I have to admit that I’m not very familiar with
Kristin Dearborn’s work, but after reading her latest effort, Stolen Away, I’m
going to be taking more notice in the future.
The story’s familiar, especially if you’ve read Ira
Levin’s book or seen the movie Rosemary’s Baby. That said, this isn't just a simple re-hash of the same old territory. Where Stolen Away differs is in how it blends the subtle creepiness of the old with the
directness of modern horror. And while there are many out there who’ve
attempted this and failed, Kristin Dearborn succeeds at the task admirably.
We’re introduced to Trisha, a former drug addict who
is trying to get her life back on track for the sake of her two kids. When her
infant boy is taken by a “monster” one night, she finds herself in a desperate
race to save him from Hell itself. She brings her ex, Joel, along for the ride,
after convincing him that she’s not crazy. Unfortunately, this also catches the
attention of the men who’ve been after Joel to collect a debt they feel he owes
them, adding to the danger.
Where this story really shines is in the character
of Trisha herself. She is obviously a broken person when we meet her, despite
her best intentions, and while she is in a better place by the end of the tale,
the transition is not a fast one. It’s gradual, born from desperation and
necessity, making it feel extremely natural and even subtle at times. I found
myself smiling as she reached each milestone of her development, and mentally
cheered her on as she worked toward the next. More telling, I think, is that
while Trisha seems like the type of character to elicit pity or sadness,
Dearborn has written her in such a way as to avoid those traps, leaving her a
strong female lead in a genre that definitely needs more of them.
The supernatural element here is also played
brilliantly, adding a creep factor that keeps you sucked in to see what happens
next. From Trisha and Joel’s attempts to learn enough occultism to combat their
foe, to the brutal scenes of possession and exorcism presented, it all felt
firmly rooted in both reality and fantasy, a balance that is needed for the
subject matter and is sometimes hard to find.
I had a harder time feeling that terror when the
main villain, DEMON, was on stage, though. Rather than coming off as a powerful
demonic force, he came across more as the jerk frat boy who stayed out of
trouble because of his parent’s money and connections. Maybe this was the image
he was trying to present to better lure his prey, but for me it fell a little
flat. Still, his manipulations and the way he acted while getting into Trisha’s
head made him a worthy opponent, at least when things left the real world for
the supernatural one.
There were also a couple of spots near the end where
it got a little jumbled, but not enough that I was pulled out of the story or
felt it detracted too greatly. Overall, I would say this was a solid effort by
Kristin Dearborn, and one that should put her on any horror fan’s radar for a
long time to come.
4/5 Stars
Synopsis
for Stolen Away
- Publication Date: June 24, 2016
- Publisher: Raw Dog Screaming Press
- Publication Length: 220 pages
Trisha will admit she's made a few
mistakes in her life but that checkered past is behind her. She loves her kids,
even if it's tough being a single mom. But her loyalties are put to the test
when her infant son disappears in the middle of the night, and his big sister
says a monster took him.
Now Trisha has to face the full
truth behind the one-night-stand that produced Brayden in all its scaly
torridness – Brayden's father wasn't human and isn't interested in sharing
custody. However, even though DEMON has pulled this stunt many times before, he
made a mistake when he chose Trisha. The one thing she won't do is give up her
son without a fight. Along with her ex-boyfriend, Joel, Trisha is dragged back
into the seedy underworld in a desperate fight to reclaim her son, only this
time she's got a lot more to lose.
About the Cover
The cover
was created by Italian artist Daniele Serra. He is a winner of the British Fantasy
Award and has worked with companies such as DC Comics, Image Comics, Cemetery Dance, Weird Tales Magazine and PS Publishing. Recently his work
was featured as interior art in a scene of Stephen King’s The Cell, with Samuel
Jackson looking it over. Visit his web site to see more of his art: http://www.multigrade.it
Biography
If it screams, squelches, or
bleeds, Kristin Dearborn has probably written about it. Kristin has written
books such as Sacrifice Island
(DarkFuse), Trinity (DarkFuse), and
had fiction published in several magazines and anthologies. Stolen Away was recently a limited
edition offered from Thunderstorm Books, which sold out.
She revels in comments like, “But
you look so normal…how do you come up with that stuff?” A life-long New
Englander, she aspires to the footsteps of the local masters, Messrs. King and
Lovecraft. When not writing or rotting her brain with cheesy horror flicks
(preferably creature features!) she can be found scaling rock cliffs or zipping
around Vermont on a motorcycle, or gallivanting around the globe. Kristin’s
latest DarkFuse release is Woman in White.
Find more about Kristin online at kristindearborn.com or Facebook.
Praise for Kristin Dearbon
“In Stolen
Away, Kristin Dearborn writes with a confidence and ferocity that demands you
keep turning pages. Where lesser writers would flinch and look away, Dearborn
tells the tale the way it should be, with cruelty and fascination for both her
characters and the story. Kristin Dearborn isn’t just a writer to watch, she’s
a writer to watch out for. If she’s swinging, you might want to duck, because
she hits hard!—Bracken MacLeod, author of
Mountain and Stranded
“Kristin
Dearborn’s fast-paced horror thriller, Stolen Away, will possess readers as
they strap in for a demonic thrill ride of sin and redemption.”—Stephanie M. Wytovich, author of An Exorcism
of Angels
“Gripping
nonstop suspense and unsettling horror that blazes the pages from start to
finish. You’ll swear Stolen Away was written by a seasoned veteran of
best-selling novels. Expect to want more after reading the second novel by
Kristin Dearborn, an author whose work will shoot her straight to the top of
reading lists.”—Rena Mason, Bram Stoker
Award-winning author of The Evolutionist
“Kristin
Dearborn catapults readers into an intricately layered world that is bleak and
terrifying but never so damned as to be without hope or redemption. If
the devil, so to speak, is in the details, then this book raises hell,
exploring not just demons internal as well as external, but also all the
beautiful, heart-wrenching, contradictorily complex, powerful little things
that define human experience. This book earns a prominent place of the
bookshelf of any fan of demonic fiction.” —Mary SanGiovanni, author of The Hollower trilogy and Chills
“Horror born straight from a nor’easter, Dearborn’s Woman in White is a great read for a winter night—with a monster
I’ll never forget.” —Christopher Irvin, author of Federales and Burn Cards
“Kristin Dearborn’s Woman in White is a rip-roaring monster
tale with sharp-eyed characterization and something to say about the power
dynamics between men and woman. Thought-provoking and entertaining as hell!” —Tim
Waggoner, author of Eat the Night
“Great stuff! Suspenseful, quickly
paced, unpredictable and wonderfully evil tale. Kristin Dearborn’s best yet!” —Jeff
Strand, author of Pressure
“Dearborn has a wonderful sense of
the macabre, along with the ability to balance the spookier aspects of her work
with well-rendered, solid characterizations…Sacrifice
Island is a blazing fast read, with engaging characters and a compelling
narrative.” —The Maine Edge
“Sacrifice Island is a fresh and interesting take on a tried and
true horror setup.” —Examiner
Purchase Links
Find out more about RAW DOG SCREAMING PRESS
Want to Feature Kristin Dearborn?
If you would like a copy of the book for review or
to conduct an interview with Kristin Dearborn, please contact Erin Al-Mehairi,
Publicist, at Hook of a Book Media: hookofabook@hotmail.com.
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