Review: 14

Title: 14
Author: Peter Clines
Listening Time: 12 Hours and 38 Minutes
Challenges: None
Rating: 5/5

Summary from Goodreads:

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.

There are some odd things about Nate’s new apartment. Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn’t perfect, it’s livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don’t nag at him too much. At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela’s apartment. And Tim’s. And Veek’s. Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends. Or the end of everything....

I've been in an audio book slump for a few months now, but every month I diligently would go to my audible account and pick up any titles that I thought were interesting, and then they would just sit on my iPhone.  In December, I read Sheila's review of 14 (which you can find at her awesome blog Book Journey).  I used my credit that month to buy 14, and on Monday,  I was having a bad day at work so I decided to give it a shot as I punched numbers into the computer.  Within the first 10 minutes I was completely hooked.

14 is like nothing I would normally read.  It has a sci-fi vibe to it, and it's creepy but not on a horror movie level of creepiness.  It's one of those books that seems to stick with you for a few days, and has you questioning all the things that you just take to be normal. 

One thing that really made this novel flow, were the characters.  There wasn't one person that I didn't thoroughly enjoy, and at some points I wasn't sure who to trust, and who knew more than they were telling everyone else.  The story is told through the eyes of Nate, who is new to the rather interesting, and cheap apartment building.  Slowly, we're introduced to his neighbors who all become a pivotable part of the story.  At each turn, we learn a little more about the building, but also a little bit more about the people living among it's walls.

This book blew me away, and one of the reasons for that was the audio.  This book is read by Ray Porter who did an absolutely phenomenal job.  His character voices were spot on, and really helped to make the story real.  In fact, at some points I felt like I was watching a really good movie, rather than listening to a book.  I finished this one in two days, because I simply could not stop listening.  I even found myself taking extra long trying to find parking spaces just so I could get a few more pages in.

Personally, I think everyone should give this one a try, whether you're a sci-fi fan or not.  It's just that good!  In fact, it was voted the best sci fi book of 2012 by audible.com.  It is well worth the time to listen, and its definitely one I would be ok with hearing again!!