I received an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The title and cover of this book intrigued me and made me excited to start this book. Although this book was easy to listen to, I found that I wasn’t as interested as I thought I would be. I was not invested in the characters or the storyline. I don’t think this was a bad book, it just wasn’t for me. I would recommend this book if you are interested in history, curses and the paranormal.

The Haunting of Room 904 was an enjoyable listen. Part supernatural investigation, part historical and current experience of indigenous Americans, with plenty of humor and just enough romance. The characters felt and behaved like they were real. For such an “easy” book to read, thanks to Wurth’s casual style, Haunting’s horrors are deep, raising questions about generational trauma, domestic abuse, and identity, and more. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys psychological and/or supernatural thrillers.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this one just wasn't for me. It's a paranormal horror book, which is usually good with me, but this one didn't work and kind of falls apart IMO. In this story, we have Olivia, who became able to communicate with the dead after the tragic suicide of her sister, Naiche. Naiche was involved with a cult obsessed with a haunted room at an old Denver hotel, in which a woman dies by suicide every 5 years in room 904. Through a series of hauntings for which Olivia, who is now a paranormal investigator/fixer, is hired, a pattern slooooowlyyyy emerges in which we find that a long-ago massacre by whites of native people (in which children and other innocents were slaughtered without remorse ETA: apparently this is the Sand Creek Massacre, but I do not recall it being called this in the book?) is creating havoc in the current day.

There is a LOT going on here, and honestly, I found it kind of tedious and confusing. I enjoyed the Indigenous narrative, and the author clearly knows her stuff, but the idea that <spoiler>a string of Ebay purchases would be seeded to ensure that one paranormal investigator would get involved and piece everything together is kind of nutty and not believable - yes, I understand that the paranormal defies logic. It was odd to me that Olivia, who seems to have a firm moral compass and whose sister was an addict for a time, is willing to feign romantic interest that leads to actual frisson with a nepo baby drug dealer, not that we ever know exactly what's going on there, and we get more about Olivia's roommate's love life.</spoiler>

It was also strange to me that towards the end, it is revealed that white people in the 1860s discovered that the suffering of Native people could bring white people immortality; it felt a little like we were venturing into "magical Negro" territory. Add to that that <spoiler>Olivia is able to ultimately defeat the evil spirit assisting the spirits of long-dead white people who subjugated Indigenous people ... by *singing*</spoiler> didn't really do it for me.

I've seen comparisons to Ramona Emerson's work to this author's, and while I didn't love all of Emerson's last book, it was markedly better than this one, to me. I can see where the comparison comes in but this is much more horror-oriented.

Ina Barron does a good enough job with the voice acting, despite my complaints about her accent on Jewish character, Sascha (it's very Jackie Mason). She does a nice job with Spanish and Arapahoe/Cheyenne (as far as I can tell anyway for the latter).

I will say this is more on the horror side. I’m a HUGE horror girly so i love this. There is a lot of paranormal investigation! Never ended twists and turns. The characters are extremely well written. This audiobook really REALLY had me on my toes! I would recommend this to anyone who wants a horror book! 💜

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this scary ride ❤️

Also the narrator is GREAT!

This is my favorite by this author so far. I think I had a hard time putting myself into the story in her other books, but this one held my attention the whole way. There were so many different cultures and possibilities, which could have made it seem disjointed, but to me it just brought out all the possibilities when dealing with the supernatural.
Wurth is someone who uses action and magic/paranormal elements to tell a story. Olivia is a paranormal investigator haunted by the death of her sister, and it was fascinating to watch how she learned what really happened. The narrator was excellent, with just the right amount of tension. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook.

I tried really hard to get into this one, and while I'm really thankful to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley, and Erika T. Wurth for granting me advanced access to this title, I think I'd much rather hand it off to a friend for them to take a stab at it.

I think that listening to the audiobook helped me stay in tune with this book. The narration kept me engaged. This is definitely a supernatural horrior story. It mixes Native American, Hispanic and Jewish mysticism/religion. Which I found to be as interesting as it was odd. The author does a good job of using descendants of Native American oppressors as antagonist.
Overall it was an easy listen to me. The characters are not extremely likable, but I did find myself rooting for them to break the curse in the end.
For me this would be 3.25/5 stars.
I received an ALC of this title, all opinions are my own.

This book was a little too woowoo for me, I'm not a fan of science fiction or of something that doesn't seem like it could really happen. I do believe in some occult but this was just too far in my opinion.

This is the first time I’ve shelved an ARC on the DNF. Very disappointed as I was excited to read it. I picked this up multiple times, but sadly could never get into it. This story was all over the place. There was very little transition, the changes in the story felt abrupt. The dialogue read more like YA which was not expected. It feels like it could be good, but needs better organization and editing. Even the narrator didn’t save it for me this time.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ARC and sorry I couldn’t latch on to the story.

If you’re looking for a book where you can really get to know the main character that also has some creepy elements, then you’ll love this book. In my opinion the character development seemed to overpower the rest of the story and what I really wanted going into this audiobook was to be creeped out, but that’s not what I got. Don’t get me wrong the story was well written and enjoyable, but I was left underwhelmed.

I liked the premise here but I must confess that I found myself confused about what was going on more often than not. The back and forth shifts between the investigation into her sister's death and the indigenous woman's life work confusing to me and just when I would start to get into one of the storylines the perspective would shift and we would be back in the other. I'm sure if I had kept reading that at some point the importance of this back and forth would have made itself clear, but I was so confused at halfway through that I couldn't tell what I was even listening to anymore. I liked the narration fine, but the story lost me. I was not a good fit for this one... It felt like too much was trying to be shoved into one story.

Definitely wasn’t what I thought it would be. More melodramatic than scary. Liked the first chapter but it lost me after that. 2.5 stars rounded up.

This is a very slow-burn mystery, spooky/horror, with Indigenous characters, a lot of conflict, some whodunnit elements, and a creepy paranormal adversary. The characters were rich and diverse and I would like to see more of them as a series, if that's something the author might do.

I think if I'd been more in the mood for this type of story I'd have liked it more, but when I read it, it didn't leave much of an impression. The narration was flat so perhaps the physical book would've made me like it more. Hard to say. But I liked it enough that I'd read more by the author and more in this series.

This book has lots of supernatural elements, a good pace, and was interesting from the very start to the very end. I appreciated the inclusion of various cultures and beliefs from Indigenous cultures to Judaism. The narrator was spectacular and made the listening experience so enjoyable. I really liked this one!

This is my first Erika T. Wurth novel and probably won't be my last. Although I only gave it three stars, that doesn't disqualify her as a writer I'd be interested in reading again.

The reason that this book was a three star for me was because even though it was telling a somewhat linear narrative it felt very disjointed. It gave me the same vibes as when I read John Dies at the End, which felt disjointed because that was a story that was originally told episodically. There were moments when the story jumped from one scene to another that felt as though it was the same characters in the same world but they were in a new episode instead of being in the same exact story.

Over all the story was enjoyable and I thought that Wurth had a lot of interesting things to say.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow - haunting is right. This book was beautiful. Atmospheric, packed with indigenous history, lore and culture. It was tragic in its beauty. I inhaled this in two sittings because I couldn’t soak up the words fast enough. And the narrator was absolutely incredible.

Title: The Haunting of Room 904
Author: Erika T. Wurth
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Ina Barron
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Paranormal Thriller, Horror
Audiobook Pub Date March 8, 2025
My Rating: 3.1 Stars
Pages: 320

Olivia Becente’s sister Naiche had the gift of being able to commune with the dead but when she unexpectedly died in a hotel room under strange circumstances, Olivia suddenly sees and hears spirit.

Now a few years later, Oliva is Denver’s most popular paranormal investigator. The owner of the ‘Brown Palace’, a landmark Denver hotel needs help is solving why every few years, a girl is found dead in room 904, even if she checked into another room.

I am okay with Paranormal and horror - so was looking forward to this story. I was fine with the story but I am not a fan of profanity so had a hard time with these characters. (I know it me) Narrator Erika T. Wurth did a great job performing the characters. I just wish I had a way to bleep out the swearing.
I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Date scheduled for March 8, 2025.

Olivia's family and her work converge in a harrowing paranormal story.

I really enjoy Wurth's writing. I enjoy my interactions with their characters and the intense family ties. The paranormal elements are always fire, too!

In room 904 of Brown Palace, something sinister is going on and Olivia is brought in to investigate. Bestowed with a gift she didn't want, the ability to commune with the dead, she has a unique ability to find answers. The happenings in this hotel room I found so interesting! The idea that there is something drawing people to the room, the place where they will ultimately die, taking all control from them???? So GOOD!!

This case is closer though, because it involves her own sister. All she wants is to find answers to her sister's death and a cult connection to this hotel room may give her the answers she needs. Meanwhile, even though Olivia is renowned in the area for her results, she isn't without her haters. I found the aspect of a reporter so ravenously slandering her SO interesting. The way Olivia deals with the issue, the way she overcomes it was so entertaining.

I listened to the audiobook of The Haunting of Room 904, and the narration was 10/10!

YES to the portrayal of indigenous characters!

The audiobook was fantastic, and I really appreciate how it seamlessly incorporated cultural references tied to the supernatural, folklore, and inspired by true events.

The story features a diverse cast, with its core focused on a traumatic Native experience. Olivia, a paranormal investigator, delves into the connection between this event and the mysterious deaths of women in Room 904, including the loss of her own sister.

While it has a strong paranormal element, it still captivated me as a fan of thrillers. Good rec for those who enjoy Simone St. James

Well. This book was categorized as "general fiction" and after reading the synopsis I was expecting a Scooby Doo ending where the ghost is unmasked as a person with logical way things happened: secret dumbwaiter, trapdoor, etc. NOPE. This my friends is a paranormal horror novel. And a paranormal horror book that has too many details and not enough transitions. The author slaps us in one place, dumps a bunch of information, and then slaps us somewhere else. I spent a long time sitting on this review because I hate giving one star when someone has spent their time and energy on something, but this book is too clunky in its current iteration.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author Erika Wurth, and Macmillan Audio for my copy of this audiobook.