I honestly would never have thought that I would enjoy this story that much!
We get to know Ahley, who even as a child could see things nobody else could.

Now as an adult, she keeps these visions to herself, but she works as some kind of “psychic”­ (with lots of external help). Not only she but rather her whole family makes a living out of her business.

When a series of gruel child murders occur, Ashley's brother offers her help to the police. Nobody expects much either the police or Ashley (it is rather more for publicity reasons) so even stranger when she is indeed able to help.

I really liked everything about this story narrated by the wounderful Emma Fenney

Thank you #NetGalley #Dreamscape Media for this audiobook

I loved the lore/mythology in this thriller/horror book . I also liked that we had an interesting and dysfunctional family dynamic and how Ashleys psychic powers worked. I think this ran out of steam towards the end because I found the mystery pretty predictable but, like I said I enjoyed the other elements enough to rate this book positively.

I got a copy of this book from Netgalley.

Reminiscent of Mexican Gothic. Children are disappearing and have been for 100s of years. After a traumatic experience as a child, life for Ashley's family radically changed. She is finally coming to terms with the trauma, and moving forward, she is dramatically pulled back into a situation that turns out to be related to the earlier episode.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this ARC! The book is available for purchase as of April 9, 2024 and I highly recommend it if you’re into paranormal thrillers.
This was a five star read for me right up until the big reveal at the end. I could not stop listening and was hanging on to every word and it’s not everyday that you find a book like that. The FMC is a thirty something year old “psychic medium” who is under her father’s control as he uses her “gifts” to sustain their family financially. I use quotes because it’s all a sham, except for her actually seeing apparitions, but the other stuff is made up. There’s a serial killer loose in their small community and as a publicity stunt she agrees to “show police where the boy is” only she actually finds him, which leads to secrets revealed and more questions. I truly loved this book, but the ending seemed disconnected somehow and I can’t explain it.

This is what thrillers should be. There are so many "popcorn thrillers" out there now, which I love. I love the psychological suspense of them, but, in my opinion, they're more mystery or suspense. They're not true thrillers, at least the way I think of them, but The Hungry Dark meets all the requirements. It's dark and gritty. It's not a one-sitting binge listen, even though the desire to know what has and will happen is real. For true thriller lovers, I can't recommend this one enough!

Narrated by Emma Fenney ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Jen Williams ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DARK! TWISTY! Please make Ashley into a series that communicates with spirits so they can move on! I loved her!
This was a fantastic premise the only thing that really frustrated me was the father and if this isn't becoming a series I would have loved for Ashley to have stood up to him and gain some control over her life.

Definitely a book I would buy for friends and would be recommending.

I thought this was a great thriller! I enjoy paranormal mixed with action, and this book has both! It's really fast-paced and well plottted out. The narrator on the audio book was great. This is my first Jen Williams book that I've read. It will not be the last!

The Hungry Dark
by Jen Williams
Mystery Thriller Paranormal
NetGalley Audio ARC
Pub Date: Apr. 9, 2024
Dreamscape Media
Ages: 16+

Ashley Whitelam, under the strict control of her father, makes her living as a psychic, her popularity contributed to what happened to her as a child. But her brother, to create more publicity, talks their father into having Ashley offer her help to the police to find a missing boy. During the ride along, she told them to stop in random spots as to keep with the scheme, until the ghostly figures of her childhood, what she called the Heedful Ones, appeared on the side of the road.

Overcome with the need to follow them, they lead her, and the police to the body of the boy.

The publicity stunt paid off, and now the press wants interviews, but it also made the police suspicious of her. But the Heedful Ones are still lurking in the shadows, haunting her.


I received an audio copy from NetGalley and the narrator did a good job, but the story was slow. The MC, Ashely, really bothered me. When I first started to read this I thought she was a teenager, but when I realized she was in her thirties(?) and allowed her father to control every aspect of her life, while her brother had his own place, my opinion of her dropped. Sure, I get she suffered trauma as a child, but she knew what her father was doing, and the only thing she did to 'rebel' was to get a car.

Another letdown was the lack of the supernatural aspect and the little there was, was not scary or that suspenseful. Plus, I had a few suspects as to who did it within the first half of the story, and 'spoiler'...

It was an ok of a read, but I would have liked it more if the supernatural elements were more often and scarier. This was more of a murder mystery instead of a supernatural horror/ghost story.

2 Stars

2.5 Stars

Even though I had some difficulty immersing myself in the story and building a connection with the characters, I found the novel's use of a crime podcast, a killer on the loose, and a psychic to be quite intriguing. While the story didn't quite meet my expectations, it's important to note that everyone has different tastes and preferences. Additionally, there are many positive reviews available for this novel, so it might be worth giving it a try.

***Thank you to NetGalley, Jen Williams, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Thanks to netgalley, Jen Williams, and Crooked lane books for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC audiobook!

First, narration was 5 stars! Loved the vibrancy in the narrator's voice. Easy to listen to.

This story was a fun, unique spin on a haunted house tale. Ashley Whitlam makes a living posing as a psychic. Paranormal events from her past come back to surface as she teams up with a Podcaster to investigate a series of murders.
The beginning was difficult for me to get through as it was a slow burn introducing family drama. But once this one picked up I really enjoyed the storyline!

"We are in the business of the dead."

The Hungry Dark by atmospheric thriller author Jen Williams is an eerie gothic supernatural thriller that builds to a gasping end. Ashley's family believes she's a phoney psychic but when she leads police to the body of a missing child she is at once the real deal and a suspect.

Voice actress Emma Fenney is a wonder voicing cruel adults, scared children and Ashley, a woman trying to escape an abusive family and her supernatural abilities. From childhood to now she ignores the ghostly spirits, "the heedful ones" that follow her...but also leads her to the missing boy. Often dark and creepy, this thriller is about the hunger of evil but the feeding of goodness.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Hungry Dark by Jen Williams follows Ashley Whitelam, a young woman who can communicate with the dead. Ashley and her family makes a living off of others sorrows. The truth of the matter is Ashley is a fraud. Her brother tells her what she needs to tell the customers by using an earpiece. Her career takes a turn when the police ask her to help find a missing boy. When she leds the police to the correct spot to where the lifeless body of Rbbbie is found. Ashley is brought in for questioning since she knew exactly where to find him. Ashley meets Freddy podcaster who is in England to do a story on the Gingerbread Killers. This is a such a great book that I was just floored by the whole plot of this book. This one is for anyone that loves a good mystery. If you read Claire Douglas, Ruth Ware, Lisa Jewell, Michael Robotham will deffently love Jen William's book. Thank you to both Deamscape Media and NetGalley for the advanced audio recording of this book.

Many things about this book made it sound appealing: serial killer mystery, an old creepy house and scam psychic. The vibes throughout are eerie. The major reason this didn't get more stars for me was there were too many storylines going on. I couldn't tell which to pay attention to and which were only to add character development or explanations. At times the book felt like it was dragging on forever and I was ready to get to the end to know what was going on. As for the ending it did wrap up most of my questions. It did all happen quite quickly at the end when there was such a long build up. I wish there was more information included in the ending instead of the lead up.

I felt sad for our main character, Ashley. Her family didn't seem to care about her unless whatever she was doing impacted them. She was their moneymaker and they didn't treat her with respect.

The Heedful Ones - I wish I knew more about them and I wish Ashley had more interactions with them throughout the book. They were some of the most interesting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Jen Williams for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook of The Hungry Dark by Jen Williams narrated by Emma Fenney.

First off, the narrator did a good job narrating this novel. I love the different accents that she did for the characters - it was a little hard to understand in the beginning, like who was who and who would play in what part. The characters were easy to catch on and just so compelling. This is my first book by this author and I think there could be a few scenes cut off. Overall, it was an interesting thriller and the plot was good but it just wasn't for me. It was only okay for me. Don't get me wrong, the Gingerbread House Murderer was not expected at all and how Ashley, a paranormal psychic, helps solve murders with her ability. I think I would've enjoyed this if Ashley did not meet a true-crime podcaster who interviews her and is by her side when she has these episodes. I'm pretty sure that it's because I've already read a few books where the podcaster comes in and teams up to help save the day. Also, Ashley's family are not supportive of her, in fact her relationship with her dad and brother is just plain abusive.

Anyways, overall this is solid 3 and a quick audiobook.

"The Hungry Dark" by Jen Williams is a mystery and a paranormal thriller. It is set in England in modern times.

Ashley is a paranormal psychic who thinks she is a scammer, but she actually has strong intuition. Her brother, Aiden, suggests she work with the police to help find a lost child thought to be a victim of the Gingerbread House murders. To everyone's surprise, she finds the body. Now, the police think she had something to do with the murder. She can't tell them the shadowy faceless creatures she calls the Heedful Ones showed her the way to the body.

She teams up with Freddy, an American man who is there doing a true crime podcast about the Gingerbread House murders.

There is a very ancient and gothic style house, Reddrick House, that is the setting for several important scenes. This house is so atmospheric that it is like another character.

Ashley's father is so domineering and emotionally abusive that he scares me more than anything else in this book.

This is a really good book with a very exciting ending. I do recommend this for thriller lovers!

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5, Emma Feeney
Cover - 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Jen Williams for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

📚 Just finished "The Hungry Dark" by Jen Williams and it's an absolute page-turner! 🌌 Williams effortlessly blends elements of fantasy and mystery to create a spellbinding tale that kept me hooked from start to finish. With richly drawn characters, intricate world-building, and twists that kept me guessing, this book is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy. Williams's writing is atmospheric and immersive, transporting readers to a world where magic and danger lurk around every corner. If you're looking for a gripping read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, "The Hungry Dark" is the perfect choice. 📖✨ #BookReview #TheHungryDark #JenWilliams #Fantasy #MustRead #netgalley

I listened to the audiobook, the narrator was ok- her female voice was fine but the male (American?) voice was grating for me. I DNF at 70%. The story had a lot going on but it was still so slow going. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some but it was a miss for me.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC. The narrator was so good, I enjoyed listening to this book very much. Ashley and her family have made money giving psychic and medium readings to people who want to be connected to their departed loved ones. Yet Ashley is a fake, until she realizes the shadows she sees are trying to tell her something about the murdered children in town. Is she truly a con artist or can she see the future. I would have liked to see more interaction with the shadows.

This book was an experiment that went positively well.

The young girl in the story can see heedful ones (paranormal) ever since she was a child, but others find it difficult to believe. Nevertheless, her father knows how to leverage her hysteria, trauma and skills to his own benefit and directs her to build a career as a psychic. But at one conjecture she finds the corpse of a missing boy. And this discovery raises another question: is she truly psychic or a murderer?

There are several things that worked really well for me in this book. The character development of the antagonists is done so well, that you just can't stop yourself from despising them. The goofy spooky vibe mixed with the premonitions makes it a good fit for horror. There was also an element of closing the circle that helped you make sense of why all this was happening. I did have fun reading it.

Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media and @sennydreadful19 for the Audiobook.
Genre: #horror #mystery #thriller
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

P.S: the book references the mines of Moria at one conjecture and it was such a great thing to read as an LOTR fan.

#TheHungryDark #NetGalley

This was an interesting thriller. I listened to the audiobook and felt the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. I really liked the setup and I thought this plot had a ton of potential. I had a hard time staying interested in the story though. There were some poor family dynamics that I didn’t understand or care for that distracted me. It was only about the last 10 percent of the story that really kept my interest. The story of Ashley when she was a child and suffered a tragedy that launched her career as a psychic and the present tense. As the past story slowly unfolds you understand more and more of the present story. In the past Ashley and a group of 39 other children are given a bit of charity in the form of a free holiday in the mountains full of activities and fun. But tragedy ends the holiday early and Ashley has been haunted by it ever since. In the present day a serial killer has been kidnapping children and leaving the dismembered parts of their bodies in the woods. The police have linked at least missing children, and Ashley’s brother convinces her and her father it will be good publicity if she offers to help the police, even if she isn’t successful. Overall this one was entertaining and while it was twisty I wasn’t surprised by any of the big twists.