Burn the Negative

By: Josh Winning

Narrated by: Stephanie Cannon

*Long-listed for the Bram Stoker Award*

In this incendiary mash-up of horror and suspense, a notorious slasher film is remade…and the curse that haunted it is reawakened.

Fresh off the plane in L.A., here to visit the set of a new streaming horror series, journalist Laura Warren sees a man jumping from a bridge, landing right behind her car. It’s started, she thinks. Because the series she’s reporting on is a remake of a ’90s horror flick. A cursed ’90s horror flick, which she starred in as a child—and has been running from her whole life.

When Laura was eight years old, eight members of the cast and crew died in ways that eerily mirrored the movie’s on-screen deaths, making the film a cult classic—and ruining her life. She changed her name and her accent, dyed her hair, and moved across the Atlantic. But some scripts don’t want to stay buried.

Now, as the body count rises again, Laura finds herself on the run with her aspiring actress sister and a jaded psychic, hoping to end the curse once and for all.

Great narrator! Story isn't bad.

This book has been on my to-read shelf for a little while. I did enjoy the book, but I also thought that some of the plot points were too obvious and that certain elements of the book could have been fleshed out more. I did enjoy the ending, but I feel like the author ruined a good and unusual ending with an epilogue explaining it. I would have enjoyed the book more if things had been left to my imagination at the end of the novel.

Almost as good as The Shadow Glass

It kept me guessing!
I was not sure until the end if there was a curse, other paranormal elements or just a “bad guy”; and if it WAS a “bad guy” who that might be.
The author had good pacing. He gave enough info about the past—of the characters themselves and Guesthouse movie—and also the current events. He hinted at things but you didn’t feel “led”.
I liked it. I REALLY liked the last 30 minutes or so. Not a super deep read. But very entertaining!

You won’t want to put it down… so you can just be done with it

There are elements that are good-ish. The concept was interesting and it will have you guessing at who’s doing what or what’s happening, but I also think that in doing so, it left loose ends. The narrator was tolerable but not great. It’s interesting enough to not DNF, but I probably won’t read it again, which sucks because I used a credit on it.. maybe wait until it’s free.

Scary good time

Great voice acting and it was a fun spooky story that kept me guessing and entertained.

Story was decent, but left me wanting more

This story focuses on a former child star, her 'breakout' movie role which is cursed, and her dealing with the trauma of surviving the curse.

It wasn't a bad read. Narrator was great. But the story itself used too many red herrings, in my opinion. Multiple times, characters were keeping secrets from each other when they knew they shouldn't. It got annoying by the end.