Carmen Franco’s untethered mind twists reality into a nightmare filled with relentless hallucinations.

Excellent horror novella! I really enjoyed the ride!

Suchhhh a good story concept. I read in two sittings, short and sweet. Keeps you reading and wanting more.

I had this as an ARC and I wish we had half ratings here because this is a solid 3. 5 for me.
I was really invested in Carmen, Alot which for me dosent always happen with characters, so I appreciated his ability to get you immersed.


This was my first book by Nico and I'll be picking up more in the future.

I have been a fan of Nico Bell since I’ve read her book, Food Fright as it was full of ooey gooey descriptions that I just loved. So when I saw Static Screams, I just had to read a copy and it did not disappoint. Nightmare hallucinations and visually grotesque imagery had me until the final page. If you are looking for something that escalates into darkness quickly, this is my suggestion!

This is an incredibly fast-paced sci-fi horror novella featuring a female-driven cast. This is a new-to-me genre, and this book kept me captivated.

The premise centers on the possibility of bringing someone back from the dead. It explores the natural human desire to resurrect loved ones, despite knowing that doing so defies the laws of nature and the ethical boundaries of grief. This book offers a compelling exploration of human emotions wrapped in a thrilling narrative.

This was such a quick and captivating read! The story is both emotional and scary, and Nico Bell's writing kept me in suspense. I also thought the plot twist was brilliant.

I highly recommend it for fans of twisty endings and a mix of horror and sci-fi elements.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved the plot of this book. I instantly related to and empathized with Carmen and loved getting to know her. The middle seemed a bit rushed to get us to the final act though. After Barbara has been so calculated and controlled, it was hard to believe that she’d so easily eat up Carmen’s fibs about crossing the veil without technically dying and finding her daughter. While it makes sense that Barbara, being so desperate to succeed in resurrecting her daughter would be eager to believe a lie, I felt like this integral scene was just too much of a stretch.
Nico Bell is such an excellent writer and I always look forward to cracking open one of her books!!

3.5⭐️. This was an incredible story that built intensity right to the very end. I did however have trouble falling into the story - my brain was fighting with the authors writing style. Mad scientists, seeing into other worlds & ghosts. What’s not to love? Looking forward to reading more of their work.

*Normally, this is where I’d thank Netgalley and the author for sending me a digital ARC of this book, and while I did grab it off of Netgalley, I had also purchased this on release day! Recently, I saw it on Netgalley and grabbed it, wanting to help Nico boost the profile of the book, but it was also a subtle way for me to bump it way up my TBR, because I try my best to keep a 100% review ratio on Netgalley!*

Over the years, I’ve become a big fan of Nico Bell’s fiction. From ‘Food Fright’ to ‘Beyond the Creek’ to her anthology (that I did have a story in, full disclosure!) ‘Shiver,’ she has a keen eye on what makes the reader unsettled. I still have to read her book ‘Open House,’ which is on my Kindle, and seeing as ‘Static Screams’ was such a wild ride, I’m going to bump that one way up the pile as well.

I loved the new artwork that A.A. Medina from Fabled Beast has created for this edition and the synopsis had me hooked. Any time I get to read a story from a steady writer like Nico, (one who perfectly crafts the tale in wonderfully dark ways) that involves our MC dealing with hallucinations, I know I’m in for a fantastic time.

What I liked: The first quarter of this novella very well could’ve been the entirety of the story and I’d have loved it. We open with a young woman, Carmen, who is dealing with significant PTSD. After her mother took her own life, Carmen struggles with seeing ‘dots,’ these weird, undulating things that float and converge around her in the sky. Her meds control it, but the story picks up with the pharmacy denying her new prescribed medication because of the dosage and without her meds, the dots come at her with a hurricane-level fury.

This could’ve easily been the story. Bell could’ve focused on the appearance of these visions, how Carmen and her aunt have a solid bond and work together to get Carmen the help she desperately wants, and the reader would’ve been richly rewarded for going on that journey with Carmen. Instead, Bell catapults us a million miles further down the deranged train, by introducing Barbara. Barbara is a doctor who is working on a mysterious experiment, one that is so far out of the ethical world of medicine, that she does it on her own, hidden, private property. Once she meets Carmen, she knows she’s the one, and from there the story really ramps up.

Bell does a great job of giving us the ups and downs of Carmen’s struggles. How she desperately wants to reunite with her mom, but also how she knows what Barbara’s doing is wrong and with the introduction of the doctor’s assistant, Neema, we get another layer of potential betrayal.

The final quarter of this one is a frantic sprint, where Barbara’s deception is revealed and choices about what is right and wrong need to be made. We see Carmen harness this ‘power’ she has, something I won’t stray too far into to keep things spoiler-free, but it works really well for the narrative and Bell doesn’t overuse it and turn this into a parody of itself.

What I didn’t like: I don’t know if I fully buy Neema’s role and involvement. It works well for the deceptive aspects and for the battle between right and wrong, but every time she started to defend herself, it felt a bit lite and not effective. That could just be me though finding that!

Why you should buy this: I’m a huge fan of seeing a strong, female lead battle back and not take shit from anyone. Carmen is fierce, powerful and it was great seeing her realize and then utilize her full potential. Bell does a great job of walking us through the opening struggles of Carmen’s mind frame, but also effectively changing that ‘weakness’ into a strength in the latter half and showcasing why Carmen wasn’t weak, but could overcome anything, which metaphorically adds another layer.

Another really great story from Bell! This was awesome.

Thank you Netgalley, Nico Bell and Nico Bell Self Publishing for the eArc of Static Screams.

This is a fast paced, quick read of horror/ Sci- Fi. Carmen is a teen who would love an ordinary, peaceful life. Unfortunately, Carmen is plagued with hallucinations. Dizzying, dark spots that whisper or buzz in her vision. After years of CBT, coping strategies and medication Carmen gets an offer from a Dr. Barbara MacDonald who suggests she comes away to a treatment centre. Carmen agrees but it soon becomes apparent that Barbara's intentions are not just about Carmen.

The faced paced narrative of this book was well suited to the subject in hand. while it is mainly plot driven, you get a good sense of who the characters are. the horror elements go very well with the sci-fi storyline and flowed very well. I found it both enjoyable and creepy at the same time!

4 stars

This is more of a 4.5 star rating than just the 4 or 5 options it gives me !

This was such a great read being a mixture of sci-fi and paranormal.

The title and the cover is what got me so Intrigued to begin with and it did not disappoint

The plot is carefully developed and throughout the journey there are twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages and never wanting to put the book down !