Review: Gorefest sequel/prequel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 26, 2013
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*Hillary's happy life vanishes the night that her father starts to molest and rape her. After months of agony she confides in her mother who refuses to help her. Alone and angry, Hillary discovers a new friend inside her head who knows exactly how to make everyone listen to her.In book one we see the psycho that Hillary became and there was no real sympathy for her or her actions but this prequel novel shows how a good, normal teenage girl becomes that twisted monster because of the abuse she has been subjected to. Her gradual descent into madness was gripping and compelling, seeing the girl you have sympathy for inflicting horrific cruelty on her family and former friends. I had no sympathy for Michael or Kathy for their part in Hillary's appalling experiences but I felt sorry for her brother and sister who really had done nothing wrong. And poor Storm! I couldn't even READ that scene because I love beagles and I didn't want to see it in print!We get more opportunity to see what kind of girl Hillary was before the abuse and how Michael's reign of terror affected firstly Kathy and then his daughter. Kathy is a sympathetic figure at the start of the book when you see the monster that Michael was, manipulating, violent, bullying, leaving her with no self esteem or mind of her own. It is when she betrays her daughter that my sympathy for her ended. Hillary herself is a bit of a pantomime villan through the book and I did laugh at a few of her twisted comments during the torture. Not sure what that says about my personality!This book will appeal to horror fans who like the Jack Ketchum/Edward Lee kind of twisted gorefest. The plot as before is brutal and gory with scenes of rape, incest, cannibalism, torture and death. If you don't have a strong stomach, don't go there! I'm looking forward to seeing the continuation of Hillary's story and will also be keen to see what else the author writes in the future.