I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This one's for my fellow naturalists.

The Deading is a love letter to naturalists and the countless small devastations we witness firsthand. It's slow, creeping eco-horror, leaning hard into atmosphere and inner turmoil. I recommend picking up the audiobook, sitting back, and sinking in to the story.

While I sometimes get fidgety with slower horror, I was invested in this story. I saw myself and people I love in the young naturalist, Blas. Belardes got birdwatching and documentation right - the thrill of discovery, chasing rare lifer, even the bimodal age distribution and elitism.

I'm grateful for the chance to check this book out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord

I really wanted to love this one. I love eco horror, cosmic horror, and all forms of pandemic horror, but this felt like a kitchen sink sort of. There were so many different awesome subgenres added in, but they didn't mix well together. The story felt very disconnected and it made it more difficult to follow. Thank you for my advanced copy and the opportunity to listen!

This was a cool listen. It was creepy and oh so flippin' terrifying if you think about it actually happened. It just gives me the creeps thinking about it. This is a multiple POV, genre bending book, that keeps you wondering what the actual f*&k is going on. It has a lot of detail about the birds. At least two of the characters are bird enthusiasts. I loved the details, but I love science.

The character that I had mixed feelings about at first became my absolute favorite. I loved the detail she went into about her life and her husband before she died. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I particularly like to see this evolution of how people were dealing with what was happening to them-Shock, disbelief, denial, become what scares you and more.

Audio: I enjoyed the narrators. They did a wonderful job. I especially LOVED who did the Japanese lady's voice. I don't know why I can't remember her name, but I remember her husbands name-Hiroki. (sp?)

Would I recommend: Yes! A great read for October if you're looking for something creepy!

Careful if you don't like creepy crawlies

A book about the apocalypse it says.

No, no, this is a book about birds. A not so good book about birds that I would have a hard time recommending. Given the material is not kind to anybody, but also, some of the most unlikable characters. And on top of that very little plot.

I sadly wouldn't recommend, even if the cover is beautiful.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. This book I was interested in the book cover and the synopsis sounded interesting. But as I listened to the audio version I realized that I was pretty far in and nothing really happens. It is kind of slow and just not as creepy as I though. The language was also pretty strong and off putting.

Perfectly creepy and perfectly ehat I needed at the time of listening, will reconmend to friends whom like this genre thanks netgalley

In a small fishing town, snails wash up on shore and start infecting and transforming everything. At first, it’s just wildlife, but soon even the humans are affected. Once infected, people collapse and die, only to come back to life, changed in many ways. When the town is quarantined and cut off from the world, birding enthuiast Blas and his brother Chango, among other survivors must find a way out, or become subjected to weird, cult rituals.

This book. Is so weird. I 80% chose it on the title. I enjoy adding “ening” on the end of things (ex. The Bloodening or in this case the deadening), but then the synopsis got me even more. I will say it took me a bit to get into the book. It shifts povs between seemingly random people in the beginning, but once I got the characters straight and got into the plot, it was pretty enjoyable.

While I appreciated the intriguing premise of The Deading, I found the execution to be somewhat lacking. The over-reliance on the word "deading" within the first few pages quickly became repetitive and hindered my enjoyment.

Despite this, the story's reflection of our modern world, from internet challenges to pandemics, was a refreshing and relatable approach to horror. The cover art was also captivating.

While I enjoyed certain aspects, I felt the writing could have been more polished. The narrative style felt somewhat blog-like, suggesting that it might have been better suited for a shorter format. Overall, The Deading offered an interesting perspective on modern horror and provided some vivid descriptions of gore.

The POV changes and going from 1st 2nd 3rd person is a bit jarring but I didn’t mind it. Each pov gave different insights to the town and a well rounded view if what was happening. It’s bizarre and campy but horror books tends to be a bit outlandish and that’s why I love them.

One of my favourite horror audiobooks of this year, this audiobook was the best. The story itself is super descriptive and creepy and the narration, oh my goodness, elevated it to another level. That ending was an experience in itself and I loved listening to it.

The deading is a strange read. They are still the same person but different. Did something take over their body when they really died. While deading the infected people come back happy. But one members and his brother that has not been affected feels where his brother is. And it is not a happy place. A group of non deaders try to find a way out of the crazy town they are in since the world has shut them out.

The book has a unique and interesting concept. Somehow, it didn't really work for me. There were a lot of OIV and sometimes it was hard to keep track. The story really intrigued me, but it was all over the place. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity

The concept was genuinely interesting - the comps are pretty spot on actually. The interpersonal relationships will capture most readers but the overall execution wasn't satisfactory or memorable.

In The Deading, a seaside town grapples with a mysterious ocean-borne contagion. Sea snails wash ashore, attacking everything in their path. Wildlife transforms, and people start “deading”—dying and rising again, changed.

Pros:
Compelling Premise: The concept of a town succumbing to an otherworldly infection is intriguing.
Linguistic Brio: Belardes weaves vivid descriptions and action into the narrative.

Cons:
Overstuffed Plot: The book struggles with complexity, making it hard to follow.
Horror Overload: Some passages are genuinely horrifying, but they overwhelm the story.

Beyond pacing issues, the novel’s overstuffed plot and relentless horror detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential, The Deading fails to strike the right balance.

This book started off incredibly strong for me. The characters are full and relatable; I love them all. The premise is fascinating, and I wanted that to continue throughout the plot, but it didn't for me. What started off grabbing me just ended up sort of letting loose until it was gone.

The Deading by Nicholas Belardes is a strange dystopian novel. Set in the small seaside town of Baywood, the novel begins with a strange and unsettling occurrence: sea snails washing ashore, harbouring a mysterious infection that quickly spirals out of control. Belardes does an exceptional job of building tension as the infection spreads, transforming not just the town’s wildlife but its residents as well. The concept of “deading,” where the infected die only to rise again with terrifying changes adds a layer of horror that feels all too real.
The characters in The Deading are complex and relatable.
Belardes’s writing is lyrical and evocative, capturing the haunting beauty of the coastal setting even as it becomes a nightmarish landscape. The novel’s exploration of the disintegration of society, the horror of survival, and the unexpected connections that emerge in times of crisis is both thought-provoking and deeply moving. The tension is palpable throughout, with the claustrophobic atmosphere of Baywood intensifying as the story unfolds.

Thank you Netgalley, RB media and Nicolas Belardes for the audio Arc of The Deading.
Narrated by June Angela, Robb Moreira, Luis Moreno

After reading the synopsis of The Deading, I loved the premise of this book. Unfortunately i felt it let itself down somewhat. Even though I really enjoyed the narrators in their own right . I felt that they didn’t really fit the cadence of the book at all. Not often does that bother me with an audio book but this time it did.

The pacing of the book itself was constant and a slow burn but I found myself wanting to rush through the book to get it finished. I feel that because the POV kept swapping from 1st to 3rd person, it didn’t flow for me at all. It’s a shame really because the premise is a great one.

3 stars

I'm feeling pretty let down by this. The narrators of the audiobook were fantastic and my gripes with this title have nothing to do with their performances. They're part of the reason that I'm rating this higher than if I would have just read it outright. The writing felt very disjointed and clunky. And dear goodness, if there would have been one more chapter of just straight up descriptions of birds, I would have likely lost my mind. I will say one thing the author did do well was body horror. Some of the scenes were really gruesome and made me feel uncomfortable, so thumbs up for that. *Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC of this audiobook.*

First off, I am one of those readers that genuinely loves being freaked out by birds and if you're not, well, be careful with this one. This is a dark mystery that involves BIRDS, contagions, weird deaths and after-deaths, and social structures.
This was an interesting read but it never quite gripped me the way I wish it had. There were bits where it rambled and so it dragged quite a bit at times.