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The Splendor of Fear

By: Ambrose Ibsen
Narrated by: Melissa Moran
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Publisher's Summary

Something stirs in the town of Newsom's Landing....

Penny hates the outdoors, but when her boyfriend, Jared, plans a romantic weekend getaway in the woods, she decides to tag along. The pair drive to a remote Kentucky campground with a strange and sordid history. Within the confines of the Swan Creek State Park are the ruins of a town abandoned under terrifying circumstances in the 19th century. 

The town of Newsom's Landing had been the site of the last-known witch trial in US history, and the ghost of its defendant, the infamous Ellie Pomeroy, is said to still linger. Arriving on the anniversary of Pomeory's murder, the pair find they have the entire park to themselves. Or, nearly.

Something else is stalking the woods - watching in the night, wandering through the ruins. It brings a plague of hallucinatory terror wherever it goes, and before long, Penny and Jared can't parse reality from nightmare. Lost in the woods, the pair are faced with a choice: Find a way to end the century-long curse, or be consumed by it - body and soul.

©2018 Ambrose Ibsen (P)2019 Tantor

What listeners say about The Splendor of Fear

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Im not sure I can recommend this book

I finished listening to this over the weekend and I have mixed feelings about it.

The book had a captivating premise, drawing me in with its mysterious woods and the haunted backstory of Newsom's Landing. BUUUUT as the story progressed, I felt like the author lost their way. The writing started to rely heavily on unnecessary thesaurus-like word choices, which disrupted the flow because I can guarantee you mid being chased a person isnt going to think in those types of descriptive words or weird monologues conveying plot points.

I also found the character development was a bit confusing. The boyfriend exhibited numerous red flags, yet SPOILER the characters end up engaged? I really enjoyed the world creation, I did feel like I was there but I feel like the book needed one more go at writing it out to flesh out the plot in a more logical way.

2.5 Stars

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  • Sid
  • 16-03-2024

solidly average

Story was mildly engaging but I was extremely put off by the boyfriend. Don't understand why she wanted an engagement to someone so selfish.
Story could have used some serious editing, odd words choices.

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