Book Review — THE REPLACINGS by Sandie Will
Sixteen-year-old Wyatt Corringer was kidnapped by his father’s best friend in the swamps of central Florida seven years ago. Plagued with Stockholm Syndrome, Wyatt has been unable to escape from the clutches of his abductor and now finds himself locked away with four young girls.
All of them are trapped in the sick world of Adrian Webster — a man obsessed with replacing the family he lost in a train accident long ago.
But Adrian is not working alone.
There’s a side to Adrian he can’t control — a side he can’t see.
Adrian calls it his demon. Wyatt calls it Shade, a non-human entity that takes over Adrian’s consciousness and causes him to act in dark and disturbing ways. And every day, Adrian loses more control to Shade and the evilness of his mind.
Wyatt must overcome Adrian’s stronghold and escape from this madman, and help free the other prisoners.
If he doesn’t, he could end up losing himself to his own demon.
Published: September 2021
ExcerptTHE REPLACINGS
BY SANDIE WILL
CHAPTER ONE
WYATT/JONATHAN
I’ve tried to kill him several times; the night he dragged me into Green Swamp, the day he grabbed Abby from her bus stop, the afternoon he lured Zoe from her backyard, and the evening he snatched Mia from a bowling alley parking lot.
The kidnappings took place over seven years, all with me helping, all so Adrian could replace his dead sisters. He’s already replaced his dead brother, Jonathan, with me. I used to be called Wyatt.
And here I stand next to him again, my abductor. We’re watching for witnesses and searching for the perfect girl to be my fourth sister.
One of us, one of these days, will kill the other. Either he’ll kill me because he can’t live without me or I’ll kill him because he’ll never let me go, if that makes sense. It probably doesn’t but, oh, well. The deal is this: I’ll lure her in, he’ll drug her, and we’ll both carry her away. It’s not like I don’t care; I do. I know the fear when a stranger ties a nine-year-old boy up and kidnaps him. But I’m sixteen now and have blocked out most of those memories.
Besides, he doesn’t mean to do these things. There’s a side to Adrian he can’t control, a side he doesn’t see. It’s like Adrian turns off and something takes over, like Jekyll and Hyde or the Incredible Hulk. Adrian calls it his demon. I call it his dark side and named him Shade because he reminds me of an entity that lurks in the shadows and only reveals himself when he’s up to no good. Shade takes over Adrian’s consciousness. Maybe it’s from a virus or a disease. I don’t know. But every day, Adrian loses more control, just like he has right now.
We’re standing at the edge of the woods on this mild April afternoon. Several vehicles sit empty in front of the Newberry Branch Library near Gainesville. Adrian and I are still in Florida, but quite a ways northwest of Green Swamp and my hometown of Davenport. Adrian seems calm.
He knows Saturday afternoons are the best for foot traffic back and forth from people’s cars. He’s wearing slim-cut brown pants and a green polo, camouflaging him in the shadows of the tree line. On these days, he always dresses in non-vibrant beige colors. Today, he’s wearing a green shirt, making me wonder why. Maybe it’s his way of celebrating finding the last piece of the puzzle, a replacement for his sister, Gracie Ann.
My ThoughtsThe Replacings is a psychological thriller that takes us deep into two damaged psyches.
Adrian’s mind shattered when he lost his family. Now a dark, dangerous part of himself is hellbent on replacing them.
Wyatt was the first kidnapping victim, taken seven years ago. Suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, he struggles to do what’s necessary to survive, while empathizing with his captor.
The psychological aspects of this story are real and unsettling.
I didn’t read the first book, The Takings, and I had no problem reading this one as a stand-alone.
*I received an eARC from the author.*
About the Author
Sandie Will is a multi-award-winning, psychological thriller novelist who lives in Tampa Bay, Florida, and works as a geologist by day.
She has been married to her husband, Charlie, for over 30 years and they have two sons. Her favorite place to write is in her back room “treehouse” in the arms of an old oak.
Awards & Recognitions:
The Caging at Deadwater Manor
2020 Top Shelf Magazine Awards: First Place – Young Adult Horror
2018 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award: First Place – Young Adult/New Adult Fiction
2017 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards: Honorable Mention – YA Horror
The Takings
2020 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award: Finalist in Blended Fiction
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