In the Eyes of Madness

Declan Peters Chronicles, Book 1

By: Michael Pang

Narrated by: Ben Kass

A near-tragic incident at the hands of his psychotic mother left Declan Peters alone and with so many questions.

Years later Declan is determined to find a way to be closer to his mother and takes a job at the institution where she's being held. That fateful decision will be the impetus for a chain of events so terrifying that Declan will question his own grasp on reality.

What he finds will be more horrifying than anything he's ever experienced and more dangerous than anything he's yet known. In a place rife with demonic possession and sadistic beings, will Declan finally be able to find the answers he's longed for before it's too late, or will he succumb to the evil forces that inhabit the institution and all who live there?

©2015 Michael Pang (P)2016 Michael Pang

Loved!!

When Declan was young, his mother went mad and tried to drown him. She was put into an institution and has spent years there. Now David, who was raised by his aunt and uncle, works in the same institute and it's this job that will nearly be the death of him. It's here he meets someone who may be able to answer his question on why a perfectly ordinary woman can go crazy in an instant. But the answer may lead to his own sanity being questioned!

I have to say that for such a short book, this sure does pack a punch!! It felt like the book was double the length as so much happened. I thoroughly enjoyed this!!

Declan was a great character. His mother tried to kill him yet he harbours her no ill will. He wants to try to understand why she did it and to build a relationship with her. He is truly just a nice guy! I was rooting for him the whole way through.

The plot of this was gripping, chilling and oh so thrilling. We enter a world filled with demons, demon hunters, nephilim and other nasties and the author captures the darkness perfectly. I listened to the audio of this in a day!! The author made the idea of demonic possession so scary and something that could happen. While reading it, I had chills at parts and it brought me back to my childhood when I snuck up late and watched The Exorcist. I had nightmares for months after that!!! This book had the same feel as that.

In all, a book that will stay with me. I devoured it and can't wait for more!!

Ben Kass did a really good job of capturing the feel of the book. He knew when to ramp up the tension and brought the story alive.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*

A bit rushed but a good start

This was a pretty good start to the series. In the beginning the story felt rushed. The mythology created was incomplete and needs to be flushed out more. The story holds a lot of promise though. Tristan and Zoe are two of the most unlikable unsympathetic characters I've come across. Thankfully the main character Declan and his two best friends are quite enjoyable. I'll definitely be following up with the series. Very curious to see where it goes.

The narrator is pleasant and enjoyable.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

In the eyes of madness

This was a good book. I thought the author did a great job building up the story, and characters. I am excited to see what comes in the next book.

The narrator did a great job. He added a lot of emotions to the reading. I Really enjoyed it.

I received this audiobook from the author narrator or publisher for free via audiobookboom in exchange for an unbiased review

Eyes of Madness

I enjoyed this story for the most part.It was interesting and well written but I felt there was a bit too much preaching and bible quotes.Ben Kass was a good narrator.I was given this book free for an honest review.

The hours fly by!

I listened to this audiobook on multiple shorter flights, and I almost wished the flights were a bit longer so I could keep on listening! I liked every character (which doesn't happen often for me), but Declan really shines the most. He is characterized so genuinely, and he is such a good guy that you can't help but like him. Moreover, the story is really captivating and it flows at the perfect pace. I wouldn't mind listening to this title more than once.

As for the narration, Ben Kass' performance is highly entertaining and superbly done. The narration truly brought every character, situation, and circumstance to life as the story unfolded. I did not want this book to end!

If you're a fan of stories involving demons and exorcisms you should check out In the Eyes of Madness. I can't emphasize enough how well done this audiobook is. Christian aspects do make frequent appearances in this book, but don't worry, it is not heavy handed by any means.

This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom, and I'm very excited for book 2!

In the eyes of madness

Would you listen to In the Eyes of Madness again? Why?

I don't usually re listen/reread

What did you like best about this story?

There's a part that is really a mystery/thriller and sometimes scary.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this audiobook.

In The eyes Of Mabness

This is a good start to what promises to be a very good series.

I really enjoyed listening to Ben Kass, his reading would pick up in speed in the perfect parts of the book adding to the suspense.

I was given this audio by the author, narrator or publisher free of charge in exchange for an honest unbiased review,

It took me a little while to get into this story

It took me a little while to get into this story. The point of view jumps around a bit and normally that doesn't bother me. However, in this tale, I had trouble keeping the characters straight initially. It seems nearly everyone has some angst and that made every character feel similar. Declan is the main character and he was pretty straightforward. He worries that he may fall into a well of mental illness, just as his mother has. Yet he has compassion and works at the same mental health institute where his mother is confined. His best friend Caleb works there too. Both guys are on the cusp of manhood and so I was a little surprised to see two young men volunteering at a mental health institute and this initially intrigued me.

From there, demons, angles, exorcisms, demon hunters, and nephalem get pulled into the mix. This is where the tale starts to sound like a mediocre episode of Supernatural though with much better gender balance. Caleb's sister Kiera is the romantic interest for Declan. There's also the siblings Tristan and Zoe who have some mystical abilities. Declan's aunt Lilly also plays a role as a bit of a Bible-thumping harpy. In fact, most of the time the ladies are berating their male counterparts over one thing or another and all together they come off as rather waspish. I will give Kiera and Zoe points for a having a few moments where they do something plot related.

There's plenty of religious talk and Bible verses in this story. That's not my thing and I often found myself tuning out during these bits of the story. Also, I felt that it was a bit simplistic to have all the powers of good derived from the Bible. I was hoping for a bit more depth or at least breadth in spiritual believes for this story.

Towards the end of the tale, Zoe and Tristan piqued my interest. They have been searching for answers their entire lives and that need has driven one of them to make questionable decisions. I think these two could make a very interesting sequel to this so-so beginning of a series.

Narration: Ben Kass did an OK job. His female voices were believable and there were no technical issues with the recording. While each new character starts off with a distinct voice, those character voices often become blurred as the story continues. When Tristan, Caleb, and Declan were talking together, I often found it difficult to tell who was saying what. Sometimes Kass was great at portraying the emotions of the characters and sometimes he sounded a bit bored or removed from a scene, delivering it almost deadpan. Kass's narration here shows he has the ability. He just needs a bit of polishing.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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awesome!

the way this book ended...... NOOOO!!! it was so good, such a cliffhanger! I can't wait to devour the next book. the characters were fabulous and the writing wasn't perfect, just a few small things, but overall very entertaining! the narration was excellent!

Kind of preachy

Any additional comments?

This book had a good exorcist type story line that felt like it was written to be for a movie. But at times it gets kind of preachy and hews to the Christian view of things. I'm not against that in general, but don't expect it in a story like this.

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”