Exodus

De: Kimberly A Bettes

Narrado por: Rick Gregory

At the height of the Great Depression, thousands of families who have lost everything are left with no choice but to make the pilgrimage westward in search of a new life. Some will find what they're looking for. Some will not and will then be forced to make the long journey back home. Then there are the others, those who never make it to either place because they made a stop along the way in a town called Exodus, an abandoned silver mining town in eastern Arizona where nothing good ever happens and most folks never leave.

The Carlsons - John, his wife Anne, and their newborn baby James - are one of countless families heading west, and they're one of many unfortunate families who decide to make a stop in Exodus. The sign on the highway promises food and gas, both of which the Carlsons need. But the sign doesn't advertise all that Exodus has to offer.

It doesn't mention the torture.

The cannibalism.

The death.

Caught now in a horrifying world of madness, Anne has to fight to save her family, though doing so will push her to the very brink of her own sanity.

A horror novel for mature audiences only.

©2016 Kimberly A. Bettes (P)2017 Kimberly A. Bettes

Proves Women Can Write Horror

This story was disturbing, disgusting, creepy, and vile....

...and I kinda liked it.

There are few people I feel could get away with writing a story about the horrors of motherhood and it becomes an actual horror story. Yes, this story isn't original--very reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wrong Turn, and those other cannibal/torture-related stories. However, what sets this gruesome depiction apart from the others is the idea of motherhood--how far will you go to save your child? How far will you go to love your child? What does it take to keep a family together? These questions are asked through three different perspectives--Ann's, Vera's, and Vera's mother (Of course Ann is the best mom here, obviously).

I was very impressed with the music that was played throughout the audiobook--I think that was a great addition to the story and really gave you something to ruminate on.

Some negative things I will say is that the narrator did a good job, but it wasn't the best narration I've experienced. He attempted to use different voices for each character, but there were times where all the voices sounded the same and I couldn't pick out who was talking (especially between Frank and Mimi). Another negative is that the inflection the narrator used during times of stress for the characters lacked. For instance, when Ann first met Vera and her husband was missing. The writing appeared to have Ann worried, but the narrator sounded joyful (when Ann was answering Vera's questions about Baby James). If I narrated, my voice would have been hesitant and showed more appropriate emotion. Finally, the last negative thing about the book, itself, is that many parts of Vera's characterization was repeated MANY MANY MANY unnecessary times. How many times do we need to hear that she gets turned on by one specific thing (that I won't spoil for you). I just felt the flow of the story could have been improved with a fiercer editing process.

Disturbing Gore Galore.

If you could sum up Exodus in three words, what would they be?

Disturbing. Uncomfortable. Creepy.

What did you like best about this story?

I typically read sci-fi and thrillers and rarely read horror books, because I haven't come across any good horror books in a long time. Most of the horror books I had seen in recent times were either full of "jump scares" or trying the old cliched tropes. Not this book. This book is choke full of uniquely disturbing and creepy happenings that really rattle you. The story got terrifying really fast and kept me hooked till the end. I was more or less disgusted by the gore, and yet I couldn't put it down. I finished the book in a single day, 2 long sessions.

Any additional comments?

I voluntarily received a free copy of this book from the author / narrator / publisher and I'm leaving an unbiased review.

Don't listen to this while eating. Seriously.

Very creepy!

Wow! I'm a fan of horror but I'll admit some parts made me uncomfortable xand made me cringe! I guess you know it's good horror if it makes you cringe! lol The story itself takes place during the great depression and the writer wasted no time jumping straight into the horror! Loved it! Great narration by Rick Gregory! I've listened to a few of his narrations now and really enjoy his work.

Loved it

Dark, gruesome and super creepy. The perfect horror. It really did remind me of The Hills Have Eyes, which is an awesome movie so I loved this book.

The narration was good for the most part. Not my favorite narrator but the performance was decent.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

disturbing

If you want to be disturbed then this is a book for you. it's full of cannibalism, incest, and gore. I enjoyed it.