It Will Only Hurt for a Moment, Delilah S. Dawson
It Will Only Hurt for a Moment, Delilah S. Dawson
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It Will Only Hurt for a Moment

Author: Delilah S. Dawson

Narrator: Carlotta Brentan

Unabridged: 13 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/22/2024


Synopsis

In this highly atmospheric thriller from the Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of The Violence, a young woman hopes to reinvent herself at an isolated artists’ colony . . . only to be drawn into its dark, twisted past.

“Filled to the brim with righteous fury and fright that cannot be quelled, this novel solidifies Dawson as an unstoppable force.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

Sarah Carpenter is starting over.

She’s on the run—leaving behind her unsupportive, narcissistic ex-boyfriend and alcoholic, abusive mother—and headed for a new beginning at Tranquil Falls, a secluded artists’ colony on the grounds of a closed hotel. There, with no cell signal or internet to distract her, she hopes to rediscover her love for pottery and put the broken pieces of her life back together.

But when Sarah uncovers the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a pit kiln, things start to fall apart. Her fellow artists begin to act in troubling ways. The eccentric fiber artist knits an endless scarf. The musician plays the same carousel song over and over until his fingers bleed. The calligrapher grins with ink-stained teeth. Not to mention the haunting dreams Sarah has night after night.

When she discovers glass shards in her clay, Sarah wonders if someone is out to get her—or if she’s losing her grip on reality out here in the wilds, where the pounding of the waterfall never, ever fades. As she investigates the beautiful valley and the crumbling resort looming over them all, she unearths a chilling past that refuses to remain buried . . .

About Delilah S. Dawson

Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: PHASMA, plus over twenty other novels for kids, teens, and adults that mostly lean into horror, or at least monsters, human and otherwise. As Lila Bowen, she writes Wake of Vultures and the Shadow series. She's written in the worlds of The X-Files, Firefly, Labyrinth, Adventure Time, Marvel Action Spider-Man, Hellboy, Minecraft, Stranger Things, and Disney Mirrorverse. She once worked in a haunted house, where she excelled as both a cannibal and a dead body. Delilah lives in Atlanta with her family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matt on February 03, 2025

Overall I enjoyed this ghost story! However, we only got the ending of some of the characters… I think they accidentally forgot the epilogue because there are 7 more characters that we learned a lot about, but we have no idea what happened to them? 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️!......more

Goodreads review by Sadie on September 09, 2024

I will have a full review for my Patreon members a week from today, I like to take some time to marinate on the book before I dive into unpacking all my thoughts, notes & highlights. I will say for those considering a pre-order: -Delilah S. Dawson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. I vib......more

Goodreads review by retrovvitches on April 07, 2025

i really enjoyed this!! it was spooky, unsettling, lots of things happening making it fast paced and intriguing. was it super spooky? not really, it was subtle a lot of the time but not really a bad thing. the only thing i didn’t like was that ending!!! what do you mean that’s how it ended 😭😭 the en......more

Goodreads review by Dennis on November 06, 2024

In this atmospheric thriller by Delilah S. Dawson, a young woman named Sarah Carpenter arrives at an isolated artists' colony, hoping to leave behind her painful past and find solace in her pottery. Escaping an emotionally abusive mother and a toxic ex-boyfriend, she’s drawn to the quiet of Tranquil......more

Goodreads review by hollyreadit on October 29, 2024

Um hi, why is this book not all over Bookstagram? I LOVEEEEEEED IT! From the dark atmospheric setting of an abandoned hotel - to the dark and disturbing accounts of Sarah and Emily’s life, this book grabbed me and did not let go. Dawson does an incredible job of emphasizing female rage and the absolu......more


Quotes

“Steadily mounting mysteries and disturbing revelations at an art commune in this story about a woman’s liberation from an abusive relationship make this another must-read in Dawson’s growing canon of work.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Black River Orchard

"If Delilah S. Dawson writes it, I will read it. My bones were chilled, my blood boiled, and all my feral feminine energy ignited into flame! It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is Gothicly delicious!”—Sadie Hartmann, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered

“Nothing illustrates how all present art is molded from our past so well as Dawson’s latest. We see how creativity can be transformative and liberating, and how the ghosts that haunt us can still serve us too.”—Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles
 
It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is a gloriously creepy and atmospheric horror thriller that smashes the patriarchy from beyond the grave.”—Halley Sutton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hurricane Blonde

“No one does female rage quite like Delilah S. Dawson. It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is both a deft examination of creativity and a bone-chilling take on the asylum novel. It’s an absolute must-read.”—Ally Wilkes, Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of Where the Dead Wait

“Delilah S. Dawson speaks for those who can’t speak for themselves in It Will Only Hurt for a Moment, summoning a story filled to the brim with righteous fury and fright that can’t be quelled. This novel shouts, this novel screams, this novel solidifies Dawson as an unstoppable force that should flood every last bookshelf.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment is a glorious and compelling feminist thriller that presents a refreshing take on all-too-familiar territory for many women. Delilah S. Dawson will intrigue you, spook you, and disturb you—all while making you desperate to read more!”—Carissa Orlando, author of The September House