I didn’t want to be this man. I never wanted to be like my father.I just wanted to be loved by him. Accepted. That’s how this happened, that’s how I became this person. Too many years of listening, too many years craving his approval. His words burned into my mind.And now I crave things the world says I shouldn’t.I open doors that should remain closed. I cross lines meant to be straight and … meant to be straight and narrow. But they’ll understand, they’ll see just like I did.
This is the right way of things. The way it’s meant to be.
And whether I have his name or not, at least I’ve finally become the perfect son.
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This book will make you want to gouge your eyes out. It’ll make you want to vomit. It’s vile, sick, twisted, what did I just read kind of book but, yet you can’t stop reading. I absolutely loved it.
WOW I wasn’t sure what to expect and oh boy did I get an extreme taboo story that is utterly raw and devastating and will gut you , there is no happy here at all and no sign of it even coming so do not look for any. Bryden is warped beyond any repair and in his mind he is a loving father who provides all and the utmost love any father can give his family it is special but all so painful. I thought he was a monster in all his control and poor Wesley and Ella oh god my heart it was painful you just wanted to do anything to help them, the emotions in this story will break you it was so descriptive it was like you could see it happening and cant do anything but this is the real life of this family isolated and alone and what is right and wrong their minds are so warped its hard to decifer which one it is. I really liked it so much I couldn’t put it down, just prepare for the worst cause your going to get everything in this one.
You will have to read Inferno by Yolanda Olson to fully appreciate this Inferno World novella. What a compelling taboo horror train wreck of a read! It is dark & disturbing, a freaky AF read, a perfect addition to this world. Bryden wants to protect his family, love them all, but the destruction he wreaks is phenomenal. Ms Bene does a fantastic job of maintaining the tension, fear, and despair through this story, giving glimmers of hope before ripping it away. This left me shattered, and in knots. Job well done, Ms Bene.
I received a copy of this book. My honest review is voluntarily provided.
OMG! This book was extremely dark! Bryden is trying to keep his family together by loving them all equally.
Jennifer’s characters are very quickly created and the reader feels their anguish and hopelessness.
And just WOW! I don’t have words.
6 crazy stars for Jennifer’s book!
Who knew that the Inferno series would turn into a whole world? More importantly, Why am I so drawn to this world? I am not sure if I need to up my therapy or if it speaks accolades about this particular author and her ability to take me to the dark side. She doesn’t even have to offer me cookies.
After reading this book, I am trying to get my emotions in check. Even having read Inferno I was not fully prepared for this. Even with the disclaimer and warning, it still was gut-wrenching to read. This truly is horror at its finest. There is no passing Go and collecting $200 dollars.
Yet, that is part of the lure of this author. Knowing, I shouldn’t take pleasure in this book but somehow knowing that I do. Again, not because of the horrifying story itself but in the appreciation of the skill that this author has at crafting something that still compels me to not be able to look away while simultaneously wanting to take a scalding shower and throw up at the same time. That takes skill.
I implore people to read the warnings about this book and to not take them lightly. This is NOT a romance in any shape or form. Even if this book is disturbing (which it totally is) I implore people to see the stylistic choices that made this a fantastic read. This author took this world and proved that there is nothing that she cannot write.
Great stuff!
This is a novella in the Inferno world which was created by Yolanda Olson.
Jennifer Bene does an amazing job of staying true to this world. It has the same vibe and that eerie feeling you get while reading. There is such tension in the book. Everyone expert Beyden is walking around on eggshells.
Jennifer Bene did Inferno and then upped it. It was intense, horrific, really taboo and heartbreaking and also extremely well written. It is one of those book that will stay with you for a while.
And do head the warning. This book is not for everyone.
Bryden has his family, Marian (his wife), who gave him two children, Ella and Wesley. He loves his family maybe a little to much. Definitely not your traditional family. Strict is not the word. Not allowed to leave the property and see other people in the outside. You just have to read for yourself. Indescribable! Definitely not a read for everyone. I actually felt emotions especially for the children. This book was quite a ride.
Please know what you are getting into before you pick this one up. There is no happy here. The best way to describe it is taboo smothered in pain and horror. It’s nightmare inducing! Parts of it twisted my stomach in knots and I wondered if I’d actually be able to finish it. I would put it down, not be able to quit thinking about it, and then I would soon find myself lost in the pages again. The writing is captivating and I could easily slip into the nightmare the characters were living. It was believable and the pain oozed from the pages. My mind will never be the same after this one, and I might need to keep a light on for a while, but there is a tiny part of my soul that loved every second and kept giggling in a maniacal high pitched way. I’m not sure what that says about me, but this will forever remain on my guilty pleasure list.
I just put this book down and now I’m sitting here trying to find the right words to describe how I feel.
Let’s see, my stomach is in knots, (it’s dinner time but I couldn’t eat a bite!) my heart is pounding as if I had run a marathon, I have goose bumps all over, and I’m asking myself why am I doing this to myself? I read the warnings, I knew Ms Bene does dark like nobody else. What I was not expecting is a story that seems to have just exploded out of someone with personal experience of everything happening to everyone in this.. , I even hesitate to call it a “story”!
The perpetuation of a skewed understanding of “love” from one generation to the next, the inevitable damage to the participants, makes you wish for the dynamic to end, and soon. But you just can’t stop reading until the bitter end.
But the most frightening thought is, in one form or other this scenario is happening in the real world. That makes me so very angry I could go hunting for the Brydens of this world!
If you aren’t familiar with the Inferno world, don’t read this book until you have read the original books. You really need to have read them so that you know the background for this book. Also, there isn’t light and happiness in this book, so don’t go into it looking for any.
Burned is intense from beginning to end. It’s also disturbing and uncomfortable a lot of the time. But it’s also really good and hard to put down. Bryden and his family get in your head and don’t want to leave. You might have to have an exorcism in order to make them leave, and even then, you might not have all that much luck.
Bryden really loves his family. I mean, loving your family is good, but I’d be perfectly happy to not have Bryden in my family at all.
Really this story is just compelling. Twisted af, but compelling.
This is a love story for the seriously disturbed. Not sure what that says about me as I was glued to my Kindle from start to finish. It’s dark, it’s brutal, it’s extreme taboo on more levels than I can describe,BUT it’s wonderfully written in a way that you are choked on the emotions it elicits, leaving you with the need to scrub yourself raw to remove the darkness that oozed from the pages. I have been burned by the inferno and dragged myself out the other side singed and not knowing if I can even put the pieces of my broken psyche back together. Five+ read at your own risk stars.
When I hear about a dark story, I know I need to read it, especially if it’s part of the Inferno world! Bryden has grown up lonely and living with a constant need to be the ultimate son. He is so determined not to let his family feel that way, ever, so he does what he must in order to ensure that they all feel loved equally. The problem is that life isn’t always so neat and tidy, and quite often, Bryden must dig deep into his well of morality to accomplish this. I read this gut-wrenching book with lots of heartache and pain, but I never doubted Bryden’s love. What a heavy, dark read! And yet so amazingly written!
Dark deviant love?!?!?
Wow this is one sick twisted read – but once you start you will keep on reading as it drags you kicking and screaming to the very last word!
Brilliantly written characters in a superbly crafted tale – but please to heed the warnings at the beginning of the book because this is a devastating story.
Omg what a dark twisted read that will have you whaling to help and walk through this read that will twist you all up. This is a well written book that will have you all twisted up and glued to every word that you read.
I have read Inferno and Cinere by Yolanda Olson.
So I knew exactly what I was getting with the novellas that are revolving around this world.
My thoughts were that these people were a product of their environment.
They were isolated from the real world so they knew nothing but what they lived and were told.
Burned differs in that Bryden lived in the outside world for a bit.
But he willing chose to “love” his family the way he did.
The rejection of his father was the driving force behind his actions.
But I felt no sympathy or empathy for him and I hope he burns in Hell.
My heart bleed and was destroyed for Ella and Wesley.
I hope they find their peace.
Ms. Bene wrote an extremely intense raw story.
It’s emotional and devastating beyond anything else I have ever read.
The story and characters are forever ingrained in my mind and heart.
The sign of an incredible author is this book.
When a writer takes a subject of extreme taboo,extreme darkness and the reader can’t put it down. Well then the author went above and beyond in the writing to have you so gripped to the point of your heart is breaking and your tears flowing but you still can’t stop reading.
Ms. Bene did exactly that.
**please take the authors warning very seriously.
Knowing what you know when starting this book and giving it a low rating because of the subject matter isn’t fair to the author or her writing abilities.**