River's Edge by Erin Keyser Horn {Audio Review}

*Received a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Blurb~

“Does salvation have a number? How many lives must I save before I’m redeemed?”

Eighteen-year-old Kasia Maier planned to spend her summer studying turtles in the sand prairie, not trudging through fearsome backwaters with her new coworker, Blayne. And when a monster drags Blayne into the Mississippi River, Kasia never expected herself to jump in after him. She saves him, but soon she’s discovering the monstrous in other places . . . including herself. Now she’s wavering on the edge between a dwindling humanity and a dreadful immortality. The river is tempting one moment, terrifying the next. She doesn’t understand who she is or where she belongs. Blayne, the one person with the potential to help her, is also the hardest to resist. If she can’t stop her own transformation into a river spirit, he will be her first victim. And that's just the beginning—even greater threats are lurking in the shadows.

Combining the Illinois setting of Thomson Causeway and the scariest of Slavic mythology, RIVER’S EDGE will make you question everything you know about nature, evil, and redemption.

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Audible | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

My Review

I haven't listened to an audio book since I was fresh out of high school, but I have been thinking about the idea for a while now and when I was asked to review this book as an audio book I thought, here is my chance. I have to say at first it was strange. I had to get into the mind of the reader, I had to get used to her voice, her pacing, her everything. Now at first this bothered me. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it, but I give every book a fair chance and there was no way I was going to let a voice deter me from listening to this story, so I decided I would give it another chance. Of course I had no idea when I was going to listen to it, but then I got sick and BAM! I had nothing but time as I laid there sicker than a dog in bed. Instant perfect opportunity. And oh my gosh it was PERFECT!

I had no problems settling in my second go round, I fell right into the story and head over heels for the main character Kaisa. She is strong, independent, funny, and incredibly smart. She doesn't trust guys and rates them on the scum scale, which I found completely awesome. It actually had me rating a few guys that I knew on that scale. She is off to start an internship where she plans to impress the higher ups and leave a lasting impression. Doing all of this in the safe area of the prairie. But she actually ends up working in the river and she has to work with men. All of which rate differently on her scum scale and even have her questioning her mother's fool proof rating system. The last thing Kaisa wants to do is work in the river or with Blayne, but she will not run away. 

Her entire life her mother had warned her to avoid two things, the water and boys... and on her first day of work she finds herself doing the exact opposite. And when her new co-worker, Blayne falls in the river, Kaisa throws caution and danger to the wind and jumps in after him. What she discovers under the water changes everything about her life. Now she can see things and do things she never thought possible, everything about her is changing. And she has to find a way to keep all this a secret from her new co-worker, while doing her job, and keeping him safe. 

In River's Edge we follow Kaisa as she tries to find a new balance and sanity in the new world that she has been thrown into. There are monsters, spirits, scummy boys, sweet boys, humor, and action. River's Edge was a completely different story, that I found utterly refreshing. I was honestly surprised with the twists and turns of this adventure and I didn't want to stop listening until I was finished. And I didn't. 

River's Edge was incredibly detailed and vivid and gave me everything I needed to make the story come to life in my mind, every monster, every creature, spirit and adventure was there for me. Some so vivid it could give you nightmares. Erin Keyser Horn has an incredible imagination and I am glad that I got to visit, even if it was for just one book. 

There was nothing I didn't like about River's Edge. The characters were fun, detailed, and deep. The world was eloquent and real. I could have been camping next to that river it was so real. Everything about the story was captivating, from the reader's voice, the pacing, and the different voices the reader used. Hat's off to Erin Keyser Horn on a refreshing read and an incredible start to what I am sure will become a favorite series.