Shattering Truths
by Kyrian Lyndon
(Deadly Veils, #1)
Publication date: January 30th 2017
YA Suspense
She was left fighting her demons alone . . .
For sixteen-year-old Danielle DeCorso, the old house in Glastonbury was an eerie place to grow up. Coping with mental health challenges exacerbated by a traumatic family dynamic, Danielle watches from the window for two men in a dusty black sedan who keep circling the house and harassing her with phone calls. The two predators drugged her and her cousin, Angie, and then lured them from Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport to a secluded cottage on Long Beach West. She remembers feeling dizzy, the room spinning. She recalls screaming, crying, fighting, and then slipping in and out of consciousness. Angie, however, has no recollection of the incident.
When Danielle attempts to jog Angie’s memory and convince their best friend, Farran, that the two strangers had victimized them, no one seems to believe her. Alone in her pain, Danielle remains guarded, obsessed, and withdrawn. Soon she is sinking deeper into a tumultuous world of adolescent isolation and change. Grief, guilt, and anger send her spiraling into an even darker place.
Tormented by terrifying nightmares, she fears she will lose her sanity, or possibly her soul. Is she having post-traumatic stress hallucinations, as one of her friends suggest, or are her recurring nightmares as real as they seem? Trapped in an unyielding emotional bondage, Danielle continues the fight to reclaim her power. Startling revelations awaken her newfound spirit, inspiring a once naïve girl to grow into a woman of defiance and courage.
MY TIDBITS
In many ways, this is a coming-of-age story but one with dark shadows, twists of painful confusion and the trudge of fighting ones way to figure it all out.
Danielle is fighting all sorts of things. She believes that her and her cousin were drugged by two guys, but any details remain a blur behind flashes of fighting and odd scenes. Her cousin remembers nothing. But this isn't all Danielle's up against--her family is a bi-polar mess. Her brothers, who she loves dearly, have dirt of their own. And in general, life is a confusion.
This book not only brings across Danielle's thoughts and views as a true teenager in a rough reality, but the way it is written correlates to the confusion and constant fluctuation. The story is easy to read and moves along at a steady pace. It grabs unexpectedly and lures in until the reader can't break away from Danielle. In some ways, the descriptions have a poetic feel as do Danielle's thoughts. But there's a simple rawness to her views as well.
Although there is a plot, the story breaks down into short spurts of various problems. One chapter Danielle's dealing with the memories she can't remember from the two guys and possible rape, the next she's concerned about her brother and father, and the next she's learning about her mother's possible witchcraft or her own visit to a psychiatrist. Teenage life is not clear set and simple, and this comes across with all of its confusion and disjointedness in this book. It's an engaging and interesting way to attack Danielle and her problems, but I found it a bit jolting at times.
The troubles Danielle faces are realistic, although harsher than many teens will face. She approaches them with a bit of distance, while still keeping a fairly level head. Her decisions and actions are right as often as they are wrong, which makes her easy to sympathize with. Family and friends play an important role, and despite rocky situations, the relationships are important. The reactions and decisions of the other characters are sometimes a wonder as is Danielle's entire family situation.
There's a lot to love in these pages, and especially teens will be drawn in by all of the facets and difficulties growing up has to offer.
And here she is. . .
Kyrian Lyndon is the author of Shattering Truths, the first book in her Deadly Veils series. She has also published two poetry collections, A Dark Rose Blooms, and Remnants of Severed Chains. Kyrian began writing short stories and fairy tales when she was just eight years old. In her adolescence, she moved on to poetry. At sixteen, while working as an editor for her high school newspaper, she wrote her first novel, and then completed two more novels at the ages of nineteen and twenty-five.
Born and raised in Woodside, Queens, New York, Kyrian was the middle of three daughters born to immigrants —her father from Campochiaro, Italy; her mother from Havana, Cuba. She has worked primarily in executive-level administrative positions with major New York publishing companies. She resides on Long Island in New York.
6 comments:
Great review! This sounds like a well written read! :)
Thank you so much for the post and the lovely review! Kyrian
Great post - loved your review! Thanks for sharing :)
Sounds dark and delightful.
This sounds intense!!
Thank you for your honest review... it sounds like a very intense read!
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