Book Review: NIGHTWATCHING by Tracy Sierra

NIGHTWATCHING
Tracy Sierra

I listened to the audiobook for NIGHTWATCHING twice from start to finish, sure I had missed something. I had so many questions. More questions than answers.

Here is what I do know…

Once upon a time, there was a woman who lived at home alone with her two children. Her days were spent taking care of them and keeping them safe. Then one night while the woman and her children were asleep a stranger crept into their house.

This causes the woman and her children to retreat to a secret room hidden from the stranger. They listen from the hidden room as the stranger talks to them through the walls. The woman and her children are scared and horrified by the stranger. They have no idea what he wants, no idea who he is, and no idea how this terrible night will end.

Will they survive the night? Or will the strangers’ voice be the last that they ever hear? Only time and NIGHTWATCHING by Tracy Sierra will tell.

Most of my reading journal notes are questions instead of statements. I asked myself:

Is he going to use that voice the entire time?

Where is Grandma?

Is this scary or ridiculous?

Is any of this real?

Am I enjoying any of this?

At least I knew the answer to that.

Ten minutes in I was already tuning out one of the characters’ voices. This was not good because they talked- a lot. And I was sure the key to unlocking the mystery was to listen to this grating voice carefully and that was correct. It was not only how they were saying the words, but it was also the words themselves that were a problem.

I think there is a fine line between making unlikeable characters and making characters unlikeable. This book crossed that line. You never want to be in a situation while reading a thriller where you wish the main character death because you need them to stop talking.

That was the situation here.

2.5 rounded up to three stars. NIGHTWATCHING has a basic storyline, and the worst characters, and the audiobook is an unenjoyable reading experience.

Thanks to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Viking, Penguin Random House Audio, and Pamela Dorman Books for the advanced copy!

NIGHTWATCHING…⭐⭐⭐