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The New Blood Trilogy #2
Violets Are Blue
Violets Are Blue, A Novella
Newly-wed Sarah was delighted to move in with her mother-in-law, Martha, a widower who had raised her son, by herself, on an isolated Midwest farm.
A kid from a broken home who had been raised in a group house in Chicago, Sarah had struggled to put herself through college on scholarships.
She considered herself self-reliant and willing to work hard for her dreams. She wanted only one thing in life—a real family.
Todd was the love of her life, so that she was sure that she'd love Martha, too.
It never occurred to Sarah that Martha would see her as competition, to be eliminated.
Newly-wed Sarah was delighted to move in with her mother-in-law, Martha, a widower who had raised her son, by herself, on an isolated Midwest farm.
A kid from a broken home who had been raised in a group house in Chicago, Sarah had struggled to put herself through college on scholarships.
She considered herself self-reliant and willing to work hard for her dreams. She wanted only one thing in life—a real family.
Todd was the love of her life, so that she was sure that she'd love Martha, too.
It never occurred to Sarah that Martha would see her as competition, to be eliminated.
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First published September 2, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 18, 2016
There were some new and interesting kinds of typos in the first 20% or so of the book and I didn’t quite understand the extended cornfield sex-scene, which seemed a bit like rather meaningless navel-gazing to me, but the reviews were overwhelmingly good so I continued on.
As I did, the typos persisted. Scratch that, they got *worse*:
“Todd was always acted loving toward his mother.”
“Once that Todd has announced that they were trying…”
“…the waitress was having a bad day, she had too many table or was too old.”
“It was four am.”
“There was a pounding on the door that must have wakened her up.” (Just awkward.)
“..Her too plumb arms and legs.”
Then the last 20% turned out to be previews of other works. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a novella, so much as a short story - though I'm not sure of the word count. The story (and writing in general) didn’t build as much as it fizzled. I could have gone for less pontification of what kind of sex positions Sarah liked and didn’t like, and more time spent with the (disappointing) Martha/Sarah feud. The overuse of commas instead of taking time with sentence structure also drove me a little nuts. Maybe some of the author’s other work is better…? *shrug* Unfortunately, I can’t really recommend this to anyone, and the amount of good reviews are kind of a head-scratcher to me. Did I get a different version than everyone else?
As I did, the typos persisted. Scratch that, they got *worse*:
“Todd was always acted loving toward his mother.”
“Once that Todd has announced that they were trying…”
“…the waitress was having a bad day, she had too many table or was too old.”
“It was four am.”
“There was a pounding on the door that must have wakened her up.” (Just awkward.)
“..Her too plumb arms and legs.”
Then the last 20% turned out to be previews of other works. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a novella, so much as a short story - though I'm not sure of the word count. The story (and writing in general) didn’t build as much as it fizzled. I could have gone for less pontification of what kind of sex positions Sarah liked and didn’t like, and more time spent with the (disappointing) Martha/Sarah feud. The overuse of commas instead of taking time with sentence structure also drove me a little nuts. Maybe some of the author’s other work is better…? *shrug* Unfortunately, I can’t really recommend this to anyone, and the amount of good reviews are kind of a head-scratcher to me. Did I get a different version than everyone else?
November 20, 2011
I'm leaving one review for ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, and SUGAR IS SWEET simply because I devoured them in one sitting and the stories have come together as one book in my mind.
Green's raw talent shines through in these collections and she does a great job of building suspense. Her characters - sometimes creepy, sometimes disturbingly normal - are people we all know, her descriptions of places detailed enough that you can see, smell, and taste them, and both aspects of her writing make the stories all the more eerie. My only complaint with Green's work is that I wanted MORE. I want to know what happens when the daughter lets go of the fireman's pole in "Playing for Keeps". And to the marriage relationship after the daughter-in-law's struggle with her mother-in-law in "Violets are Blue". And to Captain Gan in "A Lucky Human" (I think this was my favorite story, but it's a tough call). Green leaves you hanging, and perhaps that's the idea - to let us grapple with the `what comes next' questions.
Green has a novel coming out in 2012, and I can't wait to see what her gift for story-telling brings to the longer form.
Green's raw talent shines through in these collections and she does a great job of building suspense. Her characters - sometimes creepy, sometimes disturbingly normal - are people we all know, her descriptions of places detailed enough that you can see, smell, and taste them, and both aspects of her writing make the stories all the more eerie. My only complaint with Green's work is that I wanted MORE. I want to know what happens when the daughter lets go of the fireman's pole in "Playing for Keeps". And to the marriage relationship after the daughter-in-law's struggle with her mother-in-law in "Violets are Blue". And to Captain Gan in "A Lucky Human" (I think this was my favorite story, but it's a tough call). Green leaves you hanging, and perhaps that's the idea - to let us grapple with the `what comes next' questions.
Green has a novel coming out in 2012, and I can't wait to see what her gift for story-telling brings to the longer form.
July 5, 2013
To read the full review, please visit my blog here: http://teacherwritebookaholicohmy.blo...
First off, I would like to say this is my first horror book. So kudos to me for making that first jump towards reading a horror book. It wasn't like I expect though. I was expecting to be just scared crapless.
Like I started reading this novella at midnight. I was going for the whole, "This is going to scare me so bad I'm going to have nightmares!" atmosphere.
Unfortunately, it didn't scare me at all. It was more of a romantic suspense book, which is what I'm really use to. I was surprised by the lack of scare power in this book. It had such great reviews, and it seemed like a good premise.
But it just didn't wow me. I think the main problem for me is that I was never included in the action parts. Like clearly there was a lot going on, but I just felt like my girlfriend was telling me a scary story about her girlfriend and what she went through.
I wanted to be part of the scare factor. I wanted to be shocked and have nightmares. Instead I listened on to what my girlfriend had to say. It was an interesting story, but to me, it just didn't include me into the action. Therefore, it wasn't SO finger biting or anything. It was just bleh.
But I will say she's an awesome writer, I just wished I enjoyed it more.
Characters: Believable and true. I could feel that these characters were realistic. Especially Todd. There are some men, who shall not be named, who do not feel their mothers do anything wrong. Ever.
So that, to me, is so realistic. I've seen it happen where the daughter and the mother-in-law don't get along and the husband refuses to believe his mother is "that bad". So that to me felt believable.
The only thing I can complain about in this section is how she told us their background story. She just dumped it on us. This is a typical example of exposition dump.
I wish that the author and the editor sat down and talked about this a little bit more. I wish they talked about a lot more as a matter of fact.
Plot: This was clearly well developed. I just didn't feel part of the action. I wanted to be part of it. It was just the way the story was told that just threw me off.
The author clearly worked this whole thing out perfectly.
Dialogue: This was a huge issue to me and part of the heart of the problem. The characters only had, at the most, ten lines of dialogue in the WHOLE novella.
That is just ridiculous.
Characters talk ALL THE TIME and should be allowed to talk. There should be conversations in the text and allow us to see into their personalities. The only was I was able to tell the mother-in-law was bad was because of her actions.
I don't even know what she SOUNDS like. Which is just wrong. I want to feel her evil. I want to hear her snub towards the daughter-in-law. I want to be able to see the difference in the way she talks to Todd and Sarah. I want to hear the sugar sweetness that she caters to Todd, and the rock hard hate she feels towards Sarah. I want to hear her spit out Sarah's name like it's venom.
I wanted the mother-in-law to corner her and say every loathing thing she could think of to Sarah and have Sarah talk back to her in the same matter.
In short: I wanted confrontation in words and not only in actions!
I wanted the build up the tension in the conversations!
I wanted to hear Sarah and Todd argue in their bedroom and the mother-in-law to overhear it and grin maliciously!
I just wanted more in this department.
I understand that this is a novella, but come on! I need something more than just hear Sarah complaining about what her mother-in-law did. I want to hear the pathetic excuses the mother had for her actions!
I just wanted to hear the characters more, and Sarah describe the actions less.
Setting: I do love how Carrie Green incorporated the country theme to the whole plot. It worked wonderfully.
I could feel the isolation that Sarah felt. I wish I could hear her complain to her husband about it. That would have been nice.
Ending: A bit rushed, but I love the last line. It was beautiful and rounded out the whole ending with a bow on top.
Symbolism: Yes, there is a category for this! I love how she incorporated violets from beginning to end. And how she unraveled the meaning at the end. I thought I understood what they meant, but she broke it down like a shot gun. It was nice and understated. And it rounded out the ending as well.
Overall: Would I recommend this book?
Eh. I don't know.
I would give her bonus points for writing talent. She can obviously write. And I would give her another chance.
But I don't know if I would recommend this to someone with my high expectations. If it was free, then yes I would. It's only like 0.99 cents, so give it a shot and tell me what you think.
I would be cautious that's all. And please read other reviews. It could have been just me, but I just didn't like it. I know it could be SO MUCH BETTER and THAT'S what drives me bananas. I wish I could have sat down with them (the author and the editor) and had a nice long chat about where I expect the book to grow. I would been on her like white on rice to make sure the book came out like it should have.
I would have loved to been her beta reader and tell her what I really thought needed improvement.
However, this is life. Just read it and tell me what you think. And please, never stop feeding your need to read! :)
First off, I would like to say this is my first horror book. So kudos to me for making that first jump towards reading a horror book. It wasn't like I expect though. I was expecting to be just scared crapless.
Like I started reading this novella at midnight. I was going for the whole, "This is going to scare me so bad I'm going to have nightmares!" atmosphere.
Unfortunately, it didn't scare me at all. It was more of a romantic suspense book, which is what I'm really use to. I was surprised by the lack of scare power in this book. It had such great reviews, and it seemed like a good premise.
But it just didn't wow me. I think the main problem for me is that I was never included in the action parts. Like clearly there was a lot going on, but I just felt like my girlfriend was telling me a scary story about her girlfriend and what she went through.
I wanted to be part of the scare factor. I wanted to be shocked and have nightmares. Instead I listened on to what my girlfriend had to say. It was an interesting story, but to me, it just didn't include me into the action. Therefore, it wasn't SO finger biting or anything. It was just bleh.
But I will say she's an awesome writer, I just wished I enjoyed it more.
Characters: Believable and true. I could feel that these characters were realistic. Especially Todd. There are some men, who shall not be named, who do not feel their mothers do anything wrong. Ever.
So that, to me, is so realistic. I've seen it happen where the daughter and the mother-in-law don't get along and the husband refuses to believe his mother is "that bad". So that to me felt believable.
The only thing I can complain about in this section is how she told us their background story. She just dumped it on us. This is a typical example of exposition dump.
I wish that the author and the editor sat down and talked about this a little bit more. I wish they talked about a lot more as a matter of fact.
Plot: This was clearly well developed. I just didn't feel part of the action. I wanted to be part of it. It was just the way the story was told that just threw me off.
The author clearly worked this whole thing out perfectly.
Dialogue: This was a huge issue to me and part of the heart of the problem. The characters only had, at the most, ten lines of dialogue in the WHOLE novella.
That is just ridiculous.
Characters talk ALL THE TIME and should be allowed to talk. There should be conversations in the text and allow us to see into their personalities. The only was I was able to tell the mother-in-law was bad was because of her actions.
I don't even know what she SOUNDS like. Which is just wrong. I want to feel her evil. I want to hear her snub towards the daughter-in-law. I want to be able to see the difference in the way she talks to Todd and Sarah. I want to hear the sugar sweetness that she caters to Todd, and the rock hard hate she feels towards Sarah. I want to hear her spit out Sarah's name like it's venom.
I wanted the mother-in-law to corner her and say every loathing thing she could think of to Sarah and have Sarah talk back to her in the same matter.
In short: I wanted confrontation in words and not only in actions!
I wanted the build up the tension in the conversations!
I wanted to hear Sarah and Todd argue in their bedroom and the mother-in-law to overhear it and grin maliciously!
I just wanted more in this department.
I understand that this is a novella, but come on! I need something more than just hear Sarah complaining about what her mother-in-law did. I want to hear the pathetic excuses the mother had for her actions!
I just wanted to hear the characters more, and Sarah describe the actions less.
Setting: I do love how Carrie Green incorporated the country theme to the whole plot. It worked wonderfully.
I could feel the isolation that Sarah felt. I wish I could hear her complain to her husband about it. That would have been nice.
Ending: A bit rushed, but I love the last line. It was beautiful and rounded out the whole ending with a bow on top.
Symbolism: Yes, there is a category for this! I love how she incorporated violets from beginning to end. And how she unraveled the meaning at the end. I thought I understood what they meant, but she broke it down like a shot gun. It was nice and understated. And it rounded out the ending as well.
Overall: Would I recommend this book?
Eh. I don't know.
I would give her bonus points for writing talent. She can obviously write. And I would give her another chance.
But I don't know if I would recommend this to someone with my high expectations. If it was free, then yes I would. It's only like 0.99 cents, so give it a shot and tell me what you think.
I would be cautious that's all. And please read other reviews. It could have been just me, but I just didn't like it. I know it could be SO MUCH BETTER and THAT'S what drives me bananas. I wish I could have sat down with them (the author and the editor) and had a nice long chat about where I expect the book to grow. I would been on her like white on rice to make sure the book came out like it should have.
I would have loved to been her beta reader and tell her what I really thought needed improvement.
However, this is life. Just read it and tell me what you think. And please, never stop feeding your need to read! :)
February 26, 2012
I really enjoyed this novella by Carrie Green. It begins with Sarah and Todd, just married and just moved to the farm where Todd grew up and which he now co-owns with his mother. Green’s description of Sarah and Todd playing tag in a cornfield in the first scene made me feel like I was there, right down to the feel of the corn stalks. I loved being in Sarah’s point of view, which felt authentic, including the realistic description of Sarah’s experience of sex. I also love this type of horror, which relies on suspense, tension, and eeriness rather than blood and guts.
Early on, I suspected Sarah had rushed into things. I found that believable given her life as a foster child who probably longed for a stable family. Small signs also suggested something not right with Sarah’s mother-in-law, Martha. At first the “something” seemed like merely a mother’s difficulty sharing her son, with Sarah’s discomfort highlighted by her isolation in a rural community. I empathized with Sarah’s struggles to work out this relationship and with her difficulty in persuading her husband to see what was happening. The focus on characters and relationships and the accessible narration reminded me of what I love most about Stephen King’s writing.
The only drawback for me was that the action escalated a little too quickly at the end. Still, this was a great read, and I plan to buy Green’s other novellas. I’m hoping she’ll release a novel sometime soon so I can spend more time with whatever characters she creates.
Early on, I suspected Sarah had rushed into things. I found that believable given her life as a foster child who probably longed for a stable family. Small signs also suggested something not right with Sarah’s mother-in-law, Martha. At first the “something” seemed like merely a mother’s difficulty sharing her son, with Sarah’s discomfort highlighted by her isolation in a rural community. I empathized with Sarah’s struggles to work out this relationship and with her difficulty in persuading her husband to see what was happening. The focus on characters and relationships and the accessible narration reminded me of what I love most about Stephen King’s writing.
The only drawback for me was that the action escalated a little too quickly at the end. Still, this was a great read, and I plan to buy Green’s other novellas. I’m hoping she’ll release a novel sometime soon so I can spend more time with whatever characters she creates.
March 2, 2012
Carrie Green has a unique style of writing that brings an element of humor to the horror. The story begins and you find yourself at the farm. You can hear the rustling of the stalks as you run through the corn field with the young lovers, Sarah & Todd. The newlyweds are quite sweet, but you quickly realize that all as not as it appears.
They had just been married in a no-nonsense civil ceremony. With no honeymoon in sight they moved directly in to the musty old family farmhouse that Todd shared with his mother.
The mother- in- law was not happy, and made no attempt to hide it. In fact, the only things that seemed to make her happy were her son and her bizarre penchant for creating mutant violets. She and Todd had run the farm for years- with the exception of his time away at college. But that was over and he was home where he belonged…with his mother.
Sarah had dreamed of a warm mother-daughter relationship with her new mother-in-law. She learned very soon, that this was not to be. What starts out as minor annoyances escalates to threatening behavior that now feels sinister. Her husband was no help- he refused to believe his mother was anything but perfect. Mama’s boy.
And in the end the lines blur and you cannot point out the monster.
They had just been married in a no-nonsense civil ceremony. With no honeymoon in sight they moved directly in to the musty old family farmhouse that Todd shared with his mother.
The mother- in- law was not happy, and made no attempt to hide it. In fact, the only things that seemed to make her happy were her son and her bizarre penchant for creating mutant violets. She and Todd had run the farm for years- with the exception of his time away at college. But that was over and he was home where he belonged…with his mother.
Sarah had dreamed of a warm mother-daughter relationship with her new mother-in-law. She learned very soon, that this was not to be. What starts out as minor annoyances escalates to threatening behavior that now feels sinister. Her husband was no help- he refused to believe his mother was anything but perfect. Mama’s boy.
And in the end the lines blur and you cannot point out the monster.
September 23, 2012
Roses are Red.
Violets are Blue.
The first was amazing.
The second was too.
Having downloaded Carrie Green's Roses are Red and enjoyed them, I was interested to try Violets are Blue.
In this novella, Green sets a gripping scene where the honeymoon period enjoyed by the protagonist, Sarah, and her husband, Todd, comes crashing down to earth at the hands of her sinister mother-in-law. The book centres on the common in law relationship issue, but things take a shocking twist when Sarah's new life turns into something of a nightmare.
Not for the first time, Green does a terrific job arousing intrigue and accelerates the book at a good pace, yet still allowing plenty of background on the story. Her enthralling, fast-flowing writing style ensures the reader remains on the edge of their seat and desperate to know, yet at times unable to look on, as the story reaches its gripping climax.
As with Roses are Red, I love the way the author writes and her skill at developing the story is impressive. As this was a longer story than the 3 in Roses, it was also nice to see the protagonist shine through strongly, particularly her realistic behaviour when faced with her troubles and the way it unleashed the true potential of her good and bad.
Very good.
Violets are Blue.
The first was amazing.
The second was too.
Having downloaded Carrie Green's Roses are Red and enjoyed them, I was interested to try Violets are Blue.
In this novella, Green sets a gripping scene where the honeymoon period enjoyed by the protagonist, Sarah, and her husband, Todd, comes crashing down to earth at the hands of her sinister mother-in-law. The book centres on the common in law relationship issue, but things take a shocking twist when Sarah's new life turns into something of a nightmare.
Not for the first time, Green does a terrific job arousing intrigue and accelerates the book at a good pace, yet still allowing plenty of background on the story. Her enthralling, fast-flowing writing style ensures the reader remains on the edge of their seat and desperate to know, yet at times unable to look on, as the story reaches its gripping climax.
As with Roses are Red, I love the way the author writes and her skill at developing the story is impressive. As this was a longer story than the 3 in Roses, it was also nice to see the protagonist shine through strongly, particularly her realistic behaviour when faced with her troubles and the way it unleashed the true potential of her good and bad.
Very good.
February 3, 2012
Carrie Green’s 33-page novella, Violets are Blue, is the sort of story that starts sweet and light then pulls you into the dark where shadows grow. Haunting touches of “something wrong” creep out of the cornfield and lurk behind ancient dressers in the home where Todd grew up. Newly-wed Sarah has moved in with a slightly unwelcoming mother-in-law. Meanwhile minor irritations grow in menace and intensity. The author’s perfect timing keeps those pages turning, a longing for things to turn out well warring with the fear that they can’t. The whole builds up to a perfectly drawn conclusion—the sort of dark tale that leaves you feeling oddly unnerved and satisfied both at once.
A masterful introduction to the author’s writing, capped with samples from her other short works, this is a great lunchtime read for fans of suspense and quietly disturbing horror.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review
A masterful introduction to the author’s writing, capped with samples from her other short works, this is a great lunchtime read for fans of suspense and quietly disturbing horror.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review
April 29, 2012
If you're a fan of my twisted tales then you're going to love Carrie Green. A writer after my own heart, I enjoyed the trilogy of eBooks immensely. Originally only planning to review Roses Are Red, I quickly decided to purchase all three eBooks, and I was not disappointed. She always starts you right in the action and paints a vivid picture with her words.
Violets Are Blue is sexy, scary and bite your lip dark humor funny. From a man's point of view I felt like I knew this tale from the main character Todd's perspective. Years ago as a newlywed, I juggled my wife's and mother's feelings not wanting to believe two women I loved didn't care for each other right off. I'm sure some married women will get a sadistic chuckle out of this one, and a lot of married men will recognize the pain.
Violets Are Blue is sexy, scary and bite your lip dark humor funny. From a man's point of view I felt like I knew this tale from the main character Todd's perspective. Years ago as a newlywed, I juggled my wife's and mother's feelings not wanting to believe two women I loved didn't care for each other right off. I'm sure some married women will get a sadistic chuckle out of this one, and a lot of married men will recognize the pain.
December 16, 2011
Call me strange but I've always found cornfields to be scary, maybe due to the movie Children of the Corn and enhanced by a recent episode of Criminal Minds, so when Ms. Green started her book in just this setting I knew I was in for a good read. Without giving the story away, the antagonistic relationship between Sarah and her mother-in-law steadily escalates until the climax which has a scary yet satisying end.
I loved this story, very easy to read and kept me entertained the whole time. Excellent!
I loved this story, very easy to read and kept me entertained the whole time. Excellent!
March 11, 2012
I had never read anything by this author, so I thought this would be a good one to start with. It was!
First of all I have to say that this isn't my usual type of book. I did enjoy the story very much, and let's face it, we all have family members that we aren't too sure of... That's one of the things that makes this story even more frightening than ever. It deals with an everyday type of situation, but takes it to the limit and beyond. It proves that sometimes horror is right there, that there are everyday monsters, we don't always recognize as such. It's worth checking out.
First of all I have to say that this isn't my usual type of book. I did enjoy the story very much, and let's face it, we all have family members that we aren't too sure of... That's one of the things that makes this story even more frightening than ever. It deals with an everyday type of situation, but takes it to the limit and beyond. It proves that sometimes horror is right there, that there are everyday monsters, we don't always recognize as such. It's worth checking out.
March 1, 2012
Disturbing Novella. Ever date a man who thinks his mother can do no wrong? Sarah has married that man, Todd, but she knows better. Martha, Todd's mother isn’t very happy with Sarah moving in. What would you do if your mother-in-law treated you badly and you were living in her house? Read this short suspense, thriller to find out. The ending may leave you happy and disturbed at the same time.
December 20, 2011
Sarah and Martha illustrate a relationship that I certainly never want to have. Sarah has good intentions and tries to do everything to appease both her mother-in-law and her new husband, but Martha has other things in mind.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews