The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth is a novel I was highly anticipating and one I have been wrestling with reviewing for months. While the premise of the novel sounds tailor-made for my liking, unfortunately, I am sad to report that is not the case in application. It's hard to say where things did not work for me, but on the whole, 904 felt very disjointed. While multiple plotlines, plot-points and and conflicts are introduces, following the actions of the characters or how they work to resolve the problems at hand felt very difficult. Information regarding characters' backgrounds is introduced at VERY convenient times that made the facts feel as though they were added to ease the complications of the plot. I desperately wanted to love this novel, but I could not follow all the various events transpiring and the wide cast of characters.

Thank you very much to Flatiron for the ARC.

The Haunting of Room 904 follows Olivia, a psychic who is sucked into the mystery of a cursed hotel room after her sister tragically dies there. When the hotel room threatens to claim another victim close to home Olivia has to race against the clock to solve the mystery and beat the dark entity haunting the room. I was pretty into this at the start, but I’m not going to lie it really lost me at around the halfway point. I just didn’t understand a lot of character choices and some of the characters were almost cartoonishly one-note (I’m looking at you random ex boyfriend). When it’s focused on the family elements, and the main friendship between Olivia and her roommate, I think it works pretty well. But there’s just way too much going on and I feel like the plot just loses itself along the way. Pretty bummed this didn’t work for me, but I would still read this author again.

I absolutely love the premise of this book - a paranormal investigator, Olivia, investigates her sister's mysterious suicide at the Brown Hotel. Every 5 years, a woman dies in room 904. What is the mystery behind this hotel room, and can Olivia stop this mysterious cycle?

I wanted to love this book. I really did. I love mystery/thriller books with a paranormal element. Atmospherically, they're my favorite type of mystery. I love adding in the spooky elements and unexplained occurrences. I feel like this had a lot of promise with the story but lacked in execution. There were places where I felt like I couldn't fully grasp what was occurring because there wasn't a good transition or the parts weren't tied together as well as they could be.

A well-intentioned story with a good premise that can’t quite manage to thrive in the multiple genres it tries to inhabit.

Part mystery, part Gothic horror, part mythological fantasy…all things that could mix in theory, but that mostly resulted in something vaguely likable but narratively messy and confused here.

The best part of this was the creepy object stuff at the very beginning of the book, and I wish the story had leaned more into that. The protagonist’s job as a paranormal investigator and sorta-kinda medium would have played well with that if it had been more prominent throughout the story.

The mystery too works fine here, as a whodunit and as a sort of suspense thriller. Where the story falls apart is in the attempt to mix three different mythological/belief systems, which results in a confused and nonsensical wander through different cultural beliefs without any clear or organized trajectory.

The details don’t mesh well, and it starts to feel like this was more about what the author wished to include than what made sense or created a good story. Ideologically the idea of blending belief systems seems lovely, but it didn’t work here and as a result the climax and conclusion of this otherwise fairly enjoyable and well-paced book left me feeling a bit let down by the reader experience as a whole.

Mark my words, The Haunting of Room 904 is the book of the year.

Dang, Erika T. Wurth smoked the 5 star scale .

This book is quite honestly..... unsettling.

The perfect fusion between psychological thriller and supernatural horror. The spooky hotel adds to the perfectly crafted vibe.

The Haunting of Room 904, explores themes of trauma, isolation, and the fragility of mental stability. It also delves into the nature of fear and the ways in which it can distort reality. Equal parts chilling and thought-provoking . Erika T. Wurth's writing style is a game changer, creating a narrative that is both disturbing and memorable.

Check out this teaser :

Olivia Becente was never supposed to have the gift. The ability to commune with the dead was the specialty of her sister, Naiche. But when Naiche dies unexpectedly and under strange circumstances, somehow Olivia suddenly can’t stop seeing and hearing from spirits.

A few years later, she’s the most in-demand paranormal investigator in Denver. She’s good at her job, but the loss of Naiche haunts her. That’s when she hears from the Brown Palace, a landmark Denver hotel. The owner can’t explain it, but every few years, a girl is found dead in room 904, no matter what room she checked into the night before. As Olivia tries to understand these disturbing deaths, the past and the present collide as Olivia’s investigation forces her to confront a mysterious and possibly dangerous cult, a vindictive journalist, betrayal by her friends, and shocking revelations about her sister’s secret life.

Thank you to @flatiron_books for the eARC and @macmillanaudio for the gifted audiobook!

What an interesting and twisty novel! I loved the supernatural aspects and the vivid characters. This book kept me entertained and engaged throughout. I loved the story of a sister fighting for answers for her beloved sister and the supernatural and practical mysteries to unravel. This was a great fast-paced read and I’m excited for Erika T. Wurth’s future work!

paranormal horror with roots in history that freaked me out!! I enjoyed the short chapters and the details about each haunted items, but wanted a little more backstage about things that were glossed over. I'm hoping for a sequel that will fill those gaps in for me

there's a little bit of everything here to get your interest; ghosts, cults, haunted mirrors, sexy goth dudes and gals, Native American history, best friends that act like real besties...it's fun and creeeepy

I really enjoyed this book and found it very creepy. It has cults, spirits, haunted items and murder, all the aspects I love in a good thriller/ horror. Combine those with some unsettling history, I was hooked. I really liked the spirit world/ medium tie in, especially with it all linking to a mirror. Mirrors freak me out, growing up with haunting stories and folklore that make you not want to look for your reflection in anything. This was truly terrifying.
Underneath all the wonderful supernatural stuff, the story really deals with grief, racism and injustices to the indigenous people. These are not topics that are breezed over in the book, they really are the book.
I listened to this one on audiobook, and found I couldn’t stop listening. I didn’t want to miss anything, as something seemed to happen every chapter. The narrator has a wonderful voice, perfect for story telling, and capturing the mood of the moment. I really enjoyed this version of the book.

Although the pacing could be a bit slow at times, I enjoyed this book. It was creepy/unsettling at times.
I wish the author developed some her characters a bit more and moving forward I hope she improves the pacing of her books.

I didn't know what to expect going onto this book, but it far exceeded anything I COULD have expected. At times humorous, scary, dark, sad and unsettling, it made me feel deeply for the characters, which is something that many books cannot do. My father is full-blooded Native American, so I loved the indigenous backstory and plot line, although the story of the Massacre is unbelievably heartbreaking. . . . Even so, I literally woke up in the morning excited to pick up where I left off the night before. . . . I was a little worried some things wouldn't be addressed before the end of the book, but I was happy with the way Wurth wrapped everything up- I wouldn't have changed a thing about the ending. This is the first book by Erika T. Wurth that I have read, and I'm hoping it's not the last! I'd love to see what she writes next.

I'm a sucker for paranormal stories and this one had me hooked from the beginning. Someone else said it gave them The Conjuring/1408 vibes and I couldn't agree more, the paranormal vibes kept me on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, there were moments when I didn't feel like I was reading the same story. It almost felt like a yo-yo; I would get really into it then the story would feel a bit flat, like some parts just didn't belong. Overall, I did enjoy this book and plan to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley & the Publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was conflicted what to rate this one. Its a solid 3.5 stars, but ultimately decided to round down due to my overall thoughts/general interest as I read through.

I think this book suffers from pacing and character development. However, I love the concept of it and the meaning behind its creation. There was a bit of overlooking things I generally dislike simply because the message/inspiration behind the story is important. This did not go the way I thought it would, and I was never super invested in the actual story I was presented with, but appreciated the overarching story in the end. So for those reasons, I decided to round down to 3 star for the sake of Goodreads not allowing me my .5 stars.

Genuinely, I needed more of what we got at the very end. The last few sentences were so poetic and tragic, and made me feel the most out of the entire book. That was what I thought the vibe of the book would be more like. I needed more connections happening between the main character and the native culture we're surrounded in. There was a general disconnect that never felt fully fleshed out.

All that to say, I personally did not get the fulfillment I was looking for from this one, but I really appreciate the effort to bring to light the true inspirations behind its creation.

🅡 🅔 🅥 🅘 🅔 🅦

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★ ★ ★ ★
𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪:

I love Erika’s writing! When I saw that this was coming out I could hardly wait to dive into this one. I enjoyed the paranormal, supernatural aspects of this book tied with dark and twists turns. We follow our character as they learn what ROOM 904 holds within it. Olivia is a paranormal investigator and she starts to investigate what Brown Palace holds, She finds that a longstanding dangerous cult may have ties to her sisters death and can she get to the bottom of everything without getting too deep into it and ending up a victim herself. This book was fast paced and has you trapped within its pages to the very last page.

𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗦: Supernatural, Paranormal, Cultish, Fast Paced, Dark, Edgy

I had the pleasure of reading this arc and leave an honest review. The idea of this book is great and had me intrigued. Unfortunately the story was a bit of a struggle to get through. I'm not sure why I struggled so much but in the end I thought it was mostly good. I almost feel that the story is a bit unfinished but that's because I wanted more for the main character, Olivia. I would recommend this for paranormal enthusiasts and anyone who likes a thriller read where you're not sure how the story will end. Thank you Flatiron Books and I'm excited to have more opportunities to leave reviews for future reads 😊

Like a clairvoyant and a story that opens with a possession and a mysterious box gone wrong, the story doesn’t hold back from the get go. As a paranormal investigator, Olivia embarks on a new adventure while missing her beloved sister, of mysterious deaths of girls and a haunted room 904.

I loved White Horse and was really looking forward to the authors next foray of combining horror and indigenous culture. I loved the history and education moments as part of the story, which I enjoy so much better than feeling like a narrator is breaking the fourth wall and just telling the reader. There’s A LOT to take in this: random cursed objects, mysterious death and ghostly haunting, a stalking ex- at times it was too much and would have loved it honed in a little more. Like it was all amazing, I just needed a focus point. And some unnecessary sexual tension that just didn’t make a whole lot of sense; and I’m never a fan of making every character having some sort of love or lust for the main character. Too much of putting them on a pedestal.


I did enjoy this , maybe not as much as White Horse. It did feel like two different stories, both intriguing, but never really seemed to gets its footing to combine successfully for one cohesive plot. Like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to stick to a supernatural entity or the villain of the human kind. I really like Erika T Wurth and I look forward to any future books to read too

This book was a mixed bag for me. On the positive side, the atmospheric setting and intriguing start immediately drew me into the story. I was captivated by the supernatural and cult elements, as well as the representation of indigenous culture. The audiobook, narrated by Ina Barrón, was also a highlight.

However, several aspects of the book didn't quite work for me. While the historical details were intriguing, their sporadic inclusion left me wanting more. Additionally, the incorporation of indigenous, Jewish, and South American mythology felt overwhelming. The story's flow and overall coherence suffered as a result.

Ultimately, my experience with this book was mixed. But remember, this is just one reader's perspective. Your experience may differ, and I encourage you to read it and form your own opinion.

A solid paranormal mystery, maybe a few too many different subplots. With some different editing this could have been fantastic. That being said, I did enjoy the strong female lead, and it kept me going until the end.

4/5 ⭐️

If you take the creepy mirror from the movie Oculus and put it in a creepy room like the one in the movie 1408 and then add an expiration date for its victims like in The Ring you have the makings of this book.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book and never really knowing who was good or bad. I appreciated all of the representations within this story as well. Overall, a solid and creepy thriller.

The Haunting in Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth is a gripping paranormal thriller with a strong storyline and a great cast of characters.

When Olivia Becente's sister Naiche died by suicide at the Brown Palace Hotel, Olivia inherited her sister's gift of being able to hear and speak with the dead. Wracked with guilt over not being there for Naiche, Olivia throws herself into paranormal investigations with her best friend Alejandro. When the Brown reaches out to Olivia for help regarding a haunting in the same room where Naiche died, Olivia is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. According to the Brown, every five years a woman who checks into the hotel will suddenly appear in room 904 and then three weeks later will die by suicide. What is really happening at the Brown Palace? And will Olivia finally find out what really happened the night Naiche died?

I have never read anything by Erika Wurth before but after reading the synopsis I knew I had to give it a shot! I really enjoyed the way Olivia is investigating other cases as well as trying to find out what happened to Naiche. Olivia is a great main character and I really liked how Wurth melded the paranormal elements with the historic events of the Sand Creek Massacre. Definitely going to keep an eye out for more from this author!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Erika T. Wurth, and Flatiron Books for this ARC. Expected publication date is March 18th 2025.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
I devoured this book.
It was amazing, addictive, and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.