The Haunting of Velkwood

By: Gwendolyn Kiste

Narrated by: Jennifer Pickens

Winner of the 2025 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel
Finalist for the 2025 Shirley Jackson Award

From Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes an “emotionally devastating, character driven ghost story” (CrimeReads) about three childhood friends who miraculously survive the night everyone in their suburban hometown turned to ghosts—perfect for fans of Yellowjackets.

The Velkwood Vicinity was the topic of occult theorists, tabloid one-hour documentaries, and even some pseudo-scientific investigations as the block of homes disappeared behind a near-impenetrable veil that only three survivors could enter—and only one has in the past twenty years, until now.

Talitha Velkwood has avoided anything to do with the tragedy that took her mother and eight-year-old sister, drifting from one job to another, never settling anywhere or with anyone, feeling as trapped by her past as if she was still there in the small town she so desperately wanted to escape from. When a new researcher tracks her down and offers to pay her to come back to enter the vicinity, Talitha claims she’s just doing it for the money. Of all the crackpot theories over the years, no one has discovered what happened the night Talitha, her estranged, former best friend Brett, and Grace, escaped their homes twenty years ago. Will she finally get the answers she’s been looking for all these years, or is this just another dead end?

Award-winning author Gwendolyn Kiste has created an “eerie and evocative” (Kirkus Reviews) suburban ghost story about a small town that trapped three young women who must confront the past if they’re going to have a future.

meh. could have been a novella. The narrator, though! ❤️

I enjoyed this, but I agree with another reviewer, that it's a lot of nothing. well written nothing, but still, in the end nothing.
The author has a distinctly rich and evocative writing style, but suffers from a very heavy-handed overuse of a single metaphor: such that whole parts of repetitive chapters could be cut without damaging the story.
In film terms, it feels like it should have been a Twilight Zone episode, rather than a full-length movie...
The narrator has a delightful, mellifluous voice, and was okay with making the characters distinct. It felt though, that the book characters didn't have a very good range of emotions for her to work with: I plan to check out other books she's narrated, because I suspect that she would really shine with the right book.

very cool idea

loved this book, interesting premise, recommended for horror fans. not like anything you have ever read before.

The unusual situation of the town

Liked the gothic feel and the narration carried the story through a veil of mystery very well. Unusual ghost story for sure. Very personal and the ache of the love story may not be for everyone.

unending and terribly depressing

the narrator sounded so depressed it was well, depressing. The story was repetitive and I just wanted to slap the characters. DNF.

Well structured but nothing too special

A brooding, slow burn about the haunting a of our pasts following us into adulthood. Solid story but predictable and nothing too mind blowing.