To read an interview with the author, please see the September issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.
She’s Not Gone
Sarah Northwood
Thriller/Suspense
A chilling thriller with a twist of evil and a twang of the supernatural.
When Daryl charms his way into Katie’s life, sweeping her off her feet, she thinks she’s found the love of her life. Until he cuts her off from her friends and starts to control everything in her life, right down to the food she puts on her plate.
There is a monster inside of Daryl that plays on his insecurities, and the monster is ready to come out and play.
Will Katie make the most important decision of her life before it’s too late?
Who will protect her when she discovers Daryl’s deadly secret?
Excerpt 1
Once the illusion is shattered, though the glass may cut your skin to shreds, at last, truth is revealed. Painful, bloody and real.
Excerpt 2
To the outside world, to everyone but me, Daryl is a sweet, gentle guy. What’s so wrong with me that he treats me this way? Why does everyone else get the best of him? For a moment, I feel something like jealousy.
Excerpt 3
The colourful bruising has now turned my face into a work of art, but you should think less Da Vinci and more Picasso. Momentarily I let my fingers trace over my skin as if confirming it really is me beneath the mountain of swellings and dried blood, but I don’t linger for long. It won’t change things and the longer I stand here, the worse I feel. I won’t give in to self-pity.
Excerpt 4
A driver notices me looking for a spot to cross. He kindly flashes his lights to let me walk across the road but I wonder if I should trust him. I hesitate for a moment at the kerb, one foot clinging to the pavement. If I let fear consume now, it will set the standard for the rest of my life. If I cling to the safety of the pavement, I will never get better, so I plunge into the road with a lolloping gait, strolling across the oncoming traffic. I smile a sunny smile back to the driver, outwardly looking like a carefree pedestrian. Inside, my heart is beating wildly and the blood seems to have pooled into my feet, making them heavy and hard to move, but there is no harm done. I’ve crossed the road.
Excerpt 5
I scream again. Sharply, my mind springs into action. I am wide awake. The thoughts come thick and fast: shit…fell asleep. Then, how am I not dead? I look around but it’s impossible to see anything in the pitch black. I have no idea how I am even still alive. Am I in a ditch? As my eyes begin to adjust to the lack of light, I can make out white lines on the ground around me. I haven’t run off the road, I am in a car park. Trembling, my body rejects the notion that I fell asleep…but how else did I get here.
[symple_box color=”black” fade_in=”false” float=”center” text_align=”left” width=””]My name is Sarah Northwood, I write fiction for both Adults and Children, publishing on Amazon and I’m also on Goodreads. I guess you could say these are opposites in terms of styles and genres and that’s one of the things I love about being an Indie Author. The ability to write where your heart takes you. That describes me as a person too, I’m led by my heart! I dabble in Poetry, write piano music and songs for fun. I enjoy; wine, films, food, animals and generally love life completely! I’m married with two children who I adore and have inspired me so much. To say I’m proud doesn’t do them justice.[/symple_box]
Uncaged Review: This book brought out a lot of different emotions for me. I won’t get into the nitty gritty of this story, because it is a shorter novella length, but it really hits on some major points. Katie’s life as a domestic violence victim with a man. Daryl, who wants to control everything she does, and the emotions and the feelings of worthlessness, or it being her own fault – all of this is brought out in the book.
I can’t really give any plot info, as anything I say could be a spoiler. There were a few things that Katie does that I wanted to jump into the story and grab a hold of her to protect her from herself and her bad decisions, and a couple things that seemed a bit unrealistic – but all in all, this book is a well written journey of a woman losing and re-finding herself. I think it’s going to be a hit or miss type storyline, as abuse storylines aren’t for everyone, but if you give this one a chance, you might be surprised. Reviewed by Cyrene
4 1/2 Stars
