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Wakenhyrst

By: Michelle Paver
Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
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Publisher's summary

Bloomsbury presents Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver, read by Juanita McMahon.

A Times Best Book of 2019.

'Paver is one of Britain's modern greats. This sinister, gothic chiller shows why' BIG ISSUE, Books of the Year 2019.

"Something has been let loose..."

In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father.

When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.

Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen – and the even more nightmarish demons of her father's past.

Spanning five centuries, Wakenhyrst is a darkly gothic thriller about murderous obsession and one girl's longing to fly free by the bestselling author of Dark Matter and Thin Air. Wakenhyrst is an outstanding new piece of story-telling, a tale of mystery and imagination laced with terror. It is a masterwork in the modern gothic tradition that ranges from Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker to Neil Gaiman and Sarah Perry.
©2019 Michelle Paver (P)2019 Head of Zeus
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Critic reviews

"A ghost story to chill and thrill...Like Touching the Void rewritten by Jack London, Thin Air is a heart-freezing masterpiece." (Guardian)

"Paver is the mistress of suspense." (The Times)

"A wonderful atmospheric and hugely enjoyable ghost story." (Anthony Horowitz)

What listeners say about Wakenhyrst

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A slightly more subtle chiller from Paver

Once again, Michelle Paver proves herself to be a top notch writer of subtle horror.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A slow burn with so many twists and turns!

I usually don't like slow burn books as they tend to sometimes drag and one loses interest, but Wakenhyrst sucks you in and holds you tight. Michelle Paver does a fantastic job with world building and weaving suspense. The character's of Wakenhyrst are vivid and you really connect to them. If you are looking for an in your face and make you jump ghost story this isn't it. This is a gothic ghost story which is a different type of scary, but it is also more than that. This touches into the supernatural on other levels and shows you the slow and dark descent into the human mind. As for Juanita McMahon narrating this fantastic book she lends even more talent to a already talented author and brings even more depth to the story! I will definitely be checking out more of Michelle Paver's books in the future. Wakenhyrst is laced with Obsession, Religious Fervor, Romance, Madness, The Supernatural, Lies, Deception, and all of it weaves a twisted and dark tail that is best listened to or read in a quiet and dimly lit room where the shadows and your imagination can play with your mind as you read!

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

great narration

great narration and vivid characters. reminiscent of old horror like Shirley Patterson. loved to hate Edward

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Dark, but not dark enough

The blurb of the book promised a far darker read. Not that it wasn't, but I was missing the atmosphere being more forefront.
The final revelations were trully disturbing, though, I give it that!
This one book would've benefited from a male narrator to set the atmosphere.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Unbelievably good listen

This book was fantastic, chilling, suspenseful, unsettling, etc. Not much of a horror story in the typical sense, but horrific nonetheless. It made very sad at times to listen about a young girl going through what she did, but I believe I’m better for it.

The narration was perhaps the best I’ve listened to in my years of audiobooks.

Pick this one up!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Tough But Gripping

Excellently written and it held me.

Disturbing, infuriating, and uncomfortable like only a well woven story could be; it made me care about the heroine and those around her. I can't say I enjoyed the journey, but I'm glad I listened to the entire book.

Michelle Paver is an incredible writer and I will purchase anything she produces.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mystery, history, and art all wrapped up.

I have listened to this book many times. Each time, I pick-up on some new nugget of information. The characters are developed and wonderful, they are all intertwined a story building climax. The end of the novel is entirely surprising. I thought I could guess but, the ending is more surprising then I could ever have dreamed of. If you enjoy coming of age, and history, with some murder and twisted thinking,you will enjoy this novel.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Slow moving but interesting story

I would not label this book as horror. It is more of a thriller but very slow moving. The character development is the part I found most interesting. The performance was excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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A Slow Atmospheric Burn

The story struck me as very well crafted. I could see where everything written moved the story forward without being forced or contrived. All the characters acted realistically. The author did an admirable job of drawing me into the setting and then steadily increased the tension to the end, the very last page. No cheap, sudden jump scenes or fake danger. I also enjoyed how the author began the story with what happened in the end. The story then is about how events came to that, and it surprised me. Really liked the narrator. I wish Michelle Paver would write more stories like this.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A dark tale

I enjoyed being led through this dark tale to the very end. It was never slow or boring but tickled your imagination throughout to see where the story would take you.

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