Humboldt Cut: An Audiobook Review

    Humboldt Cut blends eco‑horror with a family story, and the mix works really well. The horror comes through in sudden, almost casual bursts of gore that caught me off guard more than once.

    I’m not a big fan of gore, but I stuck with it, and I know some horror readers will be more comfortable with those moments than I was. The gory bursts reminded me a bit of Final Destination or Stephen King’s The Monkey.

    Horror also isn’t a genre I ever expected to enjoy (I get scared too easily LOL), but after listening to a Grady Hendrix audiobook one day, I realized I actually love the thrill of horror in audio form. The narration becomes part of the experience I’m looking for. Here, Jasmin Walker’s performance does not disappoint. I love the quality of her voice, and she slips into each character in a way that feels lived in rather than performed.

    The book also reads like an intergenerational family story set inside a horror film. You get the literal monsters in the woods, but also the figurative ones like grief, fear, abuse, family patterns, and the things people carry and avoid. The pacing moves nicely between slower, atmospheric moments and sudden, horrific turns.

    Early on, I found myself having to choose to keep listening, partly because the gore surprised me in a this-is-not-my-jam way, and partly because the characters hadn’t quite hooked me yet, but a little further in it picks up on its own, and I stayed with it because I genuinely wanted to know what was next.

    The mystery elements, the little clues, the connections across timelines and people, and the question of what’s behind the creatures and what this family is hiding all kept me curious. There were moments when some character reactions to the horrific events felt a little muted compared to the stakes. I’m not sure if that was intentional or if the story could have pushed a few of those emotional beats further. It didn’t pull me out, but I did notice it. The third part of the book felt a bit different from the first two, but it was also where the pieces started to click together as the story moved toward a striking close.

    Overall, Humboldt Cut is an atmospheric, unsettling eco‑horror story with a strong sense of place, some startling moments, and themes that linger and make you think. The family narrative adds a human layer that sits right inside the horror, giving the story a haunting emotional undercurrent. Jasmin Walker’s narration elevates the whole experience, and the mix of horror and introspection kept me hooked.


3.5 ⭐ rounding up to 4


Thank you to RBmedia (Recorded Books) and NetGalley for the advance listening copy of Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick.


Rating Guide: My star ratings represent personal resonance, not universal value. I admire writers for the courage it takes to be seen and the discipline it takes to create. Thank you!

  • ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 — Deeply resonant, even when I can’t fully put it into words
  • ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 — Compelling and well-written
  • ⭐⭐⭐ 3 — Not quite my style, but still enjoyable
  • ⭐⭐ 2 — Had promise but didn't quite land
  • ⭐ 1 — Fell short of what I hoped for

Popular posts from this blog

Sisterhood Above All: A Book Review

Image
     Sisterhood Above All follows three young women whose emotional worlds are shaped by the intensity of early adulthood, the choices they make, and the perceptions they carry — all of which converge when the story’s central mystery begins to unfold. I’ll admit I went in a little wary because of the college‑sorority drama and the young adult perspectives we were witnessing it from, but the book ended up being far more grounded and emotionally aware than I anticipated. Once I settled into the characters’ world, I could see how real their stakes felt to them — their priorities may look small or chaotic from an adult vantage point, but inside their heads, everything is high‑stakes. The book captures that beautifully. I found myself reflecting often, not because the story is heavy, but because it’s anchored by something honest underneath.      One of the things I appreciated most about this book is its sense of narrative integrity. The authors and the entire ...
Read more

The Vermilion Sea: An Audiobook Review

Image
     The Vermilion Sea blends historical fiction with a touch of eco‑horror and something quietly uncanny, following a 1920s marine expedition where scientific ambition, personal history, and an eerie presence beneath the waves all intersect. I drifted at times and grew curious at others, especially once the story moved past the early focus on Billie and Roland’s unresolved tension.      I liked the idea of Billie’s position as a woman in science during a time when that required a particular kind of resilience, though her dynamic with Roland sometimes overshadowed the aspects of her character I wanted to understand more deeply. I also found that Billie’s thoughts about Roland sometimes felt slightly at odds with how she’s otherwise portrayed, and her frustration with his ambition felt uneven given her own. I also wished for more clarity about their past; the generalities made it harder for me to understand the depth of their conflict. I think I would have...
Read more