The Horrors of Childhood: The Children's Horror Has Doomed Adults Reliving Childhood Fears

 

The Children’s Horror: Cursed Episodes for Doomed Adults

Patrick Barb

Northern Republic, 2024

ISBN: ISBN-13: 979-8332956430

Ebook, 216 ppg.

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“Horror is NOT for children!” I have heard this said so many times. And while in some cases, this is true, in the case of reality, horror may not be for children, but many children definitely know horror. After all, they have to contend the monster under the bed (check!), school testing (check!) and trying to change themselves so they can fit in and be accepted by others (check!).

 

In The Children’s Horror: Cursed Episodes for Doomed Adults, author Patrick Barb covers these areas well, along with a scattered other few. The thing about the stories in this book, though, is that the children appear to be, well, so CALM while the horror is taking place.

 

Maybe it’s just the children have been so desensitized to real horror after being exposed to so much other horror going on in their lives. I mean, there’s abuse at home, homophobia in the schools, books that help them feel seen and included being banned from their libraries, peer pressure, bullying, and, oh yeah, puberty. (EEK!)

 

Seriously, though. All that is not to say that this is a book that would be okay for children to read. I mean, they can, but some of these stories are just so frightening, that maybe they’d rather not? This is definitely a book of stories for older readers, not children, and I really enjoyed reading them. My favorite stories were the title story, “The Children’s Horror” (of course), “The Dogcatcher,” “Two Rare Specimens” (a nice twist on the Boogeyman story!), “The Shark in Her Belly” and “The Big Good Boy.”

 

If you enjoy reading stories of horror and suspense, check out Patrick Barb’s new collection, The Children’s Horror. You won’t be disappointed.

 

 

Five stars.

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Stories to Keep You Awake at Night: The Sick and the Sainted are stories of darkness and dread

 

 

The Sick and the Sainted

B. Murphy and J. Mason

Bobbie Murphy Books, 2024

ISBN-13: 9798227044884

Ebook, 184 ppg.

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There are the things we wish we could undo and unsee, but that doesn’t make them go away. That will never make them go away. The pain will linger and the horror will only grow. Left to fester in darkness, the terrifying thing will spiral out of control and take those harboring them onto a journey of darkness and despair.

 

The Sick and the Sainted by B. Murphy and J. Mason is a collection of stories reflecting this darkness. For the poor souls who somehow end up in the throes of evil or in the clutches of despair, the only way out is a one-way street.

 

I really enjoyed reading these stories. Filled with terror, horror, despair and pain, The Sick and the Sainted is a collection of stories that are the raw tellings from the twisted minds of characters or the unfortunate plight of those trapped in darkness. These stories made me cry, shudder, cringe, and grip my seat with fear.

 

The story “Responsibility” is one such story that really made me cringe. Yikes! It’s a good body horror story, coupled with one father’s very unique way of seeking vengeance against his daughter’s tormentor.

 

What I absolutely loved about some of the stories is how people are able to gain revenge against someone who either tormented them on the Internet or tormented someone else. Vengeance against someone who abused, bullied or hurt someone through the Internet is just one of the stories which I enjoy reading. There are so many creeps and trolls on the Internet! A lot of people can only wish they could get revenge against those who have hurt them online. For writers, we can obtain this vengeance in our stories. But for readers, it’s nice to see that happen, because it gives them a nice feeling of doing the same!

 

The story “Shattered” was heartbreaking. It especially touched a nerve for me because I am a survivor of the same thing, though what I went through did not happen from a stepfather. I completely understand the need to tell a story, in a way of setting the record straight and letting the truth be known. I did the same, telling mine as a fictional account. I know this is fiction, but I saw it in that way. Survivors of sexual abuse and rape need to tell their stories. I was sad how the character’s story ended. Sadly, this actually happens in real life; many victims are not believed, even blamed and called names, and end up doing the same thing that this character did. Even so, it is still a powerful story.

 

The last story in this book was disturbing but it was told from the disturbed mind of a character. It sure made for a creepy read!

 

The stories in the pages of this book are, indeed, those from the minds of “the sick and the sainted.” Readers must know that there are incidents in which a dog is killed and a pre-teen is first sexually assaulted then raped, so go into the reading of these stories with thick skin. But remember,  they are just stories; no animals or children were actually hurt or killed in the writing of these stories!

 

Filled with tales of dread, horror and terror, The Sick and the Sainted leaves a lasting impression on readers of what dangers lurk around the corner, and how things are not what they seem. These are stories that are the stuff of nightmares, safely existing on the pages of a book. After reading these stories, they may linger once the reader has put the book down, and return to haunt in the most horrific ways through nightmares.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

Surviving a Childhood of Hell: Not Dead Yet is a Harrowing Account of Torture and Abuse

 

Not Dead Yet

Tracey Nudd

Independently published, 2023

ISBN: 979-8868334139

54 ppg., softcover

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In a perfect world, all children would be loved and cared for by their mothers and stepparents the way an innocent childhood calls for. But, sadly, in the real world, many children endure relentless physical, verbal, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of the people not only who brought them into this world but also those responsible for caring for them.

 

And while Bella’s story of physical, verbal and sexual abuse is horrifying and gut-wrenching, it is just one of many stories of children suffering years of such torment.

 

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. There are graphic scenes of child sex abuse wrought upon Bella by her stepfather and his friend. There is even psychological abuse, as he pressures Bella to say “yes, Daddy” when he asks her if she is a whore or if she likes what is being done to her. Bella knows better than to say otherwise.

 

One may ask if the person in such a situation ever tries to escape. The story is told in first person, and Bella recalls her many failed attempts to either hide from her abuser or run away.

 

Bella’s mother could be her rescuer but, instead, only adds to the abuse. She physically and verbally abuses Bella, though the story is mostly focused on the abuse Bella receives from her stepfather. She keeps Bella alive and around only because of the food stamps she receives, which she sells for drug money. She also jokes with her husband that if his many rapes of her daughter results in pregnancy, it’s more children to use for food stamps as well as for abuse.

 

Tracey Nudd writes a story of a child who endured years of brutal and horrible abuse in her home. Many readers are warned of triggering content in this novelette, and for good measure. Most of this story was hard to read but it is also close to the reality of what many children being abused endure. We cannot turn a blind eye to such things. This kind of material may be hard to expose ourselves, to but it is harder still for the children in real life who are forced to experience the same kind of horror.

 

Not Dead Yet is a haunting story of a child’s horrifying experiences of rape and abuse. It captures just one of many stories out there, except other stories will never be told by the victims. This particular victim-turned-survivor lived through the kind of hell no one should ever endure, with the kind of spirit holding out hope to get out of that hellish nightmare alive.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I purchased this book from the author and my review of this book is completely voluntary.