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constant_reader's review
2.0
I didn't like any of the main characters. The story, though horrific, was repetitive and bland. The ending was very unrealistic.
herlifewithbooks's review
2.0
Well. If you like crime stories, kidnapping stories, abuse stories, you may like this one. I used to like stories like this when I was a teen. Now that I am an adult, though, I prefer a little substance behind the salacious. I didn't find it here.
I also find the idea that birth defects build character... or that torture and abuse builds character to be problematic. Inspirational, perhaps, but... problematic.
I also find the idea that birth defects build character... or that torture and abuse builds character to be problematic. Inspirational, perhaps, but... problematic.
katlikespie's review
3.0
Sarah has always been bullied for the large port wine stain birthmark on her face, and can't wait until she can start laser treatments to fade the colors. But on the very day she is supposed to start treatments, her father finds out that someone has embezzled $100,000 from his small business and they can't afford them. Could this day get any worse?! It could, actually. She gets harassed by kids at school - including her best friend, who is trying to catch the eye of the school's new bad boy. It's when she's in her way home that she gets offered a ride from a man she knows - who then blindfolds her, duct tapes her legs, kidnaps her, and keeps her hostage in a one-room shack for months - blindfolded the whole time! - with nothing but the clothes she was wearing, a small amount of food, and a bucket for a toilet.
Honestly, I'm surprised I made it past "bullied" to "kidnapped" in the description, and if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook, I might not have made it that far in the book, either. Sarah is the most obnoxious, spoiled little brat! She finds out her dad has been stolen from and all she thinks about is, "but I want to be PRETTY!" Her friend Nick tries to talk her her at school and she's upset because he's not cool, and people will see them talking. (And yet he ❤️loves❤️ her!)
Luckily, it got better. We follow Sarah's story, as well as Nick's struggle to help find her, and deal with his own guilt at not stopping her abduction. Still not my favorite book ever, but a solid read if you like crime stories.
Honestly, I'm surprised I made it past "bullied" to "kidnapped" in the description, and if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook, I might not have made it that far in the book, either. Sarah is the most obnoxious, spoiled little brat! She finds out her dad has been stolen from and all she thinks about is, "but I want to be PRETTY!" Her friend Nick tries to talk her her at school and she's upset because he's not cool, and people will see them talking. (And yet he ❤️loves❤️ her!)
Luckily, it got better. We follow Sarah's story, as well as Nick's struggle to help find her, and deal with his own guilt at not stopping her abduction. Still not my favorite book ever, but a solid read if you like crime stories.
lizlogan's review
5.0
Cheryl Rainfield's books just keep getting better. I really loved the pacing in this book. Despite the fact that much of this book was Sarah being trapped, you never felt like you were crawling along in the book. It was wonderfully paced, action-packed and well-written. I loved all the characters and the message of everybody's intrinsic value despite their appearance, sexuality, age or anything else about them. The characters were people that everyday teens can identify with (or, as is my case, everyday adults who still love teen fiction) and these stories can easily be theirs. I hope that Cheryl continues to write for years to come so that I can continue to recommend her to every curious teen and adult I can.
bobbiejowoo's review
4.0
This book is HEAVY.
.
Trigger warnings: Abuse, bullying, abduction, sexual assault
.
I always feel really weird saying I loved books that are so heavy and dark, but I really did love this book. It is a story of survival, and strength and one very brave girl deciding she was not going to be a victim. Like the cover says, “Sometimes you have to be your own hero”
.
Trigger warnings: Abuse, bullying, abduction, sexual assault
.
I always feel really weird saying I loved books that are so heavy and dark, but I really did love this book. It is a story of survival, and strength and one very brave girl deciding she was not going to be a victim. Like the cover says, “Sometimes you have to be your own hero”
ushknh's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
xxsquigglesxx's review
5.0
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.
*I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.
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.
*I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.
ashleysue14's review
Love it
This book was amazing and heartfelt. It gave me all kinds of emotions and made me not want to put the book down. It goes to show you that you don't need anyone to save you that if you are determined enough you can save your self. I love all of the characters except Brian if course. I recommend this book to anyone. It's a good read you won't regret it.
This book was amazing and heartfelt. It gave me all kinds of emotions and made me not want to put the book down. It goes to show you that you don't need anyone to save you that if you are determined enough you can save your self. I love all of the characters except Brian if course. I recommend this book to anyone. It's a good read you won't regret it.
kindlelitkat's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Having read and loved Cheryl Rainfield's novel Scars, I was extremely excited when I was contacted to take part in the tour for Stained. With Scars, which I stumbled upon in a rather roundabout way, I was drawn in immediately, and I was eager to find out whether Stained would have the same type of effect.
Despite knowing I liked Cheryl's writing style, however, Stained also represented a departure in genre for me. While it is still in many ways a contemporary novel, Stained also has suspense and thriller elements. It was very interesting reading something that both delved so deeply into its core characters and moved at a frantic pace, using in-novel timestamps to move everything along.
So, are you curious to find out what I thought of Stained? Read on and I'll share my thoughts. Hopefully I'll also convince you of why you should really sit down and check Stained out, regardless of what genre(s) of fiction you normally settle in with.
My Thoughts
There is part of me that wants to skip writing a review all together and just go "Read it! Read it now!". But that would do both me as a reviewer, and this absolutely mind shattering book, a disservice.
The first thing I must tell you all is that while Stained is beautifully written, it is not a book for the faint of heart. Many books about abduction, violence, abuse and rape within YA take place after the trauma to the main character has occurred. We deal with the aftermath, the overwrought emotion, the 'what happens next'.
In Stained we live the experience, which is something that I found very gripping as a reader, but which I am very aware my cause triggers for some people. I'm extremely glad that Cheryl decided to take her book this route, as she is brutally honest and does not romanticize this the way I've seen a few other writers do. This is a journey into the depths of the heart of darkness. There are things that happened in Stained that made my skin crawl. But the important thing here isn't how horrible what happens to Sarah is. What matters is that despite being trapped in this living nightmare, we see a girl with the strength to not only survive, but also have the strength and desire to live by novel's end. (How she gets there and what, exactly, happens along the way? You'll have to read Stained to find that out.)
Stained is both a very tense, emotional novel, and a very meticulous, character driven one. I loved both Sarah and Nick. I think that Sarah is a fantastic main character and I really appreciated the fact that we see both her strengths and weaknesses, and then see these things effect her during her abduction. I think that there is a great deal of challenge in creating a character who can balance having both strength and vulnerability. With Sarah, Cheryl succeeded in striking that balance time and again.
As for Nick? I loved, loved, loved Nick. Nick is not your typical YA hero. He's fat. He's a nerd. He's a little out of the main stream. Yet he is oh so very real, and I loved his feelings for Sarah--both romantically and as a friend. I also really loved how his perspective was used to break up sections of the novel, both to increase and break points of tension, and to give the reader a glimpse of what was going on in the outside world. Further, with the amount that he (and her family) cared for Sarah, the amount they stood to lose if she was not found, my dread increased tenfold. I think that it was vital to show us that Sarah had things to live for, people who loved her. By sharing Nick's perspective, the reader will get that message loud and clear.
The last thing I want to give a nod to is that this is another book I've read this year that has the theme of super heroes being incorporated into showing the progression of a character's awareness of her own self worth. This is an idea that I find really fun and inspiring, and I loved the idea that if Sarah could somehow get out of this mess, she and Nick might be able to make comics together. When things were at their hardest, remembering how much she valued the ideas of her heroic character, Diamond, was one of the things that gave her the strength to keep going... I've never been in the situation Sarah faces in Stained, but as a lover of comics, video games and fantasy novels, I could immediately relate to this aspect of her personality and how it served as both her passion and a method to cope with the challenges in her life.
Purchase or Pass?
Stained is the kind of book that I wish everyone would sit down and read. From the beauty of the writing, to the depth of the characters, to the importance of the message, to the absolutely gripping plot... There is so much here that was brilliantly done that it's honestly very hard to get it all into words for you guys without going too far and risking turning this review into a novella.
Just trust me (provided something here didn't flash a warning off in your head)... This is one of the must-read books of 2013 and I'm certain that even as we pass into the new year, it will undoubtedly keep that must read status. Stained is a story of love and loss, hope and despair, sorrow and survival. Above all, it is a story of courage, hope, and the will to live that will stick with you long after the final page has been turned.
Despite knowing I liked Cheryl's writing style, however, Stained also represented a departure in genre for me. While it is still in many ways a contemporary novel, Stained also has suspense and thriller elements. It was very interesting reading something that both delved so deeply into its core characters and moved at a frantic pace, using in-novel timestamps to move everything along.
So, are you curious to find out what I thought of Stained? Read on and I'll share my thoughts. Hopefully I'll also convince you of why you should really sit down and check Stained out, regardless of what genre(s) of fiction you normally settle in with.
My Thoughts
There is part of me that wants to skip writing a review all together and just go "Read it! Read it now!". But that would do both me as a reviewer, and this absolutely mind shattering book, a disservice.
The first thing I must tell you all is that while Stained is beautifully written, it is not a book for the faint of heart. Many books about abduction, violence, abuse and rape within YA take place after the trauma to the main character has occurred. We deal with the aftermath, the overwrought emotion, the 'what happens next'.
In Stained we live the experience, which is something that I found very gripping as a reader, but which I am very aware my cause triggers for some people. I'm extremely glad that Cheryl decided to take her book this route, as she is brutally honest and does not romanticize this the way I've seen a few other writers do. This is a journey into the depths of the heart of darkness. There are things that happened in Stained that made my skin crawl. But the important thing here isn't how horrible what happens to Sarah is. What matters is that despite being trapped in this living nightmare, we see a girl with the strength to not only survive, but also have the strength and desire to live by novel's end. (How she gets there and what, exactly, happens along the way? You'll have to read Stained to find that out.)
Stained is both a very tense, emotional novel, and a very meticulous, character driven one. I loved both Sarah and Nick. I think that Sarah is a fantastic main character and I really appreciated the fact that we see both her strengths and weaknesses, and then see these things effect her during her abduction. I think that there is a great deal of challenge in creating a character who can balance having both strength and vulnerability. With Sarah, Cheryl succeeded in striking that balance time and again.
As for Nick? I loved, loved, loved Nick. Nick is not your typical YA hero. He's fat. He's a nerd. He's a little out of the main stream. Yet he is oh so very real, and I loved his feelings for Sarah--both romantically and as a friend. I also really loved how his perspective was used to break up sections of the novel, both to increase and break points of tension, and to give the reader a glimpse of what was going on in the outside world. Further, with the amount that he (and her family) cared for Sarah, the amount they stood to lose if she was not found, my dread increased tenfold. I think that it was vital to show us that Sarah had things to live for, people who loved her. By sharing Nick's perspective, the reader will get that message loud and clear.
The last thing I want to give a nod to is that this is another book I've read this year that has the theme of super heroes being incorporated into showing the progression of a character's awareness of her own self worth. This is an idea that I find really fun and inspiring, and I loved the idea that if Sarah could somehow get out of this mess, she and Nick might be able to make comics together. When things were at their hardest, remembering how much she valued the ideas of her heroic character, Diamond, was one of the things that gave her the strength to keep going... I've never been in the situation Sarah faces in Stained, but as a lover of comics, video games and fantasy novels, I could immediately relate to this aspect of her personality and how it served as both her passion and a method to cope with the challenges in her life.
Purchase or Pass?
Stained is the kind of book that I wish everyone would sit down and read. From the beauty of the writing, to the depth of the characters, to the importance of the message, to the absolutely gripping plot... There is so much here that was brilliantly done that it's honestly very hard to get it all into words for you guys without going too far and risking turning this review into a novella.
Just trust me (provided something here didn't flash a warning off in your head)... This is one of the must-read books of 2013 and I'm certain that even as we pass into the new year, it will undoubtedly keep that must read status. Stained is a story of love and loss, hope and despair, sorrow and survival. Above all, it is a story of courage, hope, and the will to live that will stick with you long after the final page has been turned.