Social Media Icons

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Review: Only the Stains Remain by Ross Jeffery

No comments
, , , , ,

Only the Stains Remain
by Ross Jeffery

Thanks so much to Night Worms and Cemetery Gates Media for this gifted book.

Publisher: Cemetery Gates Media
Publish Date: July 20, 2021
Kindle Edition
120 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror

Only The Stains Remain is the haunting story of Jude and Kyle, two brothers whose lives are destroyed when, following the death of their mother, their three abusive uncles Dwight, Lucius, and Lenny move in to the family home. But whilst Jude suffers to a degree, Kyle is the one who takes the brunt of their attention, submitting himself to preserve his younger brother’s innocence.

As a grown man, Jude’s mind turns to vengeance for what they have endured. He has waited a long time, but now he is strong enough, and cold-hearted enough, to do the deed. Enacting one harrowing revenge after another, Jude’s dark quest to punish the wrongs of the past will show that after all is said and done, only the stains of the past will remain.

My Review:

"They hit me so much that I split, both physically and mentally."

WoOooooOOoOoooah!  I need a shot of happy juice and a long, tight hug please.  What in the child abuse did I just read?! Uff, y'all.  Horror can bring us all the monsters in the world (and outside of it) but nothing will ever hit harder than the human monsters out there.  Especially those who prey on the children they should be protecting. Jeffery tells the story of Kyle and Jude and the terror they went through at the hands of their own father and uncles.  They lost a mother and gained terror and unrelenting pain.

Obviously this isn't a feel good read and if you can't stomach child abuse, you should probably steer clear from this story.  But dang... the writing is impeccable. 120 pages of pure, raw emotion that will leave you as broken as the children. I appreciate greatly how the author approached such a bleak and tragic subject.  He treated these boys with the respect they never received from their families.

Grief, abuse, survival and revenge - a harrowing and powerful novella that is absolutely worth the read... if you can stomach the subject matter.

★★★★★


, , , , ,
No comments
Share it:

No comments

Leave a Comment