362 reviews for:

The Haunting of Room 904

Erika T. Wurth

3.34 AVERAGE

knitlitcamp's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 65%

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The concept interesting but it didn't deliver.  Too many inconsistencies in the plot. 1) main character, Olivia just started having paranormal abilities after her sister died, and had no interest in this topic- was pursuing academic life in psychology?

coffeesearcher's review

3.5

dark emotional funny fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

erika_sajdak's review

4.0

adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

isabel_roy's review against another edition

3.5

fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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I enjoyed reading this book and I hope my low rating doesn't dissuade others from giving it a shot, but I'll admit, I was a tad disappointed. The characters fell a little flat to me. The main character doesn't really have any obstacles (and also seemed oddly nonplussed at the idea that her

mom was about to be murdered by the same thing that killed her sister. She finds that out and it's days before it comes up again and every time it does, it's like, the third or fourth thing on the priority list. We never really see her trying to protect her mom beyond casually going along with the case. I would have thought that the three week deadline and her mom's involvement would have given the author the opportunity to include the pressure of a ticking clock but that was really absent from the pacing and there was a lack of urgency that didn't suit the narrative.

I also felt that the side plots made little logical sense and weren't really given space to breath. She goes to

infiltrate a cult and ends up sleeping with the cult leader who is also a drug dealer, though that never comes up again after it's revealed, and who definitely had something to do with her sister's death and instead of feeling guilty or unsure about it, she's randomly wondering if maybe he's "the one" (despite other subplots that she's non-monogamous). At no point is there an emotional reaction to the "twist" that he was complicit in the part where the main character and her roommate are framed for the sister's murder. And to that end, why do the police arrest them? It makes no sense. The police have a video of the sister committing suicide. Just because they find a the knife she used at the apartment doesn't mean it's automatically murder ... They have a video of her committing suicide... The only way this makes sense is if this is a universe in which the paranormal is widely accepted and able to be used in a court and this book did not have the world building to support that.

amyh_is_itl's review

4.0

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

borrowedlibrary_dreareads's review

3.0

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3 ⭐️ This is a tough one as I really wanted to love this book. It starts off really good, great premise and pacing but then it trips over itself multiple times by being overly complex and gets very boring and slow. There were many times I was confused by the story and characters, then I stopped caring a bit. I love the concept that this book centers around a fmc from an Indigenous background with a lot of history and lore of various local Indigenous groups in Denver, Colorado (also my home state and I loved every single local crumb given to me). I also loved that it tackled racism and the current political climate and attitudes we are facing in today’s America, it killed me to listen to the attitudes and blatant racism of various characters and I was screaming as it hits so close to home. I just wish the story unfolded a little better with more intrigue and horror elements. It was too slow of a burn for me. I like my horror books to be scary and this wasn’t at all. It has many paranormal instances and the whole story revolves around the paranormal but it just didn’t resonate with me as very interesting because it often times provided too many details that made it complex. I feel bad since I wanted to like it so much.

I was graciously gifted a copy by MacMillan Audio and I really enjoyed the narration by Ina Barrón. In fact, I probably kept going and finished because the narration was very enjoyable.

This book definitely won’t be for everyone. If you are a hardcore horror person who likes scary, gruesome and frankly unhinged stories - this isn’t it. If you like stories with a bit of dark history in painful historic events that unfold slowly then you may like this one, especially with the messaging around racism against Indigenous and Hispanic peoples.

This book is set to publish on March 18, 2025

This was my 17th book of 2025
Format: Audio, ALC gifted copy.

snikelfritz's review

2.5

dark medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sarah032's review

3.5

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

cro777's review

3.0

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

varo's review

3.5

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Excellent premise with a blend of Indigenous and Jewish mysticism. However the premise is overshadowed by heavy-handed themes and a main character who always believes in herself and never falters

even after she finds out the cult leader she decided to sleep with was manipulating her the whole time

Lack of resolution to side characters' stories. No true character growth or arcs.
I think it's the correct term now but "suicided" made me cringe every time