereotypical teen archetypes for horror-based media

[Katerina · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard for me to give a review to this story. It was equally fun, entertaining, nonsensical, empty, pointless, and nostalgic.

Sally is a young woman with a dark past. Her mother dies and she has to meet with her father and his new pregnant wife at the funeral. There's a lot of mixed emotions, unresolved trauma, health shaming, and fractured unresolved parent-child relationships.

Sally is blanking out on a lot of her past and is having weird dreams. Her shrink is trying to help her but her mother's death is sending her to a dark place regardless. After the funeral she decides to take on a journey to figure out her past and where it went all wrong.

What worked for me was the story was fun, kept you engaged, and was easy to read. It's the shallowness in the narrative that makes reading fast and easy. Good for readers looking for a light horror read. The suspense is decent and keeps you going.

What didn't work was the weird relationships between the kids/young adults. Were they friends, lovers, frenemies? Who was straight, who was bi, and who - homosexual? There were storylines that didn't go anywhere, seem to have been put in there just for the sake of making a statement or filling the pages.

The horror felt too "easy". It didn't build up, there was no tension, no suspense. It just happened. I wasn't grasping the couch or biting the blanket at any point. There was no character arc in any of the characters, even Sally, unfortunately. None of them changed or evolved.

There is one major relationship that I'm not going to reveal. This relationship was the cornerstone of the story. However, it didn't evolve, didn't thrill, didn't do anything. It just sat there unresolved and unchanged. And perhaps this is the main reason for my low rating.

The culprit was easy to figure out.

Overall fun and entertaining, but nothing too exiting, mind bending, or heart racing.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital copy

[Kimberly Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested this book on NetGalley because the cover and the name really struck me and the blurb was great. I feel like those things really shaded how I read the novel though. I went into this after reading a few true horror novels and I guess I expecting ghosts or maybe a haunting, but this book happened to be more suspense/psychological thriller than horror. It was not a poorly written work and I found myself very invested in our main character and the life she had before we meet her, but by the time everything comes to light I felt a little cheated. I had a solid guess of what was happening by the half way mark of the book, but I wanted desperately to be wrong because, again, I wanted horror in the more traditional sense. I believe if you go into this book knowing it isn't a traditional horror story it could be really fun. My only other issue was the age of the characters because they all read like youngish teenagers. I was constantly needing to remind myself of the characters age because no one should be allowing 15 years old to run around alone on an island people believe to be haunted. The characters speak like teens and a lot of their decisions seem very immature, but they are adults in the youngest since. Overall, the book was well written, the location was fabulous, and the ending while being open was well done. I think I would have personally made the characters younger to match their immaturity and speech patterns, but if you can suspend a little belief than this is a quick read you can speed through and if you get caught up in it, like me, you'll speed through it to find out what exactly is happening and what happened during the forgotten childhood of our main character. I can't go into many details or any details at all without spoiling the book, but know there is some blood and horror and drowning, along with mental illness.

[Debora Santo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A missing memory, a haunted past, and a return to a place of trauma set the stage for the unsettling psychological horror of When We Talk to the Dead.

Content Warnings: Death and violence, gore, trauma and grief, mental health struggles, institutionalization, psychological horror.

I picked up When We Talk to the Dead because the premise intrigued me: a story blending grief, madness, and supernatural horror. I enjoy psychological horror that emphasizes atmosphere and emotion over pure shock and jump scares, and this sounded like that kind of read.

Sally de Gamma, a college student haunted by the traumatic death of her twin sister and her mother’s descent into madness, returns to the island where it all happened with her friends, hoping for answers. What begins with gore gradually evolves into psychological terror as Sally confronts her past and the lingering shadows of her trauma.

The novella explores grief, memory, and the fear of being unable to escape family trauma. Complex interpersonal relationships and lingering guilt ground the supernatural elements in deeply human emotions, making the horror feel intimate and unsettling.

Some early reviews criticized pacing and sentence structure, and a few readers did not finish the book for these specific reasons. While these critiques are valid, I didn’t find these issues personally as distracting. The slow-burn approach builds tension effectively, and M.L. Sanchez’s narration adds emotional depth to Sally’s journey. I agree that a slightly tighter edit might have streamlined the story, but the deliberate buildup enhances the psychological horror rather than detracts from it. I can understand if not all readers had the patience to wait out the best parts of the story of it they could not enjoy the particular writing style. 

Though I’m not a very experienced horror reader yet, I enjoyed this story for its exploration of trauma and human psychology. I'd say it's best suited for readers who appreciate a patient, tension-filled buildup rather than immediate scares.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me an advance copy of When We Talk to the Dead in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3/5

#WhenWeTalkToTheDead #IanChorão #MLSanchez #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a tad bit hard to rate. Why? Because I was a little lost for most of the book. I'm not sure why but things just weren't clicking into place for me with this one. It still gets a decent rating because the writing is really good. I like the author's style, I just didn't click with this book.
This story takes place on a remote island off the coast of Maine. The island is filled with dark memories and secrets for the members of the family that used to live there. Sally, one of the members of that family, has no memories of the accident that happened and took the life of her twin sister. She is now nineteen years old and suffers from anxiety, disassociation bouts, and gruesome terrible nightmares. The only thing Sally knows for sure about the accident is that her mother never spoke a single word since.
When Sally's mother passes away, she and some friends from college get together and go to the island. Her friends are looking for a bit of adventure and Sally is hoping to get back some of the memories she may have in her mind of what happened. However, once there, Sally does begin to remember some things and they lead her to grief and anger. She seems to be goaded on by some sort of thing in the woods on the island that is stalking the group.
This book sounded great to me but, as mentioned, I was a bit disjointed from the story no matter what I tried to do. I have the audio copy of the book and loved the narrator though she made the character seem even younger than her 19 years. Still, she did a great job of bringing the story to life. I did have to listen twice to try to figure out what wasn't working in my mind but I never did figure it out.
All in all, this wasn't really my cup of tea but I do think others might enjoy it.

[Shireen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Although she can't quite remember what happened to her family on Captain's Island that fateful day, Sally has always been affected by anxiety, PTSD and mysterious dreams connected to it. She lost her twin sister in a terrible accident that day but lost her mother much more slowly as she withdrew into herself and never spoke again. Now her mother has passed away, and while Sally felt no real connection to her over the years, she feels like the answers she's looking for are back on that island. Sally convinces a handful of her university friends to join her on a "quick" excursion to Captain's Island to see what kind of answers she can find. The trip takes a dark turn however, once they realise that they're not alone on the island like they thought...

This was a slow build to pulse-pounding terror as the friends start to figure out that they're being hunted by some kind of mysterious and unnatural enemy. They shelter in the old family home that's still standing on the island, but even that can't keep the problems at bay. I thought this story was interesting and well-written and, while it did take a bit of time to drive toward the climax, each little step toward the finale made it all the more compelling. I really didn't figure out what was going on until right near the end and then it was a dawning realisation, an "oh, duh" moment. Fans of creepy, slow-build horror will probably enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, author Ian Chorao, and Crooked Lane Books for giving me access to a free digital ARC o this book to read and review. All opinions are my own and are provided here voluntarily.

[Ciara Hartman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook Review: The narrator wasn’t an issue, but the dialogue left a lot to be desired. Was very confusing, but more about that in the story review below. 👇

Audio Run Time: 7 hrs, 25 mins
Narrated By: M.L. Sanchez

Story Review: Told in a mix of first person POV & third person POV, I wasn’t a fan of how it felt to listen to this story. It was weird constantly hearing, Sally did this and Sally did that, Sally felt this and Sally felt that. And the dialogue was extremely disjointed. This is my first book by this author and I’m not sure if this is their normal writing style or if it’s just particular to this book. The entire book felt weird, the main group of young characters all seemed to not be quite right (mentally), and I’m not sure if the author intended for that to be the case or not… it felt like the dialogue was all over the place and a lot of it was confusing as to what was trying to be implied about the characters by what they were doing and saying and thinking. - That being said, the horror part of the story came into play about 60% in and was decently intriguing, lots of death happening and a surprising turn of events. But… what even was that ending?! The book ended so abruptly and in such a manner that I was literally wondering, what just happened? That can’t be the end? So yeah, while some of the aspects of the horror and the twist caught my attention, all the other things that I didn’t enjoy, overshadowed that. - 2.5 stars.

- Multiple POV’s
- BIPOC characters
- A mix of first person POV & third person POV.

Release Date: October 14, 2025

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love horror novels that are set on creepy, abandoned islands. The minute I read the blurb for this book, I knew I had to read it.

An abandoned island. A family tragedy. A woman searching for lost memories, truth and closure.

Definitely the sort of horror / suspense story I enjoy!

The story was not exactly what I expected, but I still enjoyed reading. I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen, and that's the perfect feeling for a creepy and suspenseful story. In places, I found the story development a bit too slow. But, before I lost interest, the plot would pick back up and something would happen.

It's best to go in to this story with no knowledge of events. So, I'm not going to reveal any spoilers. Just be patient with the slow build, and let the plot suck you in.

I can't imagine being in this situation. I'm not sure I would go to the island. I think I would be more apt to leave it alone. Not because of fear, but more out of an unwillingness to dredge all of those emotions up all over again. Not to mention, the creepy unexpected situation that occurs.

I guess that means I really enjoy reading about creepy islands where bad things happened....but I don't actually have the guts to really GO to a creepy island were bad things happened.

I'm ok with that. :)

This is the first book I've read by this author. I will happily read more! The story wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but I still very much enjoyed it!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books. All opinions expressed are entirely my own**

[Sonea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an early copy.
I read this one as an audiobook.

The story was more tragedy than horror.

I did enjoy parts of the story itself. I liked the concept of a traumatized main character exploring her emotions through art, and there were genuinely interesting ideas here — loss of memory, trauma, and the unsettling way your past can become a patchwork of stories told by others.
I liked that she found her family in a weird book, that's so creepy.
And I liked how the characters were written even though most were quite awful.


The writing doesn’t really flow — it’s made up of short, clipped sentences that feel forced rather than intentional. It often reads like a list of disconnected actions and thoughts, which made it hard to stay focused for long (and I usually have no trouble listening to audiobooks for hours).

That style really hindered immersion in the story — something that’s especially important in the horror genre. It almost feels like the author is keeping an emotional distance from the events, which ends up creating that same distance for the reader. As a result, some of the tension and atmosphere are lost along the way.

I have to say, for a group of teens who supposedly love horror, they sure don’t act like they’ve ever seen a single horror movie. The last 20% had me constantly muttering, “Why on earth would you do that?”


Overall, it was an okay read. The story had potential, but the writing style kept it from really landing for me.
I'm sure others may like that style.

[Gerika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will like to thank Netgalley for a chance to read this ARC:

I really wanted to like this book. I almost DNFed it several times, but I decided to stick through it. It has a wonderful plot...just poor execution. The characters were pretty well written with decent back stories, but there was I believe limited character growth in this novel. My biggest gripe was that nothing happened until like 85-90 percent into the novel. The author set up the backstory to the island, why the family fled, the character backstory, but when they gotten to the island like maybe 30 percent into the novel...from my memory, it was nothing until the end of the book. On the island, there were whole chapters about arguments, what happened during mealtimes, or full conversations...a little about the perspective of the monster...something in the middle about some character dying, which was the last bit of action or spook until the end, but a lot of that could had been shortened to just further progress the thriller/ horror part of the novel. The ending was a bit predictable and I found it confusing and a bit disappointing. I read the ending several times and will have to again on a clearer mind, but I just couldn't interpret it.

I would have to put this in young adult horror/ thriller genre for those looking for a YA book instead of adult horror/ thriller.

[MizzyRed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this slow burn horror was ruined for me by the constant introspection of the characters and the addition of psychology points at really odd times. Like when one character has fallen and a beast is about to attack, she focuses on a window and thinks about how her mother stated it is quite common for attack victims to focus on one single thing, like a bottle, or a crack. Of course that threw me completely out of the horror of the moment. I think it would have been much more potent to cut out a whole bunch of that. Plus the characters were not that likable. I guess that was okay, as I was interested in when they might be killed, and how most likely none of them would survive their stay at the island.

So, in summary, it is college age students (but no common sense among them, e.g.. they buy refrigerated snacks to take to the island and are surprised when it goes bad?), following Sally as she returns to an island purported to be haunted and where her own disaster occurred with her family before they fled, never to return till now. Bad things happen, people die, and while the twist at the end was decent, it could not save the rest of the book.

The cover was cool, and the title. The audiobook version was okay, but only because I could speed it up to 2x. No fault to the narrator, M.L. Sanchez, who did a good job with the characters and sketchy world they lived in.