The storm hasn’t let up. There’s nothing the young couple June and Carson can do but bide their time and wait it out.
That means it’s time for another strange tale. The one they settle on is called “Jelly,” and it’s about a young college man returning home for holiday break. While there, he discovers a strange alien presence hiding in his childhood treehouse. Is it friendly? Or is it dangerous?
June and Carson will have to turn the pages to find out.
But as the reading goes on, tempers between the two young lovers flare. And in the shadows, a mysterious figure watches them, waiting for the perfect moment to announce its presence.
I read The Cabin of Nowhere: Dandelion a couple of weeks ago, and with its cliffhanger ending, I needed to pick up this sequel immediately. The story starts right after the events of Book 1, back in the abandoned cabin with June and Carson during an endless storm. Like the first installment, this has a book-within-a-book structure as June and Carson choose another mysterious book (Jelly) to read from the basement library. The stakes are higher in this book, and they continue to feel like they’re being watched—and you’ll be wondering if the threat is coming from outside, lurking in the cabin, or if their minds are unraveling!
The story toggles back and forth between June and Carson and the increasingly creepy events in Jelly. The storm outside intensifies and feels supernatural. As they read Jelly, there’s a disturbing element of mind manipulation that starts affecting them psychologically—their thoughts get darker and paranoid, and they begin to turn on each other. Meanwhile, Jelly becomes a high-stakes sci-fi horror story centered around college student Jimmy and the strange entity in the treehouse. And just like in Book 1, the fiction they’re reading seems to slowly bleed into their reality—completely unsettling!
At just over 200 pages and with 8 fast-moving chapters, this is an easy single-sitting read. But because of the layered story-within-a-story format, it feels longer and more immersive. In the last few chapters in both storylines, there are moments that will send chills down your spine, especially as things take a darker turn for June and Carson. And just when you think you’ll get answers, the book ends on another cliffhanger!! It honestly feels like the story is just getting started, and I need the next book right away—and I hope one is coming!
Narrator Performance
The Cabin of Nowhere: Jelly is narrated by award-winning narrator Joe Hempel. He also narrated Book 1, The Cabin of Nowhere: Dandelion, and binge-listening to both books is great as he uses the same voices for June and Carson and creates the same creeping dread energy. In this book, both characters are affected by creepy mind manipulation—and as they become paranoid, unpredictable, and volatile, Hempel adds more tension, frantic energy, and menace to their voices to keep you on edge. There are some scenes where they turn on each other with dangerous outbursts—and Hempel narrates them with such intensity and drama that you may feel concerned about what’s going to happen next!
In the Jelly storyline, Hempel portrays college student Jimmy with a curious, sincere-sounding voice that becomes more determined and fearless as the story unfolds, making him a very likable character. When Jimmy initially discovers the creature in the treehouse, Hempel does a great job conveying Jimmy’s equal amount of fear and curiosity. The strange evolving relationship, if you can even call it that, between Jimmy and the creature is wonderfully performed and compelling. Hempel narrates the creature’s sounds, movements, and eerie communication in such a vivid and immersive way that you can literally visualize it and feel like you’re right there with Jimmy. As the stakes rise for Jimmy and the creature, Joe does a great job conveying the emotional intensity of their connection, and by the end, you’ll be fully invested in their outcome—and may even shed a tear!
In the final chapter, as things take a darker turn, Hempel adds more tension and intensity to his voice, especially when voicing a sudden terrifying presence. The final cliffhanger scene has an eerie vibe that lingers, and you’ll be just as eager as I am for the next audiobook in the series—or at least let’s hope there’s one coming!
Narrator Performance
The Cabin of Nowhere: Jelly is narrated by award-winning narrator Joe Hempel. He also narrated Book 1, The Cabin of Nowhere: Dandelion, and binge-listening to both books is great as he uses the same voices for June and Carson and creates the same creeping dread energy. In this book, both characters are affected by creepy mind manipulation—and as they become paranoid, unpredictable, and volatile, Hempel adds more tension, frantic energy, and menace to their voices to keep you on edge. There are some scenes where they turn on each other with dangerous outbursts—and Hempel narrates them with such intensity and drama that you may feel concerned about what’s going to happen next!
In the Jelly storyline, Hempel portrays college student Jimmy with a curious, sincere-sounding voice that becomes more determined and fearless as the story unfolds, making him a very likable character. When Jimmy initially discovers the creature in the treehouse, Hempel does a great job conveying Jimmy’s equal amount of fear and curiosity. The strange evolving relationship, if you can even call it that, between Jimmy and the creature is wonderfully performed and compelling. Hempel narrates the creature’s sounds, movements, and eerie communication in such a vivid and immersive way that you can literally visualize it and feel like you’re right there with Jimmy. As the stakes rise for Jimmy and the creature, Joe does a great job conveying the emotional intensity of their connection, and by the end, you’ll be fully invested in their outcome—and may even shed a tear!
In the final chapter, as things take a darker turn, Hempel adds more tension and intensity to his voice, especially when voicing a sudden terrifying presence. The final cliffhanger scene has an eerie vibe that lingers, and you’ll be just as eager as I am for the next audiobook in the series—or at least let’s hope there’s one coming!
The Cabin of Nowhere: Jelly is narrated by award-winning narrator Joe Hempel. He also narrated Book 1, The Cabin of Nowhere: Dandelion, and binge-listening to both books is great as he uses the same voices for June and Carson and creates the same creeping dread energy. In this book, both characters are affected by creepy mind manipulation—and as they become paranoid, unpredictable, and volatile, Hempel adds more tension, frantic energy, and menace to their voices to keep you on edge. There are some scenes where they turn on each other with dangerous outbursts—and Hempel narrates them with such intensity and drama that you may feel concerned about what’s going to happen next!
In the Jelly storyline, Hempel portrays college student Jimmy with a curious, sincere-sounding voice that becomes more determined and fearless as the story unfolds, making him a very likable character. When Jimmy initially discovers the creature in the treehouse, Hempel does a great job conveying Jimmy’s equal amount of fear and curiosity. The strange evolving relationship, if you can even call it that, between Jimmy and the creature is wonderfully performed and compelling. Hempel narrates the creature’s sounds, movements, and eerie communication in such a vivid and immersive way that you can literally visualize it and feel like you’re right there with Jimmy. As the stakes rise for Jimmy and the creature, Joe does a great job conveying the emotional intensity of their connection, and by the end, you’ll be fully invested in their outcome—and may even shed a tear!
In the final chapter, as things take a darker turn, Hempel adds more tension and intensity to his voice, especially when voicing a sudden terrifying presence. The final cliffhanger scene has an eerie vibe that lingers, and you’ll be just as eager as I am for the next audiobook in the series—or at least let’s hope there’s one coming!
