Hope has spent the past several months in a dark and dank cell. With her only comfort being a soiled and sodden mattress, she's finally accepted that no one is coming to rescue her.
Without action, she'll be Lucien's pet for the rest of her life. She'll continue her existence of servitude and submission.
The path to freedom is clear, but it involves doing the one thing she thought she'd never do. Even after everything she's endured during her stay.
Faced with a choice, Hope must decide just how badly she wants out.
Michael Robertson is an author and blogger. He has had several short stories published, including one with HarperCollins. He is the author of Crash - http://michaelrobertson.co.uk/crash--...
Hope, a captured little girl, must escape and save her family. In a desperate bid to free herself, she makes the ultimate sacrifice--multiple times. In less than 5,000 words, Michael Robertson manages to stab you in the heart and twist. He shows Hope's triumph, despair, desperation, and joyful contempt as she finally frees herself and her parents though not in the way that she had hoped. Captive works incredibly well as a standalone story. I always love character back stories, so I would like to read how the other little girl in the story came to be there, but that is another story for another time.
What is not to love with this story? A story about a girl who is being kept captive for a particular reason. Don't wish to say much as it will give the story away. Sorry. Dark, gritty and the way blood suckers should be. I read it before sleep which was not a great idea as I was a bit creeped out but I love that in a good bedtime book. That is just me. I so wish this will come back a novel with the backstory. Hint, hint. If you have never read Michael Robertson's books, DO SO NOW!! If you like darker, grittier, scarier reading material then he is so for you. LOVE LOVE this story!!
The basic concept of this story had potential but I don't feel that potential was used to it's fullest. The story required more depth in the characters, the setting, and the overall plot. By extending the story just a bit more to create greater depth in all areas I believe this story could've easily gone from a three or three and a half star to a four, even a four and a half star. The basic premise was really great it just unfortunately was never fully fleshed out to it's fullest possibilities.
Kept as Lucien's pet for months in a depraved, brothel-like establishment that caters to vampires, Hope is desperate to save herself and her family. To do so, she must make the ultimate sacrifice and face the horror of what has been done to her them. But in the end, revenge comes in a different shape than she would've expected.
Too short for any character development, but it was still an ok read. Fairly dark and depressive story with horror elements. I give it 2,5 stars.
Yes it's short, but, it's very worthy of a read, it's a take on vampires that hasn't been done. I actually hope he's going to do more in the way of a series with this being your initial view of it. I hope you will be as excited as I to see if anything comes next and to read his other works
Once again Michael Robertson doesn't waste pages on futile scenes. A short story with characters not only ready to do anything to save their loved ones, but also in conflict with their inner needs.