A #HookReview of Unfinished, by Isana.
[image error]This one came in as a request from the author. It’s not fantasy, but I’m going to do it and I will tell you why. When I looked up the genre I saw:
Books > Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Abuse > Child Abuse
Parenting & Relationships > Family Relationships > Dysfunctional Relationships
Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Memoirs
Okay. A memoir about a dysfunctional family and child abuse. Cheery. But, I have a personal stake in stories like these. In a book like this, the writing isn’t that important. Books like this need to deliver only one thing – honesty. The reader’s empathy will follow. Stories of triumph over abuse are nothing new, but every story is different, and each new one has a chance to reach people in a way that the last one didn’t. Stories of abuse need to be told, to help others. As long as I feel like it’s honest – Ill keep reading.
Let’s see:
#HookReview
The cover didn’t grab me, but I’m used to flashy fantasy covers. Considering the genre though, it was alright. It conveyed a metaphor, and one appropriate for the story; the endurance trial of escaping abuse and self doubt, but she made it. (Of course, her run isn’t over – I dont see a couch anywhere in the pic. So, hence the name of the book, I suppose.)
I opened the preview. The prologue was cute, but ended without anything happening. The story starts with a beautiful backdrop for a childhood, and then the author calls forth memories of some hardcore fundamentalist Baptist church, with old-school fire and brimstone sermons. I was just hoping that it wouldnt turn into a vendetta. To stay honest, you cant attack anyone.
There was a point or two throughout the preview that I thought it might happen, but it didn’t. The author stays true to the story, and holds nothing back. She is blunt as a spoon, painfully specific, and doesnt look for pity. It’s dark, but so far, this is a story about child abuse; it doesnt get darker than that. Chapters are short, and kept me turning pages to the end of the haunting preview. It helps that it is well written.
To vote for Unfinished go to our Book Review of the Week Poll HERE.
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