When Will I Find A Good Ghost Story?

What did you like best about Twisted? What did you like least?

Nothing spectacular to shout about here. Unfortunately, it seems like the modern authors who try for genuine horror just end up with graphic slasher movie fodder... The dependence seems to be more on trying to be as disgusting as you can and out of bounds from a moral perspective to try and "scare" you. If disgust rates as "scary" maybe so. Thinking about sending this one back...

Would you ever listen to anything by Michaelbrent Collings again?

Nope

What does Scott Thomas bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Scott Thomas actually did a fair job on the read. It was just too much to overcome.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Not a chance

Any additional comments?

Just please someone find a way to do something like "The Shining" or "The Uninvited"... Stop trying for the most graphic author in the catagory..

8 people found this helpful

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.

3 people found this helpful

A thrill ride to remember!!!!!!!!

What did you love best about Twisted?

I loved how I could not guess who or what was haunting this family until the very end!

What other book might you compare Twisted to and why?

It was definitely an original not sure if it could ever be compared to any other works.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the wife found out the truth about her husbands past

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

While they lay there battered and broken (literally) they still found strength to be with each other again.

2 people found this helpful

Spooky tale, good atmosphere.

Would you try another book from Michaelbrent Collings and/or Scott Thomas?

I definitely would. I liked the way he told the story and his writing style was very appealing it was very creepy.

What other book might you compare Twisted to and why?

It was quite similar to a lot of haunted house stories. It was lifted above the dross due to the fact that Michaelbrent Collings told this haunted house story really well.

Which scene was your favorite?

No one scene stood out, which is a testament as to how good the book was.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes I would watch it if they make a movie.

Any additional comments?

This is the first book I have read from Michaelbrent Collings he is really good, I will look for more from him and look forward to having the same experience again.

This is my unbiased review given in exchange for a copy of the book.

3 people found this helpful

Family Horrors

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

It's really hard to do so. I'd have to go with twisted because it fits so well, brutal because the hits keep coming and whenever the characters seem to have things going their way it's hard to trust it, and creepy because it was creepy as all hell.

What did you like best about this story?

Michaelbrent Collings does tortured thoughts as well as anyone I've ever read, and they're a stand out in this story too, whether it's Blake's worries that he's inevitably becoming his father, or Alyssa's worries that nothing would ever be the same again, or even Mal's worries about his sister and why his parents keep acting like they're in a movie these thoughts are real and hard-hitting. Combine that with Scott's ability to breathe life and personality into the words on the page and you get a story where the torment and anguish of the characters in the face of immense odds adds another dimension. It's that psychological side of it that is my favorite part.

Which character – as performed by Scott Thomas – was your favorite?

My favorite performance of a character would have to be Mal simply because he embodies so much of what it would be like to be an older brother with all the responsibility of a younger sister with medical issues and then toss him into a situation where the supernatural is taking it's turn and it's interesting to see how he reacts and how he sticks to his character despite the circumstances. There are moments where Collings and Thomas reminded me how young Mal was, and that combined with the bravery to help his family made him a great character who was very easy to root for.

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

I would probably take the courier Ralph out to dinner, not because he's a great character as portrayed in the story though honestly I can't fault him with the situation he found himself in, but because I think talking to someone who's able to see ghosts and has had his experiences would be rather interesting.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review, and that's done nothing to change my perception of the story. One aspect that I feel is important to address is that despite the wrappings turning the story into one of supernatural terror there is an undercurrent of family abuse that cannot be ignored throughout. In those thoughts that plague the family members the abuse that was suffered by Blake at the hands of his father is everpresent showing how his history was pushing him in the precise direction that he didn't want to go. It was also present in Ralph's history in a different way with his mother and the tattooing. By the end I think the horror is about 50% supernatural and 50% the evils that people are actually capable of and the afterword where the author discusses his dealings with such situations is rather powerful and gives the story just that much more impact. Definitely recommending this.

3 people found this helpful

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.

3 people found this helpful

Twisted is twisted

What did you love best about Twisted?

I loved the family. They were a typical loving family thrown into a very atypical situation or set of situations.

What did you like best about this story?

There was so much to like it's hard to pinpoint. I liked the messenger and how he ultimately became a big part of the story. I liked that it was scary. I love scary.

Which scene was your favorite?

Again, I can't separate a favorite scene - there were so many. So many scary scenes that had me on the edge of my seat and fearful for the family. You really get to care bout them.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I hated to have to stop to do things that needed doing. Some things you can't do while listenjng.

Any additional comments?

I love Michaelbrent Collings. He is definitely one of my favorite authors and this book does why.

3 people found this helpful

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

4 people found this helpful

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.

2 people found this helpful

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.

3 people found this helpful