She Is a Haunting

By: Trang Thanh Tran

Narrated by: Emi Ray

Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller! This house eats and is eaten . . .

"A riveting debut from a remarkable new voice! Trang Thanh Tran weaves an impressive gothic mystery in which Jade's father is determined to restore a decrepit home to its former glory and Jade is the only person who feels the soul-crushing devastation of colonialism lingering within its walls." --Angeline Boulley, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Firekeeper's Daughter

A House with a terrifying appetite haunts a broken family in this atmospheric horror, perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic.

When Jade Nguyen arrives in Vietnam for a visit with her estranged father, she has one goal: survive five weeks pretending to be a happy family in the French colonial house Ba is restoring. She’s always lied to fit in, so if she’s straight enough, Vietnamese enough, American enough, she can get out with the college money he promised.

But the house has other plans. Night after night, Jade wakes up paralyzed. The walls exude a thrumming sound while bugs leave their legs and feelers in places they don’t belong. She finds curious traces of her ancestors in the gardens they once tended. And at night Jade can’t ignore the ghost of the beautiful bride who leaves cryptic warnings: Don’t eat.

Neither Ba nor her sweet sister Lily believe that there is anything strange happening. With help from a delinquent girl, Jade will prove this house--the home they have always wanted--will not rest until it destroys them. Maybe, this time, she can keep her family together. As she roots out the house’s rot, she must also face the truth of who she is and who she must become to save them all.

©2023 Trang Thanh Tran (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

"A riveting debut from a remarkable new voice! Trang Thanh Tran weaves an impressive gothic mystery in which Jade's father is determined to restore a decrepit home to its former glory and Jade is the only person who feels the soul-crushing devastation of colonialism lingering within its walls." (Angeline Boulley, number one New York Times bestselling author of The Firekeeper's Daughter)

Solid story - not a huge fan of the audio reader

The story was good - a slow burn ghost story about family, culture, and loss. The reader took away from it though, because she read pretty flat in places and didn't give much emotion to the performance overall.

Enjoyed very much

The narrator mispronounced a lot of words. It was surprising but not distracting. Sometimes it feels like listening to a poem. The story is really great. Original (coming from someone who hasn’t read a lot in this genre). Loved the balance of all the issues being addressed.

Very interesting story, awful narration

I really thought this was an interesting story about being haunted, both literally and figuratively, by family and colonialism. However, I almost did not finish this book because the narration was wooden and very often emphasis was on the wrong word or syllable. It was as if someone had handed the narrator the book and she’d never seen it before. It made the book difficult to understand and I often had to think about what was being said. That was especially irritating when the book became suspenseful, since I felt I missed part of the plot. I would definitely recommend reading this book, but I truly can’t recommend the audio book.

Amazing.

I was actually scared to get into this. Paranormal stuff is a bit creepy. But this story was actually really detailed. Jade had my emotions going. I was rooting for her then I was annoyed with her. But I get it. Not to get to deep. This was a great story and I am happy that it’s finally over. I got the heebeejeebies. Don’t read at night lol.

Creepy

A real Horror story that gets into your bones. You begin to question reality. The relationships between characters is complex. It leaves you wondering if the story will repeat itself, with a new host of characters.

Give the narrator a break

The reviews bashing the narrator are really uncalled for (and a bit rude). Particularly considering that this appears to be her first narration, I think she did great. I really liked how she gave a distinct voice to each character. She reads the book in a dreamy, haunted and sometimes distant manner that I think works with the story for the most part. There are some Vietnamese words that she reads a bit stilted but I appreciate her attention to getting the pronunciation right.

I liked the story and the author writes beautifully. Incredible descriptions! I was hoping that it would be scarier but it is serviceably creepy for a YA novel.

horrible.

I purchased this book, can't finish it because it is so terrible. I cannot return it either. if you buy and don't use a credit, they won't let you return the title, this goes for ANY PURCHASED TITLE.

making me seriously rethink keeping this app.

Give the audiobook a pass—better to read it.

I’m sure whatever story is behind the god awful reading is compelling in its own right, but the voice actress does more than make me disinterested—I actively hate every character and every plot twist after having to listen to it being droned on about by an emotionless hack of an actress that can’t pronounce simple words correctly.

I’m disappointed, because this had everything that I could have wanted in a book, but none of it I could enjoy because of the abysmal performance. I sincerely think the powers that be should be screening their talent better.