The story blends paranormal and heart-pounding suspense to keep the readers engaged throughout the book. Our FMC, Olivia, explores the lengths we'll go to for the ones we hold dear. It begins with Olivia's unsettling inheritance of her sister Naiche's gift, the connection to the spirit world. Olivia is not just chasing ghosts; she's navigating the aftermath of her sister's death. She is trying to right the wrongs of the past. In her quest to honor her sister's memory, she connects the reader on an emotional level and anchors the supernatural elements in the relatable human experiences of grief and guilt.

As the story unfolds, Olivia's investigation into the Brown Palace Hotel's history of unexplained deaths of women in room 904 takes center stage. Olivia's sister happens to be the last woman found dead. Olivia begins to unravel her sister's secretive life with a cult, which puts her into a dangerous web of deception, betrayal, and long-buried truths. Olivia must find a way to break the curse to save her mother and the buried secrets of her sister's death. Olivia's connection with her sister transcends death, and their bond becomes a powerful force driving her actions. The pacing is electric, balancing emotional depth with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Every revelation, whether encounters with restless spirits, confrontations with a vindictive journalist determined to expose Olivia's secrets, or the betrayals of those closest to her, tugs Olivia deeper into danger. It flows with narratives rich in emotional intensity, powerful and historical stories of the supernatural, and yet profound human loss through generations.

The audio performance added to the overall reading experience and gave the FMC a strong voice and personality.

I received an ARC audiobook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

I liked the Native and Jewish representation. I think that was done very well. I felt like way too much was happening within the plot. Like too many side plots and it all felt rushed and sometimes unfinished. I also wish the description would’ve made it more clear that her sisters death was technically a suicide, and it was very uncomfortable/odd to repeatedly refer to it as “she suicided”. Review posted on instagram

I listened to the audio version of this book. I thought it was done well. Ina Barrón was a great narrator choice. She did a nice job bringing these diverse, well-built characters to life. If you enjoy tense paranormal thrillers with horror elements, I recommend checking this book out. This was my first book by Erika T. Wurth, but it won’t be my last! Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I have read by Erika T. Wurth, and it was every bit as fabulous as the first. This book got me from the start with the main character, Olivia, purchasing possessed items online or helping people who have such objects. Olivia has the ability to see and hear spirits, just like her sister had. The story unfolds as we learn that Olivia' sister, Naiche, has died under strange circumstances. (Again, you have me hooked.) This book intertwines sad and horrifying indigenous events with the paranormal. I completely devoured this book, and look forward to reading more by Wurth in the future!

The Haunting Of Room 904 by Erica T Worth, I listen to the audiobook narrated by Ina Barone, who has a very relaxing yet awesome voice for this type of story. The story is about Olivia, who on the night of her Doctoral graduation found out her sister committed suicide and she has been living with the trauma and guilt of it ever since, but that isn’t the only change in her life. She has also due to her sisters demise gain the ability to speak to the dead and experience their thoughts and emotions something she has turned into a business along with her best friend Alejo/Alejandro. Lately the haunting she’s been called to,. Has something to do with her and her sister‘s death but what it is she cannot quite figure out. When the hotel where her sister died call asking for her help to intervene on the haunted room where her sister was found. Olivia doesn’t know if she wants to do it or not. but you soon realizes if she wants the answers to her sister‘s death and the strange hauntings she’s been called to. She’s going to have to take the job and it will change her life forever. I really really love monster stories, and when the golem came to life, I was so super excited. This was such a great book. I love the fast paste narrative. all the crazy stories that were in the main story like the one about the hotel the Wolfman the really isn’t much negative. I can say about this book. I do think Olivia was made out to be almost like a supernatural person with her life partner being gay Alejo, whose name kept changing in the book from Alejo to Alejandro and that was annoying. I found it odd that the only people she knew were lesbians and I found Sarah to be such a job. I would not bring her to any escape room haunted intervention and don’t know why Olivia did Olivia seem like a much smarter person than that but I digress in my last complaint is stalker. Josh seemed like a cartoon character and not a real person. Other than that, I really really like this book I do want to say, however in the book she states that Christians Catholics and white people only believe in God and Satan and I must disagree. There are many colors to white people; there’s Muslim white people, buddhist, Wicken, in every religion in between. To say that every white person believes in Christianity… I do, but I am one person and there are many others that don’t. Some people don’t believe in anything. sorry for my tiny rent, but generalizing is a pet peeve of mine and I wish it didn’t annoy me so much when people say one group of people do an absolute when that is impossible. This book was great. I definitely recommended that was just one small sentence that I made into a mountain. I apologize. Read the book or even better listen to the audio version. #NetGalley, #McMillanAudio, #EricaTWorth, #TheHauntingOfRoom904,

‘The Haunting of Room 904’ by Erika Wurth has so many great elements, but I feel like with a bit more cohesion it could have been stronger. The story itself is compelling, but it feels a bit rushed. There’s a lot happening and not quite enough tying it all together for me to fully enjoy the read.

That being said, the characters are well-developed and enjoyable to get to know. The plot is intriguing overall if you’re able to keep up with the everything going on. There are moments in the story that I found beautiful, and Wurth’s descriptive writing is definitely a highlight. Her vivid imagery immersed me in the world she created, which was one of my favorite aspects of the book.

If you’re in the mood for an otherworldly paranormal read, this one is worth checking out!

Also, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job! I had no problem figuring out which characters were talking and what emotions they were feeling. A+ to the audio!

Well, I blew through this audiobook in less than a day. Should I be embarrassed? Nah, I'm gonna call it a testament to everyone involved, most notably Erika T. Wurth, who is a phenomenal writer and storyteller. I've got to give props to Ina Barron as well, whose narration was absolute perfection.

At the heart of this gripping novel is Olivia Becente, an academic-turned-paranormal-investigator with a gift she never asked for. After her sister Naiche's sudden death, Olivia finds herself with an unexpected inheritance: she gains her sister's unique ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead. This twist of fate propels her into a dangerous investigation at Denver’s Brown Palace hotel, where an eerie pattern emerges: every few years, a young woman is found dead in room 904, Naiche being the most recent victim.

The paranormal aspects of this story are SO well done. I'm so glad that we've collectively started to acknowledge the horrors that were committed on the land our (at least, my) ancestors stole. I've always said I'm surprised more people don't write about hauntings from this angle. There's so much material to work with, unfortunately. That being said, I really appreciate the respect with which Wurth treated these aspects of the story. None of it came off as exploitative or flippant, and I got the sense that she truly cares and is knowledgeable about the cultures she included. She also filled the novel with a cast of characters you can't help but love. Olivia is a genuine, caring person trying to use her gifts to help as much as she can, all while grappling with a profound loss. Her investigation of the deaths at the Brown Palace becomes a way for her to confront the haunting grief of losing Naiche, and the journey is both terrifying and heartbreaking. The unsettling hotel is the perfect backdrop for the ghosts of the past to surface, and Wurth has a knack for building tension that kept me on the edge of my seat.

If you love horror and like books that challenge you to think critically about our nation's history, The Haunting of Room 904 is an absolute must-read. It’s dark, it’s haunting, and it’s one of the most uniquely powerful thrillers I’ve read in a long time. Erika T. Wurth has cemented herself as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary horror. Next up: White Horse, which I'm embarrassed to admit has been sitting on my TBR shelf since it came out.

My initial thoughts are just....what?? I love the indigenous aspect to this novel, however, I just feel as though I am missing a lot. This is nothing like what I expected this book would be. How did it take 5 years to figure all of this out...? I am just very inderwhelmed...

The audiobook version has a really easy to follow narrator who told the story very well.

This book wasn't for me at all, it was all over the place. I couldn't get into the story. Haunted items, haunted rooms, the ending felt rushed like the author just gave up

3.75/5 stars, rounded up. (Goodreads, please add half and quarter ratings!)
The Haunting of Room 904 is an indigenous paranormal mystery novel. I really loved that it wasn't the classic haunting that you may expect when going into this. I appreciated that this book contained Jewish folklore and showcased an entity that I don't normally feel like I read about. The concept was also very intriguing. The main character, Olivia, is clairvoyant and becomes a well-known paranormal investigator. She gets called out to investigate the Brown Palace where women are dying in room 904, even without having stayed in that room. This story contains a lot of sleuthing and supernatural encounters.

At times, the writing felt a bit juvenile to be listed as "adult." The characters spoke as though the intended audience is YA instead. Not necessarily a bad thing, but personally, I wasn't hoping to see that within this book. I appreciated the cultural diversity within the book and how it showed some of the prejudices that exist.

I think the layout of this book could've been a bit smoother and well-polished but overall it kept me engaged and interested to see where the story ended up.

This is my second book read by this author and I think I'll continue to read more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

TW: murder, self-harm, death, grief, emotional abuse, toxic relationship, stalking, xenophobia

The Haunting of Room 904
Erika T. Wurth

4.25 / 5

From the author of White Horse, comes a paranormal horror thriller that has flavors of Our Share of Night.

Cults and haunted mirrors, dybbuk boxes and ancestral vengeance. I had a really great time reading this horror novel.

I wasn't a big fan of White Horse, but this novel was much more my speed. Recommend!

4.25

(Some of the writing, or maybe just some of the scenes, made it feel slightly YA-ish in parts, but that's my only real "critique".)

Very spooky. Had good ambiance. I felt like I was watching a horror/paranormal movie. Kept a good pace. Well narrated.

This one was incredibly eerie and exciting, but deepened by themes of family bonds, grief, and the effects of atrocities perpetuated upon the indigenous people's of the United States.

THE HAUNTING OF ROOM 904 is, in a few words, a paranormal mystery/horror about a paranormal investigator who is working on a haunting case at the same place (a hotel) her sister was found dead years before.
While this investigator and her crew are working on that case we, the readers, also learn a lot about her past with her sister as well as some dramatic events in her private life. Also, we learn, little by little, about a certain massacre against indigenous people that occured in that region over a century ago.

In my opinion, this story was supposed to be spooky and mysterious, and maybe also emotional. To me, it didn't work so well that way.
I did like the setting of a haunted hotel room (especifically a room, not the whole hotel) and I tend to like paranormal investigations in general.
The main character can be relatable and easy to sympathise with. Her personal life dramas and her struggles to accept the death of her sister make her more realistic and easy to root for. What's more, the conclusion is decent enough.

However, I personally didn't find this book spooky at all. Mysterious, yes. For sure. But not spooky. Except for the first chapter (which was easily my favourite from the entire book), nothing else gave me spook vibes. The investigator's crew bored me a little - sometimes they acted like real amateurs who had absolutely no idea of what they were doing or how to behave -, the protagonist's ex-boyfriend drama was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the main plot and as for the ending...even though I do think it was decent, it was nothing original or surprising. It worked, but it is forgettable.
Last, but not least, I should add that this book is not really a horror novel. Even though there are some horror elements, it is much more of a paranormal mystery.

I would recommend this book to readers who generally enjoy paranormal investigations and mystery, and also to those who enjoy mystery and drama involving siblings and grief.
The audiobook was very well done, in my opinion. I believed the narrator and she held my attention. I recommend it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

It has been five years since Olivia Becente sister Naiche suicide. Now Olivia, a high demand paranormal investigator has been called to Brown Palace, a historic hotel located in Denver. Every five years a woman checks into the Brown Palace and winds up in room 904 even though that room is never checked out to patrons. Three weeks after the woman ends up dead in room 904. This is what happened to Naiche and when she called Olivia in a panic to come help her on the night she died. Using her paranormal equiptment to help find and guide the spirtis away from the room will Olivia get to the bottom of the mystery behind the haunting. The Haunting of Room 904 was the first book that I have read by Erika T. Wurth and can't believe that I didn't read White Horse yet. I am always looking for diverse authors for our collection and for the book club that I run. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me listen to this advanced copy of this audiobook.

Stars: 3.5 rounded up

I really enjoyed The Haunting of Room 904. The story was engaging, and the ending tied everything up nicely. The pacing was great, keeping me hooked without feeling slow.

The writing style wasn’t my favorite—some phrases felt repetitive, which pulled me out of the story at times. It didn’t ruin the book, but it did slow things down a bit.

Overall, it’s a solid paranormal horror that kept me interested, and I’m definitely open to reading more from this author. If you enjoy the genre, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for my review!

DNF at 54%

This sounded like it was going to be really cool, and I tried to love it, but it read like a Scooby-Doo spec script.

Spooky entities haunting mirrors and books and a box, a haunted escape room, a stalker ex, a dumb friend that cries every single time she’s around spooooooooky stuff (but still comes to every spooooooky outing with her friend who is a paranormal investigator?), a vampire cosplay guy/cult leader, a dead sister, and it’s all maybe going to be tied to a massacre? This was a mess, and I give up.

I wanted to like this book, it had all the right elements, a woman who can see and hear dead people, but the story was silly and sophomoric. There was a terrifying ghost/entity every few pages. And the heroine and her group of ghost hunters scream, run in circles and generally act ridiculously. There’s a strange attempt to bring in the slaughter of a group of indigenous women by white soldiers a 150 years in the past that isn’t given the attention it deserves and just sticks out as an odd aside. Not for me