The Haunted

By: Danielle Vega

Narrated by: Holly Linneman

ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY'S "BIGGEST AND BEST YA BOOKS OF THE SUMMER"

From Danielle Vega, YA's answer to Stephen King, comes a new paranormal novel about dark family secrets, deep-seated vengeance, and the horrifying truth that evil often lurks in the unlikeliest of places.

Clean slate. That's what Hendricks Becker-O'Malley's parents said when they moved their family to the tiny town of Drearfield, New York. Hendricks wants to lay low and forget her dark, traumatic past. Forget him. But things don't go as planned.

Hendricks learns from new friends at school that Steele House--the fixer upper her parents are so excited about--is notorious in town. Local legend says it's haunted. But Hendricks isn't sure if it's the demons of her past haunting her ...or of the present. Voices whisper in her ear as she lays in bed. Doors lock on their own. And, then, one night, things take a violent turn.

With help from the mysterious boy next door, Hendricks makes it her mission to take down the ghosts . . . if they don't take her first.

©2019 Danielle Vega (P)2019 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Vega's take on the haunted house subgenre features an eclectic, well-fitted mix of supernatural spookiness and gore.... A gently horrid reminder that some ghosts can be very real." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Even the most diehard aficionados of horror may find themselves leaving the lights on after reading this one." (BCCB)

Awesome!

This was really good. kept me interested. Great storyline. The narrator did a great job.

So unexpected!

I was in the mood for something light, if you can call a ghost story light. A teen ghost story kind of light. This was so much more. Writing worthy of Stephen King and a narrator with incredible talent. I highly recommend. I did not expect it to be this good.

Stayed up all night to finish it

I loved the Merciless but I think I enjoyed The Haunted even more! I ended up pulling an all nighter to finish it, I just couldn’t put it down! Reminded me a lot of the original Poltergeist.

Drags You In and Doesn't Let You Go

A brilliant little fast-paced read that feels like you’re watching a horror movie. Danielle Vega has done it again! I loved ‘The Haunted.’ It created a sufficiently spooky atmosphere and walked that line of reality and supernatural. A fantastic haunted house storyline that slowly unfolds to a totally unpredictable ending. If I have one criticism, it’s that the story wasn’t complex enough. But I have noticed that about Vega’s writing. She likes short, to the point horrors that build intense imagery. Hendrick’s is a fun protagonist, moving to a new small town, enrolling in high school and dealing with some weird hallucinations that may or may not be connected to a troubled past. The town of Drearfield offers Hendricks a clean slate, one that she is determined to take advantage of. Straight off the bat she is a got-getter. Proactive. Despite past events, she is not wallowing in grief or self-pity. I instantly liked her. Hendricks was a battler right to the end. We do get a lot of tropes however – the parents not believing or being involved in the paranormal storyline, the emo loner, the jock, the love triangle… it was a little bit cringey, but I have to admit, I enjoy those from time to time. Even with those tropes, the friends Hendricks makes at school does deconstruct the stereotypes a little, giving a taste of freshness to Vega’s writing style. Eddie, the emo loner and next door neighbor, jilted from the ‘in’ crowd at school, knows more about the haunting than he’s letting on; and is one of the love interests for Hendircks. I enjoyed how Vega develops this character, even if it is somewhat predicable. Our jock, Connor, seems to be the quintessential stereotype, turns out to have a heart of gold, oodles amount of patients, and once I got to see him interact with many of the other cast, came to favor him above all the rest… and it was interesting having him as Hendrick’s other suitor. Notable mention: the not-quite-mean-girl, Portia played her role expertly. But I could take her or leave her, she was an integral part of the plot - as the tool for dragging our protagonist into unfamiliar situations. I felt like she needed a bit more development and wasn’t so stereotypical. There are some triggers around torture, sexual assault and abuse, and definitely some gory scenes to boot. Read easily in two sittings, and ties everything up nicely. Enjoyed the ending – that plot twist though… girl! The dominant theme was about overcoming abuse and learning to stand up for yourself.

Amazing start, Horrible and unsatisfying ending

Vega is an extremely talented writer for details and emotions, but her story falls apart in her rush for? Twists? Subversion? Shock value? I guess? I recommend reading up to the first fakeout ending and using your imagination, otherwise prepare for an extremely mediocre downer ending.

Booooooo

I’m not ok after a ghost story. 😭 pacing was perfect and I hated the ending cause. Reasons. But ugh the lighter. The feels.

great book great read

love me some Danielle Vega books!
the narrator Holly was fantastic. I usually prefer books in hand and struggle sometimes with audio books for imagination and reception reasons. it takes an amazing narrator to keep me going and enthralled. Holly succeeded in that.

thanks !

listened in one day

great story and great narration. I couldn't stop listening and finished the book in one day.

Good to pass the time

Nothing thrilling or even scary. But it does show the relationship of an abusive larger to a teenage girl in a real sense.

Would recommend

I'm glad I purchased this audio book, the performance is quite good and the story deals with more than just horror as includes abuse and bullying. When it comes to YA ghost stories there isn't much to choose from, last one I can remember hearing about was Anna Dressed in Blood, which was much hyped in the publishing world but quite a let down for me.

The Haunted is more my speed when it comes to a ghost story, more realistic than Anna Dressed in Blood but still not bone-chilling enough for me. However that has far more to do with how desensitized I am than the author's ability to create a terrifying atmosphere for the reader. I will admit that while I was listening this book left me feeling unsettled for an evening. I would recommend this book to those looking for a terrifying read but don't want to have nightmares.