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43 reviews for:

Forsaken

J.D. Barker

3.55 AVERAGE


4.5 estrellas

JD Barker tiene el superpoder de contarte una historia que tu sabes que es ficción pero hay algo que también te hace pensar ¿y si es real?.

Eso me pasó con esta historia, que esta buenísima, muy bien contada y sobre todo muy spooky; las brujas siempre me han parecido fascinantes y sobre todo muy interesantes, aquí JDB nos adentra a un mundo muy actual y antiguo al mismo tiempo. lo cual hace que este libro sea el perfecto pretexto para ir por palomitas.

Definitivamente quiero los otros libros de la saga, lamentablemente solo ha escrito el primero

Many thanks to Maxine for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. This is quite a good horror story that keeps you turning the page. Its central focus is a writer and his family who are tormented by a range of strange happenings, indicating all is not well and that things might be about to get worse. The two intertwined stories of the novel and the present day work well, even if the novel is a bit slow to start. I got into the story straight away and looked forward to it as part of my nightly read. By the end the whole story picks up the pace to an exciting climax. Enjoyable reading and good first novel!

DNF 55%

Sadly the audiobook isn't working out for me. Hard keeping track of whose talking and story isn't engaging for me.

Fun mix of Gothic and Modern-Day Witch horror. Strong debut novel by Barker.

Non-stop creepiness from the outset. Fast paced and nice short chapters.

Wow, what a debut novel this is for J.D Barker! This is how you write a book if you want to get noticed right away!

FORSAKEN has two stories, simultaneously playing out; one in the 1600's and one in present day, weaving a witchy tale of terror that is sure to raise your blood pressure.
I love reading stories about authors and them writing, promoting books and that is what main character Thad does for a living in this book. His stories are dark tales of witchcraft and the witch persecution period of the 1600's. His stories gradually become more real and when we hook up with him at the beginning of this book, his latest novel is seemingly coming to life as his wife Rachael is having nightmares about characters from his book, their lawn suddenly turns up dead one day, their daughter keeps seeing creatures that are living in their walls as the mysterious witch priestess of Thad’s seemingly non –fiction novel, puts him and his family into a life and death struggle against her ancient evil.

There were many creepy moments throughout this book that could hang with the best of today's horror elite such as King (King’s Needful Things story actually plays into this book!), Koontz and others. The story gets darker, more sinister, more supernatural and more threatening to all characters involved as it goes along, culminating into a crescendo of evil witchery that is sure to leave horror novel fans with a cringe up their spine and a smile on their face. This book certainly cast its spell on me and was hard to put down until it was finished!

J.D Barker has came out of the gate with a bang here; a strong, captivating story with great characters that we care about and great writing to back it all up. Bring on the follow up novel!

Lent this with Kindle Unlimited, which I paid for, as I found a few books, which I would have bought otherwise, so the fee for a few months is justified and cheaper than buying the books.
Main reason for lending was that I like the 4th Monkey Killer-series and wrongly believed this would be crime.
DNF during prolgue, with the Stephen King "Needful Things/Castle Rock" sentence. Read the blurb (which I obviously did not read before or I would not have lent this book). Every book liked to Stephen King is not for me.
Also not a too great frind of horror, or in German "das war ein Griff ins Klo" (= "that was a grip into the toilet").

When I first picked it up I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like it but alas I continued to read. It's been a few years since it was published so now to wait for the second? Hmmm. Very good though. Interesting yet so much unanswered.

It's a good thing
a) I don't care if people see the cover of the book I'm reading, and
b) there's Kindle, if I do
because the cover really is cheesy. Lose the faded in woman's face and we're fine. Otherwise it looks like the countless cheesy prints you'd find in Walmart, you know: those with mysterious faces looking at you, women or the ever popular big wolf face superimposed on a forest.

Yes, I don't care if people see the cover of what I'm reading (and I can say that with all confidence because I read this on my Kindle), but what I do care about is that I almost didn't read it because of it. Never judge a book and all that, but it was close.

Anyways, this is unfair to the story, because this is a very well written novel. J.D. Barker tells this tale through three streams: a journal detailing a witch trial in 1692, a writer on a publishing deal trip, and his home. Combining this with (almost annoyingly) short chapters, and the story is a very, very fast read.

I'm almost giving Barker 5 stars for the fantastic dipping into Stephen King's Castle Rock. Very well done, sir. But I'll give this one 4.5 only because it wasn't "amazing", but I "really liked it".

I very much recommend this book, and I am looking forward to reading J.D. Barker again.

I loved this book. From the very first chapter I was hooked.
The writing style is so engaging and flows like a river.

Rachel's husband Thad has become a famous best seller author, writing his ideas and stories in a journal given to him as a gift 10 years prior. Then things start happening that make Rachel regret a deal she made when she got him the gift.
Full of secrets, betrayals and witchcraft the author weaved a very interesting and hard to put down book.
Can't wait to read the second book to see what happens next.


This is the first time for me to read by this author, and I would like to thank both the publicist and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.