Burden Falls

By: Kat Ellis

Narrated by: Emma Galvin

Riverdale meets The Haunting of Hill House in the terrifying new thriller from the author of Harrow Lake.

"Cinematic, clever, and creepy, with a main character that leaps off the page, Burden Falls ticks off all my moody thriller boxes." —Goldy Moldavsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Mary Shelley Club and Kill the Boy Band

The town of Burden Falls drips with superstition, from rumors of its cursed waterfall to Dead-Eyed Sadie, the disturbing specter who haunts it. Ava Thorn grew up right beside the falls, and since a horrific accident killed her parents a year ago, she's been plagued by nightmares in which Sadie comes calling—nightmares so chilling, Ava feels as if she’ll never wake up. But when someone close to Ava is brutally murdered and she’s the primary suspect, she begins to wonder if the stories might be more than legends—and if the ghost haunting her dreams might be terrifyingly real. Whatever secrets Burden Falls is hiding, there's a killer on the loose . . . with a vendetta against the Thorns.

"Reads like a horror blockbuster in the best way possible." —PopSugar
"Superb." —BCCB
"A great scary story with an even mix of heart and blood." —SLJ
"Gritty...Spine-tingling...Twisty." —Kirkus

Critic reviews

"Maintaining her knack for spooky suspense, Ellis keeps the tension taut, delivering a gritty whodunit, a spine-tingling supernatural story, and a twisty psychological thriller all in one." —Kirkus

"Burden Falls reads like a horror blockbuster in the best way possible.” —PopSugar

"Superb . . . Tingling eerie creepiness and satisfying jump scares. The setting gives maximum fear factor with an ancient house with dark corners and even darker secrets; a gloomy, claustrophobic forest with deep shadows; and a waterfall that can bring absolution or retribution." —BCCB

“Well done and keeps the pace fast. Ava and her experiences with grief and loss will also resonate . . . A great scary story with an even mix of heart and blood. Recommended.” —SLJ

mystery plus ghost story

If you like ghost stories, you might like this book. But mystery fans, might find the ghost elements of the story a little distracting from the classic mystery trope. The legend of Dead-Eyed Sadie has become a part of the folklore of Burden Falls. That all changes when two teens are murdered near the river with their eyes gauged out. Ava Thorn, who discovers the body of her high school enemy, Freya Miller, struggles to find out what really happened, especially since she becomes the primary suspect. Ava, a goth with a snarky attitude, has to face her own demons and encounter the ghosts of her past to unravel the mystery and also avoid her own untimely demise. Good book, but Ava might have been written a little too sarcastic in the beginning of the book, which makes it difficult at first to follow along with audio narrative.

Loved it!

My sister – who hosts the podcast Fictional Hangover – recommended this audiobook for my long flight home from vacation. Did I continue to listen even after I got home? YES! Did I finish it in one day? YES! She said it’s one of her most favorite books that she’s read all year, and I definitely agree.