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100pagesaday's review
4.0
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.
thepaperreels's review
3.0
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.
bookwormbunny's review
5.0
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.
ctorretta's review
3.0
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.
ltg584's review
4.0
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.
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