What Reviewers Are Saying!
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
The Stitches on the Stone: Lauradelle’s Redemption by Christopher J. Finn is an urban paranormal horror novel that revolves around the titular town and impacts those who live there in terrifying ways. The book is narrated from the point of view of several different characters who are interconnected in how they experience and witness the unthinkable events overtaking the people and the landscape. Ladies whose upper bodies twist in a 180-degree turn. A super creepy smiling stone. Young boys with dead flesh and maggots and bleeding inky blood. And that’s not even what’s happening on the streets or with women in knitted white sweaters. When push quite literally comes to shove, it’s left up to a group of youths to figure out what exactly is happening and save what’s left of their home town and themselves in the process.
June 2022 will forever be the time when I learned the phrase, “Damsel in a sundress.” What a book! I adore horror but find most of the contemporary literature more cringey than scary and a lot less fun to finish. The Stitches on the Stone: Lauradelle’s Redemption by Christopher J. Finn ticks all the boxes of good paranormal fiction. Is it well written? Yes. Is it entertaining from start to finish? Yes. Do the characters feel like people you know when we finish? Absolutely. In fact, the characters are so well developed that I started to connect to them in the way that I might a niece or a nephew. The gore is balanced with intelligent humor and just plain good storytelling. This leads to the most important question: should you read it? 100% yes.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
The Stitches on the Stone: Lauradelle’s Redemption is a work of fiction in the horror and thriller subgenres. It is suitable for the general adult reading audience and was penned by author Christopher J. Finn. The book follows three people who discover a stone in a river that they soon discover to be the center of a supernatural web that reaches into every aspect of their town’s life. As the three begin to find themselves mentally pushed to the limit by the unusual events in town and the even more unusual metamorphosis they seem to be undergoing, they must find the truth behind their hometown and the mysterious river stone.
The sense of unease was palpable in this novel from the very first page, with the establishing of Lauradelle and its denizens striking a perfect balance between the illusion of normality and the subtle suggestion of something darker just beneath the surface. This ability to balance two tones in a way that keeps the reader off-balance is a gift that author Christopher J. Finn utilizes frequently throughout the book as the constant sense of unreality heightens the growing sense of dread and eventually terror. The characterization of Benji, Janis, and Edward is excellent and as the events of the narrative cause their personalities to warp, the author constantly keeps us guessing how much of the change is supernatural and how much is the character’s truth revealing itself. Overall, The Stitches on the Stone is a superb dive into eerie and slowly developing madness that showcases some of the best horror writing I’ve seen in a while.
“There is action, magic, mysterious worlds, and also a deep examination of trauma in life and how this has a ripple effect. If you enjoy interesting tales that span decades all in one story you will love this book. “ The Nerdy Girl Express
” The story was gripping, shaping an atmosphere that scared me even though I didn’t know why. It was fantastical, with an ending that shocked me to my very core. ” Right Writing Words
” The author unraveled a story that will stay with me and leaves me questioning what is real and what do we perceive to be metaphysical.”
Marta Cox’s Reviews-Goodreads/Netgalley
” Even though it wasn’t full of high-octane action, the suspense was Grade A, and I often found myself grabbing my tablet so hard that my fingers hurt.”
Trina-Online Book Club.Org
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