Afraid by Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath)

Afraid by Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath)

Series: Afraid #1

Year Published: 2008

My Rating: 5 stars

384 pages

I read this book back to back with this author's other book Trapped.. Now I know I need a break! Either I will become mentally instable or turn in to a serial killer!
I meant that as a compliment. I LOVED this book!

Safe Haven was a safe haven for it's 907 residents. Unfortunately for them a helicopter crashes in the woods who has 5 members of a Red-Ops team.. who are a team created my the military to be dropped behind enemy lines.. their main objective is to Isolate, Terrorize and Annihilate. They are Hannibal Lector incarnate with Rambo training! OUCH!

Now these 5 Red-Ops are roaming the town doing exactly what they do best. With a lot of violence and gore!

It's up to an aging sheriff, a single mom and a firefighter to try to make sense of it all and to save their town or actually what's left of it.
When phones and cell networks begin failing, in addition to the power failure in the whole town and the road block that blocks them from leaving town, they start wondering.. what if these monsters didn't come here by accident. Maybe there is a reason behind that. Is it possible to save this town?! Or at least save themselves..
With a few twists and turns and some surprises that are just perfect.. The story flows..

It was an amazingly fast read, it was so hard to put the book down, I really wanted to know what happens and why these people were even there.. If you could even call them people!

This author has been pushed to the top of my favorite author list. Wonderful story flow and wonderful writing!! I love his style :)

Recommended for those who like horror with gory violent scenes :) I usually don't like horror movies but horror novels are ok!

Trapped by Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath)

Trapped by Jack Kilborn (J.A. Konrath)



Series: Afraid #2

Year Published: 2010


My Rating: 5 stars


322 pages

I bought this book from Amazon when it was on offer for $.99 for the kindle edition a while back. 

First of all I would like to say that their are 2 versions of this book and they are both included in this ebook version. 

One is the edited/published edition and the other is the original/uncut version. 

The differences between them are very important in my opinion, because what was left out in the original is what I was objecting on in the edited version. 

The uncut was more original and believable. I loved it to pieces. 

I just wish that the author will not listen to his editors and go on and publish his books as he writes them, because the original was amazing!!! 

The story.. 

Six wayward teenagers and their court-appointed guardians Martin and Sara Randhurst went on a camping trip to an isolated island. Then when they were all around the campfire, Martin decided to tell a campfire story.. a SCARY one. A story that ends with Martin being dragged into the woods.. It was okay until Martin was dragged into the woods and didn't come back. Then Sara thought to go look after him with one of the kids.. When they didn't come back it started to get serious. 

You will find that there are definitely things worse than death. When torture and pain is so horrific that they wish that life would just simply end so that the pain will just stop. 

A mixture of cannibals, a crazy doctor and some evil subjects make a great mix in this story.. 

Full of surprises and flashbacks into each characters background to give you a feel for all the characters and to make you understand what they are doing and why. 

This is the most disturbing book I have ever read. It really made me queasy.. It was that believable!! 

SPOILERS: 

PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU DID NOT READ THE BOOK 

What was bothering me most about the edited version was that Martin and Sara had a infant baby with them on the trip. And it was really distracting because I kept thinking how come the baby is always sleeping and doesn't need to feed or be changed?! And when he does wake up he is all cheerful and happy?! All this while his mom is running around the woods with cannibals and phycos trying to kill them. 

The next point that bothered me was the ending with Lester trying to catch them on the small boat. That was so cliche' that it bothered me.. 

The uncut version was just perfect.. If I didn't read it I would have given the edited edition a 4 out of 5 stars just because of baby Jack. And I was feeling guilty of that rating because everything about the book was perfect, the details, the backstory, the writing, the style.. except for baby Jack! 

I'm so happy that the original the writer wrote was perfect!! 

I also enjoyed the backstory of Sara and the reason for her phobia of the dark, it was more believable. 

Also having the chinese trying to get ahold of the serum that the doctor is enhancing is a much better idea that the military trying to do it. 

So in the end I would highly recommend the uncut original version. The story just makes more sense. I'm not saying the edited version is no good.. they are both good, actually more that good they are great.. it's just the points I was referring to that were bothering me.