Roar of the Lambs
Jamison Shea
Publisher
Published August 25, 2025

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About Roar of the Lambs

If you knew the world was ending, who would you save? And would they let you?

Sixteen-year-old Winnie Bray is a liar. As the resident psychic at an oddities shop, Winnie truly can see the future. But her customers only want reassurance, and Winnie only wants their money. Favorable fortunes are a fast track to funding her way out of Buffalo, New York for good, after all.

But all of that changes when a vision sends her stalking in the remains her family home that burned down in a fire 10 years ago. Among the ash and rubble, Winnie finds a box made of bone, untouched by flames and…whispering. At the touch of her finger, the box shows her a vision of death, chaos, and apocalypse, with her and rich kids Apollo and Cyrus Rathbun at the center.

Apollo knows their cousin is up to no good, and with the Rathbun family scattered to the wind, they know Cyrus is aiming to present himself as the new patriarch. Despite an initial attraction, Apollo is reluctant to believe Winnie. But soon it becomes clear that their family histories are intertwined, with the whispering, hungry box at the very center, and more than their lives are on the line. Together, they must discover the origins of the box and stop unforeseen forces from fulfilling the apocalyptic prophecy, or die trying.

From the author of I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me comes a speculative thriller about the ties that bind us to places and people, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White and Tochi Onyebuchi.

My Review

Premise-wise, this is probably not a book I’d be particularly drawn to, but I loved Shea’s writing in their previous duology, and I am not at all disappointed that I picked up this book.

The story develops slowly, but with a lot of tension. Periodic scenes show glimpses of the past, from the moment the box was discovered to the present. The narrative alternates between Winnie and Apollo’s perspectives, and I loved both characters. I liked how the story paints this picture of these two families, separated by class and racial lines, so entangled in the fate of this strange box.

The tension never slips, and I kept reading chapter after chapter, trying to put together the pieces of what was happening and worrying for Winnie and Apollo every time I learned something they didn’t yet know.

The romance that develops between them also kept me reading. I liked that it didn’t overshadow the main plot elements, but it felt organic and gave me something to celebrate.

All in all, I feel like I have to keep reading more work by this author. I’ve read three of their novels, and I’ve enjoyed all three. If you like intense, voicy horror/thrillers, definitely check out Roar of the Lambs.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.

Spiritual Content
Several characters encounter a box that appears to have some kind of supernatural power. Characters hear it whispering or notice a skittering sound inside the box. Powerful light spills out whenever someone tries to open the box.

Winnie has a psychic ability that lets her see scenes from the future of anyone she has skin-to-skin contact with. She works at a store that sells oils, crystals, and other items used for spiritual purposes.

Violent Content
Situations of peril and brief, graphic violence. Winnie has several visions of the deaths of people she touches. These are usually only very briefly described. A man dies by suicide in one scene. A teenage boy shoves a girl to the ground, breaking her arm. References to a fire that destroyed a home and killed at least one person. Interacting with an item causes the deaths of several people.

Drug Content
References to drinking alcohol. A college student drinks alcohol.

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