Sleep Deprived- By Dawn Cano

Sleep deprivation is a terrible thing. It is not healthy for the mind or the body and Dawn Cano tells a perfect little story about those dangers. Sleep Deprived is a short read and the author does not sugarcoat her story with niceties at all, the reader will know where this story is headed right from the get-go and I never turn down a good dare set forth by an author who writes a "spoiler" right into the first page.

Sleep Deprived introduces us to Anna, who is suffering from sleep deprivation and beginning to allow the madness to affect her reality. When the voices kick in, she tries to ignore them, but a broken mind can only ignore so much and the baby she is watching for two days won't let her get any sleep...

Dawn Cano comes out swinging and there were never any gloves to take off. She expertly guides us through this show of a woman's unraveling descent into madness and while it gets messy and deranged at times, it's no different than a motorist passing by a horrific accident and sneaking a peak at the gory remains. Only there isn't a traffic cop here to tell you to keep it moving... there's nothing to see here. 

There is plenty to "see" here. Images you won't get out of your head while you're reading it, and possibly even after you've read it. Dawn Cano backs you up to the edge and then pushes you over it with glee so do not take the warning on the cover of this story lightly. This is an extreme horror short. If you suffer from triggers of any kind, this book is not for you. You will be shocked and disturbed. If you like to be shocked and disturbed, then what are you waiting for... you've got a dinner date with Anna!

-Cory Cline

Pick up Sleep Deprived for your Kindle here...

Chantal Noordeloos- Even Hell Has Standards- Wrath

Fatima Oni, forced into marriage at a young age by her parents, is helpless against her husband's abuse. It doesn't help that he is her Uncle, but she does her best with what she is given. Her time spent on Earth is more wicked than any version of Hell in any bible and when her children are taken from her, she will face her biggest struggle yet... the wrath bubbling under her scarred human shell.

I did not read the first book of this series prior to Wrath and did not feel the need to, though, I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity after reading this gem of a glimpse into Chantal's version of Hell. Anyone who says girls can't do horror has not witnessed the darkness that seeps from this girl's fingertips.

While Fatima is on Earth, Chantal will show us how dark this world is. It isn't easy to write about things that really happen. She allows us to see what it's like to live in a third world country that does not frown against abuse, child brides, incest, and rape. The last book I read that made me feel this dirty after reading it was Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, a brilliantly dark thriller that doesn't hold back on showing us what was going on in the 1960's behind closed doors.

Some books don't scare you because of the monsters and gore you laugh at while reading. Everyone knows that Vampires don't exist. Zombies aren't going to force us to barricade ourselves in our farmhouses anytime soon. The only place evil truly exists is in mankind, and Chantal forces herself to explore those dark crevices as she weaves her way through the craziness that is our reality. I am sure she felt it as she was writing this story; I don't know any writer who enjoys exploring the pain of losing a loved one or watching helplessly as something bad happens to that loved one.

As dark as this story gets, Chantal finds a way to put a leash on her reader. Her voice is strong, confident,  and yet strangely beautiful. This girl is a writer; powerful and full of emotion, and if this is the kind of horror that girls are able to produce... well, damn... I'd be perfectly fine being told I write "like a girl".

What are you waiting for? Go support Chantal and buy this book!

-Cory Cline