The Dark Hour is my first novel by K.J. Young and this creepy thriller is like nothing I have ever read before. The main character, Mark Norman, needs a job and gets one becoming an in-home health aide for an elderly brother and sister, Roy and Alma, that live in an old (haunted) mansion. Even though he has no experience, Roy and Alma love Mark off the bat and want to leave him their fortune when they die very soon. As Mark becomes more invested in Roy and Alma’s lives and even lives with them at the Alden Manor, he begins to realize things are not as they originally seemed.
God, I have never hated a main character so much in my life. Mark Norman was a selfish, egotistic, misogynistic man who thought he could do no wrong. Once I got past how much I hated him, this book was very bizarre and creepy – in a good way! It was a fast-paced thriller that I had no idea where it was going- even up to the last page. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job of voicing the different characters. Even though it was creepy and bizarre, I felt like there were still unanswered questions I had. 3 out 5 stars!

Protagonists are rarely entirely unlikeable and offensive, but Mark Norman is. And horror serves as the perfect genre for this character concept, precisely because we can see his downfall approach from afar. Because while good-for-nothing, sociopathic Mark accepts a job that is far too perfect to be true, and thinks he deserves every single generosity thrown his way by the weird rich seniors he is paid to care for, the motivation behind their benefaction is blatantly obvious to the reader.

The big plus to this story is the role of Lisa, who is Mark's religious female counterpart in the elderly siblings' household. The (platonic at most) relationship that develops between these polar opposites is the most realistic depiction of coworkers who have to get along in a shared space I've ever seen. If the experienced colleague tells you that the job is bad and there is something is fishy about it, Mark, then you should run!

Spoiler, but have you seen the movie The Skeleton Key? Well, this is the novel's plot, only with more open questions at the end.

I loved this book! The plot was so entertaining as the characters inched closer to doom. The main characters were morally gray so it was understandable when they made poor choices. The setting and supporting characters/antagonists were creepy and seemed based in reality, adding another layer of fear. Even though I guessed the twist early on, I was entertained by the events leading up to the climax and loved the ending.

NetGalley gave me this book in the form of an audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I did not like this book. It was hard to finish. I found the narrators voice to be very boring and monotone. The voice for Roy was especially bad. He was trying to voice for Roy who is an elderly man and it came out as the most fake old man’s voice I have ever heard. There is a lot of bad language in the book that I didn’t like. And the story was not exciting to me at any point.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audio book.

This was certainly an engaging and twisty book, however, I felt the book just didn’t deliver what I was looking for and fell I little flat.

While taking place in the 70’s, Mark, who is many months behind on paying rent to his girlfriend, and has had no luck finding any job that is good enough for his standards, becomes a home health aide for two elderly siblings. He was elated when he was hired and being paid five times the minimum wage for a job in which he had no qualifications for. At this point the story is filled with mystery, twists, turns, and a little creepy.
Mark is portrayed as a sexist, arrogant, self-centered, obnoxious young man who eventually stares karma right in the face. We aren’t supposed to like Mark or feel bad for Mark. Mark has “made his bed” and what happens is all his doing. Then the book starts to veer a bit. You know how the story is going to go, you don't like Mark
and really it's only him carrying this story, so you don't get a break from him and he really is just not a likeable guy. I did appreciate the audio book.

A good book but predictable, you could see what would happen but not how it would happen. Mark Norman gets a job working for an old brother and sister. Good characterization though not all likeable. The narrator does a fine job.
I received this audiobook from Nightly Press and Netgalley a review.

Disclaimer: I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Mark Norman is 25 years old and looking for a job; he is behind on helping his girlfriend pay the bill and she is threatening to kick him out. He is pretty much a dead beat at this point, though he sees it as having bad luck and not finding any job that is “good enough” for him. He can’t believe his luck when he goes out for an interview as a home health aide and is offered the job on the spot for $10 an hour – this is WAY over minimum wage in the 1970s, when this book is set. Everything about the job seems perfect, until creepy and mysterious things start happening. Soon, Mark finds that he doesn’t quite trust what is going on in the manor he works in.

This is a relatively short horror/psychological thriller book that honestly just didn’t work for me. I enjoyed the premise of two older siblings in a dilapidated manor where evil things seem to lurk, and I was interested in discovering more about the Redevine Society. Learning about the older siblings and what their lives looked like now and in the past was fun, and I enjoyed the build up of Roy’s character. I also would have liked to see more of Lisa, I think her point of view would have been very interesting.

Unfortunately, I felt like I knew pretty much what was happening from the beginning. I was hoping that the plot would introduce more mystery and possibly add a few twists, but I was left a little disappointed. The reader is pretty much let in on the mystery very early and must keep reading to find out if the “plan” will work.

Another one of my issues with this book is how incredibly unlikeable Mark is. The reader isn’t meant to like him, but the entire story is told from his side, and I found it almost insufferable by the end. Mark is such a jerk, there is not one nice thing I could say about him. I don’t normally mind having a main character that isn’t super likeable, or in the grey area of morality. To me, Mark was not even in the grey area, his morality just wasn’t there.

If you don’t mind knowing the central mystery from the start, and you like reading from an unlikeable character’s point of view, then this will be a book that you enjoy. I do recommend the audio version of this book.

Mark is a pretty average guy who is looking for a job. When he interviews to home Healthcare helper the job sounds too good to be true. It sounds simple enough and the pay is generous, which is what he's really looking for anyway. Lisa, who he will be working with, seems very withdrawn but professional. She seems worried about the house and feels like something dark resides there. Mark doesn't think she has anything to fear, until his own nightmares start.

I really wish I could give this book a higher rating but I could tell exactly what was happening from the beginning. It's so similar to another story that I knew immediately where it was headed. The story was still enjoyable though. If I didn't know, it would be much more enjoyable. The character of Mark is lacking a bit of substance but Lisa was a great character. She had real depth. I hope others can enjoy this and be surprised by the outcome.

My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for allowing a chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I started off enjoying this (even though I had an idea early on about what the plot would be) and honestly I really enjoyed the characters. Our main character however was the guy you loved it hate. Just when I was starting to like him boom he turns back to his little misogynistic ways. Ultimately it was an enjoyable listen and a fun mystery. The narrator really is what kept me listening though. Still recommend.

2.5⭐️ rounded up…this was such a slog for me to get through. It wasn’t that long of a book, but still took me almost 2 weeks to listen to because I just didn’t care to. The writing was nothing special, I hated everything about the MC, & the story wasn’t super original. The ending wasn’t horrible, so that gave it an extra 1/2⭐️ for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was creepy and twisted! I knew there was something off about Roy and Alma right from the start, but damn it was still so creepy. This was a an incredibly gripping and startling book.

3.75ish stars

This was a fairly interesting story. It was eerie and suspenseful, but given the blurb and a couple of the reviews I saw, I was expecting it to be scarier. It was a fairly typical domestic/gothic thriller with some interesting and unique aspects as well as a few supernatural elements. It was also a story where, at a certain point, I felt that the protagonist must be willfully ignorant of the events going on around him; magical influences aside, I’m not sure how he could’ve missed some of the blatant clues. He was also, objectively speaking, kind of a terrible person. The ending of the short was a bit abrupt, perhaps, but also fitting. For the most part, I enjoyed this slightly creepy adventure.

While listening to the first chapter, I said to a friend "man this sounds like skeleton key, I sure hope that it doesn't have the same plot and twist" and then it did. It was literally just Skeleton Key, but with less likeable characters.

This was a weird one. I had no idea where it was going until we got there, which is a sign of good writing. I am not super into the supernatural and I liked this one. Far-fetched, but it's fiction so I'm good with that! I will definitely look for more books by this author!

#TheDarkHour
#NetGalley

A bone-chillingly eerie book, which kept me guessing until the end with a series of questionably creepy characters and a main character you're not exactly rooting for. I don't know what I think of Mark, he's so well written I disliked him until the end and even agree with his fate. I also liked the setting and building of the suspense with the slight hints throughout there book. The only problem I had was I feel like there was a lack of explanation at the end, I was expecting a bit more - to learn about the cult and maybe if all the magic was real, but the ending felt rushed and I was left hanging wondering what actually happened. Saying this, the writing is good and I did want to read on, I wasn't bored throughout the book I just though the ending was lacking something.

This book has such a great premise, but it utterly fails to deliver on it.

The horror/thriller element was neither horrific nor thrilling, because it was so utterly predictable. Our protagonist, Mark, is clearly meant to be unsympathetic because he is too laughably, excessively misogynistic and self-centered to have been written as a sympathetic character. The problem is that it worked too well and I had zero interest in whether or not he had a happy ending.

Mark Norman thinks he is always the smartest guy in the room and when going for a job interview he almost turns around but because his girlfriend wants his half of the rent and is totally fed up with him he goes to the interview. When he arrives he meet’s Lisa she’s around his age and very standoffish but Mark is determined to make her his friend he’s introduced to the two elderly siblings that he’s going to be the caregiver for Roy and Elma. Roy is nice and very welcoming Elma is quiet but when she does besides her not liking Mark‘s hair seems to be also very kind. Before the interview is over Mark sees how free and generous the siblings are with their money and he starts thinking maybe his ship has finally come in. He’s told no one goes on the second floor and when Lisa gets him a secret tour he sees why. She also gives him cryptic warnings that make no sense in one day when he arrives Lisa is distraught and wants to leave but the magicians doctor says she needs a shot and will feel much better soon after he gives it to her she jumps from the third-floor window with no explanation as to why. All this is before things really start getting weird and that is when Marks girlfriend moves in as the second caregiver and Mark is given power of attorney and Roy says he will leave all his worldly goods Tamark when he passes. I’m going to stop here with my summary as I don’t want to get any of the gray key plot points away. This book is that in the 1970s and has such a great 1970s spooky house Theo to it. I wish more books were written like this because I love it. I thought the narrator did a wonderful job so kudos to him this book has some really great characters in the development of those characters is awesome and with great narration and a great story makes for a great audiobook. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Some of my favorite horror and thriller books host characters that have terrible personalities. This works for me because when I don't care about the primary players, I have more mental energy to focus on the plot and creepy vibes. This was very much the case in The Dark Hour. The protagonist absolutely sucks and it helps to drive the plot quite well. The story is fast-paced and engaging, if a little predictable. I would suggest this for anyone wanting a book that feels like a car crash in slow motion.

Thank you K.J. Young, NetGalley, and Nightsky Press for my audio advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Nerd Crush is out on February 27th, 2023.

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 3
Narration - 4
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 3.6

Mark Norman was a fun choice for a main character. He’s kind of a shifty individual. A wannabe con man who thinks he doesn’t get enough respect and believes the world owes him. He’s down on his luck, owes his girlfriend back rent, and doesn’t have any real direction in life. Then he gets offered a job which may just be an offer of a lifetime, working as a home health aide for a pair of siblings, retired stage magicians. They don’t live in the best neighborhood, and their home is a bit rundown, but the pay is almost too good to be true. And you know what they say about something being too good to be true, right? And it all starts with Lisa, a live-in employee, who discusses some of their employers oddities, shows him around the house, including ‘off-limit’ areas, and seems to be plagued by nightmares. But Mark ignores all of this, as his new employers claim he’s like a grandson to them, talk about him being a bigger part of their life, and his greed at the idea of inheriting their assists blinds him to all else. This is a solid thriller, and even though I was pretty sure I knew where things were headed, it was still a highly enjoyable story. As for the audio, Craig A. Hart does an excellent job with the narration. I’d like to thank Nightsky Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an audio arc for the audio version of K.J. Young’s The Dark Hour.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R7K2U9MDGUR9Q/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

First off I want to thank @netgalley & @nightskypress for my free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not entirely sure how to feel about this one, it was definitely a chilling, eerie gothic vibe read but I was expecting more of a thriller aspect.

I did find some events or things that happened a little irrelevant and didn't find purpose in them. Early on you can figure out what will happen, what the whole twist is going to be. The characters are all highly unlikeable but I think that was sort of the idea. The MMC is horrible, he's not a nice person, he's overly self absorbed and greedy. I just wanted something bad to happen to him. 

I did enjoy the setting and it's creepiness but overall the book did not deliver and if it hadn't been an audiobook I probably wouldn't have finished it. The ending left me feeling underwhelmed.

Although it didn't deliver for me it might for you !