#AudioBookReview: Dream Woods by Patrick Lacey

This review is soooo late! Will I ever catch up?


Dream Woods by Patrick Lacey, Narrated by Joe Hempel
Audiobook Horror Fiction 
Released December 2016, 5+ Hours
Amazon ♦ Goodreads
Follow your screams… 

When Vince Carter takes a shortcut to work he notices a billboard that nearly sends him into an oncoming van. 

The ad is for Dream Woods, New England’s answer to Disney World. It closed decades ago, but now that it’s back in business, Vince is eager to take his whole family, hoping the magic he remembers will save his failing marriage. 

His wife, Audra, isn’t so sure. She’s heard the rumors of why the place closed. Murder. Sacrifice. Torture. But those are just urban legends. Surely there’s nothing evil about a family tourist attraction. 

The Carters are about to discover that the park’s employees aren’t concerned with their guests’ enjoyment. They’re interested in something else. Something much more sinister. 

Welcome to Scream Woods! .

My Thoughts:

Vince remembers Dream Woods through a pleasant veil of childhood memory. Even though bad things (murder, murder and more murder!) were rumored to have happened there and it was shut down years ago, Vince learns that the bloods been cleaned up and it’s been re-opened. He decides that it will be a most excellent vacation destination even if his wife would much rather head to a resort and lounge around a beach all day (I’m with her). He feels it will help bring his family closer together.

He is quite mistaken.

Right away things seem a little off. The people staffing the place aren’t quite right. They don’t seem completely . . . human? But Vince, the eternal optimist, holds out hope that this magical place will make his wife love him again.

Awwww. You can’t but help but root for the sap, right? His wife, who has already left her family once, seems to resent her husband for abandoning his anarchist roots and settling down into a real job after she becomes pregnant with twins, one who has diabetes. She reminded me a bit of that teacher in the 90’s named Pam Smart who fell out of love with her husband when he cut his 80’s rocker locks to become an insurance salesman and I had zero sympathy for her. I kept reading on hoping she’d be the first victim of Dream Woods. So yay for keeping me interested during my reading slump ;)

This story was decent, not earth shattering but a solid little horror story that kept me hooked and that bloody bear mascot will haunt my dreams. Dream Woods has some gore and loads of decent characterization and narrator Joe Hempel does an excellent job with the voices.

*I received a copy of this audiobook via Audiobookboom. Thanks!

Comments

  1. What a great creepy cover! I do like the sound of this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You might like it, Chuckles. I think the wife will drive you nutty too :)

      Delete
  2. How dare he get a job and try to care for the children?? lol

    Not sure if you'll ever catch up but you're one book closer!

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The nerve, right?! Yep, one book less in the tbr! Now if I could only stop adding more.

      Delete
  3. This sounds fun and yes, I remember Pam Smart too. I have to admit, something about that cover calls to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a fun little read. I think you'd enjoy it, Barb.

      Delete
  4. OMG! A creepy teddy bear. This sounds dark and creepy, just the way I like them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You haven't read this one yet? I think you'd love it!

      Delete
  5. That cover always reminds me of The Bear Who Wouldn't Die. :) Evil stuffed animals scare me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks creepy good to me. I remember a Supernatural episode with a giant bear, but he was harmless and very sad. Looks like this one is my type...scary good.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember that episode too! I love that show. I think you're going to enjoy this, Sherry.

      Delete
  7. Oh sounds creepy especially with that cover!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It by Stephen King | A Retro Review

Between Naps (9)

Review: Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror edited by John F.D. Taff