There is something very wrong in the Arnold's new home. And that something is stalking their daughter. Originally released several chapters at a time on the podcast Ghosts in the Burbs, Lilith is a tale of demonic possession, motherhood, and isolation.
Liz Sower is a writer of paranormal horror. Her novels, Claire and Lilith, are based in the world of Ghosts in the Burbs, a blog and podcast about the people of Wellesley, Massachusetts and the ghosts (and monsters) who haunt them. She lives in that haunted little town with her husband, two daughters and four elderly dogs. She is most proud of her PhD level knowledge of reality ghost hunting television.
I was searching for a creepy story about a haunting, possession, evil oppression and finally came across Lilith. It was just what I wanted. No blood and guts or over the top effects like knives flying through the air. Instead the author uses imagination to write a story that you could visualize really happening. The epilogue was a real gem. Now I'm happy to have found another author I enjoy and am going to download Claire: Ghost in the Burbs right now.
Very few books in the horror genre these days actually scare me. This one actually did. Those who are faint of heart should definitely not read this at night. Great story and well written. Some editing mistakes (e.g., words missing, extra words) but nothing that detracted from the story. I am hoping this author writes more - I will be keeping an eye out for future books.
Scared the pants right off of me! Liz Sower has a way of telling a story that has you along for the ride before you even know you've gotten in the car.
Liz Sower has such a talent for weaving a truly chilling story and slowly dipping you into it. You're up to your nose before you realize what she's done, and it's too late to run.
I have not listened to the podcast episode/s that go along with this story, but man. I need some time to get out of sleeping-with-the-lights-on mode before I do.
Lesson learned: always perform your due diligence when purchasing a home in New England.
For those of you familiar with the podcast, Ghosts in the Burbs, you will be familiar with the story of Lilith. I generally love listening to the podcast; however, I am not enjoying the books quite as much. Ms. Sower is a great storyteller on her podcast; however, if you are looking for a fully fleshed read, this is not for you. Maybe it is because I have listened to the podcast and I am expecting to know more about the characters.
The podcast centers around Liz Sower, a blogger who collects ghost stories. The book does go into greater detail and background information on the main characters before Liz enters the picture. I believe what disappointed me the most was that the author spent the entire book on the buildup, that there was no time for resolution. You have absolutely no idea what becomes of the family. You spend the entire novel learning and caring about the characters, only for it to end, giving you this feeling that the author just did not know how to end it. This is probably a ploy to get you to listen to the podcast; however, followup is not her strong suite there either.
The books and podcast go hand-in-hand, so I can understand how she may want to continue the story on her blog; however, if someone were reading this as a stand alone they would have a hard time comprehending some of the narrative. After reading Lilith, if you are expecting to listen to the podcast for closure, it is spotty at best. Liz is great at story telling, terrible at following through. She just seems to come and go randomly and spontaneously. So, if you are the type of person who needs to be able to follow a story line and have closure, this series and podcast may not be for you.
Listened from the podcast Ghost in the Burbs and read by the author.
It expands on what happened before the episode where we meet Lillith in the podcast. It's the long game of a ghost story.
SPOILERS (keep forgetting how to hide the spoiler paragraph so)
SPOILERS
(spoiler) It's a sad story for all involved, no happy endings. How easily people are trapped in places and situations through all the mundane necessities of life. Money, jobs etc that make people ignore or try and excuse all those gut instincts screaming that something is terribly wrong.(/spoiler)
I think overall I prefer the interviews each episode that build up the story of the town of Wellesley, Masachussetts to the having the long story in one go, but I still enjoyed this detour.
The book is a touch predictable, which is okay in this instance because the author considers these "cozy" horror stories. <3 I did notice some grammatical errors like switching POV from "I" to "Laura" particularly in the interview portion; I assume this is because the author created the interview first and then added the full story later. That being said I like a ton of her short stories on GITHB; I still laugh to myself about the coven of women in Lululemon, hahaha. I hope to see more in the future.
Lilith (and Claire, Sower's previous book) are the 2 scariest books I have ever read in my life.
It loses a star from me for the abrupt ending. I do not listen to the podcast Sower has, so maybe that helps this seem less unfinished, but the book seems to end with no resolution, just when it seems like we may get one.
If Sower releases another book (especially a part 2 to this story), I will absolutely read it.
Not really the sequel I was hoping for but still good
This isn’t really the sequel to Claire I was hoping for but it’s still a really good ghost story. I was hoping to learn more about Claire and Tom and their stories but this picks up another family’s haunting and you don’t really get a peek at the tie in until the very end. I got a little slow in the middle but it didn’t take much to power thru that point. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
A tale of demonic possession, motherhood, and isolation. From the podcast Ghosts in the Burbs. Gah I wanted to much more...it left on a total cliffhanger just like the last one. I want answers! So good. Love paranormal stories. 👻
I adore Liz Sower's podcast/blog - it's my comfort listen! I enjoyed learning more about the family in this story - there are many others from Ghosts In The Burbs that I'd love to know more about as well. I have given 5 stars because Liz's stories bring me such joy and her presentation style when she reads is wonderful - like a conversation with an old friend.
A slow burning, gripping, deep and thrilling read, you wont want to put the book down and thats not because your too terrified to see what has been creeping up in front of you hidden from view by the book.
This podcast is literally incredible. I feel bad giving the book a three, but if you have already listened to the podcast, its not going to add much for you. Maybe just skip to the last few chapters.
7/10- good ghost story, but it wasnt the 9/10 that I would give the podcast.
Loved this book, story was so creepy, up until it ended! It left me with no closure!! I needed more! I have not listened to any of her podcasts… so that I will have to do!
This one got me. Liz wrote in a way where I was getting lost in the book and feeling I was living in it. I had so many chills and ended up having to finish the book in daylight!
I loved this deep dive into one of the most chilling tales of demonic possession from my favorite podcast Ghosts in the Burbs. Liz is such a talented storyteller, and while I of course hearing all the tales from Liz’s POV, I also love how she imagined all the different POVs involved in this story and tied everything together. You don’t need to listen to the podcast to enjoy this frightening tale (although you totally should).
I’m cheating a little calling this a book, it’s included in the main Ghosts in the Burbs podcast but I wanted to get credit for listening! This creepy tale expands on a couple of interviews from the podcast/blog, centering on a family that moves to Massachusetts from Texas.
Liz is an amazing writer and storyteller. I first heard her beautifully written stories via her podcast Ghosts In the Burbs. She did a fantastic job of narrating. Such a gift. I can’t wait for the next book.
Lilith's story gives me chills.who wants to go into the basement or do laundry ever, ever again? Now I have a firm excuse. Liz continues to be one of the best modern story tellers and I continue to recommend her to everyone. If you want to laugh, and be spooked, read Liz Sower.