⛧Cinderwich by Cherie Priest - A very haunting story in more ways than one. I really enjoy the authors writing style. The flow makes it seem like I was done the book in 20 minutes. I did have a few questions in the end, but I'm not upset about them. It leaves you to ponder and allows the book to linger in your memory.

This audiobook is narrated by Traci Odom

•Thank you to @dreamscape_media & @apexbookcompany

Cherie Priest's Cinderwich is a delightfully creepy ghost story about the identity of a corpse found decades ago by children in a blackgum tree. Is the corpse the protagonist Kate Thrush's lost aunt Ellen? Kate joins her former college professor Dr. Judith Kane--connected to Ellen via a love affair--in order to invoke some closure on what happened to their Ellen so many years ago. The eccentric people of Cinderwich aren't thrilled about the never-ending trail of outsiders who come to solve the mystery of the blackgum-tree corpse, and they aren't apt to open their arms to accept Kate and Judith with their probing questions. In the hands of a master like Priest, Cinderwich is a twisty tale filled with constant delights and shocks. Perfect for fans of The Chestnut Man or tv series like Fall of the House of Usher or Haunting of Hill House.

Cinderwich by Cherie Priest was a cozy but eerie mystery. The creepy atmosphere makes this a great choice for a light, spooky read. The plot was a bit slow for me and easy to predict. I would have liked to see more plot twists and tension. The ending felt rushed and I was disappointed that we never got the answer to the mystery. But I did enjoy the dynamic between Kate and Judith as well as the lesbian representation. The narration was well done and really brought the story to life.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

Solid 4 stars.

Intriguingly spooky. Well-written.

I have always been a fan of Cherie Priest's, ever since I first read *Dreadnought* from her steampunk *Clockwork Century* series. I love her attention to detail and strong female leads. So, when I saw that she had a new novella coming out, I jumped at the chance to read/review it.

I had so much fun listening to this audiobook. For some, this story may move a little too slowly, but I found it worked well in building the kind of tension essential to this "ghost story". Unlike YA books that maintain over-the-top, adrenaline-filled tension throughout in order to captivate younger minds, this story builds intrigue and mystery in the corners and almost-unseen shadows. The characters, main and auxiliary alike, are loveable, weird and unique. I loved that the main characters were two older women with history between them. This author has such a talent for bringing the exquisite details to life.

Although I avoided listening to this right before bed, it actually isn't scare-the-pants-off-you frightening (at least it wasn't for me). There were a handful of mysteries, and two women trying to make their way to the bottom of it. It felt like so much of this story could have happened to someone I could've known (granting a belief in the supernatural, ghosts and the like).

Audiobook is very well narrated.

Huge gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for a copy of this Audio ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

This fell a little flat for me. It started out like a fun spooky road trip but didn't really deliver on the suspense.

"Cinderwich" by Cherie Priest is a paranormal kind of mystery with a bit of thriller and horror.

In the small town of Cinderwich, Tennessee, a woman's body was found in a Blackgum tree over 20 years ago. Somehow, they knew her name was Ellen. Kate's Aunt Ellen had gone missing near there just before that. So when her former college mentor and her aunt's former partner, Judith, contacts her to go to this town to solve the mystery, she agrees.

They arrive in the small rundown town of Cinderwich and find the hotel is in the most creepy, gothic looking house around. Even the first night, a ghost shows herself to Kate.

The atmosphere is very well done. The characters are all excellent with complex personalities.

The narrator, Traci Odom, did a great job with the voices.

I enjoyed this book and it was well written.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 35/8= 4.4, rounded down to 4

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Cherie Priest for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Another terrific soft horror/ghost story from Priest, set in the south, as have been many of her recent ghost stories. A mischievous ghost leads Kate Thrush and her former teacher Dr Judith Kane, to a dying Appalacian town, all but deserted after its abandonment by the railroad. But when the 2 women come seeking information about Kate's aunt and Judith's lover who disappeared 45 years ago, they discover deeper evils in the town of Cinderwich. Fine performance by Traci Odom makes this "horror light" a fine listening experience.

Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree? A mystery that Kate and Judith go to a small abandoned town to find out. Is it their Ellen? Locals try to steal them away but Kate has a feeling and is seeing a ghost that is trying to tell her something.

Priest delivers a good, spooky mystery with Cinderwitch. I enjoyed getting to know Kate and Judith as they worked together to find out if the Ellen of "Who put Ellen in the Blackgum tree" fame in Cinderwitch, TN was their very own Ellen. I loved smart-ass Kate and the sisters that the two finally found that added some additional spunk to the story and I adored the narrator, I just found myself wanting more answers to more questions at the end. Thank you to Dreamscape, Cherie Priest, and NetGalley for the early listen in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars

This book gets off to a slow start, but the author does a nice job creating the somewhat claustrophobic atmosphere of the run-down town of Cinderwich, Tennessee. I was enjoying the creepy Southern gothic vibes and the incorporation of Appalachian folklore, as well as the main character’s interactions with the small town’s quirky residents. However, I was disappointed at the resolution of the mystery, which left too many unanswered questions for my taste. I was also disappointed with the sudden intensity of the climax, which was a shockingly different tone compared to the rest of the story. It might have made more sense in a longer story with more gradual buildup of tension and additional denouement, but given the abruptness here, it felt unbelievable.

The audiobook production was good, and I enjoyed the narration by Traci Odom. Her pacing is appropriate, her pronunciation is clear, she creates voices and speech patterns to suit each character, and she’s able to convey mood and emotion effectively.

This is a story best suited for fans of Southern gothic ghost stories and supernatural suspense. I think mystery fans might be disappointed at how many unanswered questions remain at the end of the story.

I received a free advanced listener copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Cinderwich is an engaging southern gothic light horror novella by Cherie Priest. Due out 11th June 2024 from Apex Books, it's 184 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.

Creepily atmospheric, this is a modern ghost story with a nearly abandoned small town in Tennessee at the epicenter of a cold case murder. a young women found in a tree by a group of young girls. Drawn into investigating the mystery by a long ago family disappearance, two academics, a mentor and mentee, one related to her namesake who vanished before her birth, the other, the vanished woman's lover, try to find out if the Ellen found in the tree is their vanished loved one.

The writing is restrained and the horror/supernatural elements are mostly understated, with one exception. There are red herrings aplenty, and some plot threads which fizzle out and are unresolved by the end of the book, but overall, the denouement is clear and satisfyingly resolved.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 5 hours 55 minutes and is beautifully narrated by Traci Odom. She has a light voice which has a slightly breathy quality. She does a good job differentiating characters of a range of ages. She has a generic southwestern US accent which goes well with the read.

Four stars. Well written. Creepy, but not gory.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator. The book itself was pretty short but it seemed like it took forever for something interesting to happen. I’m sure this will be a favorite for some, but this isn’t the book for me.

Decades ago, Kate Thrush's Aunt Ellen mysteriously disappeared. Even though Kate is too young to even remember Aunt Ellen, she was actually named after her and Ellen has been the shadow looming over her entire life. As a young adult, Kate befriended Ellen's long-time girlfriend, a college professor, Dr. Judith Kane. Judith and Ellen were partners at the time of Aunt Ellen's disappearance, and Judith has never truly been able to let go of that experience.

Eventually, Kate and Judith grew apart, so when Kate hears from Judith seemingly out of the blue, and Judith asks for her assistance, Kate is curious and takes her up on the offer. Judith has continued searching for any evidence that may tell her what happened to Ellen all those years ago. She's recently come across something she feels could be connected. A story, really more of a local legend, regarding a woman's body found years ago in a blackgum tree in the small town of Cinderwich, Tennessee. Children know the chant, 'Who put Ellen in the blackgum tree?'

Many have traveled to Cinderwich over the years, trying to determine the identity of the body found in the tree. Some of these people were even searching for Ellen's of their own, others were mere trauma tourists. Either way, the people of Cinderwich are used to strangers passing through and asking questions.

Kate and Judith make a plan, and meet up in the small town, checking into an eclectic local hotel. Immediately, they being digging into the town history, looking for answers. They're ill-prepared for what they'll ultimately encounter there.

I really enjoyed this highly-readable Horror novella. I was initially attracted to it because of the eerie cover and I have to say, the cover suits the story perfectly. It's got a sweet Southern Gothic feel to it, heavy with mystery vibes. Kate and Judith were such a fun pair. An odd couple of sorts, but I adored the dynamics of their relationship. It was a great premise as well; them meeting up in the small creepy town and looking into a decades old mystery.

The overall themes explored were well done and I found Priest's writing to be fluid, as well as engaging. This was actually the first I have read from her, and I'm definitely looking forward to picking up more. I've had [book:The Toll|41555927] sitting on my shelves for way too long now.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook for this one and absolutely recommend that format if it's available to you. We're getting this story from Kate's perspective and I felt that the narrator, Traci Odom's, voice was perfect for Kate.

My only slight critique would be that I wish it could have been longer. I feel like that way frequently with novellas that I enjoy, mainly because I just don't want them to end. For this one, I feel like it wrapped up rather quickly, I wouldn't have minded more time to really dig into this conclusion.

Overall, I feel like this is a fast, compelling, creepy read, with great vibes and characters. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Southern Gothic stories, stories that feature small town vibes with creepy local lore, or unlikely friends investigating cold cases.

Thank you to the publisher, Dreamscape Media, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can't wait to read more from this author!

“All I had in the whole world was a fistful of maybes and a little bit of hope. It wasn’t enough and I knew it.”

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook! I wasn’t sure if I liked the narrator’s voice at first, but I quickly realized it was perfect for the story. I was intrigued by the story from the beginning—it was unique and sucked me in. I was an easy to finish length as well, coming in at only about 5.5 hours.

This was part murder mystery, part small town horror with a lot of folklore mixed in!

There are some things that are left unexplained, which may have been intentional, but I am left curious about them. At least the main storyline was wrapped up nicely!

Cinderwich by Cherie Priest and brilliantly narrated by Traci Odom is a glorious southern gothic tale of two generations of women, Ellen Thrush and Ellen Thrush Jr. Jr returns to Cinderwich with her aunt to discover the truth behind a body found in the crook of a tree, unidentifiable, the stuff of local legend in a small, deteriorating country town

Beautifully descriptive, the reader is transported to another place and time where you can almost feel the humidity beading on your brow. Great humour, dark as you can imagine and a wry wit you could use to sand boards with, outstanding!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Cherie Priest (who is now totally on my TBR list) and the awesome narrator Traci Odom. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Traci Odom did a wonderful job with the narration on this book! She speaks very clearly and was easy to listen to for hours! The story is about a small Tennessee town where lots of legend and stories are told about the murder of a girl named Ellen. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters and the town, while kinda creepy, had that small superstitious town feel. I liked the way it all wrapped up and will keep an eye out for other books from this author!

This was a very slow book. It took until 80% to even start to touch the creepy/spooky and even then it was underwhelming. I prefer more suspense and there wasn’t a lead up. It just isn’t my type of book. That doesn’t mean it isn’t for everyone!

A Priest classic.

Although short, this little folk horror packs a lot of punch. The characters are interestingly imperfect, and produce a great sense of deeply relatable friction in their relationships. The mystery is juicy and the small town setting is beautifully fleshed out, leaving just enough to imagination and leaving readers with plenty to think about at the end.

The narrator did a great job infusing personality into the various screwball and serious characters, making it even easier to get sucked into the story.

Lovely and sad and sometimes terrifying.

The niece and the lover of a missing woman, named Ellen, come together 40 years after she disappeared. A vague newspaper article surfaces regarding an unsolved murder and an unidentified body of a woman in a tree. “Ellen is in the black gum tree” is teasing graffiti and a tantalizing hint sprayed around the town of Cinderwitch.

This book was enjoyable. The mystery unwound slowly and intriguingly and I was deeply invested in how the mystery would be solved.

Cinderwitch is a scary little town with a terrifying secret. Scary things happened and maybe silly things? The ending was a little crazy and unsatisfyingly abrupt.

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

This book was creepy and a little spooky. I enjoyed the characters and their attempt to find out what happened to their aunt and friend. I wish more of the lore would have been introduced earlier on in the book because it was interesting when it came in the end.