Reviews

Stained by Cheryl Rainfield

Only show reviews with written explanations

Wow! This book is something else! The only other books that I've given 5 stars were "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pauch and "Looking for Alaska" by John Green. I would give this book 6 stars if I could. All of the books mentioned above are great in their own unique ways. I recommend all of them (including this book). Great job, Cheryl Rainfield! This is my first time reading your books. At the end, I couldn't help but cry. This poor girl in the book!

Just sayin'- there's a plot twist-well actually two.

amybraunauthor's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Before diving into this review, anyone looking to pick it up needs to be aware that there are serious triggers in it, mostly centring on sexual and mental abuse. It is a hard read, and I will be honest that it completely jarred me.

This book is different from my normal fare, yet I still found much of it to be compelling, intense, and ranked as one of the darkest books I’ve read before. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Sarah’s confrontation with a sadist is a harrowing journey, both physical and emotional. It did not make for easy reading, but the author did a great job of capturing an all too real emotional trauma for the main character. It was a painful reminder of how real these sort of events are, and made Sarah easy to sympathize with, even though she started off in a rough place.

I found Nick to be sweet, if a little too obsessed with Sarah and her behaviour. They are both a pair of misfits, but I would have loved to see more development from him since Sarah’s arc was so much more obvious and intense.

Despite the passage of time and the need for distress for the characters and the reader, a small part of me thinks the book carried on a little too long. It made for some very uncomfortable moments, though they did prove to be effective in enforcing the message of empowering oneself and looking past superficial views.

All in all, for as challenging as this book is, I do think it is worthwhile for anyone willing to embrace its darkness. The writing is solid, Sarah is complex, and the messages are strong. Just be aware that you might find some moments hard to swallow.

dynamicdylan's review

Go to review page

5.0

CW: Kidnapping, Rape, Torture, Dehydration, Starvation

This was a dark read, but a very important one. I highly recommend this if you can handle the subject matter.

kelleemoye's review

Go to review page

4.0

Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1730

Cheryl delves into two very different tough subjects in this book. First, we meet Sarah who is a 16-year-old girl who was born with a port-wine stain. As with anything that makes you different when you are a teenager, it affects your life daily. Sarah has trouble fitting in, is bullied, and only has a few friends. Through this experience, though, she has also had a very narrow focus on physical appearance and pushes people away because she is focused so much on a surgery that would temporarily remove her port-wine stain. However, as she is dealing with not receiving her surgery, Sarah is thrown into the scariest situation a girl could become part of: she is kidnapped, locked away, and abused by her kidnapper.

Though this is a very tough book to read, it was one that I couldn’t put down. It is amazing how Cheryl takes the tragedies she has been through and transports her strength and experiences into her characters.

arinj30's review

Go to review page

4.0

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I flew so fast through this book. It is intense, scary, and amazing. When I was reading this, I felt like I was there with Sarah. I felt her struggle, her fear and desperation as well as her bravery. This book made me want to pick up everything Cheryl Rainfield has ever written.

CHARACTERS: Sarah is such a strong and inspiring character. Nick is amazing as well. He never gives up on Sarah and is there for her and her parents. Needless to say, I hated the character that kidnaps Sarah. He was cruel and disgusting.

COVER: I'm not a big fan of the cover. It's not horrible, I just don't like covers with close ups of people on them.

felinity's review

Go to review page

challenging dark tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

bxermom's review

Go to review page

3.0

Spoiler

I enjoyed this book but there is just something that doesn't sit right with me. I didn't like the fact that this young girl who was (spoiler alert) raped by this psycho on numerous occasions would be so quick to jump into the arms of another boy the same night she escapes and comes home. But other than that it was a decent story.