The Almshouse

The Spirit World Series Book 1

By: Blanche King

Narrated by: Vicky Ring

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Come travel into the 1930s and through the doors of St. Margaret's School for Girls. The place used to be an almshouse, until its previous occupants burned to death 13 years before. The townsfolk are at a loss as to what started the fire. Some said it was an act of the devil. Some said it was a resident who had too much to drink. The building, miraculously, survived.

When a bag of bones falls on 12-year old Julia, she finds herself thrown into the spirit realm and face to face with house's past residents. Her new neighbors aren't so lively, and some can't even remember their own names. But as Julia soon discovers, there's more to these people than meets the eye. One of these ghosts is not like the others, and Julia must find out quickly why someone had been cut from the town records.

©2015 Blanche King (P)2016 Blanche King

Twist on a ghost story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This was a good story, very much worth my time. New insight on ghosts

What was most disappointing about Blanche King’s story?

Nothing was disappointing about this book. I'm definitely will be looking forward to more books by Blanche King

What aspect of Vicky Ring’s performance would you have changed?

VR narrations took a little of getting used to but by the end of the book you realize she was the perfect narrator for this book, bring her back for the second book.

Did The Almshouse inspire you to do anything?

Yes, get more books by Blanche King

Any additional comments?

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

"Sweet Ghostly Story"

Any additional comments?

This is a ghost story that will pull on your heart. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator. Every character came to life. I could feel myself right along side Julia with every mystery she was trying to solve. It is a very original story.
The book was provided to me by the author for an honest review.

A ghostly mystery that pulls at your heart strings

A poignant, quaint ghost story that pulls at your heart strings. Twelve year old Julie dies in a fire at her boarding school and finds herself in a society of ghosts. She befriends Lyle, a young male spirit who has no memory of his past or of how he died. There is a mystery surrounding Lyle, one that Julie is set on uncovering the truth of. This story has a sad beauty to it, it is a tale of self discovery, of facing not only the evils of the world but also the darkness inside of ones self. The characters are likeable and have depth, especially Julie who you can see grow as the story moves along. You can not help but feel for these children and the sadness of their lives and death. The narration fits the book well, it was childlike, but seemed to grow along with the characters. This book is a haunting story of discovery, betrayal, friendship and neglect, yet as dark as the premise of this story is, there is also beauty, strength and love. This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

Wonderful ghost/mystery story!

I really enjoyed this unique story. It's a mystery story as told by a 12-year-old ghost, but it's also so much more. The narrator, Vicky Ring, did a good job narrating. I look forward to more in this series.

I wish to thank the author and narrator and Audiobookblast for the opportunity to listen to this wonderful story.

Sprit World

Just finished listening to it. I loved the characters in this book especially Julia. She actually grew up even when dead. I enjoy books with Ghosts and suspense/supernatural thriller; the reapers were a little scary and fun. The only thing I disliked was the narrator’s voice as it took a bit to get used to, but would recommend reading. I would listen to another by Blanche King. This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast. Thank You!

Why isn't this better?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really. There are things I really liked about this book such as the setting, the story, and the narrator. There are things I didn't like such as the story and the narrator and technical difficulties. Yes, I know I listed story and narrator in both categories. I explain below.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was pretty good. It just seemed to take forever to get there.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I loved the narrator's voice and she sounds very familiar. I did not like how it very often sounded like she was reading (and bored). something about how her sentences drop at the end. And the Canadian accent did NOT mesh well with southern talk.
There were also a lot of technical issues that drove me crazy. A tinny background sound that started about halfway through, and then these voice-overs that were much louder and clearer. It rattled me every time and I would get pulled out of the story and miss quite a bit before settling back in.

Did The Almshouse inspire you to do anything?

Yes. I listened to another whole audio book about mid way through this one because I was getting so frustrated. I worried it was just me and my mood. However, when I came back to the story, all the previous things started annoying me.

Any additional comments?

I really thought I'd love this book. the story is really good. I love haunted house and ghost stuff. I just don't know why I had SUCH a hard time staying focused on the story. It bugs me, actually, trying to come up with more than the reasons listed. I don't think the tech problems and narrator were annoying enough to make me as distracted as I was. Just something about the lack of flow in the story.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

The Almshouse

I really liked this book.It reminded me a bit of Neil Gaimans Graveyard Book.St Margarets school for girls was once an Almshouse.During a fire,12 year old Julia is hit with a bag of bones hurtling her into the spirit world and a mystery.She makes friends and enemies.It is a great story only the narration was lacking.I found Vicky Rings reading very distracting.She seemed like she was reading fast to get it overwith.I was given this book for an honest review.

Good book.

I enjoyed the book. I wish I had read it though, I did not enjoy the narrator very much. She just didn't bring the words to life for me. I was given a copy of this book for my unbiased review which I have given. I will definitely be reading more of Blanche Kings works.

I HAVE To Read More of This Series!

What did you love best about The Almshouse?

I loved being an "insider" with the ghosts in Mansion Park! The thought that there may be spirits with actual "lives" going on is fascinating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Almshouse?

Lyle's realization of how he died.

What about Vicky Ring’s performance did you like?

She was great! Very good at differentiating the characters from one another.

Any additional comments?

I really loved this book. It's a different kind of ghost story and I really can't wait to get the next book!

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com

New Take on Life after Death, the inbetween

Light read great for travel or put on pause for later. I enjoyed but did not loose sleep over it. It was not listed for young adult, but perhaps was intended for that group.

This book was gifted to me by author or narrator via Audiobook Blast in return for a fair unbiased review.