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Drawn
A mysterious little boy has begun appearing in the paintings of a New York City artist who can’t remember ever actually seeing him. A partially blind, disfigured agoraphobic who suffers crippling panic attacks if he even tries to leave his apartment is forced out by an unseen entity. A lonely widower begins to suffer terrifying nightmares that his long-missing, presumed-dead son is still alive and in mortal danger. A young runaway realizes that a man he thought was his traveling companion is actually his captor...and a predator.
The lives of four very different people, driven by different but very powerful forces, crash together as they fight to solve their individual mysteries, to defeat a brutal enemy, and to save the life of an innocent boy.
The lives of four very different people, driven by different but very powerful forces, crash together as they fight to solve their individual mysteries, to defeat a brutal enemy, and to save the life of an innocent boy.
Audiobook
First published October 25, 2012
100 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
James Hankins
7 books258 followersUSA Today bestselling author James Hankins's newest novel of suspense, A BLOOD THING, came out on June 5, 2018. Each of his previous thrillers (including THE PRETTIEST ONE, SHADY CROSS, BROTHERS AND BONES, and more) spent time in the Kindle Top 100 and became Amazon #1 bestsellers, while THE PRETTIEST ONE reached #1 across all categories in the Kindle Store. SHADY CROSS received a coveted starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews gave BROTHERS a starred review and named it to their list of Best Books of 2013. (PLEASE NOTE that there are others who publish under the name James Hankins, so please see James's website for a complete list of his books.)
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August 27, 2016This isn't a review or rating of the book, but I wrote DRAWN and thought it might be interesting to talk about how I came up with the premise for it. The first kernel of an idea came when I was looking at old family photographs in an album. It was a picture from one of our family vacations. We were at an amusement park. I was probably 8 years old. Though I'd seen the picture many times before, I noticed for the first time a man in the background, seemingly looking at our camera -- someone not with us -- and I imagined how chilling it would be if I saw the same man in a picture in the background of a different picture, from a different vacation the following summer, and again, he was staring right at the camera. And what if I turned a few more pages and saw that same guy, again staring right at me, from another place and time. What if this same guy was there all that time, in the backgrounds of all those photos and more, looking right at the camera, and we never noticed him?
Thinking about a possible story for me, I changed photographs to paintings, then I changed the man to a boy because, well, kids can be creepy. Remember "Children of the Corn?" Anyway, I added other characters and a lot more story, but that's how DRAWN began.
Thinking about a possible story for me, I changed photographs to paintings, then I changed the man to a boy because, well, kids can be creepy. Remember "Children of the Corn?" Anyway, I added other characters and a lot more story, but that's how DRAWN began.
June 8, 2017
DRAWN, another winner by Hankins!
A suspenseful thriller, connecting four strangers—driven by different, mysterious forces crossing over to the supernatural/paranormal.
An artist, an agoraphobic, a widower, and a runaway must face the unknown, to solve their own mysteries and save the life of an innocent boy. They share a single shared destiny, while a life hangs in the balance.
Alice, a New York artist, unhappily married – finds solace and comfort in her painting. However, she has been seeing a mysterious little boy and she is drawn to him and feels he needs her to protect him.
Boone is partially blind, a disfigured agoraphobic who has severe panic attacks and never leaves his house; however, now a force is urging him to get out now.
Nathan, is a widower, who has nightmares about his son Jeremy, who served in Afghanistan; however, his body has never been found and he is driven to find him.
Miguel is an eleven-year- old boy, a runaway, suffering from abuse and trying to survive on the streets and meets two wackos, leading him down a wrongful and dangerous path – he desperately tries to escape when he realizes things are not as they appear.
DRAWN definitely draws you into this riveting and suspenseful (INTENSE) saga. I listened to the audiobook and it captured me at “hello”; mysterious, intriguing, and eerie. Some scenes had me holding my breath, especially the scenes with Miguel and Boone. You could feel the panic, the terror, and the raw emotion (award-winning).
I also enjoyed the multi-voices, narrated by Gabrielle De Cuir, Paul Boehmer, Christian Rummel, Vikas Adam, Stefan Rudnicki; very fitting for the respective characters to add the level of intensity and mystery, for an engaging performance.
As Alice follows the force pulling her to follow the little boy, Boone is forced out of his apartment, meeting Alice, a kind and soothing presence. Miguel is on the run from a predator (two of them) with a bag of money, and Nathan is driven by a force he thinks may be his son. When these troubled souls collide-priceless as each is a kindred spirit and fate intersects.
I typically am not wild about paranormal or supernatural; however, I enjoy James Hankins' books and decided to try DRAWN. I was not disappointed and was pulled in from the beginning, gripping me until the end. (good versus evil) .
After reading Brothers and Bones, Drawn, Jack of Spades and the upcoming Shady Cross, coming Feb, 2015—ALL TOP SHELF.
Hankins crosses many genres; each book is unique and different. Highly recommend them all--an author to follow. As always, enjoy how James informs his readers the inspiration behind the book; adding a personal touch and quite fascinating.
DRAWN was nicely done, very mysterious and intriguing; keeping the suspense high, heart-pounding, page-turner, with exceptional character development, connecting all the players for an explosive and satisfying ending. What a wild imagination!
JDCMustReadBooks
A suspenseful thriller, connecting four strangers—driven by different, mysterious forces crossing over to the supernatural/paranormal.
An artist, an agoraphobic, a widower, and a runaway must face the unknown, to solve their own mysteries and save the life of an innocent boy. They share a single shared destiny, while a life hangs in the balance.
Alice, a New York artist, unhappily married – finds solace and comfort in her painting. However, she has been seeing a mysterious little boy and she is drawn to him and feels he needs her to protect him.
Boone is partially blind, a disfigured agoraphobic who has severe panic attacks and never leaves his house; however, now a force is urging him to get out now.
Nathan, is a widower, who has nightmares about his son Jeremy, who served in Afghanistan; however, his body has never been found and he is driven to find him.
Miguel is an eleven-year- old boy, a runaway, suffering from abuse and trying to survive on the streets and meets two wackos, leading him down a wrongful and dangerous path – he desperately tries to escape when he realizes things are not as they appear.
DRAWN definitely draws you into this riveting and suspenseful (INTENSE) saga. I listened to the audiobook and it captured me at “hello”; mysterious, intriguing, and eerie. Some scenes had me holding my breath, especially the scenes with Miguel and Boone. You could feel the panic, the terror, and the raw emotion (award-winning).
I also enjoyed the multi-voices, narrated by Gabrielle De Cuir, Paul Boehmer, Christian Rummel, Vikas Adam, Stefan Rudnicki; very fitting for the respective characters to add the level of intensity and mystery, for an engaging performance.
As Alice follows the force pulling her to follow the little boy, Boone is forced out of his apartment, meeting Alice, a kind and soothing presence. Miguel is on the run from a predator (two of them) with a bag of money, and Nathan is driven by a force he thinks may be his son. When these troubled souls collide-priceless as each is a kindred spirit and fate intersects.
I typically am not wild about paranormal or supernatural; however, I enjoy James Hankins' books and decided to try DRAWN. I was not disappointed and was pulled in from the beginning, gripping me until the end. (good versus evil) .
After reading Brothers and Bones, Drawn, Jack of Spades and the upcoming Shady Cross, coming Feb, 2015—ALL TOP SHELF.
Hankins crosses many genres; each book is unique and different. Highly recommend them all--an author to follow. As always, enjoy how James informs his readers the inspiration behind the book; adding a personal touch and quite fascinating.
DRAWN was nicely done, very mysterious and intriguing; keeping the suspense high, heart-pounding, page-turner, with exceptional character development, connecting all the players for an explosive and satisfying ending. What a wild imagination!
JDCMustReadBooks
October 27, 2018
First of all. James Hankins is really a talented author. He can write on so many different topics and be totally believable and give so much depth to his characters, and completely different and fitting voices to every one of them. This is one of his works that I loved most, the topic was interesting, a bit of supernatural but put on real - oh so real! - everyday life. Exactly what I like. The rough reality add to the credibility of the supernatural part.
There are four different people here, going on with their mostly shitty lives, not knowing each other, all four being haunted by some inexplicable presence. I won't talk about them since I think the blurb is alredy saying too much, just that in the end (obviously) they will somehow come together, and everything about the plot will come together really nice.
What I loved more is how those four people has their different lives, story, personality, problems, we could never for a moment be in doubt about who's doing what, they are four different voices with nothing in common and we can feel it in their every word and thought. I expecially loved Boone, the scarred man with agoraphobia, how is it possible to describe so well how he feels and the battle with his hillness?
The only complaint, if I have to make one, is that in the end everything is explained a little too much. Strange thing to say, because usually I love neat endings where everything comes together a bit too perfectly (and in this case there is even an explanation to why it happened) but I had that feeling reading the epilogue, that a little less explanation in that case could be better. The book was magic, the epilogue was too much "rational explanation".. like putting on paper what should already be on the reader's mind if he paid attention. But this is just a minor issue, I loved the book and I will be recommending it to anywhone who can bear a little of supernatural in his mystery reads.
There are four different people here, going on with their mostly shitty lives, not knowing each other, all four being haunted by some inexplicable presence. I won't talk about them since I think the blurb is alredy saying too much, just that in the end (obviously) they will somehow come together, and everything about the plot will come together really nice.
What I loved more is how those four people has their different lives, story, personality, problems, we could never for a moment be in doubt about who's doing what, they are four different voices with nothing in common and we can feel it in their every word and thought. I expecially loved Boone, the scarred man with agoraphobia, how is it possible to describe so well how he feels and the battle with his hillness?
The only complaint, if I have to make one, is that in the end everything is explained a little too much. Strange thing to say, because usually I love neat endings where everything comes together a bit too perfectly (and in this case there is even an explanation to why it happened) but I had that feeling reading the epilogue, that a little less explanation in that case could be better. The book was magic, the epilogue was too much "rational explanation".. like putting on paper what should already be on the reader's mind if he paid attention. But this is just a minor issue, I loved the book and I will be recommending it to anywhone who can bear a little of supernatural in his mystery reads.
December 25, 2023
5 stars audio
5 stars story
5 stars story
June 19, 2013
I am so amazed at this writer! If I didn't know who the author was I'd be positive that I was reading Dean Koontz at his best! What a great future James Hankins has! Independent writers don't often get the recognition they deserve. It is up to us passionate readers to spread the word. I intend to do just that. Snatch up his novels and find out for yourself!
As all good readers know it is all about the experience of the story and how it makes you feel. I have been a prolific reader all my life. I'm a reading teacher in my professional life, and I love to pass along my passion for reading to students. When I find a writer of this caliber I can't help but pass along that passion to others. Consider that passion passed along. Enjoy the experience!
As all good readers know it is all about the experience of the story and how it makes you feel. I have been a prolific reader all my life. I'm a reading teacher in my professional life, and I love to pass along my passion for reading to students. When I find a writer of this caliber I can't help but pass along that passion to others. Consider that passion passed along. Enjoy the experience!
March 22, 2013
Terrifying story about a young boy in danger, and the three people that are pulled together to help save him from the monster. I can't stress how much I enjoyed this book and the frightening storyline within these pages. I was well into the story until I could piece together what was happening to these seemingly random people, what was pulling them together to fight against evil. Loved it! Brilliant.
Highly Recommended!
Highly Recommended!
February 28, 2014
The first James Hankins book I read was Brothers and Bones which I got for free and I thoroughly enjoyed, I believe I gave that book a rating of 4 stars. This James Hankins book was even better, I enjoyed it so much and I would give it 4 and three quarter stars. Yes I enjoyed it that much! I would definitely recommend that people give James Hankins work a try, I will definitely be reading more of his work in the future!
April 3, 2013
Another amazing book by James Hankins!
August 31, 2017
Enjoyable reading. The only reason I did not give it a 5 is that I felt the epilogue (final chapter) did not adequately summarize the tale.
September 9, 2017
I wasn't sure that I'd end up liking this book when I first started it but I'm so glad that I continued reading. James Hankins does a great job introducing each of the main characters as well as explaining their background. He also created a seamless character overlap between 4 seemingly unrelated people that was believable. The plot was imaginative and unique with a more positive spin on the supernatural elements than the usual sinister ones that accompany these types of books. I only wish I knew what happened to Jeremy! I definitely will be picking up another of James Hankins' works.
September 15, 2014
I will start by saying that this book is REALLY good for the cost! I recently discovered BookBub which gives you recommendations on books that are on sale. I have no idea of how much it originally cost but I got it for .99! There will be one MINOR spoiler later on in this review but I'll give you fair warning on when that is about to happen.
Things I LOVED:
* Pacing was good. Author took appropriate amount of time to let us meet the characters and develop a bond.
* Appropriate level of overlap - not too confusing
* Author allows the reader to realize things without directly telling us - respect.
* Length wasn't overwhelming
* Clearly, the price!
* Questions were answered
* No gratuitous sex or pointless violence
Things I didn't love:
* I think the ending wrapped up WAY too quickly. Several loose end were tied up in all of 3 pages which had taken many, many chapters to develop!
* The WAY the ending wrapped up could've been more creative. The reader is already invested in how it ends at this point, it isn't like we are going to stop reading because it is taking too long to get to the answers.
******SPOILER ALERT********SPOILER ALERT*********SPOILER ALERT*********
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I HATE that we didn't get to "meet" the plot driver. It seems like a huge opportunity was lost for us to get to the end and realize "Oh, it was........all along". I would've LOVED that full circle moment.
Things I LOVED:
* Pacing was good. Author took appropriate amount of time to let us meet the characters and develop a bond.
* Appropriate level of overlap - not too confusing
* Author allows the reader to realize things without directly telling us - respect.
* Length wasn't overwhelming
* Clearly, the price!
* Questions were answered
* No gratuitous sex or pointless violence
Things I didn't love:
* I think the ending wrapped up WAY too quickly. Several loose end were tied up in all of 3 pages which had taken many, many chapters to develop!
* The WAY the ending wrapped up could've been more creative. The reader is already invested in how it ends at this point, it isn't like we are going to stop reading because it is taking too long to get to the answers.
******SPOILER ALERT********SPOILER ALERT*********SPOILER ALERT*********
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P
O
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L
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R
A
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R
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I HATE that we didn't get to "meet" the plot driver. It seems like a huge opportunity was lost for us to get to the end and realize "Oh, it was........all along". I would've LOVED that full circle moment.
Read
June 11, 2016Love this author, I just can't get into this one....
May 19, 2023
"Drawn" by author, James Hankins is a thriller with a difference: there’s a pinch of horror and the supernatural thrown into the mix to add to the suspense. Alice is a New York City artist who finds that an image of a little boy keeps turning up in her paintings; Boone is a severe agoraphobic, desperately in need of other human beings, who is driven from his home by a paranormal force; Nathan, an elderly man who suffers from terrifying nightmares, is desperately searching for his son who disappeared many years ago; then there is 12-year-old Miguel, a street urchin with an abusive past. Seemingly, there is nothing to connect any of them, save that they are all damaged in some way, but each is being led – or forced – on a journey, destination unknown. Along the way their paths will be beset with obstacles, some life threatening. Will they get there? If they do, what will be waiting for them? Just what is the connection that has drawn these characters together on a search for the unknown?
Some readers will find it difficult to be drawn into this story. For quite a way into the tale, with nothing to indicate what’s really going on or what the connection is between the various characters, they might just get fed up and leave it. That would be their loss -- it is truly worth going on. "Drawn’s" characters are the story and when the pace picks up, it’s off to the races with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. The end is a little predictable but that does not retract from the gripping finale, as each of the characters collide. "Drawn" is suspenseful, intelligently written and wildly entertaining.
Some readers will find it difficult to be drawn into this story. For quite a way into the tale, with nothing to indicate what’s really going on or what the connection is between the various characters, they might just get fed up and leave it. That would be their loss -- it is truly worth going on. "Drawn’s" characters are the story and when the pace picks up, it’s off to the races with twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. The end is a little predictable but that does not retract from the gripping finale, as each of the characters collide. "Drawn" is suspenseful, intelligently written and wildly entertaining.
April 27, 2019
I found myself enjoying this story, and it's characters. I was 'Drawn' in from the first page!! Hankins has a wonderful writing style, and I really loved how he made this story come alive. Hankins has great flow, and it's captivating from the start.
You really want the bad guys to lose, because the one in this story is a horrible piece of skin, who doesn't deserve a single breath of life. James does a good job, of making this man a real monster. There is also some really great character development, mostly with the character Boone.
I liked the people written in this story, and the journey they each go through to save a young boy's life. They eventually cross paths, and the chemistry between them makes for a great story aswell. Who would of thought some paranormal phenomena would bring four strangers together!?
I am now a fan of James Hankins, and will be reading more of him in the near future! :)
As an aspiring writer myself, I found this novel helpful in my own journey in writing. James Hankins is incredible at the show vs. tell debate, and that is something I need to work on. He is truly as inspiration!! Thank you James Hankins.
You really want the bad guys to lose, because the one in this story is a horrible piece of skin, who doesn't deserve a single breath of life. James does a good job, of making this man a real monster. There is also some really great character development, mostly with the character Boone.
I liked the people written in this story, and the journey they each go through to save a young boy's life. They eventually cross paths, and the chemistry between them makes for a great story aswell. Who would of thought some paranormal phenomena would bring four strangers together!?
I am now a fan of James Hankins, and will be reading more of him in the near future! :)
As an aspiring writer myself, I found this novel helpful in my own journey in writing. James Hankins is incredible at the show vs. tell debate, and that is something I need to work on. He is truly as inspiration!! Thank you James Hankins.
March 13, 2024
This was a very gripping and interesting book with a very weak ending in my opinion
Plus *Spoiler allert*
The fact that the husband, who was portrayed as a workaholic drunk too busy for his wife's feelings and dreams, was killed off randomly only to portray the wife as someone who didn't give up on marriage... even though she was talking to herself out of loneliness, no longer loved him and had fallen for someone else ... was such a ridiculously weak decision that it look me out of the narrative. The book really took a nose dive for me after that
Plus *Spoiler allert*
The fact that the husband, who was portrayed as a workaholic drunk too busy for his wife's feelings and dreams, was killed off randomly only to portray the wife as someone who didn't give up on marriage... even though she was talking to herself out of loneliness, no longer loved him and had fallen for someone else ... was such a ridiculously weak decision that it look me out of the narrative. The book really took a nose dive for me after that
April 16, 2025
Amazing supernatural thriller!
Wow! This was a gripping tale from page one! James Hankins blended the story lines of the characters so wonderfully! I think this is his best work of his that I have read so far. It was spooky at times and always interesting and suspenseful. The end was masterfully crafted and pleasing to this reader, and I would imagine to anyone who chooses to read it. I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys reading!!
Wow! This was a gripping tale from page one! James Hankins blended the story lines of the characters so wonderfully! I think this is his best work of his that I have read so far. It was spooky at times and always interesting and suspenseful. The end was masterfully crafted and pleasing to this reader, and I would imagine to anyone who chooses to read it. I highly recommend this story to anyone who enjoys reading!!
July 14, 2021
Well, that's not what I was expecting. An unusual and interesting story of four people from completely different walks of life that all come together because of strange occurrences in their lives that can't be easily explained. It's all wrapped up in a bow at the end of the book, but still a very different story than I was expecting. Not bad, just different.
July 2, 2018
A page-turning (or in the case of my Nook a screen-touching) thriller beginning with four separate stories that meld into two and finally into one. An engaging summer read, though a bit gruesome in parts, that you won’t want to put down.
December 19, 2018
A new direction
This is a new direction for Hankins thrillers. I was afraid that he is following Stephen King style. However, it turned to be more humane and touching one. I loved it.
This is a new direction for Hankins thrillers. I was afraid that he is following Stephen King style. However, it turned to be more humane and touching one. I loved it.
June 15, 2022
James Hankins does it again!
I love this book! The author does an amazing job keeping you in suspense and not wanting to put the book down! This is the second book from this author that I have read and am looking forward to reading the others!
I love this book! The author does an amazing job keeping you in suspense and not wanting to put the book down! This is the second book from this author that I have read and am looking forward to reading the others!
March 27, 2018
Captivating!
A very suspenseful tale with a supernatural take that differentiates it from the typical psychological thriller. I really enjoyed this book!
A very suspenseful tale with a supernatural take that differentiates it from the typical psychological thriller. I really enjoyed this book!
June 20, 2020
Hankins is truly a talented writers and one of my favorite. He is so versatile in writing and subject matter and endless in his creativity. I really enjoyed this one.
July 20, 2020
Reminded me of vintage Stephen King. Would definitely recommend it.
October 6, 2020
I really liked this book It was an enjoyable read.
December 25, 2021
a little strange but not bad
June 6, 2016
Sinister, Scary, and Suspenseful
I started reading Drawn because it was part of a very large to-be-read pile on my e-reader. Knowing I had so many books to read, I went to the beginning of my list and decided to start reading in reverse order. The book downloaded the earliest was where I was going to start.
Well, I got a nice, if not super creepy surprise with this one.
What makes Drawn different is that it mixes up characters you truly (and heart-wrenchingly) feel sorry for with bad guys who are truly (and I mean truly) bad. You want to see the hurt, damaged guy win. You want to see the pained woman move on from her anguish. You want to see the father come to terms with what happened to his missing son. But the book also adds in a riveting paranormal angle that locks all the characters, and their stories, together. I’ll admit to some confusion at first as to why James Hankin (the author) gives us snippets into seemingly different characters with different goals. But through the paranormal, and a very deft writing hand, we eventually discover there’s a connection. Had the storytelling not been that good, I would have given up after the first four or five chapters. But I hung in there only to discover a real gem, and boy was I glad I did.
So here’s the deal: we have Alice who, for some reason, keeps sketching scenes with the same boy in them. It doesn’t matter what her canvas, the boy keeps reappearing and it’s someone she’s never met. Boone is a handsome guy disfigured from a horrible car accident and who is now almost completely blind, and whose apartment suddenly becomes haunted. Then there’s Nathan, an older man desperate to find his military son who disappeared years ago, and Miguel, a young boy met by misfortune that is a result of his abusive past and a life now spent on the streets.
I know. It sounds awfully heart-tugging, but that’s what makes this book so terrific. Hankin takes these very lonely, very damaged people, throws them into a paranormal pot, and cooks a tale that brings them together in a most unusual way. By the time you’re halfway through the novel and heading into the climax, the storylines are so interwoven – and so desperate and dark – you just can’t put the book down because you absolutely have to know what happens next. From there, you live through horror holding onto the hope that somehow the good guys will win. That somehow humanity will finally show its good side and save them all. That somehow good can trump evil – even with help from a dimension on The Other Side.
It’s a riveting treat that will steal your breath away and leave you speechless by the time you reach the end. Which, of course, I can’t tell you.
I started reading Drawn because it was part of a very large to-be-read pile on my e-reader. Knowing I had so many books to read, I went to the beginning of my list and decided to start reading in reverse order. The book downloaded the earliest was where I was going to start.
Well, I got a nice, if not super creepy surprise with this one.
What makes Drawn different is that it mixes up characters you truly (and heart-wrenchingly) feel sorry for with bad guys who are truly (and I mean truly) bad. You want to see the hurt, damaged guy win. You want to see the pained woman move on from her anguish. You want to see the father come to terms with what happened to his missing son. But the book also adds in a riveting paranormal angle that locks all the characters, and their stories, together. I’ll admit to some confusion at first as to why James Hankin (the author) gives us snippets into seemingly different characters with different goals. But through the paranormal, and a very deft writing hand, we eventually discover there’s a connection. Had the storytelling not been that good, I would have given up after the first four or five chapters. But I hung in there only to discover a real gem, and boy was I glad I did.
So here’s the deal: we have Alice who, for some reason, keeps sketching scenes with the same boy in them. It doesn’t matter what her canvas, the boy keeps reappearing and it’s someone she’s never met. Boone is a handsome guy disfigured from a horrible car accident and who is now almost completely blind, and whose apartment suddenly becomes haunted. Then there’s Nathan, an older man desperate to find his military son who disappeared years ago, and Miguel, a young boy met by misfortune that is a result of his abusive past and a life now spent on the streets.
I know. It sounds awfully heart-tugging, but that’s what makes this book so terrific. Hankin takes these very lonely, very damaged people, throws them into a paranormal pot, and cooks a tale that brings them together in a most unusual way. By the time you’re halfway through the novel and heading into the climax, the storylines are so interwoven – and so desperate and dark – you just can’t put the book down because you absolutely have to know what happens next. From there, you live through horror holding onto the hope that somehow the good guys will win. That somehow humanity will finally show its good side and save them all. That somehow good can trump evil – even with help from a dimension on The Other Side.
It’s a riveting treat that will steal your breath away and leave you speechless by the time you reach the end. Which, of course, I can’t tell you.
February 25, 2017
A boy shows up in paintings that the painter has not painted.A poltergeist wrecks a blind mans apartment just to get him out.An old man is dreaming of his long lost son,and the dreams are real.Where do they meet and what are they to do?This was a great book!I loved the suspense and the character development.Spooky times!There were So many narrators and I enjoyed each one.
November 24, 2013
This book is boring and it has a whole ton of issues.
The first of which is that the author couldn't decide which genre to write for. He wants a whodunit and a supernatural horror. The problem is that he doesn't do either well at all. This book isn't scary and it's fairly easy, once you get to the kids POV, how to see the way this turns out. That's generally okay in horror. That's how it works. Horror is best when it unravels the characters worlds. Take, for instance, The Shining. We know how that'll go. The fun is the unraveling.
Whodunits don't work that way. Maybe he was gunning for a whodunit but the book came out.
So, besides the genre issue, the next huge problem is that pacing and the ... well, boring parts. The first half of this book should've been cut. Seriously. Save for the kid, the other three did nothing. Went nowhere. It was mostly just whiny thoughts. The 'scary' bits that propelled them to leave were silly (save, perhaps, for the father.) A woman is drawing a boy she doesn't remember drawing so road trip! (I guess...) The mostly blind dude has his pictures crooked. Someone call for an exorcist!
He totally managed to make even the remotely scary into a snore fest. Take the blind dude, for example. He's blind. He has to have other people tell him about the scary things around him. Really? REALLY? Let's not do any showing. Showing is boring. Let's have other random (and completely insignificant) characters tell the MC whats happening ...
I mean, how do you do that? That really takes talent. It really does. He found the most boring way he possibly could to have a 'scary horror moment'. I didn't think that was possible. LOL Or maybe I just didn't want to think it was possible. That's going on my list of 'I can't believe this survived the first rough draft.'
/sigh
In other words, this book is like a NaNoWriMo reject. The first half of the content is wasted space. The other half picks up a tiny bit but it's still very boring. The incredibly heavy 'hints' and the sheer lack of any actual scary moment made this a burden to get through.
The first of which is that the author couldn't decide which genre to write for. He wants a whodunit and a supernatural horror. The problem is that he doesn't do either well at all. This book isn't scary and it's fairly easy, once you get to the kids POV, how to see the way this turns out. That's generally okay in horror. That's how it works. Horror is best when it unravels the characters worlds. Take, for instance, The Shining. We know how that'll go. The fun is the unraveling.
Whodunits don't work that way. Maybe he was gunning for a whodunit but the book came out.
So, besides the genre issue, the next huge problem is that pacing and the ... well, boring parts. The first half of this book should've been cut. Seriously. Save for the kid, the other three did nothing. Went nowhere. It was mostly just whiny thoughts. The 'scary' bits that propelled them to leave were silly (save, perhaps, for the father.) A woman is drawing a boy she doesn't remember drawing so road trip! (I guess...) The mostly blind dude has his pictures crooked. Someone call for an exorcist!
He totally managed to make even the remotely scary into a snore fest. Take the blind dude, for example. He's blind. He has to have other people tell him about the scary things around him. Really? REALLY? Let's not do any showing. Showing is boring. Let's have other random (and completely insignificant) characters tell the MC whats happening ...
I mean, how do you do that? That really takes talent. It really does. He found the most boring way he possibly could to have a 'scary horror moment'. I didn't think that was possible. LOL Or maybe I just didn't want to think it was possible. That's going on my list of 'I can't believe this survived the first rough draft.'
/sigh
In other words, this book is like a NaNoWriMo reject. The first half of the content is wasted space. The other half picks up a tiny bit but it's still very boring. The incredibly heavy 'hints' and the sheer lack of any actual scary moment made this a burden to get through.
October 30, 2013
James Hankins’s Drawn uses a combination of mystery and sympathy keep you turning its pages. Hankins’s novel Brothers and Bones used the same devices; however, Drawn, played with elements of horror and the supernatural. This is my kind of book. I’m a huge fan of horror writers like Stephen King and Joe Hill.
Another step up from Brothers and Bones is characterization. It blossomed in Drawn. This is hard, because getting a grip on good characterization while trying to tell it in four different perspectives can’t be easy – someone is going to get short changed. The book started out in the perspective of the artist, Alice. She kept seeing a boy in her work and ended up following the boy. For me, Alice was the weakest of the characters, and at one point in the story she did something that made me not like her at all. It felt uncharacteristic after leading me to believe a certain way about her. I didn’t have faith in her after that.
Miguel felt a little stereotyped, but it didn’t matter because he had my sympathy simply because he was a kid who needed saving. I wanted to save him throughout the story and Miguel was over half the reason I finished the book. He was the sympathy turning the pages.
Nathan, the elderly widower reminded me of a Winslow Homer painting completely finished, beautiful touches on him. He had a fantastic back-story.
Boone, the agoraphobic, became my favorite character. Other than Miguel, he made me finish the other half of the book. He wasn’t exactly fearless throughout danger, but the journey to becoming brave was heartwarming especially when everything stood in his way. Boone in a way reminded me of Bones from Brothers and Bones, so I could have been reminiscing a bit. Anyways, Boone started out afraid to leave his city block, and he is partially blind. All of these obstacles stood like a tower and Boone needed to fight a big bad wolf to save Miguel – talk about a house made of straw.
I won’t say whether this horror/thriller tale has a happy ending without spoiling it, but I will say there is a twist bringing these four together that is unexpected. James Hankins makes it worth your time.
Another step up from Brothers and Bones is characterization. It blossomed in Drawn. This is hard, because getting a grip on good characterization while trying to tell it in four different perspectives can’t be easy – someone is going to get short changed. The book started out in the perspective of the artist, Alice. She kept seeing a boy in her work and ended up following the boy. For me, Alice was the weakest of the characters, and at one point in the story she did something that made me not like her at all. It felt uncharacteristic after leading me to believe a certain way about her. I didn’t have faith in her after that.
Miguel felt a little stereotyped, but it didn’t matter because he had my sympathy simply because he was a kid who needed saving. I wanted to save him throughout the story and Miguel was over half the reason I finished the book. He was the sympathy turning the pages.
Nathan, the elderly widower reminded me of a Winslow Homer painting completely finished, beautiful touches on him. He had a fantastic back-story.
Boone, the agoraphobic, became my favorite character. Other than Miguel, he made me finish the other half of the book. He wasn’t exactly fearless throughout danger, but the journey to becoming brave was heartwarming especially when everything stood in his way. Boone in a way reminded me of Bones from Brothers and Bones, so I could have been reminiscing a bit. Anyways, Boone started out afraid to leave his city block, and he is partially blind. All of these obstacles stood like a tower and Boone needed to fight a big bad wolf to save Miguel – talk about a house made of straw.
I won’t say whether this horror/thriller tale has a happy ending without spoiling it, but I will say there is a twist bringing these four together that is unexpected. James Hankins makes it worth your time.
December 4, 2014
Alice is an unhappily married woman who finds solace in painting. Boone is agoraphobic after an auto accident leaves him scarred and almost blind, Miguel is an abused child and Nathan can't stop the dreams or the notion his son, Jeremy, has survived fighting in Afghanistan even though his body has not been found.
Alice suddenly starts drawing scenes in which a little boy appears that she doesn't remember seeing as she painted. Boone is driven, fearful and panicked, from his apartment after what could only be poltergeist activity. Miguel is a boy on the run from his family and Nathan's dreams intensify.
All continue with their lives, but Alice starts seeing the boy from the painting beckoning to her. She meets Boone at a highway rest stop on her travels to discover his secret. Miguel meets all of the characters over time and Nathan's dreams continue.
None of us knows what impact we have on other people's lives, but all four of these injured and tormented people are drawn together by a common thread. Each is redeemed by incidents of kindness in their past.
This is another fast-paced Hankins novel and worth the time.
Alice suddenly starts drawing scenes in which a little boy appears that she doesn't remember seeing as she painted. Boone is driven, fearful and panicked, from his apartment after what could only be poltergeist activity. Miguel is a boy on the run from his family and Nathan's dreams intensify.
All continue with their lives, but Alice starts seeing the boy from the painting beckoning to her. She meets Boone at a highway rest stop on her travels to discover his secret. Miguel meets all of the characters over time and Nathan's dreams continue.
None of us knows what impact we have on other people's lives, but all four of these injured and tormented people are drawn together by a common thread. Each is redeemed by incidents of kindness in their past.
This is another fast-paced Hankins novel and worth the time.
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