Haunted by her sister’s mysterious disappearance, Rebekah battles grief, depression, and the unsettling presence of a Reaper invading her mind. Drawn into a realm of souls, she confronts not only her despair but the chilling truth of her sister’s fate. Guided by a cunning witch and a Guardian imprisoned in her consciousness, Rebekah embarks on a desperate quest to free her sister from a terrible darkness.
Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Niko Ortez untangles a web of cold cases, including the disappearance of Rebekah’s sister, Nicole. The deeper he digs, the more sinister the trail becomes, pointing him to the foreboding Armitage Hotel. When a violent storm traps the guests inside, tensions escalate and Niko’s worst fears come to life.
As Niko and Rebekah’s paths collide, long-buried secrets unravel, and they are forced to confront their own demons. Together, they race against time to expose the hotel’s dark past before it consumes them. Courage and resilience become their only weapons in this gripping battle against an evil that threatens to shatter reality itself.
Armitage is a genre-blending locked-room thriller that intertwines trauma and paranormal horror in an extraordinarily unique story. It is Book One in the Children of Arcanum series and the debut novel of Atlas Creed. The story follows Rebekah Daroh, whose sister Nicole disappeared without a trace several years ago at the Armitage Hotel. While grieving and mentally unraveling, she begins experiencing surreal visions and an intrusive psychic presence in her mind. Desperate for closure, she returns to the hotel alone, against her parents wishes. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Niko Ortez, who’s investigating missing persons cold cases—including Nicole’s disappearance—is led to the Armitage Hotel, where he begins unraveling secrets. When a hurricane strikes and the power goes out, Niko and Rebekah find themselves trapped with a killer and dark occult forces.
Atlas Creed’s writing is atmospheric, poetic, emotionally charged, and heavy at times, requiring the reader’s full attention. If reading the story on audio, it’s highly recommended to listen at a slower speed to keep up with all the character transitions, stream-of-consciousness sections, and intricate storytelling. The book is a wonderful balance of emotionally compelling inner monologues from Rebekah and Niko, coupled with a quiet dread narrative that escalates to sheer horror. The chapters are mostly short, with several ending in cliffhangers, and many feel like waking nightmares. The transitions between flashbacks and the present-day events are deliberately disorienting, adding an additional layer of unease to the reading experience!
The story is told from a dual POV structure, alternating between Rebekah’s and Niko’s POVs. Rebekah is a highly emotional and fractured protagonist. She is still processing the trauma and grief from losing her sister—very evident in her inner monologues, which are filled with aching grief. The mysterious forces—both good and evil—that communicate with her in her mind take an additional psychological toll on her. The “Guardian” presence seems to assist her (but also has his motives for doing so), while a sinister reaper tries to manipulate and intimidate her for their benefit—it’s all too much for anyone to bear, but her fractured state and emotional instability put her on the edge of a breakdown at several points in the story, making her easy to empathize with!
Meanwhile, Niko is a much more emotionally stable protagonist and is grappling with past regrets. His inner monologues are much steadier, driven by logic and his investigative skills—a stark contrast to Rebekah’s spiraling panic—and provide the perfect counterbalance of emotional energy to give readers literally all the feels while reading!
The Armitage Hotel is the perfect backdrop for this atmospheric thriller and becomes a character in its own right. As Niko and Rebekah navigate its eerie, warped hallways, flickering lights, and dark stairwells, there’s a constant sense of danger waiting for them just ahead. In addition, the hotel’s oppressive architecture, vague history, and dreamlike feel amplify the creepiness of it all—giving similar vibes to stories like The Shining and Silent Hill—and will leave readers with an unsettled feeling after finishing this book!
The pacing in the early chapters is deliberately slower as Rebekah and Niko’s backstories are laid out and the supernatural forces that plague Rebekah are revealed through vivid stream-of-consciousness sections. Once Rebekah and Niko both arrive at The Armitage Hotel, the pacing improves simultaneously with escalating horror. The book includes heavy themes and potentially triggering content, including mental illness, PTSD, suicidal ideation, violence, and murder scenes. In particular, there are a few disturbing scenes where Rebekah endures psychological and sexual trauma that sensitive readers should be especially aware of. Fortunately, most of Rebekah’s other struggles are presented with care through inner monologues and atmospheric suspense that will have readers more likely empathizing and rooting for her rather than being triggered!
In summary, Armitage is a standout, genre-bending thriller and an impressive start to a new series! It’s definitely not a light read, but it will keep readers fully engaged and offers a perfect balance of emotional drama and paranormal horror. Fans of atmospheric “haunted house” vibes, genre-bending fiction, grief-centered character arcs, and stories that linger should immediately grab a copy of this book!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Armitage is an immersive, thrilling multicast production narrated by experienced voice actors Aaron Smith, Aure Nash, Brandon Francis, and Elise Hoffman. The cast of narrators is perfectly chosen, as each performance complements the others and amplifies the emotional weight and psychological tension of the story. The audiobook is a very high-quality production with seamless transitions between narrators/chapters and matching pacing and emotional intensity from all the narrators!
Aaron Smith’s performance is the real heart of the listening experience, as he voices the overall narrative of the story with a clear, commanding tone that demands attention and grips the listener from beginning to end. His performance never wavers but instead builds in intensity to match the escalating horror that occurs at the Armitage Hotel!
Brandon Francis voices FBI agent Niko Ortez, as well as multiple side characters, showcasing his incredible versatility and impressive voice acting skills in all his diverse performances. For Niko’s character, Brandon uses a determined, steady tone to accurately portray an FBI agent determined for answers. Niko’s introspective monologues, where he grapples with guilt from his failing marriage and contemplates his future, are very convincing and bring depth to the character!
Aure Nash delivers a sensational performance as Rebekah with emotional vulnerability and uncertainty in her tone, especially when Rebekah experiences emotional trauma in the Armitage Hotel. Nash’s narration of Rebekah’s communication with the supernatural beings is especially compelling. During these sequences, Rebekah’s fear and psychological tension are so palpable that listeners will be on the edge of their seats. Elise Hoffman performs the narration for some of the supporting characters, mostly inside the hotel setting, with a clear, emotive voice that matches the character and adds to atmospheric tension.
Overall the audiobook’s high production quality, along with impressive and clearly differentiating performances of each narrator, make this audiobook an unstoppable listening experience that listeners will be raving about afterwards! If you’re considering reading this book, the audiobook is the ultimate format for a 5+ star listening experience!
Narrator Performance
The audiobook of Armitage is an immersive, thrilling multicast production narrated by experienced voice actors Aaron Smith, Aure Nash, Brandon Francis, and Elise Hoffman. The cast of narrators is perfectly chosen, as each performance complements the others and amplifies the emotional weight and psychological tension of the story. The audiobook is a very high-quality production with seamless transitions between narrators/chapters and matching pacing and emotional intensity from all the narrators!
Aaron Smith’s performance is the real heart of the listening experience, as he voices the overall narrative of the story with a clear, commanding tone that demands attention and grips the listener from beginning to end. His performance never wavers but instead builds in intensity to match the escalating horror that occurs at the Armitage Hotel!
Brandon Francis voices FBI agent Niko Ortez, as well as multiple side characters, showcasing his incredible versatility and impressive voice acting skills in all his diverse performances. For Niko’s character, Brandon uses a determined, steady tone to accurately portray an FBI agent determined for answers. Niko’s introspective monologues, where he grapples with guilt from his failing marriage and contemplates his future, are very convincing and bring depth to the character!
Aure Nash delivers a sensational performance as Rebekah with emotional vulnerability and uncertainty in her tone, especially when Rebekah experiences emotional trauma in the Armitage Hotel. Nash’s narration of Rebekah’s communication with the supernatural beings is especially compelling. During these sequences, Rebekah’s fear and psychological tension are so palpable that listeners will be on the edge of their seats. Elise Hoffman performs the narration for some of the supporting characters, mostly inside the hotel setting, with a clear, emotive voice that matches the character and adds to atmospheric tension.
Overall the audiobook’s high production quality, along with impressive and clearly differentiating performances of each narrator, make this audiobook an unstoppable listening experience that listeners will be raving about afterwards! If you’re considering reading this book, the audiobook is the ultimate format for a 5+ star listening experience!
The audiobook of Armitage is an immersive, thrilling multicast production narrated by experienced voice actors Aaron Smith, Aure Nash, Brandon Francis, and Elise Hoffman. The cast of narrators is perfectly chosen, as each performance complements the others and amplifies the emotional weight and psychological tension of the story. The audiobook is a very high-quality production with seamless transitions between narrators/chapters and matching pacing and emotional intensity from all the narrators!
Aaron Smith’s performance is the real heart of the listening experience, as he voices the overall narrative of the story with a clear, commanding tone that demands attention and grips the listener from beginning to end. His performance never wavers but instead builds in intensity to match the escalating horror that occurs at the Armitage Hotel!
Brandon Francis voices FBI agent Niko Ortez, as well as multiple side characters, showcasing his incredible versatility and impressive voice acting skills in all his diverse performances. For Niko’s character, Brandon uses a determined, steady tone to accurately portray an FBI agent determined for answers. Niko’s introspective monologues, where he grapples with guilt from his failing marriage and contemplates his future, are very convincing and bring depth to the character!
Aure Nash delivers a sensational performance as Rebekah with emotional vulnerability and uncertainty in her tone, especially when Rebekah experiences emotional trauma in the Armitage Hotel. Nash’s narration of Rebekah’s communication with the supernatural beings is especially compelling. During these sequences, Rebekah’s fear and psychological tension are so palpable that listeners will be on the edge of their seats. Elise Hoffman performs the narration for some of the supporting characters, mostly inside the hotel setting, with a clear, emotive voice that matches the character and adds to atmospheric tension.
Overall the audiobook’s high production quality, along with impressive and clearly differentiating performances of each narrator, make this audiobook an unstoppable listening experience that listeners will be raving about afterwards! If you’re considering reading this book, the audiobook is the ultimate format for a 5+ star listening experience!
