3.5/5 stars!

Haven is a coming of age story, set in a small town in Massachusetts. Narrated beautifully by Matt Godfrey, and set in a such a perfect place, how could the story itself not be fabulous? Truth is though, it's just okay.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it and as I said the narration was excellent. However, I didn't find that this book added anything original to the genre. 80's horror nostalgia is a big thing now and that may have soured my opinion a little. I recently saw the movie of Stephen King's "It" and I just don't think it's possible to compare the two without having Haven come up short. I'm not sure that it's possible NOT to compare the two- which may be my whole problem.

There are some differences, but at its heart, this is a very similar story. We have our plucky kids going up against a mysterious monster, while they're getting bullied at every turn, and Denny's mom is in just about the same state as were Bill Denbrough's parents from IT. There's even a chance that the monster will return in the future. Sound familiar? The only thing that's really different is the origin of this creature and I won't spoil that here.

This is an engaging "coming of age"/"evil in a small town story", it's just that I didn't find the writing or the story itself to be outstanding. Good? Yes, definitely! And who knows? You may enjoy it a lot more than I did. So, if this sounds interesting to you, I say give it a shot.

Recommended!

*I received this audiobook free from the narrator, in exchange for my honest review. This is it.*
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Similarities to IT? Both feature young teens, fighting an unknown monster while at the same time dealing with a town bully. Both bullies are waaaay over the top and really should be locked up. Both monsters are on a cycle, in this case appearing every 17 years. So yes, there are some similarities.

Denny and his best friend Billy live by the lake, where there seems to be an unusual number of disappearances this year.

It felt a little too easy to guess the source of the monster, so the big reveal did not have the shocking impact it should. Also mention was made of the town being cursed by witches to suffer tragedy every 17 years. So the monster accounts for 3 of the times, but what about the others?

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My original Haven audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Paul Greymore has been convicted of brutally killing more than a dozen children in the quiet town of Haven. Now 17 years later he is released from prison and the killings begin again. The police chief is convinced it is Greymore and will go to whatever lengths necessary to stop him. Greymore, friendless and disfigured, must prove his innocence while simultaneously protecting the victims.

Nothing is what it seems in the little town of Haven. A corrupt police chief, his bullying son and something mysterious in the lake. Two boys find themselves in the center of violence, mystery, and strange friends as they try to protect themselves and the residents of Haven. The setting is in the late 1970s, which is well defined and described, but kind of makes the science portion of the novel a little farfetched, stretching the listener's belief.

While the town’s people try to solve the mystery of the killings, the listener is never really surprised by who actually is the culprit. It is more about discovering how the injustices will be solved, rather than the mystery of the killing themselves. For an idyllic town, there is a lot of violence and corruption; it is contradictory on its surface. Still, it is entertaining to listen to and the characters are interesting with a good amount of action. Kind of a Spielberg story of kids saving the day for the hapless adults, though quite a bit more violent.

The story is performed by Matt Godfrey who does a good job. His character voices feel true and are easily discernible. A generally competent performance without getting in the way of the story. He is a good choice and enjoyable to listen to. The production quality is excellent throughout without flaws.

Haven is a who-done-it that the listener is sure of pretty early on. It is about how the characters will solve their own abuses, rather than who is actually doing the killings. The action is entertaining and keeps the listener involved, though there is some redundancy throughout, and you may find yourself kind of thinking, “OK, let’s move forward.” But still well worth a listen. It straddles the line of the young adult category and might be a good listen for older teen listeners too.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator. ( )

Excellent first novel by this author. Edge of your seat horror/suspense coming of age story with interesting characters, interwoven with compelling plot lines. A disfigured man, missing children, and something or someone lurking in the ruins of an old army installation at the edge of a lake. I highly recommend this gem from Cemetery Dance Publications. ( )

Review copy

After nearly seventeen years in Braxton State Prison, for a crime he didn't commit, Paul Greymore is a free man. Free to return to the lakeside town of Haven. Greymore may be free from the prison walls, but will he ever be free from his past? Not if Cody Crawford, the local Chief of Police has any say in the matter.,

At it's simplest, Haven is a wonderful coming of age story, filled with excellent characters I grew to love and hate over the course of the 500 pages that make up Tom Deady's debut novel.

Of course there's Paul Greymore, disfigured in a childhood accident involving the spilling of boiling water on his young face. Father Neil McCarthy who believes in Paul's innocence. There's a bevy of teens who provide the story's heart and soul. Denny and his best friend Billy. Billy's slightly older sister, Julie. Julie's bad-boy boyfriend, Dale, who happens to be Sheriff Crawford's son, as well as his cronies.

Deady provides layer after layer of narrative, there's a certain charm in his storytelling with one carefully crafted scene after another. Some writers have a way of making the reader so comfortable with their words that it's like watching a movie in your mind. Haven is like that.

I don't always read the story synopsis before reading a book. Sometimes I'll go into it cold, either because I like the author, trust the publisher, or have heard from others who like the book. This is the way I went into Haven thinking it was just a nice little coming of age tale, and then...bang. Wow.

There are some wonderful moments in Haven. If you're looking for a read that will deliver hours of enjoyment. You can't do much better than Tom Deady's debut novel.

Limited to 750 signed copies and already sold out, Haven is published by Cemetery Dance Publications. Hopefully it will see a wider release down the road so everyone can enjoy this work.

From the author's bio - Tom was born and raised in Malden, Massachusetts, not far from the historic (and spooky) town of Salem. He has endured a career as an IT professional, but his dream has always been to be a writer. A passionate Red Sox fan, Tom and a friend created Surviving Grady at the start of the 2004 season. Ten years and three World Series championships later, he still blogs about the Sox. ( )