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dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The prologue of Stolen Tongues is nothing short of perfection. It’s chilling, gripping, and packed with the kind of terror that raises the hairs on the back of your neck. If the book had ended there as a short story, it would have been an easy 5/5 stars for me. But as I kept reading, my enthusiasm began to wane.
The dark, snowy atmosphere of the cabin felt wonderfully immersive at first, setting the perfect stage for creeping dread. Unfortunately, once Felix and Faye left the cabin, the story lost much of its spark. What started as a gripping horror tale turned repetitive, and the scares that had me hooked in the beginning eventually wore off.
Felix and Faye’s characterization left much to be desired. While there were glimpses of depth, such as Faye’s protective instincts, the constant focus on the creature exploiting her supposed motherly nature felt forced and overdone. They don’t have children, and Faye mentions wanting a child maybe once, making this recurring theme feel unearned and disconnected. By the third or fourth mention, I was ready to give up entirely.
I listened to this on audiobook through Libby, narrated by J.S. Arquin. While I can imagine their voice working well for lighter genres like sci-fi or comedy, it didn’t quite match the eerie, atmospheric tone needed for horror. Combined with the story’s repetitiveness, the narration made this a less enjoyable experience overall.
Then there’s the ending. After all the buildup, I was hoping for a climactic, spine-tingling resolution, but it fell flat and left me unsatisfied.
It’s disappointing to go from expecting a 5-star read to settling on 3/5, but Stolen Tongues still has its moments. Fans of atmospheric horror with a slow-burn pace may find more to love here than I did, but for me, the incredible prologue only highlighted the missed opportunities in the rest of the book.
The dark, snowy atmosphere of the cabin felt wonderfully immersive at first, setting the perfect stage for creeping dread. Unfortunately, once Felix and Faye left the cabin, the story lost much of its spark. What started as a gripping horror tale turned repetitive, and the scares that had me hooked in the beginning eventually wore off.
Felix and Faye’s characterization left much to be desired. While there were glimpses of depth, such as Faye’s protective instincts, the constant focus on the creature exploiting her supposed motherly nature felt forced and overdone. They don’t have children, and Faye mentions wanting a child maybe once, making this recurring theme feel unearned and disconnected. By the third or fourth mention, I was ready to give up entirely.
I listened to this on audiobook through Libby, narrated by J.S. Arquin. While I can imagine their voice working well for lighter genres like sci-fi or comedy, it didn’t quite match the eerie, atmospheric tone needed for horror. Combined with the story’s repetitiveness, the narration made this a less enjoyable experience overall.
Then there’s the ending. After all the buildup, I was hoping for a climactic, spine-tingling resolution, but it fell flat and left me unsatisfied.
It’s disappointing to go from expecting a 5-star read to settling on 3/5, but Stolen Tongues still has its moments. Fans of atmospheric horror with a slow-burn pace may find more to love here than I did, but for me, the incredible prologue only highlighted the missed opportunities in the rest of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Grief
Minor: Torture, Violence
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Chronic illness, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Dysphoria
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Murder
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I put off reading this for awhile because I had listened to an audio version of the creepypasta a few years ago and wanted to wait until I'd forgotten a lot of it before picking up this book so I could enjoy it more fully.
This book is genuinely scary. The sense of isolation and an omniprescent humanoid entity pretty much sums up all my fears. This book is about Felix and Faye, an engaged couple who go to her parents cabin in Colarado for some time away and end up stuck up there after a storm. Then weird shit starts happening in which a figure can be seen in the dark near the treeline and someone or something is whispering to Faye (who's a sleepwalker) while she sleeps, and she's answering it.
The best thing about this book is the atmosphere. It's dark. It's unsafe even in areas that should be safe. The entity is mysterious, scary, and uncanny. We spend most of the book having basically no idea what's going on and I think that's what makes it scary. Some people might find it a little repetitive but it worked for me.
The problem was the ending. The reveal was so weak. In the original creepypasta, I vaguely recall the ending being more ambiguous and I think that would have been the better way to go. Throughout the story the entity is basically tormenting Faye and Felix because he's trying to extract a certain but of information from Faye while she's sleeping. Once we learn the information, we are so underwhelmed.
The entity is trying to figure out "what makes 5?" The number 5 is very important and Felix is trying to get to the bottom of what that number means and why the entity needs to know it. It's finally revealed that 5 represents Faye's brother, the fifth member of their family, that was stillborn. Once she rememebrs she had a brother, she grieves his passing (even though this was like 20 years ago) and then the entity just leaves the alone? That makes no sense. I also felt like the locked cellar door was going to be really important and the it was never spoken of again. I have a lot more questions too. Who made the dreamcatchers and what was their actual significance. I thought it was really cool that when Felix destroyed the dreamcatcher, it gave the entity access to come into the house and attack him. It seemed like the entity did it, but why would the entity make a totem to protect them from him? Maybe I misunderstood.
Overall, this book is quite spooky but I think it would have benefitted from making the entity's motivations more clear. A book like this should either answer all our questions, or keep it totally ambiguous. I was thrown off by it being in the middle of the road.
This book is genuinely scary. The sense of isolation and an omniprescent humanoid entity pretty much sums up all my fears. This book is about Felix and Faye, an engaged couple who go to her parents cabin in Colarado for some time away and end up stuck up there after a storm. Then weird shit starts happening in which a figure can be seen in the dark near the treeline and someone or something is whispering to Faye (who's a sleepwalker) while she sleeps, and she's answering it.
The best thing about this book is the atmosphere. It's dark. It's unsafe even in areas that should be safe. The entity is mysterious, scary, and uncanny. We spend most of the book having basically no idea what's going on and I think that's what makes it scary. Some people might find it a little repetitive but it worked for me.
The problem was the ending. The reveal was so weak. In the original creepypasta, I vaguely recall the ending being more ambiguous and I think that would have been the better way to go. Throughout the story the entity is basically tormenting Faye and Felix because he's trying to extract a certain but of information from Faye while she's sleeping. Once we learn the information, we are so underwhelmed.
Overall, this book is quite spooky but I think it would have benefitted from making the entity's motivations more clear. A book like this should either answer all our questions, or keep it totally ambiguous. I was thrown off by it being in the middle of the road.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well-paced creepy story, with a cabin in the woods and shadowy figures. What’s not to love?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Vomit
Minor: Miscarriage
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Stalking
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Blood, Gaslighting, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
- probably the creepiest prologue i’ve ever read - but as the book went on i feel like it got less and less scary?
- felt a little repetitive at times, especially when they were at the cabin
- it was hella creepy at times
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Vomit
Minor: Child death