Drowning in Oceans of Black

By: Brandon Ford

Narrated by: Michael Butler

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Minutes gone. Hours lost.

For Paula Carson, a living hell becomes all too real when she experiences unexpected blackouts. Without warning, her world sinks into a cavern of darkness, and she wakes screaming, icy cold terror pulsing through her veins, with no memory of preceding events.

As instances become more frequent, Paula seeks the aid of Dr. Maggie Butler, award-winning psychiatrist, who introduces her to the powers of hypnosis. Each session helps Paula piece together an ever-expanding puzzle. As she slowly finds the answers she seeks, Paula falls from a dreaming nightmare into a waking one, where she is forced to question both her sanity, as well as her willingness to trust those she’s closest to.

Drowning in Oceans of Black is a terrifying thriller which follows one woman’s battle for answers in a world where she’s lost all sense of control, and her body is no longer her own.

©2022 Joseph Castagna (P)2022 Joseph Castagna

Gut Wrenching

Woah. That’s the lasting thought I have after finishing this story even though it’s been days since I turned the last page. I devoured this book in one session because I couldn’t seem to put it down. It was powerful and gut wrenching, a real emotional cocktail.

When the book starts, we’re introduced to Paula who lives in a seemingly perfect world with her lover Dwight. The biggest issue she faces are the blackouts. Blackouts that have plagued her life for ten years. They terrify her to the point where she feels like her life is controlled by them. Getting to the bottom of what’s causing them will mean tearing her entire world apart.
Like always, my favorite part of Ford’s books is the gradual feeling of dread he weaves through the story and the way he takes such seemingly normal worlds and breaks them down into chaos.

This story was particularly scary because trafficking circles are a rising problem and a real thing that anyone can fall victim to under the wrong circumstances.

A heavy thing to digest. This book really leaves the reader with the thought that you never really know anyone as well as you think you do.

Wow! This is DARK!

This book was so dark, and it kept me gripped from start to finish. Absolutely nothing was as it seemed. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong! When the truth finally came to light, it was far worse than anything I had imagined and left my jaw on the floor. I had never heard of Brandon Ford before, but now I'm definitely going to be checking out more of his work. If his other titles are even half this good, he'll have a new fan for life. The only small critique I have is that I think the story could have benefitted from having a female do the narration, as I think it would have made the Paula come alive a little bit more. But overall, it was still an excellent book.

Chilling, engrossing, horrifying, and fabulous!

Paula Carson keeps losing time. She thinks she’s going crazy, losing her mind, but the truth is far, far worse. “Drowning in Oceans of Black” is a deeply terrifying and disturbingly horrifying psychological thriller that kept me glued to my headphones for its entirety! The writing is BRILLIANT with characters both beautifully developed, and clearly defined. There are sympathetic innocents my heart cried for, and evil doer’s so seemingly normal, yet so profoundly EVIL! No spoilers! All will become horrifyingly clear as you listen! The plot is amazingly crafted with so many turns and surprises, yet written so clearly with a mesmerizingly perfect flow! I was kept securely “in” the story at all times, and when all was said and done, nothing felt unresolved. I’m giving no plot details so as no to spoil anything for future listeners! The narration that bring this hauntingly fabulous story to life is spot on spectacular! The one thought that is really haunting me is that THIS story could happen! It’s both a frightening fabulous psychological thriller and cautionary tale. It’s also a five star fabulous listen and I loved it!

A very dark and twisted, unexpected horror story.

Trigger warnings for SA. A deeply disturbing and unexpected tale of horror and depravity. Extremely well written. This unexpected tale of horror kept me equally horrified and intrigued the entire ride! It walks the line of psychotic episode and keeps you questioning the entire time. Def. Not anything like I was expecting. If your looking for a dark and disturbing horror story this is for you! Overall not disappointed but equally horrified at the same time!