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Cold Water Veins
Two estranged sisters, Lillian and Adelia, struggle to come to terms after the mother they've believed to be dead for the past fifteen years actually passes away. Confused and in shock, they travel together to the isolated village of their childhood to claim the farm that was passed on to them. There’s comfort in returning to this place of their birth, where a simpler, rustic life feels possible – but the sisters quickly realize that something is very wrong with the village, and that their mother was hiding more than they could have ever imagined.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2021
12 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Amy Lukavics
10 books490 followersEver since she was little, Amy was especially intrigued by horror books and movies. Raised in a small mountain town in Arizona, she sustained herself on a steady diet of Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books before discovering Stephen King in her mother's bookshelf.
Amy lives with her husband, their two precious squidlings, and an old gentleman cat by the name of Frodo. When she isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and playing games across many platforms.
Amy lives with her husband, their two precious squidlings, and an old gentleman cat by the name of Frodo. When she isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and playing games across many platforms.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
November 19, 2023
Story 3.5 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Melanie Nicholls
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Melanie Nicholls
August 18, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up
One of my favorite horror novels is by Amy Lukavics so I was excited to check out this audible original novella! Overall, I liked it. It's a strange little story about sisters returning to the rural village they grew up in after the death of their mother. It's got this authors brand of weird and disturbing which I appreciated, I mostly just wanted more. I feel like this could have been developed into a longer story, and it would have been better for it. There's a lot of leadup and then we're told some history and things happen really quick. A longer book would have slowly built up the creep factor and better explained things. That said, I still enjoyed the story and if you're looking for a quick read via audio, this is a good choice!
One of my favorite horror novels is by Amy Lukavics so I was excited to check out this audible original novella! Overall, I liked it. It's a strange little story about sisters returning to the rural village they grew up in after the death of their mother. It's got this authors brand of weird and disturbing which I appreciated, I mostly just wanted more. I feel like this could have been developed into a longer story, and it would have been better for it. There's a lot of leadup and then we're told some history and things happen really quick. A longer book would have slowly built up the creep factor and better explained things. That said, I still enjoyed the story and if you're looking for a quick read via audio, this is a good choice!
August 22, 2021
*Audible audio*
Narration: 4 stars 🌟 🤩
Story: 2.25 stars 🌟 (means just okay for me, and interesting enough for me to continue)
---
Not bad, but I think it would have been better off as a full novel rather than novella. It had the creepiness factor but just wanted "more" of.. everything.
Some parts didn't feel as fully explored, would have loved more background and such on a few things .
Not a bad read, just a slight miss for me. *shrugs *
Narration: 4 stars 🌟 🤩
Story: 2.25 stars 🌟 (means just okay for me, and interesting enough for me to continue)
---
Not bad, but I think it would have been better off as a full novel rather than novella. It had the creepiness factor but just wanted "more" of.. everything.
Some parts didn't feel as fully explored, would have loved more background and such on a few things .
Not a bad read, just a slight miss for me. *shrugs *
October 10, 2021
A fun, quick little story to kill a couple of hours.
It just didn't have the time that Lukavics really needed to build and develop a complete story. But she did do a marvelous job of building an exceptionally creepy atmosphere.
I was left wanting a better twist at the end.
It just didn't have the time that Lukavics really needed to build and develop a complete story. But she did do a marvelous job of building an exceptionally creepy atmosphere.
I was left wanting a better twist at the end.
September 2, 2022
Errrrr yeah. Not quite what I expected. Feels disjointed and devoid of any character.
January 18, 2022
This unlike any short story I have read in the past and though it is a horror story it isn't scary or even very creepy. It is so well written you get a feel for each character pretty quickly and you feel the strange combination of calm and bleak atmosphere. The mountains are a constant and the cover art gives you the creepy feeling that you need to understand as you start this story of deeply buried secrets.
August 17, 2021
I felt like this story was almost too short. It seemed like the first half didn't really add much to the story and the second half tried to explain everything. A very strange story. I had a tough time telling what point in time the story took place too. Not bad, just not great.
September 12, 2021
This is a true horror book honestly, and not something that I usually enjoy. However, I enjoyed this one very much. I honestly was disappointed when I finished it and much thought this would make a great full novel.
Two sisters, whose mother had died when they were little are given their family home. This is where they lived happily with their mother and father. They only find this out after her real death months later. Confused? I was at first also. However once they return to the home they find out many things were kept from them both. Deadly things.
Two sisters, whose mother had died when they were little are given their family home. This is where they lived happily with their mother and father. They only find this out after her real death months later. Confused? I was at first also. However once they return to the home they find out many things were kept from them both. Deadly things.
November 2, 2021
Audible novella - FREE. Ehhh. Redeeming qualities were the narration and its brevity.
September 5, 2021
Creepy little short!
September 7, 2021
Lillian and Adelia are two sisters who are brought away from their small mountain village to the big city at a young age by their harsh father, thinking that their mother had died. When these sisters are middle aged, they find out that their mother had actually been alive all these years, leading them back to their mountain ranch, where they are swept up in a creepy paranormal build-up of events.
I've seen unfavorable reviews that aren't a fan of the paranormal aspects, but I thought there were hints sprinkled throughout that this was going to be a small-town drama turned horror tale by the end. The narrative structure seemed in line with some Edgar Allen Poe short stories I've read.
Because this is a short novella, I give the author a lot of slack for the ending. I wasn't expecting much, and I appreciated the imagery of the ominous mountain influencing the villagers, so I wasn't disappointed. There are some major un-answered questions and lack of action in the climax, so if this was longer I would have much preferred some more reveal and assertiveness on the part of the POV sister. But as a creepy sister story with paranormal aspects set in a small mountain village, this hit it and I'm glad I listened to it. It's only just over 2 hours long, so it's a good read to pass the time on a long car ride or something.
I've seen unfavorable reviews that aren't a fan of the paranormal aspects, but I thought there were hints sprinkled throughout that this was going to be a small-town drama turned horror tale by the end. The narrative structure seemed in line with some Edgar Allen Poe short stories I've read.
Because this is a short novella, I give the author a lot of slack for the ending. I wasn't expecting much, and I appreciated the imagery of the ominous mountain influencing the villagers, so I wasn't disappointed. There are some major un-answered questions and lack of action in the climax, so if this was longer I would have much preferred some more reveal and assertiveness on the part of the POV sister. But as a creepy sister story with paranormal aspects set in a small mountain village, this hit it and I'm glad I listened to it. It's only just over 2 hours long, so it's a good read to pass the time on a long car ride or something.
August 31, 2021
Cold Water Veins by Amy Lukavics
There is no denying that this novella is creepy, but as too often happens in the world of horror, the threat did not live up to the buildup. In fact, we never really discover what the threat is—it comes in, does its damage, and leaves. And the heroine is not even smart enough to get out afterward, living in appalling conditions to be close to her sister who any reasonable person would define as lost.
In addition, the characters were hard to credit. They grew up in a purposely isolated village that seemed to be existing at an at best nineteenth century technology level—no electricity, horses instead of cars, etc. The heroine and her sister were taken from this environment and brought into the rest of America when they were young girls. Not once upon their return to the village twenty years later did they miss having a cell phone, television, music, running water, microwave ovens, or any of the conveniences we taken for granted in modern society. I just didn’t find that credible, and I guess that sums up my whole experience of this novella—not credible even given the suspension of disbelief we willingly offer for this genre of story.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
There is no denying that this novella is creepy, but as too often happens in the world of horror, the threat did not live up to the buildup. In fact, we never really discover what the threat is—it comes in, does its damage, and leaves. And the heroine is not even smart enough to get out afterward, living in appalling conditions to be close to her sister who any reasonable person would define as lost.
In addition, the characters were hard to credit. They grew up in a purposely isolated village that seemed to be existing at an at best nineteenth century technology level—no electricity, horses instead of cars, etc. The heroine and her sister were taken from this environment and brought into the rest of America when they were young girls. Not once upon their return to the village twenty years later did they miss having a cell phone, television, music, running water, microwave ovens, or any of the conveniences we taken for granted in modern society. I just didn’t find that credible, and I guess that sums up my whole experience of this novella—not credible even given the suspension of disbelief we willingly offer for this genre of story.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
August 23, 2021
I listened to this on Audible. It's a rather strange tale about two sisters returning to their farming village after the mother they thought was already dead was discovered drowned in her own bathtub.
The narration is very good but the storytelling isn't all that great and the plot doesn't hang together all that well.
The narration is very good but the storytelling isn't all that great and the plot doesn't hang together all that well.
October 25, 2021
An Audible original novella, narrated by Lauren Fortgang, 'Cold Water Veins' is a tale of the love of two sisters for each other, in spite of the passage of years, and entire lives structured on lies.
It doesn't specifically have a set time frame, the use of horses for transport contrast with mentions of apartments, and tank tops so it could really be set anywhere in the last century. Adelia and Lily start the book being taken away from their small village, Birchville (I think?) on the side of mountains in possibly the South of America. They live a agricultural life, before being taken by their father away, into the world that most of us recognise. He tells them that their mother has gone missing, is most likely dead, and that they need to get away.
15 years pass, the sisters becoming estranged (Lily leaves Adelia) until, contacted by their father, they find that their mother really has died, and has left them their childhood home. An ignominious and lonely death , in the house kept as a monument to the childhood of the two girls, they go back to see if they can unravel the web of lives which has led to their estrangement.
Their arrival heralds mysterious deaths which make no sense-advanced putrefaction and decay which is impossible, blackened teeth, pulled out, alongside clumps of hair and translucent skin are commonalities between them.
Worrying that the girls have bought a curse with them, Adelia confronts her first love, Everett, who never left there, whilst Lily is drawn to walk in her mother's footsteps.
But with death dogging their footsteps, can the sisters work out the secret of their origins?
And when they find out, will they wish they never looked?
Creepy and horrific with some excellent descriptions of the horror meted to a disparate number of villagers, this novella is beautifully narrated, and really explores the consequences of wishing for something that you just might get. They are fed lies about their mother instead of the truth, in a move which is universal to fathers who want to control the narrative, and environment in which their daughters come of age.
However, the discovery of a diary not only fleshes out the back story, it introduces some very creepy monsters, discusses the nature versus nurture issue of parental responsibility, and presents a life of sparsity but one-ness with the earth and the natural world. It packs a fair amount in the relatively short running time, I loved how spooky it was and wish I had been able to take notes as I had the novella on in work whilst I was studying . It was a dark and gloomy day in my lower basement hobbit hole and this was the soundtrack of my afternoon, it was a lot of fun to listen to!
It doesn't specifically have a set time frame, the use of horses for transport contrast with mentions of apartments, and tank tops so it could really be set anywhere in the last century. Adelia and Lily start the book being taken away from their small village, Birchville (I think?) on the side of mountains in possibly the South of America. They live a agricultural life, before being taken by their father away, into the world that most of us recognise. He tells them that their mother has gone missing, is most likely dead, and that they need to get away.
15 years pass, the sisters becoming estranged (Lily leaves Adelia) until, contacted by their father, they find that their mother really has died, and has left them their childhood home. An ignominious and lonely death , in the house kept as a monument to the childhood of the two girls, they go back to see if they can unravel the web of lives which has led to their estrangement.
Their arrival heralds mysterious deaths which make no sense-advanced putrefaction and decay which is impossible, blackened teeth, pulled out, alongside clumps of hair and translucent skin are commonalities between them.
Worrying that the girls have bought a curse with them, Adelia confronts her first love, Everett, who never left there, whilst Lily is drawn to walk in her mother's footsteps.
But with death dogging their footsteps, can the sisters work out the secret of their origins?
And when they find out, will they wish they never looked?
Creepy and horrific with some excellent descriptions of the horror meted to a disparate number of villagers, this novella is beautifully narrated, and really explores the consequences of wishing for something that you just might get. They are fed lies about their mother instead of the truth, in a move which is universal to fathers who want to control the narrative, and environment in which their daughters come of age.
However, the discovery of a diary not only fleshes out the back story, it introduces some very creepy monsters, discusses the nature versus nurture issue of parental responsibility, and presents a life of sparsity but one-ness with the earth and the natural world. It packs a fair amount in the relatively short running time, I loved how spooky it was and wish I had been able to take notes as I had the novella on in work whilst I was studying . It was a dark and gloomy day in my lower basement hobbit hole and this was the soundtrack of my afternoon, it was a lot of fun to listen to!
January 20, 2023
I adore Amy Lukavics horror novels, so I was really excited to listen to this Audible Original. It is only a couple of hours long, and tells the story of two sisters, an eerie town in the mountains mostly cut off from the modern world, and something sinister come to wreak havoc.
This story is atmospheric, creepy and has some very disturbing scenes. The trademark darkness I have come to expect from Amy’s novels does weave itself throughout the story. However, I wish that it were longer - I feel like we didn’t necessarily get enough background of the town, the mountains. We didn’t get enough of an explanation for things. I think this really would have made an excellent full length novel.
All that said, I did enjoy it, and recommend it if you are looking for a quick and creepy story to pass a couple of hours with.
This story is atmospheric, creepy and has some very disturbing scenes. The trademark darkness I have come to expect from Amy’s novels does weave itself throughout the story. However, I wish that it were longer - I feel like we didn’t necessarily get enough background of the town, the mountains. We didn’t get enough of an explanation for things. I think this really would have made an excellent full length novel.
All that said, I did enjoy it, and recommend it if you are looking for a quick and creepy story to pass a couple of hours with.
January 4, 2025
First, the bad. The story feels like it could do with some padding. Especially from the beginning until when we hear about the first death. Because the beginning felt so rushed, it made the father's sudden appearance feel very out of the blue. Perhaps some of the diary expo dump could have been laced throughout the beginning somehow. Another point that throws me is that I was having a hard time pining down when this was supposed to take place. I think it might have been less disorienting if we'd had a clearer contrast in the main characters mind, perhaps have her miss things that she left behind to come back to this place.
Now, the good. The main character was complex and not always easy to like. The atmosphere was very well done, and the ending felt very ominous. The narration was also wonderful.
Now, the good. The main character was complex and not always easy to like. The atmosphere was very well done, and the ending felt very ominous. The narration was also wonderful.
April 29, 2023
Well …. what do I say? The story was of two sisters that were so lifeless that you couldn’t care less about them or what happened to them.
Even the backstory of their vanished alcoholic mother was so flat that you couldn’t care about them.
I guess that the cover and the publisher’s synopsis made me think that I was going to enjoy a mystery - but not the type of supernatural story that I listened to.
Perhaps, I should have checked out the author and her genre before I selected this book.
Well on the bright side - it was short enough that it leaves me time enough to read another book more in my area of interest.
Even the backstory of their vanished alcoholic mother was so flat that you couldn’t care about them.
I guess that the cover and the publisher’s synopsis made me think that I was going to enjoy a mystery - but not the type of supernatural story that I listened to.
Perhaps, I should have checked out the author and her genre before I selected this book.
Well on the bright side - it was short enough that it leaves me time enough to read another book more in my area of interest.
December 30, 2021
This sort of horror isn't really my genre, and this novella was no exception. Another "what the hell, why not if it's free" Audible thingy I grabbed at some point - I need to learn to be more picky with those. This just wasn't my thing. I didn't even find it particularly creepy, probably because I didn't feel at all invested in story or characters at any time.
January 4, 2022
This was definitely a creepy read. It seemed a little rushed at the end and I didn’t quite get how the beginning made sense with the ending, but I liked how the story was told. I’d be interested to read more from this author and see what I think of that. I’m glad I picked this up on a whim either way.
September 22, 2021
Somehow towns isolated by a ring of mountains is a literary thing. All these evil people with a dark past live there and make life miserable for a young woman who returns there. Reminded me of Winterkill by Kate Boorman, but not as good.
January 3, 2022
Thank god this was a nice short listen. I am still not sure what I listened to. What the point of this story was or what was living in the hills...virus or demon? On a happy note, I earned one read towards my Goodreads challenge.
January 20, 2022
An interesting location and a supernatural twist should have made for a gripping read. Unfortunately, this novella left so much unanswered and ambiguous that I felt cheated. The author really missed some great opportunities to take this story to the next level. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
January 3, 2023
Creepy little story. It actually took me two tries to get through this, although it turned out that I'd given up the first time just before things got weird and interesting. I'd like to read other works by this author.
August 9, 2023
A quick story that is surrounded by mystery and supernatural undertones. Family secrets, and the haunting truth of what's to come. This story will leave you chilled to the bone and wondering what truly happened.
November 11, 2023
This book held a lot of promise from the beginning. But, it definitely sputtered out of steam quickly. I personally think they tried to rush through the book. I'm sure there are many that will still enjoy it. So take my opinion with a grain of salt.
March 30, 2026
the narration was great . the novella was good but it felt like it was written as if it was going to be a full length ( if that makes sense ) so it left me more unfulfilled than I would have liked. I think this would do great as a full length novel
August 18, 2021
It was definitely different?
August 19, 2021
Super weird.
August 23, 2021
Loved the writing, would have liked to see what a fuller novel on this concept would have been. Will look out for more from this author
August 24, 2021
I listened to this spooky tale at night by myself and creeped myself out for real. Scary stuff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews