Resthaven

De: Erik Therme

Narrado por: Randi Larson

The last thing Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt - especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety - only to discover the front doors are now padlocked, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Kaylee is about to learn that not everything that goes "bump in the night" is imaginary, and sometimes there are worse things to fear than ghosts.

©2016 Amazon Publishing (P)2017 Erik Therme

A little young

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.

This audio book was a bit of a struggle for me to finish. It started out okay but I quickly found it to be a little imature. I would say it's more appropriate for younger people, maybe teens.

Great suspense!

We listened to this story on a road trip. It kept us entertained and wanting to know what was going to happen to the characters next. We really enjoyed it!

For a teen thriller, not too bad

I hadn't previously noticed the genre until I had already started listening to this story. While I don't usually lean towards YA stories, I decided to keep going with this one.

Right off the bat I'm confused by the storyline a bit. It seems odd that Kaylee would venture off to a sleepover at a girl's house she doesn't even know. I get that the mutual friend Anna, invited her to Jamie's house but that's still a weird detail. The mix of girls is so bizarre too. Which I guess is part of the point. No one set of girls seems especially paired well to align together for the duration of the story.

I felt like the Jamie and Anna characters were especially whiney and obnoxious sounding. I tried to think back and recall my own daughter (or myself for that matter) and I never really could relate or find any common ground to this degree of whiney girl. The narrator did well in that regard - being a convincingly whiney sounding young woman.

The story itself was fast paced and had some surprises so that was good. The boy was an interesting element to the story as was the old man. It wasn't hard to imagine the fear being locked in an old folks hospital. I was a little confused as to how much time had elapsed with regard to the man and boy and the girls being in there.

I really had a hard time finding any of the characters relatable and Jamie was especially horrible. I liked the brother detail however. I felt like there were some loose ends with regards to Jamie's family and the whispering that Kaylee overheard. The end kind of lets you draw your own conclusions but the direction it eludes to seems a little improbable.

Mixed emotions

This book started out quite entertaining. Some young girls, not all friends, get together for a birthday party scavenger hunt. My first head scratch started when the girls were shown to be 15 years old instead of the 12 or 13 I originally thought. The dialogue was definitely pre-teen! The second was the mix of girls. Not one of them was likable (some more so than others.) All were just degrees of icky. When they got trapped in the house, I felt sorrier for the dog, the little boy, and the old man.

I liked the narration although when the building caught on fire, I didn't feel the fright or the sense of urgency. It could have been the written word as well but I never once felt the tension that should have been there.

This was a decent story but just okay for me.

THINGS THAT GO BUMP AT NIGHT

Rest haven. Eric Therme
A mix of girls on a scavenger hunt, toss in a haunted old dilapidated nursing home and you have one scary story. Inhabitant are inside, as well as things worse than ghosts and ones imagination. The story was well done by Randi Larson.

Good stuff!

Any additional comments?

Erik Therme's writing style is fluid and deft. This skill is put on display in Resthaven, a YA suspense book that takes the reader into the chilling, creepy interior of an abandoned retirement home...with no way to escape.

A tagline for the book is "sometimes there are worse things to fear than ghosts." One of those fears should be missing out on Therme's writing. My two kids aren't of reading age, but as soon as they are up to it, they're getting this book shoved into their hot little hands.

The audio does justice to the book and helps to bring it alive!

Resthaven

This is an ok story.I didn't really like any of the characters.Randi Larsen is an ok YA narrater.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

Teen Thriller

Resthaven by Erik Therme is a great thriller for teens. I thought the author wrote a great story portraying the teens and old man. The characters were well developed. Randi Larson was amazing performing this book. She brought the characters to life with distinguishable voices. I could hear exactly who was speaking. Kudos to the author for the wonderful twists. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. This is a standalone listen.

Stereotypes abound but there are few interesting elements

When I grabbed this book I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting but a bunch of whiny 15 year olds was not it. I may be out of the loop (my daughter was 15 nine years ago) but do teenage girls really treat each other like this? And still call themselves friends? Once I got past the initial shock the mystery really grabbed me. The author found a way to make the antagonist more than just a menacing creeper. The narrator also surprised me once I appreciated that even though the performances were stereotypical they also served to give each girl a distinctive voice.
One thing I can say is I would be interested in seeing more from this author.

Wonderful Cast of Characters

What starts as a seemingly normal scavenger hunt through an abandoned building turns into pure chaos for a group of girls. After moving to a new town, Kaylee isn’t excited about trying to make new friends, but after her mom insists, she goes to hang out with a group of girls who aren’t too thrilled about her being there. After getting into a fight with the alpha female, Jamie, Kaylee along with the rest of the group, are locked inside an abandoned house. At first, things seem as if they’re going to be okay. Until the girls realize they’re not the only ones in there.

While this book was full of action and suspense, I think what really made the story pop was the dynamic differences in the characters. Each had their own personality from Jamie and her Queen Bee vibes, to Wren’s smart down-to-Earth character, and even to Anna’s whiny save-yourself mentality.

As the girls try to find their way free of the situation they’re in, each of their unique personalities pushes the story forward. I absolutely love this book, and I recommend it to all fans of YA as well as mystery/suspense.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.