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A review by 0hfortheloveofbooks
Stolen Away by Kristin Dearborn
4.0
First, I want to thank Raw Dog Screaming Press for a copy of Stolen Away by Kristin Dearborn in exchange for an honest review.
It is every parent's worst nightmare to wake up and find your child gone, vanished without a trace, but the nightmare didn't end there for Trisha. She finds herself descending lower and lower into hell - the seedy, grimy underbelly of Miami and further into the fire and brimstone of the underworld. But no matter how low and dirty Trisha had to get, she was fierce and unrelenting in her search for her son and her quest to protect her family.
Trisha was one amazing, albeit flawed, protagonist; a past riddled with drug use and bad decisions. I loved her attitude and the love she had for her children. She would do anything, sacrifice anything and everything for her children. And Joel was a great compliment to her. He was logical where she was emotional, he was the calming voice where she was pure fire. They were such real, well-rounded characters. I was rooting for them from the beginning. Even the unlikeable characters were three dimensional and well thought out. And it was refreshing to see such a strong cast of female characters.
There were some very graphic scenes that made my skin absolutely crawl. There was quite a bit of sex and drugs but also a lot of heart. The sex and gore was never gratuitous. Every scene, as graphic and as crazy as some were, were essential to the story. And those crazy scenes were so well crafted! They could have easily come across cheesy by a less articulate writer. Kristin Dearborn should be commended for her writing ability; amidst the grit and grime she reveals little snippets of pure beauty.
If you decide to write a story like this, you need to go all in. Dearborn embraced the raw grittiness. If you decide to read a story like this, you need to let it consume you.
It is every parent's worst nightmare to wake up and find your child gone, vanished without a trace, but the nightmare didn't end there for Trisha. She finds herself descending lower and lower into hell - the seedy, grimy underbelly of Miami and further into the fire and brimstone of the underworld. But no matter how low and dirty Trisha had to get, she was fierce and unrelenting in her search for her son and her quest to protect her family.
Trisha was one amazing, albeit flawed, protagonist; a past riddled with drug use and bad decisions. I loved her attitude and the love she had for her children. She would do anything, sacrifice anything and everything for her children. And Joel was a great compliment to her. He was logical where she was emotional, he was the calming voice where she was pure fire. They were such real, well-rounded characters. I was rooting for them from the beginning. Even the unlikeable characters were three dimensional and well thought out. And it was refreshing to see such a strong cast of female characters.
There were some very graphic scenes that made my skin absolutely crawl. There was quite a bit of sex and drugs but also a lot of heart. The sex and gore was never gratuitous. Every scene, as graphic and as crazy as some were, were essential to the story. And those crazy scenes were so well crafted! They could have easily come across cheesy by a less articulate writer. Kristin Dearborn should be commended for her writing ability; amidst the grit and grime she reveals little snippets of pure beauty.
If you decide to write a story like this, you need to go all in. Dearborn embraced the raw grittiness. If you decide to read a story like this, you need to let it consume you.