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Fractured
Blinded by a mysterious seizure when she was three years old, Bash Martin has managed to carve out a normal life for herself as an adult. Yet she still yearns for a deeper connection with her twin sister Lily, who has always been jealous of the attention their parents bestowed upon Bash due to her disability.
A dream vacation seems like the perfect chance to heal their relationship, but Bash soon realizes there is something terribly wrong with Lily and that her sister is hiding a dark secret. And when a supernatural fire engulfs their hotel and corpses come back to life, the sisters are plunged into a nightmarish world that threatens not only their lives, but their very souls.
A dream vacation seems like the perfect chance to heal their relationship, but Bash soon realizes there is something terribly wrong with Lily and that her sister is hiding a dark secret. And when a supernatural fire engulfs their hotel and corpses come back to life, the sisters are plunged into a nightmarish world that threatens not only their lives, but their very souls.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
956 people want to read
About the author
Erin Hayes
102 books526 followersSci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books.
She works as an advertising copywriter by day, and she's a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, and now San Francisco with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.
You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.
She works as an advertising copywriter by day, and she's a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, and now San Francisco with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia.
You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 17, 2014
I pulled an overnighter to finish reading Fractured. This was me during the scary parts:
Note to self: Never, ever, EVER pull an all nighter to finish a book that has been clearly marked as “Horror.” It’s a stupid decision and that nights’ sleep that you lost? You deserved it.
Honestly, though. This book is creepy as FUCK, and if you’re a wimp (like yours’ truly) then make sure you read this book in broad daylight. It’s beyond just gore and screams but there are both of the aforementioned atrocities so beware.
The prologue gave me the jeepers. Lily and Bash are twins playing in the background. Of course, Bash is the one doing any playing and three year old Lily—who is a bit too serious for a three year old—is sulking off in a corner, trying to understand why exactly her sister won’t play with her.
Fair enough.
All of a sudden, Bash falls to the ground and upon further investigation, it is revealed that Bash has been blinded by an epileptic seizure.
Fast forward twenty years and Bash is engaged to Seth, the man she loves and Lily is doing the walk of shame, unable to determine why she sleeps around so much.
Bash/Bathsheba/Sheba is the older sister of them two. She’s more loved by their mother, garners more attention from their father and she’s blind, so that just pulls more attention to her anyway. In the good way.
She struck as kind of pushy character. She pushes Seth to keep their engagement a secret, she looks for blind perks all the time, and she’s selfless and brave. A dangerous combination, really. But my favourite is how she’s with Lily.
Lily, for some reason, harbors resentment against Bash. In my humblest opinion, it’s a bit unfair of her. There are two reasons as to why I say this:
1) It’s really not Bash’s fault that she got blind/more attention from their parents. Bash has been nothing but kind to her sister and Lily just behaves like a brat.
2) I can’t give this away because it is a MAJOR spoiler but for those who’ve read the book already, it’s got to do with army boy. Again, Bash is not to blame.
As for the whole supernatural angle with Lily, it was good. Really good. Well researched, great execution and made me SHIT IN MY GODDAMNED PANTS.
Ahem.
My favorite character in the entire series, honestly, was Seth. He was practical, straight-forward, had his own demons, but he was loyal. And balls. The guy had balls.
There was a wide array of supporting characters that you could choose to support and ship. They all did their work well and in the end…well, yeah. No spoilers.
Now to talk about the end of the book itself. Le sigh. I’m confused myself. It felt like the easy way out but god dammit I liked that ending. I really did. But it felt like the most obvious way to finish the book off. I can’t fucking decide!
Overall, the book was good. Worth reading if you like gore and the horror genre is your thing. As for me, though? Never again. EVER. I’m too much of a pussy.
Find this review and more at Rhea's Neon Journal
Note to self: Never, ever, EVER pull an all nighter to finish a book that has been clearly marked as “Horror.” It’s a stupid decision and that nights’ sleep that you lost? You deserved it.
Honestly, though. This book is creepy as FUCK, and if you’re a wimp (like yours’ truly) then make sure you read this book in broad daylight. It’s beyond just gore and screams but there are both of the aforementioned atrocities so beware.
The prologue gave me the jeepers. Lily and Bash are twins playing in the background. Of course, Bash is the one doing any playing and three year old Lily—who is a bit too serious for a three year old—is sulking off in a corner, trying to understand why exactly her sister won’t play with her.
Fair enough.
All of a sudden, Bash falls to the ground and upon further investigation, it is revealed that Bash has been blinded by an epileptic seizure.
Fast forward twenty years and Bash is engaged to Seth, the man she loves and Lily is doing the walk of shame, unable to determine why she sleeps around so much.
Bash/Bathsheba/Sheba is the older sister of them two. She’s more loved by their mother, garners more attention from their father and she’s blind, so that just pulls more attention to her anyway. In the good way.
She struck as kind of pushy character. She pushes Seth to keep their engagement a secret, she looks for blind perks all the time, and she’s selfless and brave. A dangerous combination, really. But my favourite is how she’s with Lily.
Lily, for some reason, harbors resentment against Bash. In my humblest opinion, it’s a bit unfair of her. There are two reasons as to why I say this:
1) It’s really not Bash’s fault that she got blind/more attention from their parents. Bash has been nothing but kind to her sister and Lily just behaves like a brat.
2) I can’t give this away because it is a MAJOR spoiler but for those who’ve read the book already, it’s got to do with army boy. Again, Bash is not to blame.
As for the whole supernatural angle with Lily, it was good. Really good. Well researched, great execution and made me SHIT IN MY GODDAMNED PANTS.
Ahem.
My favorite character in the entire series, honestly, was Seth. He was practical, straight-forward, had his own demons, but he was loyal. And balls. The guy had balls.
There was a wide array of supporting characters that you could choose to support and ship. They all did their work well and in the end…well, yeah. No spoilers.
Now to talk about the end of the book itself. Le sigh. I’m confused myself. It felt like the easy way out but god dammit I liked that ending. I really did. But it felt like the most obvious way to finish the book off. I can’t fucking decide!
Overall, the book was good. Worth reading if you like gore and the horror genre is your thing. As for me, though? Never again. EVER. I’m too much of a pussy.
Find this review and more at Rhea's Neon Journal
July 4, 2014
what a load of crap.
Review to be posted…
My thoughts…(Warning there might be spoilers…well, more like big spoilers. This is a negative review, just saying.)
Horror hasn’t always been my first pick but when I noticed the eerie cover of Fractured, I had to request a copy. What a load of crap! I can’t believe I even gave this book a chance, I’m sorry for bashing, but I hate being disappointed. I know I just have to get used to it, but that miracle hasn’t yet yo happen. I can’t blame the book for everything since Horror hasn’t always been my cup of tea, but everything in this story seems like crap. None of it made actual sense to me. To all those who love horror you might enjoy it but to those who have the same taste as I do, you will freaking hate this.
Bash and Lily are twins, but Bash had always been the favorite so that made Lily envious of her older sister. Lily had always even unusually dark, everyone can see that she’s different. There’s something wrong. Something horrific. Bash has suddenly been blinded my a mysterious seizure so that made people even sympathize with her even more, Lily hated that everyone only paid attention to Bash. Lily finally met the man of her dreams, but not soon, Seth fell in love with Bash. Cue thunder!
After Bash and Seth had announced their engagement, a fire broke. Suddenly the dead were walking, another voice was heard and lies have been unraveled.
I don’t understand what Lily was so jealous of, it’s been more than 20 years and yet she still envies her sister. I found it immature..and as for Bash, can she be any less stupid? She practically begs her sister to love her, I think she’s just not used to having one person hate her. But that’s not at all what I despised so much in the book. My annoyance boiled when, finally, the conflict was resolved! Lily sacrificed herself to save her dear sister. WHAT THE FRICK? Do you see what I’m getting at? The sibling love wasn’t present at all, so why sacrifice yourself? The story ended way too conveniently, I hated the way this book was written. It wasn’t well thought of and when the author announced that it took her more than 7 rewrites to finish Fractured, I don’t believe it. She needs to rethink her whole plot.
This should make me feel pallid, weak and frightened, but I’m just so angry at how this book turned out. Don’t read this book. This needs to be rewritten. Calm down, Chyna. Breathes in and out.
Review to be posted…
My thoughts…(Warning there might be spoilers…well, more like big spoilers. This is a negative review, just saying.)
Horror hasn’t always been my first pick but when I noticed the eerie cover of Fractured, I had to request a copy. What a load of crap! I can’t believe I even gave this book a chance, I’m sorry for bashing, but I hate being disappointed. I know I just have to get used to it, but that miracle hasn’t yet yo happen. I can’t blame the book for everything since Horror hasn’t always been my cup of tea, but everything in this story seems like crap. None of it made actual sense to me. To all those who love horror you might enjoy it but to those who have the same taste as I do, you will freaking hate this.
Bash and Lily are twins, but Bash had always been the favorite so that made Lily envious of her older sister. Lily had always even unusually dark, everyone can see that she’s different. There’s something wrong. Something horrific. Bash has suddenly been blinded my a mysterious seizure so that made people even sympathize with her even more, Lily hated that everyone only paid attention to Bash. Lily finally met the man of her dreams, but not soon, Seth fell in love with Bash. Cue thunder!
After Bash and Seth had announced their engagement, a fire broke. Suddenly the dead were walking, another voice was heard and lies have been unraveled.
I don’t understand what Lily was so jealous of, it’s been more than 20 years and yet she still envies her sister. I found it immature..and as for Bash, can she be any less stupid? She practically begs her sister to love her, I think she’s just not used to having one person hate her. But that’s not at all what I despised so much in the book. My annoyance boiled when, finally, the conflict was resolved! Lily sacrificed herself to save her dear sister. WHAT THE FRICK? Do you see what I’m getting at? The sibling love wasn’t present at all, so why sacrifice yourself? The story ended way too conveniently, I hated the way this book was written. It wasn’t well thought of and when the author announced that it took her more than 7 rewrites to finish Fractured, I don’t believe it. She needs to rethink her whole plot.
This should make me feel pallid, weak and frightened, but I’m just so angry at how this book turned out. Don’t read this book. This needs to be rewritten. Calm down, Chyna. Breathes in and out.
March 9, 2020
You can also read my review here
Lily and Bash are sister. Twins to be exact and one thing is for sure, they're no Anna and Elsa. Ever since they are kids, Lily has always been a little jealous of the attention that Batsheba is getting (i just love that name so much) And one simple afternoon, when little Lily and Bash are playing, an incident happen that lead to Bash being blind.
From the prologue, I was deeply engaged already. I was like, 'nope, i'm not getting any sleep unless i finish this' but I ended up sleeping anyway because reading this at night when you're alone is not a good decision! Fractured's premise sounds very intriguing and with a cover like that, it's really hard not to grab your attention. And I'm glad that it's that way because Fractured is perfect for readers who is looking for a break in YA contemporaries. Like I mentioned above, the prologue will engage you right away. What I loved about this is that from the start, it didn't have a dull moment until you finish it. It's like the first few chapters is just making you ready for a crazier than crazy ending.
The relationship between Lily and Bash is fascinating. I must say that I haven't encountered it before. The author keeps dropping bomb after bomb of terrifying information till the end and I. Just. Love. It. It is so creepy you guys, I'm not even kidding. There's a lot of this:
The ending might not be the ending I was hoping for but it was satisfying nonetheless. This is on third person narrative which doesn't really work on me most of the time but surprisingly, it pushed me to read the story more. Overall, Fractured is a chilling and frightening read for me. I would highly recommend it for readers to satisfy their quick horror/thriller fix.
Lily and Bash are sister. Twins to be exact and one thing is for sure, they're no Anna and Elsa. Ever since they are kids, Lily has always been a little jealous of the attention that Batsheba is getting (i just love that name so much) And one simple afternoon, when little Lily and Bash are playing, an incident happen that lead to Bash being blind.
From the prologue, I was deeply engaged already. I was like, 'nope, i'm not getting any sleep unless i finish this' but I ended up sleeping anyway because reading this at night when you're alone is not a good decision! Fractured's premise sounds very intriguing and with a cover like that, it's really hard not to grab your attention. And I'm glad that it's that way because Fractured is perfect for readers who is looking for a break in YA contemporaries. Like I mentioned above, the prologue will engage you right away. What I loved about this is that from the start, it didn't have a dull moment until you finish it. It's like the first few chapters is just making you ready for a crazier than crazy ending.
The relationship between Lily and Bash is fascinating. I must say that I haven't encountered it before. The author keeps dropping bomb after bomb of terrifying information till the end and I. Just. Love. It. It is so creepy you guys, I'm not even kidding. There's a lot of this:
The ending might not be the ending I was hoping for but it was satisfying nonetheless. This is on third person narrative which doesn't really work on me most of the time but surprisingly, it pushed me to read the story more. Overall, Fractured is a chilling and frightening read for me. I would highly recommend it for readers to satisfy their quick horror/thriller fix.
August 8, 2014
So, the first 40% or so of this book is deceptive. It was definitely creepy, but it was a little slow, filled with character building and a whack load of foreshadowing. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I wasn’t even going to put a content warning on the book at that point, because the language was mild, and it wasn’t even violent.
Well… CONTENT WARNING ADDED! It’s amazing how much more we swear when a demon starts to toy with us! And the gore just keeps on coming! Body count? MASSIVE! Once the story reached that pivotal scene, shit got real serious, real fast!
I loved the pivoting character views. The scenes went back and forth between a handful of characters, so it gave me a solid hold on what was going on in various story threads. They each had a unique voice and it was great to know what was going through everyone’s heads. Bathsheba (Bash) is the main character, or at least the one I felt most connected to. She went blind when she was three, so now we have the added terror of removing and augmenting senses. Bash can’t see the horror, but she can hear things scraping in the walls. *shivers* I’m not sure which I would prefer! On the plus side, you wouldn’t have to see the blood and pus, but you also couldn’t see what’s coming for you!
All of the characters kept breaking all the key rules on how to survive a horror story! No wonder they kept dying! ;) I kept screaming at the book “STOP SPLITTING UP! DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR! Stupid characters deserve everything that’s coming to them… but don’t kill THAT character! HEY! I liked her!”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how Erin could possibly wrap everything up and not leave me completely pissed off that she killed all the wrong people. And yet? She actually managed it. I’m okay with it. It feels right. *deep cleansing breath*
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Well… CONTENT WARNING ADDED! It’s amazing how much more we swear when a demon starts to toy with us! And the gore just keeps on coming! Body count? MASSIVE! Once the story reached that pivotal scene, shit got real serious, real fast!
I loved the pivoting character views. The scenes went back and forth between a handful of characters, so it gave me a solid hold on what was going on in various story threads. They each had a unique voice and it was great to know what was going through everyone’s heads. Bathsheba (Bash) is the main character, or at least the one I felt most connected to. She went blind when she was three, so now we have the added terror of removing and augmenting senses. Bash can’t see the horror, but she can hear things scraping in the walls. *shivers* I’m not sure which I would prefer! On the plus side, you wouldn’t have to see the blood and pus, but you also couldn’t see what’s coming for you!
All of the characters kept breaking all the key rules on how to survive a horror story! No wonder they kept dying! ;) I kept screaming at the book “STOP SPLITTING UP! DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR! Stupid characters deserve everything that’s coming to them… but don’t kill THAT character! HEY! I liked her!”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how Erin could possibly wrap everything up and not leave me completely pissed off that she killed all the wrong people. And yet? She actually managed it. I’m okay with it. It feels right. *deep cleansing breath*
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2014
4.5 stars but worth of rounding up
Picking up my copy of Fractured by Erin Hayes, I was almost immediately pulled into the story. This, from what I have surmised, is Ms Hayes' first attempt into the world of horror and I have to say she has done a wonderful job. Her settings are descriptive and become quite macabre as the story progresses. Visions are placed in the readers head that could cause nightmares if allowed to be dwelt on for too long at time.
Adding to the creep factor is the differences between the twins Lily and Bathsheba, Bath for short. Lily, seen as the "bad sister", has a definite oddity about her and as we progress throughout the story we, obviously, learn that there is more to her than what we initially envisioned. Bath, the "good sister" is a sweet and kindly young woman, who loves her sisters very much even if she is a bit naive regarding her sisters feelings toward her. The relationship between the two is very strained even though Bash attempts to always be there for her sister and keep on her good side.
Essentially, Fractured takes us on a nightmare weekend getaway with Lily, Bash and her fiancee, Seth along with his friend Darius and a few others. Bash hopes this weekend will prove to be a way for the sisters to bury whatever issues they have between them and to announce her engagement to Seth, whom she met through Lily. Things quickly progress from awkward to worse and the "old lady" who has followed Lily around since birth begins to up her game of evil.
What does this old woman want? Will the group get out alive? Will Bash and Lily survive to reconcile their sisterhood and maybe even become friends?
There is only one way to find out and that is to pick up a copy of Fractured for yourself.
Picking up my copy of Fractured by Erin Hayes, I was almost immediately pulled into the story. This, from what I have surmised, is Ms Hayes' first attempt into the world of horror and I have to say she has done a wonderful job. Her settings are descriptive and become quite macabre as the story progresses. Visions are placed in the readers head that could cause nightmares if allowed to be dwelt on for too long at time.
Adding to the creep factor is the differences between the twins Lily and Bathsheba, Bath for short. Lily, seen as the "bad sister", has a definite oddity about her and as we progress throughout the story we, obviously, learn that there is more to her than what we initially envisioned. Bath, the "good sister" is a sweet and kindly young woman, who loves her sisters very much even if she is a bit naive regarding her sisters feelings toward her. The relationship between the two is very strained even though Bash attempts to always be there for her sister and keep on her good side.
Essentially, Fractured takes us on a nightmare weekend getaway with Lily, Bash and her fiancee, Seth along with his friend Darius and a few others. Bash hopes this weekend will prove to be a way for the sisters to bury whatever issues they have between them and to announce her engagement to Seth, whom she met through Lily. Things quickly progress from awkward to worse and the "old lady" who has followed Lily around since birth begins to up her game of evil.
What does this old woman want? Will the group get out alive? Will Bash and Lily survive to reconcile their sisterhood and maybe even become friends?
There is only one way to find out and that is to pick up a copy of Fractured for yourself.
January 24, 2015
I love horror when it's more than just gore, bloodshed and ultimate revenge stories. I found "Fractured" was an intriguing mystery, psychological scream-fest with, of course, horrific action that kept me on my toes. It's more intense when you care about the characters and Erin Hayes did just that.
From what I've read of this author, this is her first 'horror'. I certainly hope it's not her last. She did explain how it was a difficult thing to write but the effort she put into this novel unveils itself in a beautiful, bloody and entertaining way.
Bash and Lily are twins. Bash, the "good" one was blinded at the age of three. She's a sweet girl whose concern for her sister, Lily is often perceived as a nuisance. Lily, the "bad" one has had a bitter go at life and we watch as she struggles to correct herself only to slip in a vat of temptation wherever she goes. You can tell they're close in spirit despite not being very much alike in personality. Theirs is a complex relationship that I had a great time watching unfold.
Their trip to the hotel starts off innocently enough though there's an air of mystery. Something is about to go terribly wrong and while you're trying to figure out the pieces, more crazy things are going on in the background. The author reveals just enough to engage the reader but doesn't spill the beans until the riveting end.
I was really impressed with the writing. It was brutally awesome and an amazing first horror book! I think fans of psychological and action-packed horror will love this!
FULL REVIEW at The Reader's Hollow: http://thereadershollow.com
From what I've read of this author, this is her first 'horror'. I certainly hope it's not her last. She did explain how it was a difficult thing to write but the effort she put into this novel unveils itself in a beautiful, bloody and entertaining way.
Bash and Lily are twins. Bash, the "good" one was blinded at the age of three. She's a sweet girl whose concern for her sister, Lily is often perceived as a nuisance. Lily, the "bad" one has had a bitter go at life and we watch as she struggles to correct herself only to slip in a vat of temptation wherever she goes. You can tell they're close in spirit despite not being very much alike in personality. Theirs is a complex relationship that I had a great time watching unfold.
Their trip to the hotel starts off innocently enough though there's an air of mystery. Something is about to go terribly wrong and while you're trying to figure out the pieces, more crazy things are going on in the background. The author reveals just enough to engage the reader but doesn't spill the beans until the riveting end.
I was really impressed with the writing. It was brutally awesome and an amazing first horror book! I think fans of psychological and action-packed horror will love this!
FULL REVIEW at The Reader's Hollow: http://thereadershollow.com
September 14, 2014
This is my third book by this author, and this one was completely, totally unlike either of the other two I have read. My favorite so far by Erin Hayes is Death is but a Dream, which was a mythological story. I was for some reason expecting this one to be similar, and the beginning third of this book sucked me in, had me wondering where the story was heading, had me engrossed, but then...
total hell breaks loose! And I mean total hell! Horror, gore, blood, death, freakishness, chaos, demons, grossness, you name it! I felt like I had been thrown into every horror movie that every scared the bejeezus out of me when I was younger! Yikes!!! Since horror is not one of my usual genres, this all caught me off guard a bit.
I will admit I do love how the book ended. It was not what I was expecting, and I often like it when a book does not end how I am expecting it too. But the total horror in the middle was just a bit too gory for me, personally. Others who love horror though may totally love this book. Me, I hope the author's next book goes back to the mythological story line. Those stories don't give me nightmares!
total hell breaks loose! And I mean total hell! Horror, gore, blood, death, freakishness, chaos, demons, grossness, you name it! I felt like I had been thrown into every horror movie that every scared the bejeezus out of me when I was younger! Yikes!!! Since horror is not one of my usual genres, this all caught me off guard a bit.
I will admit I do love how the book ended. It was not what I was expecting, and I often like it when a book does not end how I am expecting it too. But the total horror in the middle was just a bit too gory for me, personally. Others who love horror though may totally love this book. Me, I hope the author's next book goes back to the mythological story line. Those stories don't give me nightmares!
July 6, 2014
YAYYYYYY! Another editing project is now a published book!
December 9, 2017
Bound by Blood by Erin Hayes is a dark and twisted horror story of where twin girls lead very different lives almost from the beginning. In Bound by Blood we are introduced to twin sisters – Bathsheba and Lily. Bathsheba is the favored child. She’s well liked, she’s doted on and she is the one who has friends. Lily is the quiet and withdrawn one, but there is something more to her, something dark. Bathsheba can sense that something is wrong with Lily, but yet it seems she keeps her distance. Lily is plagued by a voice that is always trying to provoke her. One day she unleashes some of that resentment and her sister has a terrible accident that strangely leaves her blind. As the years go by the girls’ lives take very different paths. Bathsheba, despite her disability makes something of her life and flourishes. Lily, on the other hand, seems to be and stay on a downward spiral. A trip has been planned by Bathsheba and her boyfriend to get together with their friends one last time before he ships out. Lily has been invited and while on this trip the true horror strikes. The evil has made itself known, and it demands to be satisfied. Many will suffer, but can Bathsheba and those she cares about make it out alive?
Bound by Blood is a twisted horror story that keeps you crawling deeper into the twisted darkness of this story. In a way Bound by Blood is a twist on the classic – “good child” who is perfect, well beloved by her family and successful, while there is the “problem child” who struggles just to make it and get by. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy and empathy for Lily. You constantly feel that she is the one who is left out and ignored. Plus, when you read that the father favors the older twin it prickles at you. The first half of the story focuses on Lily and Bathsheba and how they are so different in their lives. Bathsheba is happy with her boyfriend, living a good life with surprises in the plans. Lily is having one night stands, doing drugs and not being able to hold down a steady job. You get the sense of a lot of resentment from Lily towards her sister. Some of it doesn’t make sense but the author does a great job answering the questions that crop up behind this.
There really isn’t anything that I didn’t like about this book. I am an avid lover of horror novels and this book checks a lot of boxes for me. There is suspense, drama, some gore, some violence and intense scenes. There is even some heart break in this story in more ways than one. The author writes in quite a few surprises that you don’t see coming. I enjoy how the author ties it all together and blends together an intense story that is perfect for those who love a good thrilling horror story. I like a good story that has an ending that I don’t really expect to happen and this book gives me that.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. This story flows so well and captivates the reader from start to finish. Putting this book down is not an easy task as the question of what happens next plagues you. The need to know how it ends is too strong. Bound by Blood is definitely a book for fans of Erin Hayes and those who love a deliciously good horror story.
Bound by Blood is a twisted horror story that keeps you crawling deeper into the twisted darkness of this story. In a way Bound by Blood is a twist on the classic – “good child” who is perfect, well beloved by her family and successful, while there is the “problem child” who struggles just to make it and get by. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy and empathy for Lily. You constantly feel that she is the one who is left out and ignored. Plus, when you read that the father favors the older twin it prickles at you. The first half of the story focuses on Lily and Bathsheba and how they are so different in their lives. Bathsheba is happy with her boyfriend, living a good life with surprises in the plans. Lily is having one night stands, doing drugs and not being able to hold down a steady job. You get the sense of a lot of resentment from Lily towards her sister. Some of it doesn’t make sense but the author does a great job answering the questions that crop up behind this.
There really isn’t anything that I didn’t like about this book. I am an avid lover of horror novels and this book checks a lot of boxes for me. There is suspense, drama, some gore, some violence and intense scenes. There is even some heart break in this story in more ways than one. The author writes in quite a few surprises that you don’t see coming. I enjoy how the author ties it all together and blends together an intense story that is perfect for those who love a good thrilling horror story. I like a good story that has an ending that I don’t really expect to happen and this book gives me that.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. This story flows so well and captivates the reader from start to finish. Putting this book down is not an easy task as the question of what happens next plagues you. The need to know how it ends is too strong. Bound by Blood is definitely a book for fans of Erin Hayes and those who love a deliciously good horror story.
February 22, 2018
When I first started this back in December of last year it wasn’t hard for me to get into it. The deeper I got the more I began to really like it (which is four stars on Goodreads). I could just picture everything so vividly in my mind, I could just imagine a blue tent over the scenes like we’ve seen in many horror movies of late. The atmosphere and world building sucked me in and I’m like “why doesn’t Erin write MORE horror stories!”
However, even though I was enjoying it, I found that it was easy to put down. Sometimes I set it down because I just needed a breather, some scenes were just intense because it was one thing after another. It kept me on the edge of my seat! But sadly I set it down and didn’t pick it back up. This was when I hit 75% in the book, I only had 25% more to read- I was so close to the end but I set it down anyways and I didn’t pick it back up until now.
It took two months later for me to finish the last bit of the book and honestly at first I don’t know why because I was enjoying it. If I was enjoying it how come it was so easy for me to walk away and read other books I’ve been dying to get my hands on?
I think a part of it was because it felt like it was dragging for me. Not that nothing was happening type of slow drag. No, far from it. It was intense creepy action throughout the story that had me gasping and sitting on the edge of my seat. The drag I was feeling was from how long the chapters felt, I wasn’t breezing through them and after a while it started to feel like work when I was reading it which is why I had to step away.
But even though I walked away it was still in the back of my mind and I wanted to get back to it eventually because I just had to know if Bash (would name a few other characters but don’t want to spoil anything) would make it out of this hellhole alive.
So overall I liked it (bringing it down to three stars on Goodreads). Exactly my cup of tea and wish Erin would write more in this genre because she has it in her to do so! It was original, not a ghost story like I thought it might be when I first started this book. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat while bringing chills to my spine! The only other thing I have to say and I try not to say this a lot because even traditionally published books miss small errors- but I felt there could be another round of edits (nothing big though). The only reason why I’m mentioning this is because this was originally published under the title Fractured so I’m not sure if she changed anything when she revamped it.
*Was given a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review*
However, even though I was enjoying it, I found that it was easy to put down. Sometimes I set it down because I just needed a breather, some scenes were just intense because it was one thing after another. It kept me on the edge of my seat! But sadly I set it down and didn’t pick it back up. This was when I hit 75% in the book, I only had 25% more to read- I was so close to the end but I set it down anyways and I didn’t pick it back up until now.
It took two months later for me to finish the last bit of the book and honestly at first I don’t know why because I was enjoying it. If I was enjoying it how come it was so easy for me to walk away and read other books I’ve been dying to get my hands on?
I think a part of it was because it felt like it was dragging for me. Not that nothing was happening type of slow drag. No, far from it. It was intense creepy action throughout the story that had me gasping and sitting on the edge of my seat. The drag I was feeling was from how long the chapters felt, I wasn’t breezing through them and after a while it started to feel like work when I was reading it which is why I had to step away.
But even though I walked away it was still in the back of my mind and I wanted to get back to it eventually because I just had to know if Bash (would name a few other characters but don’t want to spoil anything) would make it out of this hellhole alive.
So overall I liked it (bringing it down to three stars on Goodreads). Exactly my cup of tea and wish Erin would write more in this genre because she has it in her to do so! It was original, not a ghost story like I thought it might be when I first started this book. It had me sitting on the edge of my seat while bringing chills to my spine! The only other thing I have to say and I try not to say this a lot because even traditionally published books miss small errors- but I felt there could be another round of edits (nothing big though). The only reason why I’m mentioning this is because this was originally published under the title Fractured so I’m not sure if she changed anything when she revamped it.
*Was given a copy from the author in exchange for my honest review*
December 6, 2017
Thank God that's over! And I don't say that because it was bad, trust me it was that good. OK you all know I am a big baby so reading a horror book is not one of my favorite things, and yes I was warned. I didn't listen but I was warned. And this book was one that tested me on all levels. The creep factor is huge on this book. I haven't seen a horror book from her before so I thought what the heck it can't be that bad for her first try. . . WRONG. Why did I doubt her ability to scare the bejesus out of me. I live alone and thinking of this huge hotel I immediately thought of all the rooms I couldn't see into from my office or my room. . . I got up and closed the doors.
They didn't stop when they were dead. They didn't know how to get free. She wasn't supposed to be but she was. In flashes Sheba learns the truth but will it be soon enough to save them all. They were warned they wouldn't survive. . . how do they get out. . . how do they break free. . . now they are living the nightmare. . . . will they survive. . . .
Great writing here. I am not one that puts a book down but yeah I did this time. The characters are on point, the twist added to the shivers, the goosebumps from the stuff, and the shivers from the dark. This author may not write horror for a living and it's probably a good thing cos I will not be reading her next, I'm going back to genres I can handle with my big girl panties neatly in place.
They didn't stop when they were dead. They didn't know how to get free. She wasn't supposed to be but she was. In flashes Sheba learns the truth but will it be soon enough to save them all. They were warned they wouldn't survive. . . how do they get out. . . how do they break free. . . now they are living the nightmare. . . . will they survive. . . .
Great writing here. I am not one that puts a book down but yeah I did this time. The characters are on point, the twist added to the shivers, the goosebumps from the stuff, and the shivers from the dark. This author may not write horror for a living and it's probably a good thing cos I will not be reading her next, I'm going back to genres I can handle with my big girl panties neatly in place.
December 4, 2017
Bash has been blind since she was three years old, and she lives a fulfilling life. But her relationship with her twin sister Lily has been more strained than usual. Bash hopes an upcoming vacation with Bash, Lily, Bash’s fiancé and friends will help pull the twins closer, and Bash is going to announce she’s engaged. However, when they arrive, things start immediately going bad with one member of their party having a ski accident. Unbeknownst to everyone, Lily is hiding a secret, a secret that is about to be revealed. Her secret is deadly and everyone at the lodge will pay the price. I have read this a book by this author before, but it was coauthored with someone else. The book I had read before was urban fantasy/paranormal romance, but I was prepared beforehand about this book being more of a horror story. And, what a story! I just loved the creepy vibe of this book. From the beginning, I was drawn into the book with great writing, characters, and set-up. I kept turning the pages because I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. Bed time came and went for me because I had to finish to see exactly why things were the way they were (no, I can’t say much or I’ll spoil the book). If you love a good horror story, look no further! Highly recommend! Thanks to the author for the e-book which I reviewed voluntarily.
December 6, 2017
Holy crap! I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one - horror isn’t usually my thing but I loved it. The story is so complex and detailed it all feels so well. Very well written and terrifying for those faint of heart.
May 22, 2017
I didn't realize this was a horror. I have had it so
long. But it was a good book.
long. But it was a good book.
September 14, 2014
*I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway
This is the first horror I have ever actually read, but I love horror movies, so I knew I would get a kick out of reading one, I just wasn’t sure how well it would come across. It was a bit like a murder thriller I read a while back—I could picture everything just like it was a movie in front of me, which was great, because it made it feel familiar and it had the same feel as every horror movie I had ever seen, but it was odd reading it instead of seeing it, and that threw me off for a bit and also had some of the dialogue/character interactions feeling a bit cheesy to me.
Once I had gotten past that weird feeling of comparing this horror/paranormal book to all the horror/paranormal movies I’d ever seen, I began to sink into it—slowly, like the beginning of the book. The book does start off slowly. We’re introduced to a whole cast of characters, so that it is a bit confusing at first, and introduced to an event that occurred early in the twins’ lives and really began to set things off.
From the get go, everything was visually clear to me, and I love that Ms. Hayes was able to get that across so well. I could see it all and Ms. Hayes’ writing really brought all of the scenes to life even Bash’s scenes—and her character is blind, so it’s great that the author was able to do that so smoothly. Now and again, Bash would pick up on things that a blind person obviously could in no way ever pick up on. Things are described or a character’s actions are described in a way that makes no sense for Bash’s impairment, and that bothered me a bit.
The characters were good, they felt real—not necessarily likeable, but…—and once I started to really distinguish the secondary ones, I began to connect with them on different levels and enjoy the book even more. Honestly, though, the MCs were not my favorites. Bash was incredibly annoying and bossy, even toward her fiancé, and totally naïve where Lily was concerned. It’s like nothing in regards to why Lily acted the way she did or that Lily could possibly be…not normal (especially after everything crazy starts going down)…got through her head. Lily was an absolute jerk and really unreasonable, but she had an excuse, with the whole demon thing involved (it wasn’t her fault at all), so I ended up liking her a lot better in the end. Bash’s boyfriend, Seth, was okay and seemed like a really great guy, but then his character kind of fades a bit as Bash takes the lead role in a lot of things as the action picks up, so he did not stand out like I wanted him to.
As I mentioned before, the pace is slow at the beginning and the excitement picks up a bit later, but when it picks up, it really picks up, and then it’s pretty crazy and fun from then on out.
The writing was pretty good, and I was impressed, though it definitely wasn’t the best I’ve ever read. Also, the author thanks her editor in the acknowledgments, but there were a ton of typos, and a lot of just…missing words at the beginning and in the middle of sentences. They were easy to overlook, because of the excitement going on, but they were still very very present.
When the action starts, it’s very full-on and gory and gross. Not that any of it grossed me out, just…it was pretty visual and awesome. I loved that. Most of the details that built up the scenes and formed descriptions were great. I mean, take this for example:
“It was a blackened…thing…that had its four limbs on the wall, actually on the wall, like a spider waiting for something to fly into its web. Ash fell off of it, showing char-grilled skin and red, oozing flesh underneath.”
One of the biggest things that bothered me, however, was that the author seemed to recognize what words/lines/phrases really worked, and used them a lot. For example, some form or other of “skin and ash sloughed off of it” is used repeatedly. The same description of the creature above is used to describe other creatures without much creativity or differentiation between them.
There is also A TON of bad language in this book, so if you’re sensitive to that, then beware. I think every foul word that has ever been said or thought was shouted at the top of Seth’s lungs at least five times.
There is also, in terms of sexual content, a lot. There are two sex scenes described and plenty of sexual innuendo and mentions of such content, that isn’t shown.
I liked this book a lot in terms of the paranormal/horror aspects, but the characters could have been more likeable/relatable, and it’s definitely on the mature side—content-wise.
This is the first horror I have ever actually read, but I love horror movies, so I knew I would get a kick out of reading one, I just wasn’t sure how well it would come across. It was a bit like a murder thriller I read a while back—I could picture everything just like it was a movie in front of me, which was great, because it made it feel familiar and it had the same feel as every horror movie I had ever seen, but it was odd reading it instead of seeing it, and that threw me off for a bit and also had some of the dialogue/character interactions feeling a bit cheesy to me.
Once I had gotten past that weird feeling of comparing this horror/paranormal book to all the horror/paranormal movies I’d ever seen, I began to sink into it—slowly, like the beginning of the book. The book does start off slowly. We’re introduced to a whole cast of characters, so that it is a bit confusing at first, and introduced to an event that occurred early in the twins’ lives and really began to set things off.
From the get go, everything was visually clear to me, and I love that Ms. Hayes was able to get that across so well. I could see it all and Ms. Hayes’ writing really brought all of the scenes to life even Bash’s scenes—and her character is blind, so it’s great that the author was able to do that so smoothly. Now and again, Bash would pick up on things that a blind person obviously could in no way ever pick up on. Things are described or a character’s actions are described in a way that makes no sense for Bash’s impairment, and that bothered me a bit.
The characters were good, they felt real—not necessarily likeable, but…—and once I started to really distinguish the secondary ones, I began to connect with them on different levels and enjoy the book even more. Honestly, though, the MCs were not my favorites. Bash was incredibly annoying and bossy, even toward her fiancé, and totally naïve where Lily was concerned. It’s like nothing in regards to why Lily acted the way she did or that Lily could possibly be…not normal (especially after everything crazy starts going down)…got through her head. Lily was an absolute jerk and really unreasonable, but she had an excuse, with the whole demon thing involved (it wasn’t her fault at all), so I ended up liking her a lot better in the end. Bash’s boyfriend, Seth, was okay and seemed like a really great guy, but then his character kind of fades a bit as Bash takes the lead role in a lot of things as the action picks up, so he did not stand out like I wanted him to.
As I mentioned before, the pace is slow at the beginning and the excitement picks up a bit later, but when it picks up, it really picks up, and then it’s pretty crazy and fun from then on out.
The writing was pretty good, and I was impressed, though it definitely wasn’t the best I’ve ever read. Also, the author thanks her editor in the acknowledgments, but there were a ton of typos, and a lot of just…missing words at the beginning and in the middle of sentences. They were easy to overlook, because of the excitement going on, but they were still very very present.
When the action starts, it’s very full-on and gory and gross. Not that any of it grossed me out, just…it was pretty visual and awesome. I loved that. Most of the details that built up the scenes and formed descriptions were great. I mean, take this for example:
“It was a blackened…thing…that had its four limbs on the wall, actually on the wall, like a spider waiting for something to fly into its web. Ash fell off of it, showing char-grilled skin and red, oozing flesh underneath.”
One of the biggest things that bothered me, however, was that the author seemed to recognize what words/lines/phrases really worked, and used them a lot. For example, some form or other of “skin and ash sloughed off of it” is used repeatedly. The same description of the creature above is used to describe other creatures without much creativity or differentiation between them.
There is also A TON of bad language in this book, so if you’re sensitive to that, then beware. I think every foul word that has ever been said or thought was shouted at the top of Seth’s lungs at least five times.
There is also, in terms of sexual content, a lot. There are two sex scenes described and plenty of sexual innuendo and mentions of such content, that isn’t shown.
I liked this book a lot in terms of the paranormal/horror aspects, but the characters could have been more likeable/relatable, and it’s definitely on the mature side—content-wise.
August 7, 2014
“Ignore me, Lily, and bad things will happen.”—the voice in Lily’s head
Lily and Bash may be twins, but they’re as different as night and day. Well, except for one exception: they both love the same man. Seth has only ever had eyes for the sweet, good-natured, and blind Bash, but that’s a minor detail to the obsessed screw-up twin. Lily loves him, and she’ll have him, even if it means embracing her dark side and horrific powers to do so. No one will stop her, and everyone will die trying…
“There were no rules to what was happening…They were living in a nightmare.”—Scott’s thoughts
Yes, she may be the villain of the story, but still—poor Lily! She is one messed up and compelling character! By the end of the story, I felt so bad for her and what she goes through! From the very first pages, we know that there’s something odd about Lily. She hears voices, and strange things happen around her. The poor thing is a pro at self-destructive behavior, and what’s worse is that she doesn’t even know why she does it! Even *she* doesn’t like herself, but she can’t stop drinking, having one-night stands with extremely questionable characters, and absolutely can’t hold a job.
And then there’s sweet, perfect Bash whose only flaws are being blind and loving her sister. Her romance with perfect Seth is just about the sweetest thing ever—a stark contrast to the crazy shenanigans of her twin. When all the bad and crazy things start hitting the fan, it’s strangely odd that it’s easy to root for both of these twins. And of course, as Bash’s love interest, it’s easy to root for Seth until you realize that maybe he’s not so perfect and holds his own secrets. For Seth, trying to survive a nightmare is made just a tad bit harder when you have to fight your own nightmares, too.
Well, this is horror so be wary of reading at night! The start wasn’t so bad, but over time, the story got creepier and more and more scary. We’ve got demonic forces at play and some zombies thrown in for fun, so trying to survive a vacation from hell (or perhaps *in* hell) slowly gets a tad bit trickier as living good guys become reanimated bad guys.
While there were plenty of creepy and unexpected moments, its the sisters’ heart-breaking relationship that stands out the most for me. I was saddened by the ending even though it was a great ending (although a tad bit easy and convenient) and wanted to give all the characters a hug—well, except for the gross zombie ones. Those guys get an awkward pat on the shoulder. With gloves on. Preferably surgical ones.
We do have some gore moments that were totally appropriate and ramped up the horror feel without overdoing it. Since Lily puts Sirens and Succubi to shame in her path to self-destruction, there are a few brief adult scenes that show us how Lily has pretty much hit rock bottom. Overall, this is a frightful read that I didn’t want to put down once the horror got going (a slow ramp up to that point). This one’s a 5 out of 5 for me!
(Originally posted on my blog; I received a review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Lily and Bash may be twins, but they’re as different as night and day. Well, except for one exception: they both love the same man. Seth has only ever had eyes for the sweet, good-natured, and blind Bash, but that’s a minor detail to the obsessed screw-up twin. Lily loves him, and she’ll have him, even if it means embracing her dark side and horrific powers to do so. No one will stop her, and everyone will die trying…
“There were no rules to what was happening…They were living in a nightmare.”—Scott’s thoughts
Yes, she may be the villain of the story, but still—poor Lily! She is one messed up and compelling character! By the end of the story, I felt so bad for her and what she goes through! From the very first pages, we know that there’s something odd about Lily. She hears voices, and strange things happen around her. The poor thing is a pro at self-destructive behavior, and what’s worse is that she doesn’t even know why she does it! Even *she* doesn’t like herself, but she can’t stop drinking, having one-night stands with extremely questionable characters, and absolutely can’t hold a job.
And then there’s sweet, perfect Bash whose only flaws are being blind and loving her sister. Her romance with perfect Seth is just about the sweetest thing ever—a stark contrast to the crazy shenanigans of her twin. When all the bad and crazy things start hitting the fan, it’s strangely odd that it’s easy to root for both of these twins. And of course, as Bash’s love interest, it’s easy to root for Seth until you realize that maybe he’s not so perfect and holds his own secrets. For Seth, trying to survive a nightmare is made just a tad bit harder when you have to fight your own nightmares, too.
Well, this is horror so be wary of reading at night! The start wasn’t so bad, but over time, the story got creepier and more and more scary. We’ve got demonic forces at play and some zombies thrown in for fun, so trying to survive a vacation from hell (or perhaps *in* hell) slowly gets a tad bit trickier as living good guys become reanimated bad guys.
While there were plenty of creepy and unexpected moments, its the sisters’ heart-breaking relationship that stands out the most for me. I was saddened by the ending even though it was a great ending (although a tad bit easy and convenient) and wanted to give all the characters a hug—well, except for the gross zombie ones. Those guys get an awkward pat on the shoulder. With gloves on. Preferably surgical ones.
We do have some gore moments that were totally appropriate and ramped up the horror feel without overdoing it. Since Lily puts Sirens and Succubi to shame in her path to self-destruction, there are a few brief adult scenes that show us how Lily has pretty much hit rock bottom. Overall, this is a frightful read that I didn’t want to put down once the horror got going (a slow ramp up to that point). This one’s a 5 out of 5 for me!
(Originally posted on my blog; I received a review copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
August 13, 2014
When I started reading this, several horror movies came to mind. Creepy, old ghost lady following someone around and whispering thoughts in their ear (or in their head…whichever). By the middle of the book I felt like the plot had taken on more of its own and moved away from those movie plots, and the ending brought me right back to another movie. Those thoughts are not all together negative, just thought I’d throw the warning out there. While the plot does take on its own originality somewhere in the middle, there are a lot of similarities throughout. All of these things are meshed together to make for a very good read!
There are no major grammar issues and the plot has no holes. Everything moves along at a quick pace. The story isn’t bogged down with a bunch of unnecessary information. Everything is revealed in its own time.
There are three main characters. Lilly, Bathsheba (Bash), and Seth. There are a few others thrown in there, but the story revolves around these three. Lilly and Bash are twins, and, as are most siblings, as different as night and day. Bash suffers a seizure at the age of three that leaves her blind. Lilly has always felt like the outcast, and where Bash is sweet and everyone loves her, Lilly is a party girl who is constantly making bad decisions and making everyone’s life hell. Lilly meets Seth and the voice in her head tells her that he is THE ONE. Seth meets Bash and realizes that she is his ONE. Bash is fiercely independent, despite being blind and Seth loves that about her. Seth is sweet and loving, exactly the type of guy you could imagine Bash being with. Lilly is off; from the dialogue set in her head you know that she doesn’t really want to do the things she does, but since she’s being controlled she can’t help it. Everyone seems to realize that something is off with her and tries to keep their distance. Seth is in the military and set to deploy, so their group of friends decide to take a long ski weekend to get away from it all before he ships out. Seth and Bash use this time to announce their engagement and that is when the action starts. The old lady who inhabits Lilly’s mind isn’t having this. A series of events take place that lead the group into “her world”, where death and destruction reign.
Bash and Seth seem to be the only survivors in this game. During their attempted escape Bash comes in contact with her dead father; it’s then that he explains the events that led up to Bash and Lilly’s birth and how everything got to be so out of hand. In this time, Bash realizes what she has to do; but it’s Lilly who changes everything.
All in all, this is a good book. There was enough action to keep me interested and enough information thrown out at strategic times to keep me guessing until the end. If you love a good horror story, complete with blood and guts, and enough mystery and suspense to keep you turning pages, you will enjoy this book. Plus I have to love an author who is a video game nerd (her words, not mine!) and loves Star Wars! I might have just found a new best friend.
There are no major grammar issues and the plot has no holes. Everything moves along at a quick pace. The story isn’t bogged down with a bunch of unnecessary information. Everything is revealed in its own time.
There are three main characters. Lilly, Bathsheba (Bash), and Seth. There are a few others thrown in there, but the story revolves around these three. Lilly and Bash are twins, and, as are most siblings, as different as night and day. Bash suffers a seizure at the age of three that leaves her blind. Lilly has always felt like the outcast, and where Bash is sweet and everyone loves her, Lilly is a party girl who is constantly making bad decisions and making everyone’s life hell. Lilly meets Seth and the voice in her head tells her that he is THE ONE. Seth meets Bash and realizes that she is his ONE. Bash is fiercely independent, despite being blind and Seth loves that about her. Seth is sweet and loving, exactly the type of guy you could imagine Bash being with. Lilly is off; from the dialogue set in her head you know that she doesn’t really want to do the things she does, but since she’s being controlled she can’t help it. Everyone seems to realize that something is off with her and tries to keep their distance. Seth is in the military and set to deploy, so their group of friends decide to take a long ski weekend to get away from it all before he ships out. Seth and Bash use this time to announce their engagement and that is when the action starts. The old lady who inhabits Lilly’s mind isn’t having this. A series of events take place that lead the group into “her world”, where death and destruction reign.
Bash and Seth seem to be the only survivors in this game. During their attempted escape Bash comes in contact with her dead father; it’s then that he explains the events that led up to Bash and Lilly’s birth and how everything got to be so out of hand. In this time, Bash realizes what she has to do; but it’s Lilly who changes everything.
All in all, this is a good book. There was enough action to keep me interested and enough information thrown out at strategic times to keep me guessing until the end. If you love a good horror story, complete with blood and guts, and enough mystery and suspense to keep you turning pages, you will enjoy this book. Plus I have to love an author who is a video game nerd (her words, not mine!) and loves Star Wars! I might have just found a new best friend.
July 29, 2014
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Do the voices in my head bother you?", takes on a whole new meaning for me in "Fractured".
Lily and Batsheba (bash) are twins, but Lily seems to think everyone and everything favors Bash. This creates a feeling of resentment in Lily, but Lily seems to have an imaginary friend - a scary old lady that Bash can see (remember this for later reference) and this adds to her resentment. I think Lily has a problem, a really scary one at that and that "inner voice" is using Lily as a channel to do her bidding. Lily reminds me of Damien from "The Omen", and Lily as a child is one I wouldn't want to babysit for any amount of money!
Bash seems to have an epileptic seizure with devastating after effects, I'm sure Lily's '' imaginary friend'' has something to with it ...
Bash and Lily grow into teens and on a night out they loose their mobiles and come home the next day. Their parents are frantic with worry, which leads to an argument, their parents leave and are in an accident which leaves their mother paralyzed and father dead. Their grandparents raise them and eventually their mother is put into a care facility.
Bash and Lily are very different people. Bash grows up to be a productive member of society. She's studying to get her masters in music and she teaches at a school for the deaf, whereas Lily's life seems to be taking a downward spiral, she can't keep a job which isn't surprising with her life filled with debauchery!
Lily meets Seth at the cafe where she works. She's smitten from the get go and invites him to a party. When he's introduced to Bash, he loses his heart and when he starts dating Bash I get a really bad feeling *cue scary music*.
I'm sure their mum senses something is off with Lily, or she knows more than she's letting on, because she always seems to have a negative reaction in her presence.
Lily goes on a trip with Bash, Seth, his younger brother, and some friends. With Lily having chosen the destination and Bash keeping a "little" secret, I suspect we may be in for a spine chilling ride!
We get a taste of what is to come when Scott, Seth's brother takes a fall on the slopes. I'm not alone in feeling weary of Lily, the others are starting to pick up on vibes when around her.... whatever is lurking in Lily isn't just dark but is also filled with lust, and it's becoming bolder by the minute. It's impatient and wants to escape!
All hell breaks loose and what follows had chills running down my spine, my tummy doing loop-de-loops, and bile rising in my throat! In between the gore and scare there are also details that fill in the blanks and gives you more insight into some of the characters and scenes.
Love can make you do strange and desperate things, sometimes with horrific consequences as seen in "Fractured". If I were to put into one sentence ...'' It's the tale of Rapunzel with a frightening twist'' my comparison will become clear once you've read the spine chilling ★★★★★ "Fractured"!
5-Bombs
Reviewed by Heidi
"Do the voices in my head bother you?", takes on a whole new meaning for me in "Fractured".
Lily and Batsheba (bash) are twins, but Lily seems to think everyone and everything favors Bash. This creates a feeling of resentment in Lily, but Lily seems to have an imaginary friend - a scary old lady that Bash can see (remember this for later reference) and this adds to her resentment. I think Lily has a problem, a really scary one at that and that "inner voice" is using Lily as a channel to do her bidding. Lily reminds me of Damien from "The Omen", and Lily as a child is one I wouldn't want to babysit for any amount of money!
Bash seems to have an epileptic seizure with devastating after effects, I'm sure Lily's '' imaginary friend'' has something to with it ...
Bash and Lily grow into teens and on a night out they loose their mobiles and come home the next day. Their parents are frantic with worry, which leads to an argument, their parents leave and are in an accident which leaves their mother paralyzed and father dead. Their grandparents raise them and eventually their mother is put into a care facility.
Bash and Lily are very different people. Bash grows up to be a productive member of society. She's studying to get her masters in music and she teaches at a school for the deaf, whereas Lily's life seems to be taking a downward spiral, she can't keep a job which isn't surprising with her life filled with debauchery!
Lily meets Seth at the cafe where she works. She's smitten from the get go and invites him to a party. When he's introduced to Bash, he loses his heart and when he starts dating Bash I get a really bad feeling *cue scary music*.
I'm sure their mum senses something is off with Lily, or she knows more than she's letting on, because she always seems to have a negative reaction in her presence.
Lily goes on a trip with Bash, Seth, his younger brother, and some friends. With Lily having chosen the destination and Bash keeping a "little" secret, I suspect we may be in for a spine chilling ride!
We get a taste of what is to come when Scott, Seth's brother takes a fall on the slopes. I'm not alone in feeling weary of Lily, the others are starting to pick up on vibes when around her.... whatever is lurking in Lily isn't just dark but is also filled with lust, and it's becoming bolder by the minute. It's impatient and wants to escape!
All hell breaks loose and what follows had chills running down my spine, my tummy doing loop-de-loops, and bile rising in my throat! In between the gore and scare there are also details that fill in the blanks and gives you more insight into some of the characters and scenes.
Love can make you do strange and desperate things, sometimes with horrific consequences as seen in "Fractured". If I were to put into one sentence ...'' It's the tale of Rapunzel with a frightening twist'' my comparison will become clear once you've read the spine chilling ★★★★★ "Fractured"!
5-Bombs
Reviewed by Heidi
July 31, 2014
*Review copy provided by Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.*
I love horror books. The sight and reading of something so unreal but real at the same time just pleasures me and makes me excited every time. When seeing a tour opening for an adult horror read, I was in instantly.
For the first 50%, this book was astonishing. I had it at a 4.5 star rating. Later on, as you can see, everything turned out to be a three-star rated read. And that's all because of the plot.
This is about two twin sisters, Bash and Lily. When Bash was three years old, she got blinded and had a seizure due to an unexplainable reason. Now at twenty, she still has moments when she wishes for her sight back. Bash soon finds out that Lily is hiding a dark secret that is weird and absurd. They and their friends go for a mini-vacation skiing, and they soon find out that their hotel is haunted, and it all has to do with one particular person.
I began this book loving the idea. The incident that occurred when the girls were three was just so awesome (but not for the characters's sake, obviously) and unique. A horror read usually doesn't feature that stuff. This book is scary, but not too much or anything at all for me that I can't handle. There's no gore or gutty stuff. Everything's just peculiar and crazy. That's the real "horror," and I loved it. That was the real masterpiece of the novel. Plus, this is a standalone!
Like I mentioned, the plot was very delicious and devouring for the first half of the book. It was very fast-paced, and right to my liking. The author's splendid writing captivated me, and it stayed that way until past the 50% mark. After that, we were introduced to the truth and everything got a little dumb. The characters's thoughts went out of control, and weirder things were introduced to the characters's pasts. I got completely lost.
The characters were pretty good. I loved Bash, and her craziness and independence. She suffered so much, and she still stayed positive. Lily was mainly on the opposite side and I grew to dislike her and her craziness. When she was a child, she started off as shy and strange, but grew to be someone different and stupid. Of course, I think that the author tried to make Lily become like that, since she was hiding a secret.
Seth made my heart clench. His caring for Bash was so sweet and he actually grew to become a main character. The romance between them was there, and sweet and it was a slight sort of thing. The romance didn't overtake the whole point of the book, which I want to give a round of applause for.
Overall, this book was good for the halfway mark. There were more positives than negatives, but I'd say that it was okay for the most part. Nothing special, but a good read.
I love horror books. The sight and reading of something so unreal but real at the same time just pleasures me and makes me excited every time. When seeing a tour opening for an adult horror read, I was in instantly.
For the first 50%, this book was astonishing. I had it at a 4.5 star rating. Later on, as you can see, everything turned out to be a three-star rated read. And that's all because of the plot.
This is about two twin sisters, Bash and Lily. When Bash was three years old, she got blinded and had a seizure due to an unexplainable reason. Now at twenty, she still has moments when she wishes for her sight back. Bash soon finds out that Lily is hiding a dark secret that is weird and absurd. They and their friends go for a mini-vacation skiing, and they soon find out that their hotel is haunted, and it all has to do with one particular person.
I began this book loving the idea. The incident that occurred when the girls were three was just so awesome (but not for the characters's sake, obviously) and unique. A horror read usually doesn't feature that stuff. This book is scary, but not too much or anything at all for me that I can't handle. There's no gore or gutty stuff. Everything's just peculiar and crazy. That's the real "horror," and I loved it. That was the real masterpiece of the novel. Plus, this is a standalone!
Like I mentioned, the plot was very delicious and devouring for the first half of the book. It was very fast-paced, and right to my liking. The author's splendid writing captivated me, and it stayed that way until past the 50% mark. After that, we were introduced to the truth and everything got a little dumb. The characters's thoughts went out of control, and weirder things were introduced to the characters's pasts. I got completely lost.
The characters were pretty good. I loved Bash, and her craziness and independence. She suffered so much, and she still stayed positive. Lily was mainly on the opposite side and I grew to dislike her and her craziness. When she was a child, she started off as shy and strange, but grew to be someone different and stupid. Of course, I think that the author tried to make Lily become like that, since she was hiding a secret.
Seth made my heart clench. His caring for Bash was so sweet and he actually grew to become a main character. The romance between them was there, and sweet and it was a slight sort of thing. The romance didn't overtake the whole point of the book, which I want to give a round of applause for.
Overall, this book was good for the halfway mark. There were more positives than negatives, but I'd say that it was okay for the most part. Nothing special, but a good read.
August 13, 2014
I received a review copy of this book for my stop on the blog tour at Donnie Darko Girl.
After reading Fractured, I don't want to go anywhere alone in the dark for a while! After finishing the book, I had to take time to think about what I was going to say in my review. I really liked the horror aspect but didn't like any of the characters. Connecting with the characters in a horror novel isn't a necessity for me - I don't have to like them to enjoy a good horror story. This is the only genre I can think of where I'm okay with not liking the characters.
Part of the reason I didn't like Bash, probably the one character who's supposed to be the most likable, was that she was completely naive about her sister, Lily. It was easy to see why Lily distanced herself from Bash and was hostile about her relationship with Seth. Did Bash not realize she was their parents' favorite? Did she not remember Lily met Seth first only to watch him fall for her sister?
While I'm not on Bash's side, I'm not on Lily's either. There's definitely a supernatural creep factor to Lily. She was so weird!! When she met Seth, she falls madly in love with him without even knowing him? I didn't understand how she could feel that way but did feel her pain when he saw Bash and forgot about her. I just thought her feelings for him were a little over the top. The self destructive path she's on makes her even creepier.
I do want to say that though I may not have felt a strong connection with either Bash or Lily, other readers might feel differently about them. My feelings about the characters are based on personal preferences and have nothing to do with the way they were written.
The horror was well done. This was a book I didn't want to read at night alone. Demons scare me more than anything - even more than zombies. I think it could be because the first horror movie I ever saw was Night of the Demons (the original 80's version). Plus I can't help but think I'd be more aware of my own personal horror if a demon took over my body rather than if I turned into a mindless zombie. I could be wrong, though, and hope I never have to find out!
There are scenes from this book that will stand out in my mind for a long time, and that's a task that's difficult to accomplish yet so rewarding for a horror fan. I LOVE to be scared, and I don't want to forget those scenes anytime soon.
After reading Fractured, I don't want to go anywhere alone in the dark for a while! After finishing the book, I had to take time to think about what I was going to say in my review. I really liked the horror aspect but didn't like any of the characters. Connecting with the characters in a horror novel isn't a necessity for me - I don't have to like them to enjoy a good horror story. This is the only genre I can think of where I'm okay with not liking the characters.
Part of the reason I didn't like Bash, probably the one character who's supposed to be the most likable, was that she was completely naive about her sister, Lily. It was easy to see why Lily distanced herself from Bash and was hostile about her relationship with Seth. Did Bash not realize she was their parents' favorite? Did she not remember Lily met Seth first only to watch him fall for her sister?
While I'm not on Bash's side, I'm not on Lily's either. There's definitely a supernatural creep factor to Lily. She was so weird!! When she met Seth, she falls madly in love with him without even knowing him? I didn't understand how she could feel that way but did feel her pain when he saw Bash and forgot about her. I just thought her feelings for him were a little over the top. The self destructive path she's on makes her even creepier.
I do want to say that though I may not have felt a strong connection with either Bash or Lily, other readers might feel differently about them. My feelings about the characters are based on personal preferences and have nothing to do with the way they were written.
The horror was well done. This was a book I didn't want to read at night alone. Demons scare me more than anything - even more than zombies. I think it could be because the first horror movie I ever saw was Night of the Demons (the original 80's version). Plus I can't help but think I'd be more aware of my own personal horror if a demon took over my body rather than if I turned into a mindless zombie. I could be wrong, though, and hope I never have to find out!
There are scenes from this book that will stand out in my mind for a long time, and that's a task that's difficult to accomplish yet so rewarding for a horror fan. I LOVE to be scared, and I don't want to forget those scenes anytime soon.
January 8, 2015
FRACTURED by Erin Hayes
I received this book for free on www.amazon.com
Although I enjoyed this book it was rife with proofreading and editing errors. Most of these errors should have been caught easily by a good proofreader such as saying, "hit air" rather than "hot air." Another example is: "She held her breath, clutching her stake her to chest..." It is a simple matter of saying "to her chest" instead of "her to chest", but it made it into the final book. Anytime simple errors like this occur in a 'completed' novel it detracts from the reader's experience. That always factors into the rating I give any book.
Lily and Bathsheba (called Bash for short) are identical twins. But, even though they look alike, they are completely different.
Lily is the wild child. Bash is the good girl. At the age of three Bash has an epileptic fit at a playground and ends up permanently blind.
The girl's parents dote on Bash and mostly ignore Lily right up until the day they are killed in a car accident when the girls are teenagers.
As girls in their twenties, they do not live together. Lily spends her life partying and drowning her sorrows with alcohol and inappropriate sexual partners.
When Lily meets Seth at the coffee shop where she works, she feels an instant deep attraction to him and invites him to a party that same night. Unfortunately for Lily, she had invited Bash as well and as soon as Seth meets Bash they become a couple.
Lily and Bash, along with Seth and some other friends plan a ski trip together. What should have been an idyllic week of fun in the snow instead turns into a nightmare. One that they may not survive.
This book has a bit of romance in it, but the main story can only be classified as a supernatural horror.
Ancient demons, ghosts, and horrible nightmare creatures make this a very scary tale.
I rate this book as 3 out of 5. It could have been 4 out of 5 if there weren't so many editing errors and if some of the holes in the plot were fleshed out a bit better.
All in all, it is a decent horror story.
I received this book for free on www.amazon.com
Although I enjoyed this book it was rife with proofreading and editing errors. Most of these errors should have been caught easily by a good proofreader such as saying, "hit air" rather than "hot air." Another example is: "She held her breath, clutching her stake her to chest..." It is a simple matter of saying "to her chest" instead of "her to chest", but it made it into the final book. Anytime simple errors like this occur in a 'completed' novel it detracts from the reader's experience. That always factors into the rating I give any book.
Lily and Bathsheba (called Bash for short) are identical twins. But, even though they look alike, they are completely different.
Lily is the wild child. Bash is the good girl. At the age of three Bash has an epileptic fit at a playground and ends up permanently blind.
The girl's parents dote on Bash and mostly ignore Lily right up until the day they are killed in a car accident when the girls are teenagers.
As girls in their twenties, they do not live together. Lily spends her life partying and drowning her sorrows with alcohol and inappropriate sexual partners.
When Lily meets Seth at the coffee shop where she works, she feels an instant deep attraction to him and invites him to a party that same night. Unfortunately for Lily, she had invited Bash as well and as soon as Seth meets Bash they become a couple.
Lily and Bash, along with Seth and some other friends plan a ski trip together. What should have been an idyllic week of fun in the snow instead turns into a nightmare. One that they may not survive.
This book has a bit of romance in it, but the main story can only be classified as a supernatural horror.
Ancient demons, ghosts, and horrible nightmare creatures make this a very scary tale.
I rate this book as 3 out of 5. It could have been 4 out of 5 if there weren't so many editing errors and if some of the holes in the plot were fleshed out a bit better.
All in all, it is a decent horror story.
June 16, 2015
Fractured is an absolutely terrifying horror novel, it actually gave me nightmares after reading it. The way Erin Hayes describes the events of Fractured were so vivid, they had my pulse pounding the entire time. It has been years since I was this scared after reading a novel; even with the terror, I did enjoy reading Fractured. If you are looking for a deep, dark scare to leave you gasping, Fractured is defiantly the book for you.
I am not sure what I thought I was going to get with Fractured, but it is defiantly not, what I received, in a good way. Fractured took me completely by surprise, I though the book would go one way and then it would twist and turn back in on itself, leaving me never really knowing where the story would take me. The main characters Bathsheba and Lily are completely different from each other. Lily has always been self-destructive, and she just seems to be going further downhill, while Bash has her life together and is moving forward with it. Can I just say how lovely and unique Bathsheba is for a name? It is obvious that from the beginning the difference is more than just personality.
This story is a dark horror novel that is not for the faint, because seriously the terror and nightmares had me sleeping very little last night. While this book is a horror novel, it is more than just blood and terror, there is a real beauty to the underlying story. Without out that this novel would not have been as enjoyable.
Erin Hayes is officially on my radar, and I am curious to see if she does another horror novel. Just make sure to read Fractured with the lights on, because maybe then it would not be as chilling. This would also be a great read to get you in the mood for Halloween. I would defiantly read this one again, even if I have to pay with creepy nightmares for a few nights.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book, in exchange for an honest review**
I am not sure what I thought I was going to get with Fractured, but it is defiantly not, what I received, in a good way. Fractured took me completely by surprise, I though the book would go one way and then it would twist and turn back in on itself, leaving me never really knowing where the story would take me. The main characters Bathsheba and Lily are completely different from each other. Lily has always been self-destructive, and she just seems to be going further downhill, while Bash has her life together and is moving forward with it. Can I just say how lovely and unique Bathsheba is for a name? It is obvious that from the beginning the difference is more than just personality.
This story is a dark horror novel that is not for the faint, because seriously the terror and nightmares had me sleeping very little last night. While this book is a horror novel, it is more than just blood and terror, there is a real beauty to the underlying story. Without out that this novel would not have been as enjoyable.
Erin Hayes is officially on my radar, and I am curious to see if she does another horror novel. Just make sure to read Fractured with the lights on, because maybe then it would not be as chilling. This would also be a great read to get you in the mood for Halloween. I would defiantly read this one again, even if I have to pay with creepy nightmares for a few nights.
**Unabridged Bookshelf received this book, in exchange for an honest review**
August 24, 2014
Review from A Journey Through Pages
We follow several characters, focusing in on a pair of twins and the man that both of them love. Of course, something has been "haunting" the twins for a while and that something is absolutely terrifying and dangerous.
The twins are set up well as characters. They have two very distinct personalities and we can see how they both got to that point. I found myself easily being able to compare them to people I knew in real life.
The darkness of the book is set up well as well. Things are littered throughout the beginning that become important later. We are given enough things, that if we're paying close enough attention, we can guess and figure things out.
The fact that this is pretty much a Horror Movie in print is a double edged sword. On one hand everything is very visual in the book. I can see everything playing out in my mind perfectly. I can even imagine up the music playing in the background at certain moments and the fear in the characters voices. The imagery is very, very scary.
On the other hand it would have come across much scarier as a movie due to the fact that in a book you can't just introduce characters for a second and expect them to make impacts on us. Fractured has three sets of characters. The three main ones, the secondary characters (their group of friends) and the background characters. I feel like if this last group had been set up far in advanced, things later would have had a greater impact on us readers.
That aside, however, I greatly enjoyed the mythology and main characters that the book did present.
If you like Horror Movies, you will like Fractured. It's not quite at Stephen King level, but the imagery is top-notch and it is quite scary.
4 BOOKMARKS
We follow several characters, focusing in on a pair of twins and the man that both of them love. Of course, something has been "haunting" the twins for a while and that something is absolutely terrifying and dangerous.
The twins are set up well as characters. They have two very distinct personalities and we can see how they both got to that point. I found myself easily being able to compare them to people I knew in real life.
The darkness of the book is set up well as well. Things are littered throughout the beginning that become important later. We are given enough things, that if we're paying close enough attention, we can guess and figure things out.
The fact that this is pretty much a Horror Movie in print is a double edged sword. On one hand everything is very visual in the book. I can see everything playing out in my mind perfectly. I can even imagine up the music playing in the background at certain moments and the fear in the characters voices. The imagery is very, very scary.
On the other hand it would have come across much scarier as a movie due to the fact that in a book you can't just introduce characters for a second and expect them to make impacts on us. Fractured has three sets of characters. The three main ones, the secondary characters (their group of friends) and the background characters. I feel like if this last group had been set up far in advanced, things later would have had a greater impact on us readers.
That aside, however, I greatly enjoyed the mythology and main characters that the book did present.
If you like Horror Movies, you will like Fractured. It's not quite at Stephen King level, but the imagery is top-notch and it is quite scary.
4 BOOKMARKS
August 18, 2014
Fractured was definitely a new experience for me. I was a little weirded out after stuff started going awry at the lodge. I was expecting to be scared or severely creeped out but I wasn't. Not until Bash and Seth went back into the hotel. I mean yes there were a ton of WTH moments in this read and I am so not telling you what they are because well, you just need to experience those for yourselves!
The plot was good and I loved the characters. I felt a bit disconnected for a bit from the story probably midway. I think that the Ebyzou stuff just threw me for a loop. It wouldn't have made much sense if the author wouldn't have explained though.
Let me just say that this was my first horror read since I was about twelve and I was taken aback by some of the graphic descriptions, I think that is what creeped me out the most. There were some things in the book that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me but they were indeed minor details.
The author is clearly a great writer because the writing kept me well entertained. Erin Hayes did a great job of keeping me enthralled. I think Bash and Lily were my fave characters. And I love that it ended the way it did. It was an unexpected outcome. I felt like the author was effing with my mind, it was indeed blown, my dreams were really crazy that night when I finished. It was a mind bender for sure.
I recommend this book if you like R.L. Stine and writers like that. I definitely felt like I was trapped in an adult version of Goosebumps and I love Goosebumps! Fractured was an experience I won't forget and the name Ebyzou is sort of stuck in my brain and it worries me LOL!
I gave it three and a half stars but on Goodreads it will translate into four stars. I will more than likely re-read this book in a week or so and see how it sits then.
The plot was good and I loved the characters. I felt a bit disconnected for a bit from the story probably midway. I think that the Ebyzou stuff just threw me for a loop. It wouldn't have made much sense if the author wouldn't have explained though.
Let me just say that this was my first horror read since I was about twelve and I was taken aback by some of the graphic descriptions, I think that is what creeped me out the most. There were some things in the book that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me but they were indeed minor details.
The author is clearly a great writer because the writing kept me well entertained. Erin Hayes did a great job of keeping me enthralled. I think Bash and Lily were my fave characters. And I love that it ended the way it did. It was an unexpected outcome. I felt like the author was effing with my mind, it was indeed blown, my dreams were really crazy that night when I finished. It was a mind bender for sure.
I recommend this book if you like R.L. Stine and writers like that. I definitely felt like I was trapped in an adult version of Goosebumps and I love Goosebumps! Fractured was an experience I won't forget and the name Ebyzou is sort of stuck in my brain and it worries me LOL!
I gave it three and a half stars but on Goodreads it will translate into four stars. I will more than likely re-read this book in a week or so and see how it sits then.
August 2, 2014
Twins, Bathsheba (called Bash) and Lily have always been different. Bash is outgoing and charming, Lily is quiet and keeps to herself. Since a terrible playground incident when the twins were three, Bash has been blind and things just haven't been the same between the sisters. Years later another horrible accident happens and their parents are taken from them. To help heal old wounds, Bash wants to take Lily, along with her boyfriend and other friends up to a Colorado ski resort for a relaxing vacation. However, everything seems to go wrong, just like it always does when Lily is around.
This book really surprised me. I had no idea where it was going; it started out strong and seemed like it was going to be a good psychological thriller. The prologue had me intrigued, going back to when the girls were three years old, there is a strong sense that something is different about Lily, but I didn't know what. It could have been a psychological issue or supernatural. Fast forward to twenty years later, Lily is still fighting the same demon and Bash still manages to have the perfect life, even while being visually impaired. This is when the characterization shone for me, Bash and Lily were each strong and unique characters without being stereotypes. When Lily, Bash and the rest of the crew arrive at the resort, things pick up. Blood, death, gore, reanimated corpses, living hotels, supernatural everything. It hit head on. This is the author's first attempt at horror, and I think she did a pretty good job. The ending tied up nicely, although I could see where it was going.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This book really surprised me. I had no idea where it was going; it started out strong and seemed like it was going to be a good psychological thriller. The prologue had me intrigued, going back to when the girls were three years old, there is a strong sense that something is different about Lily, but I didn't know what. It could have been a psychological issue or supernatural. Fast forward to twenty years later, Lily is still fighting the same demon and Bash still manages to have the perfect life, even while being visually impaired. This is when the characterization shone for me, Bash and Lily were each strong and unique characters without being stereotypes. When Lily, Bash and the rest of the crew arrive at the resort, things pick up. Blood, death, gore, reanimated corpses, living hotels, supernatural everything. It hit head on. This is the author's first attempt at horror, and I think she did a pretty good job. The ending tied up nicely, although I could see where it was going.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
July 31, 2014
Ok, so maybe my idea of horror is way in your face, Clive Barker type of horror, this wasn’t quite that. I didn’t dislike it but I guess I would not put it in my normal horror section. It starts a bit slow and takes a quite a while to wind up, but think baseball pitcher here, winds he lets that ball loose – it’s GONE!
That’s when I started enjoying the story, and the characters. There’s a lot that happens, and a lot of blood and death but I get to really see the characters then. The beginning felt like just a sprinkling of who they were to set the stage and now that the stage is set they can have some real fun.
The characters in this are interesting but I almost wish the incident that happens when they are VERY young happened later in life. I think it would make more sense to the overall story line.
BUT everything comes out in the end. Unlike a lot of books out there today where you have more questions than answers, I actually felt really good at the end of this.
I really enjoy Erin Hayes writing and having read her before I knew I was going to enjoy this. I could tell that this wasn’t her easiest project – also she has an author’s note which I really appreciated – you can tell in some of her other work that the words just flow. Still, I enjoyed this horror / paranormal very much and really loved the ending!
In short: probably not for the feint at heart. Definitely an interesting read once you get past that initial part.
That’s when I started enjoying the story, and the characters. There’s a lot that happens, and a lot of blood and death but I get to really see the characters then. The beginning felt like just a sprinkling of who they were to set the stage and now that the stage is set they can have some real fun.
The characters in this are interesting but I almost wish the incident that happens when they are VERY young happened later in life. I think it would make more sense to the overall story line.
BUT everything comes out in the end. Unlike a lot of books out there today where you have more questions than answers, I actually felt really good at the end of this.
I really enjoy Erin Hayes writing and having read her before I knew I was going to enjoy this. I could tell that this wasn’t her easiest project – also she has an author’s note which I really appreciated – you can tell in some of her other work that the words just flow. Still, I enjoyed this horror / paranormal very much and really loved the ending!
In short: probably not for the feint at heart. Definitely an interesting read once you get past that initial part.
November 29, 2016
This was like a blending of Stephen King’s The Shining (the eerie remote hotel location) with one of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies (or one of the Phantasm movies). Like Nightmare on Elm Street, it has the creepy demon reanimating corpses and attacking the survivors, picking them off one by one in grotesque methods. Just like Nightmare on Elm Street, there is a dream-like quality to the entire story as things go from believable to horrific, with the gloom and smoke of the fire and the snow outside, setting the dark, claustrophobic mood. Admittedly, I don’t really read books from the horror genre, but the idea of twins and demons did spark my interest (being a fan of the paranormal & fantasy genres). I loved strong heroine Bash, who did an awesome job at trying to be protective of her sister, and had a heart to share for everyone around her, while not losing her head at the situation as well as the revelations about her family, even with being handicapped with her blindness. The entire story held my attention, and didn’t make me turn running for the hills at even the gross and gory parts, which there were aplenty. I thought even the side characters were well done, like Maria and Rick and even Scott who we didn’t get to see too much of. (I bought Fractured after I had bought both The Witching Hour collection and the Falling in Deep collection both including stories by Erin Hayes. I encourage people to check out more of her works as well as the works by her writing group).
June 15, 2014
Twenty years ago, there were two little girls Bash and Lily. Bash seemed to be the favorable one and Lily the odd one out. Then an accident occurred on the playground and it left Bash blinded, years later the girls grow older and again Bash can never do wrong while Lily is still the naughty twin. The last straw is when Bash steals Lily's to be boyfriend and now the pair of them are going to get married. Lily has been forever haunted by "the old lady" and it turns out that when the girls were born, a deal was made with the devil and involved the second born Lily and now that deal is about to become collected as tragedies start occurring and death looms overhead. Can Bash and Lily save those remaining or will they all have to die as there is no way out ? Can the curse be reversed or is there a way to escape it ?
Fractured was an interesting read, that started off as a bit of an edgy novel that further on readers started to suspect a bit of supernatural hanky-panky going on and then nearing the last few chapters it became a full-blown teen/new adult horror story and reminded me of the Point Horror books I read growing up and all the movies I had watched with possessed children and the devil's spawn.
If you love Horror films and reading books that are out of the norm and realm of contemporary romances, then check out Fractured by Erin Hayes.
Fractured was an interesting read, that started off as a bit of an edgy novel that further on readers started to suspect a bit of supernatural hanky-panky going on and then nearing the last few chapters it became a full-blown teen/new adult horror story and reminded me of the Point Horror books I read growing up and all the movies I had watched with possessed children and the devil's spawn.
If you love Horror films and reading books that are out of the norm and realm of contemporary romances, then check out Fractured by Erin Hayes.
October 2, 2014
Horror is not a genre I read a lot of, but after reviewing Erin Hayes' Death is but a Dream in November 2013 I wondered how she would adapt her writing style to suit the tension of this story.
Fractured begins slowly, building to a haunting crescendo. Yet however much I wanted to connect with these characters, I couldn't, though I felt that this might be intentional on the author's part; Lily and Bash are polar opposites of each other and despite the fact that they are fraternal twins, neither one can say she truly knows her sister.
Erin Hayes maintains the suspense of Fractured by purposely withholding important information from her reader, only choosing to reveal these secrets are pertinent points in the plot, generally by using a dream narrative.
Fractured is written in such a way that the reader is allowed to make certain assumptions about characters and events, which we are then forced to reevaluate towards the end of the novel. The way in which Erin Hayes questions the dual personalities of her characters is very clever, both through the use of possession and re-animation.
Lost in the world of Fractured, where nothing is as it seems, I was frightened and left chilled by the story. This is a must read for all horror fans and Erin Hayes has proved that she is a versatile author.
Fractured begins slowly, building to a haunting crescendo. Yet however much I wanted to connect with these characters, I couldn't, though I felt that this might be intentional on the author's part; Lily and Bash are polar opposites of each other and despite the fact that they are fraternal twins, neither one can say she truly knows her sister.
Erin Hayes maintains the suspense of Fractured by purposely withholding important information from her reader, only choosing to reveal these secrets are pertinent points in the plot, generally by using a dream narrative.
Fractured is written in such a way that the reader is allowed to make certain assumptions about characters and events, which we are then forced to reevaluate towards the end of the novel. The way in which Erin Hayes questions the dual personalities of her characters is very clever, both through the use of possession and re-animation.
Lost in the world of Fractured, where nothing is as it seems, I was frightened and left chilled by the story. This is a must read for all horror fans and Erin Hayes has proved that she is a versatile author.
August 11, 2014
Okay, first off I’d like to say thanks to Erin Hayes for delivering a novel that took me back to all those super scary horror novels I grew up on! There is no overload of YA paranormal themes wrapped up in the horror genre here, although the plot does involve both the paranormal AND young adults.
Aside from that awesomeness, though, this book is a great read. The scary parts chill you and the gory parts are just gross – but in a totally awesome way.
However, besides all the horror genre love, there were moments where I just wanted the author to stop overusing the characters names and telling the reader what to think. Sometimes I found I was pulled out of the action going on as I read because the author was busy telling me how things were going down rather than showing the action and letting me decide for myself. There were also moments where the character’s point of view changed without it being completely clear.
BUT, in saying this, the ending of this book was… just… WOW! Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT! Definitely worth having to overlook the faults in order to get to the end.
Aside from that awesomeness, though, this book is a great read. The scary parts chill you and the gory parts are just gross – but in a totally awesome way.
However, besides all the horror genre love, there were moments where I just wanted the author to stop overusing the characters names and telling the reader what to think. Sometimes I found I was pulled out of the action going on as I read because the author was busy telling me how things were going down rather than showing the action and letting me decide for myself. There were also moments where the character’s point of view changed without it being completely clear.
BUT, in saying this, the ending of this book was… just… WOW! Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT! Definitely worth having to overlook the faults in order to get to the end.
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