 I just prefer books with more action, and less thinking. It may be because I am so damned introspective that I like to live vicariously through characters who do a lot of things. The action does seem to pick up about halfway through, so that was refreshing and kept me reading. But I still found myself skipping paragraphs here and there because it felt like I’d read them many times over. I was very excited to read this book after reading the synopsis. It sounded like a harrowing, heart wrenching tale that would make me cringe. I like many types of horror and they don’t all have to be so gory as to make me cringe, but I do enjoy a good test of my...resolve? Gag reflex? I don’t know what to call it. I like a good story that shocks me a bit and takes me out of my comfort zone. This book delivers some of that. The book does have a decent amount of gore and violence. Richard is an abusive asshole and lashes out at Crystal for the smallest of transgressions. Being trapped in a relationship with a person who physically and psychologically abuses you would no doubt breed constant fear, insecurity and inability to effectively make a decision - all things Crystal experiences on a near-constant basis. These harrowing and heartbreaking consequences in victims of abuse are clear in Detwiler’s tale. To me, Detwiler unapologetically conveys the minute-by-minute struggle of an abused spouse, both when the abuser is home, and when the abuser is gone but can come home at any time. I feel the issue of abuse was handled respectfully for Crystal. Richard riled up my disgust and anger I feel toward abusers of any kind. Abusers’ actions are inexcusable, all of the time. And this book drives home that point. This book had a good and gruesome storyline. Definitely not for the faint of heart! The atmosphere throughout was decently creepy. There was always a sense that Richard would show up and kill Crystal. And her nightmares were vivid, unique and frightening. So there are some good elements of psychological torture. And best of all - a very satisfactory ending. It was a little predictable, but not entirely so. And I appreciate how everything was revealed in the end - no plotholes. That always makes me happy. As far as characters go, they all were pretty three-dimensional. There didn’t seem to be a flat character in the book. I rooted for Crystal the whole time and hated Richard the entire time. Completely hated him and wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, myself. But even though I loved the plot, setting and characters, the style of the book made it very difficult for me to read. It is in first person POV, which normally, I love. In this case, much of the book was told in Crystal’s ruminating thoughts. And I empathize greatly with that because I can be the same way - and I imagine I’d be a lot worse if I were in Crystal’s situation - but it was difficult for me to wade through the repetition. I just prefer books with more action, and less thinking. It may be because I am so damned introspective that I like to live vicariously through characters who do a lot of things. The action does seem to pick up about halfway through, so that was refreshing and kept me reading. But I still found myself skipping paragraphs here and there because it felt like I’d read them many times over. So even though the style of the book was very difficult for me to read, I think Detwiler created a dark, gripping story that will stick with the reader long after it’s read. Review by Kimberly Wolkens My Rating - 2 out of 5 stars  From USA TODAY Bestseller L.A. Detwiler comes a sinister horror with jaw-dropping twists. Everyone has a breaking point. At twenty, an unplanned pregnancy seals Crystal Holt into a marriage to the abusive Richard Connor. After a stillborn birth, Crystal insists they have the baby baptized postmortem. A cynic, a drunk, and a poor man, Richard has other plans. When her monstrous husband tosses the baby into the woods to be forgotten, Crystal instantly spirals. After beating her within an inch of her life, Richard does something else he's done before—he disappears. This time, however, things feel very different… With her husband gone, Crystal battles with the demons of abuse, dark childhood memories, and a declining mental state worsened by horrific nightmare sequences. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that something's not quite right about the way Richard disappeared this time, and Crystal is in more danger than ever. After all, not all of the dark secrets belong to Richard. Will Crystal be able to escape from a lifetime of torture unscathed, or will she succumb to the dark secrets she's fallen prey to before? A twisted page-turner that will disturb even the toughest horror and dark thriller fans…   the heart and soul of horror fiction review websitesComments are closed.
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