Twisted

By: Michaelbrent Collings

Narrated by: Scott Thomas

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The Douglas family just wants to live their lives and maybe find a bit of happiness. But when the ghost in their home breaks out of a centuries-long sleep, all hope for happiness will die.

Because the thing that haunts them is not just evil. It is something much, much worse.

Watching them from the shadows, hungry to start killing once more, and thirsty for the blood of the children. The blood he has so long been denied. The thing that haunts them is not just evil. It is twisted.

©2014 Michaelbrent Collings (P)2015 Michaelbrent Collings

Very Twisted Indeed

Would you listen to Twisted again? Why?

Maybe, but not for a while.

What other book might you compare Twisted to and why?

Any story that has hauntings with child abuse.

Have you listened to any of Scott Thomas’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't but, he did a very good job with the different characters and his inflections.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A twisted evil tale to tell

Any additional comments?

The book had lots' of scary scenes and was read very well. You wanted scary....that's what you get, scary. I was disappointed in the end....but that was just me. For horror you won't be disappointed.

Gripping from start to finish

Wow!! This book, was utterly unputdownable. And, yes, in this review, that's a word. An amazing story from start to finish, and as gripping a back story as the main story was, which is a rare thing in some cases. I loved this book and want to listen to the rest of Collings's books just because his writing style is that classic style that you sometimes don't see much anymore. You get some stories that tend to pack a ton in and rush to get it all out like trying to put it in one breath, and it just doesn't work. Jhis one, he built it, fleshed it out, gave it time to ruminate and grow and here you have Twisted. It reminds me of a good Halloween read and one that could surely become a classic in years to come. I wish this one were also available through The National Library Service, for blind and Physically handicapped patrons who for one reason or another can't get into Audible, because I work with a Regional library now and would love to expose my patrons to an awesome read just like this one. I already know a ton of people that would love this story and like good coffee, I love to share good books and good stories. But, I'm glad I encountered this here. An absolutely amazing read and I'm looking for more. Mr Collings, if you want me to spread the word, let me know. I'll be glad to listen and review the rest of your work. Twisted got me hooked. Keep it up!!

Great book!!!

Michaelbrent Collings has written another great story that was very suspenseful. Scott Thomas did an excellent job of reading the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the mood for a good scare.

Deeply creepy & completely satisfying

The Douglas family just recently had their second child. Money is tight, really tight. And now it looks like there is a malevolent force haunting them. It wants their torment and their blood. The Douglas family may not survive this darkness.

Blake and Alyssa are trying very hard to make a happy family. Their son, Mal, is perhaps 8 years old. Baby Ruthie was just born and already she has a severe medical condition that has both parents deeply worried. But there are centipedes to exterminate. Yep. A swarm of centipedes popped out from the crawl space beneath Mal’s bed. Ugh! Why did it have to be centipedes? I am an insect lover… but that warm fuzzy feeling I have for bees, butterflies, beetles, and even tarantulas does not extend to centipedes. So right away, I am a little freaked out, which is what any good horror tale should be doing.

Blake has ghosts of his own that are raised from the past because of all the stresses he is under… and perhaps that malevolent force has something to do with it too. He came from an abusive household and while he has never done anything harsh to his family members, he constantly worries that he is a bad parent or husband. This aspect of Blake made him very human to me and easy to connect with. The guy hasn’t put his past to rest and this recent bought of crap he has to deal with brings it all to the forefront. Just where the evil ghost who is haunting them wants it.

Alyssa is the quiet, subtle hero of the tale holding the family together even as she feels beaten up and torn (literally from the recent birthing). She reassures Blake often that he is a decent human being and tries very hard to hold her own emotions in check to keep the kids reassured.

We also get to see a good chunk of the book through Mal’s eyes. He does a good job of being a kid but also observing all the stress signals his parents are giving off. He tries very hard to be a good brother to Ruthie. I found that some of the scariest scenes were seen through his eyes because he’s just a kid and shouldn’t have to deal with ravenous centipedes or malevolent ghosts.

The plot had some nice twists and turns. There’s some turn of the century photos of dead kids, a few journal entries from a case file on a serial killer, a bike messenger with an interesting paranormal ability, and plenty more. The ending caught me off guard. Even though I was hoping this story wouldn’t have a happy ending (a statement that probably makes me look a little deranged), I wasn’t prepared for how it did end. Yet, once it was laid out before me and all the connections drawn out, I felt that it all made sense and that was really the only way this tale could end. Additionally, Collings provides a personal note at the end about his missionary work and domestic abuse that was a very nice touch. I will never look at ‘I Love Mom’ tattoos the same way again.

I received this audiobook from the narrator (via the Audiobook Blast Newsletter) at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

The Narration: Scott Thomas has a remarkably creepy voice! And he put it to very good use in this book. He had nice voices for the Douglas family, and passable female voices. Then he had a deeply disturbing voice for the malevolent ghost. There were also times in the narration where something tense and spooky was going down and his voice would reflect that.

Twisted is just that

Would you listen to Twisted again? Why?

I would love to listen to this again once my head is in a safer place since this book was just that scary

What did you like best about this story?

The overall tone and mood of the story and how it really set the events up

Which scene was your favorite?

The graveyard scene

If you could take any character from Twisted out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take the family out for dinner and then to a nice safe place so that they would be safe and I wouldn't have to see them go through the events of the novel

Any additional comments?

I guess I should start off by saying that I was given an audible copy of this book by the Author in exchange for this review. That being said this book is everything you would want a haunted house story to be. The interplay between the characters is almost to scare you without any sort of supernatural elements. The picture Michael paints of a family on the verge of ruin through no outward fault of their own is so bleak and hopeless that you develop a desire to run in and help the family. This makes what happens to them all the worse since you can do nothing but keep reading as their situation goes from bad to horrible.
The author makes particular use of word choice in this book. I think this book showed me more about what good word choice can do to set a novels tone than any other book. This makes the themes of intergenerational abuse that much stronger since it is described with harsh and ugly words much like the topic.
The narration of this book is well done and doesn’t take you out of the moment and things get worse and worse. The ending while not as satisfying as watching the main characters triumph over every little problem is perfect in its own way and fits the theme of the book.

Emotional torture. (In a good way.)

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

Gripping, hopeful, and PAINFUL.

What other book might you compare Twisted to and why?

The Haunted, also by Collings. I can't go into too much detail without spoilering it, but the themes of the haunted house and the family-centered story, plus the plot twists, all reminded me of THE HAUNTING.

Have you listened to any of Scott Thomas’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't, at least not that I know of, but this was a stellar performance.

If you could take any character from Twisted out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would take that entire family, plus the courier, and RUN LIKE FREAKING HELL. We could eat when we were on the other side of the continent.

Any additional comments?

As much as I like Collings' skill as a plot-maker, I enjoy his ability to get inside heads even more. His characters were thick and rich and wonderful, which is why watching them suffer undeservedly hurt so much. I really think I'd like Collings no matter what genre he wrote because his people are always so real.Be aware, though, Collings is sometimes very merciful to his readers . . . and sometimes not.

Family Horror

I've purchased and listened to a few books by this author, and of these they all have had a strong theme of family and loss or threat of loss (eg The Apparition, Strangers). Strangers I recall had a good personal afterword in it that would give some reason for this. I was pleased to get the opportunity of getting a free review copy of a novel of an author I'd purchased books from.

Thisted started off on a note kind of relevant to me with Ruthie's condition. Not that I have children, but I and several in my family are (fortunately) aware we carry a recessive gene that if we had a child with someone else with this gene would result in a condition which sounded similar to Ruthie's. After the real world horror of parents having to deal with a newborn with a serious condition they can do nothing about, plus economic woes, supernatural horrors start rearing their head, firstly in their home (which they quickly depart for fumigation) and then on this mansion they get to house sit for a few days. I think before the supernatural horrors began, you kind of got the feeling things were not going to end well, with their real world condition being grim enough that just one more thing would ruin them.

Scott Thomas is a narrator new to me, and I feel he did a great job of conveying the characters, the sombreness of the material, and the nerve wracking parts.

It is hard to pick whether I like The Apparition of Twisted more. A very close call.

Recommended

Uniquely Creepy

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

I'm conflicted. On one hand it was a good story. But on the other it was creepy and sad. I was really rooting for the characters in this book like I knew them or as if that could be me. Like I said, great story just don't expect to know what's going to happen.

What about Scott Thomas’s performance did you like?

He added that extra creep factor with his delivery. He did a very good job. I was getting chills like things were crawling on me.

Was Twisted worth the listening time?

Yes it was. Although I may not listen to it again, it was still a really good story and from my library it stands out as one of the creepier titles. I'm glad I read it. As a person who gets bored quickly, I wasn't switching titles. I finished it without switching to anything else.

Meh...

Between the story and the narrator, the performance was annoyingly dramatic. The end was also confusing.

A very good and creepy tale

Any additional comments?

Twisted is an apropos title for this one from Michaelbrent Collings. What should be a happy time in the life of the Douglas family goes sideways when their newborn Ruthie is diagnosed with a rare medical disorder. Unfortunately, that’s the least of their current worries. It seems that a sinister presence has targeted them and covets the blood of their children. Damn. That’s messed up.

A fast and creepy ride with very good characterization and some genuinely skin crawling and disturbing moments. The narrator did an excellent job and kept the tone and pacing moving deftly throughout the story.