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A Symphony of Violence
113 pages, Paperback
Published March 27, 2025
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 14, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Symphony of Violence is a fast-paced, blood-soaked psychological thriller that dives headfirst into themes of trauma, vengeance, and blurred morality. The standout here is the fight scenes. They were gory, intense, and written with a cinematic edge that makes every blow land hard.
For such a short book, it manages to pack in a solid backstory, relentless action, and a satisfying conclusion. The writing doesn’t flinch from the brutality, but there’s just enough dark humor woven in to keep things from feeling too heavy.
I did find myself wanting a bit more emotional depth from the main character. Something beyond childhood trauma to really ground his choices. His connection to his sister felt a little thin, and without that, some of the violence seemed more reactive than purposeful. Still, the story kept me hooked, and the ending delivered.
And listen, not to derail this whole review, but we need to talk about Skoll. Why is he that hot? Like, unreasonably hot for a violent, unhinged side character. If Lawler ever decides to dabble in romance, I will be on my knees begging for a Skoll book.🙏👀
Grim, gory, and gripping. This one’s a solid pick for fans of the dark and violent.
Thank you to T.D. Lawler for sending me the epub. All opinions are my own.
A Symphony of Violence is a fast-paced, blood-soaked psychological thriller that dives headfirst into themes of trauma, vengeance, and blurred morality. The standout here is the fight scenes. They were gory, intense, and written with a cinematic edge that makes every blow land hard.
For such a short book, it manages to pack in a solid backstory, relentless action, and a satisfying conclusion. The writing doesn’t flinch from the brutality, but there’s just enough dark humor woven in to keep things from feeling too heavy.
I did find myself wanting a bit more emotional depth from the main character. Something beyond childhood trauma to really ground his choices. His connection to his sister felt a little thin, and without that, some of the violence seemed more reactive than purposeful. Still, the story kept me hooked, and the ending delivered.
And listen, not to derail this whole review, but we need to talk about Skoll. Why is he that hot? Like, unreasonably hot for a violent, unhinged side character. If Lawler ever decides to dabble in romance, I will be on my knees begging for a Skoll book.🙏👀
Grim, gory, and gripping. This one’s a solid pick for fans of the dark and violent.
Thank you to T.D. Lawler for sending me the epub. All opinions are my own.
May 7, 2025
4.5 rounded down
Witnessing his father murder his mother at a young age, a boy is sent to a psychiatric facility, grows up detached emotionally and inevitably grows into a ruthless criminal. He has a mission to find and kill his father, but he also wants to find and protect his estranged sister whom he hasn’t seen since they were separated in foster care as kids.
~MY THOUGHTS~
Written in the style of a letter to his sister explaining his life and his path to finding her after they were separated as kids.
A lot of fights scenes and hand to hand combat.
He befriends an even more obscure character known as Skoll while in the psych facility as a teen and they become as close as brothers. They are a well balanced ying and yang and complement each other nicely when it comes to thieving, killing and causing carnage. Even cold blooded killers need a buddy🤗
This was definitely more brutal and hostile than other of Lawlers work, but still weighs heavy on the heart. A tale about vengeance with lots of merciless slaughtering and destruction. There was also still the longing for companionship and connection hidden underneath. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this dark novella.
Witnessing his father murder his mother at a young age, a boy is sent to a psychiatric facility, grows up detached emotionally and inevitably grows into a ruthless criminal. He has a mission to find and kill his father, but he also wants to find and protect his estranged sister whom he hasn’t seen since they were separated in foster care as kids.
~MY THOUGHTS~
Written in the style of a letter to his sister explaining his life and his path to finding her after they were separated as kids.
A lot of fights scenes and hand to hand combat.
He befriends an even more obscure character known as Skoll while in the psych facility as a teen and they become as close as brothers. They are a well balanced ying and yang and complement each other nicely when it comes to thieving, killing and causing carnage. Even cold blooded killers need a buddy🤗
This was definitely more brutal and hostile than other of Lawlers work, but still weighs heavy on the heart. A tale about vengeance with lots of merciless slaughtering and destruction. There was also still the longing for companionship and connection hidden underneath. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the writing. I thoroughly enjoyed this dark novella.
April 5, 2025
A Symphony of Violence by T.D. Lawler is only 48 pages, but don't let that fool you. This story hits hard. It follows a man shaped by tragedy and violence, forced into a brutal world where survival means becoming the very thing he fears. It's a dark, fast-paced horror story that doesn't waste a single word. Once 1 started, I couldn't put it down.
This book makes you think: What happens when pain turns into rage? When there's no way out but through? lt's raw, intense, and disturbing in the best way.
This book makes you think: What happens when pain turns into rage? When there's no way out but through? lt's raw, intense, and disturbing in the best way.
March 29, 2025
I wasn't expecting to love this book so much, especially since it's not exactly my normal genre. But it's soooo good! I haven't stopped recommending it to people since I read it. If this book has caught your attention, just go for it. It's a quick read and easily captivating.
April 4, 2025
Incredibly gripping splatter novella. When two young men escape a detention centre, their symbiotic friendship becomes a deadly force to be reckoned with as they advance chaos, control, and carnage into a journey of revenge.
I loved the writing, I loved the characters, and I loved their espionage towards the truth. I also loved the electrifyingly brutal violence.
One notable quote:
“It was a vicious thing, cloth and leather wrapped around my arm that covered my knuckles and ran up to my elbow, embedded with shards of broken razor blades. It wasn’t meant to kill. It was meant to punish. To carve slow, deliberate lines of suffering.”
I loved the writing, I loved the characters, and I loved their espionage towards the truth. I also loved the electrifyingly brutal violence.
One notable quote:
“It was a vicious thing, cloth and leather wrapped around my arm that covered my knuckles and ran up to my elbow, embedded with shards of broken razor blades. It wasn’t meant to kill. It was meant to punish. To carve slow, deliberate lines of suffering.”
August 26, 2025
4/5⭐️
As a young, defenseless child, Erik had everything he loved ripped from his grasp—after his father brutally murdered his mother in cold blood, he and his only sister were placed in foster homes hardly better than the violence they had been exposed to. When his precious sister was separated from him, Erik had two things to get him through the day: the vow he made to himself to keep her safe, and, with the help of his non-blood brother, aptly nicknamed Skoll... revenge. Bloody, raw, violent revenge.
First and foremost, if you are squeamish, you probably won't enjoy this book. Growing up watching some pretty dark anime, I'm pretty desensitized to gore, and this story made me SQUIRM at times (if you know, you know). But the emotional gut punch that comes with following Erik along on his ruthless journey made this impossible to put down. I cannot wait to dive into T.D. Lawler's other work!
As a young, defenseless child, Erik had everything he loved ripped from his grasp—after his father brutally murdered his mother in cold blood, he and his only sister were placed in foster homes hardly better than the violence they had been exposed to. When his precious sister was separated from him, Erik had two things to get him through the day: the vow he made to himself to keep her safe, and, with the help of his non-blood brother, aptly nicknamed Skoll... revenge. Bloody, raw, violent revenge.
First and foremost, if you are squeamish, you probably won't enjoy this book. Growing up watching some pretty dark anime, I'm pretty desensitized to gore, and this story made me SQUIRM at times (if you know, you know). But the emotional gut punch that comes with following Erik along on his ruthless journey made this impossible to put down. I cannot wait to dive into T.D. Lawler's other work!
April 6, 2025
Review
🔥 BRO vs. A SYMPHONY OF VIOLENCE 🔥
🥊 The Book: A Symphony of Violence follows a man forged in trauma—haunted by the memory of his father murdering his mother, scarred by a childhood ripped apart, and fueled by a relentless mission to find his long-lost sister. Along the way, the trail runs red with blood as he spirals into a reckoning that forces him to question if he’s seeking justice… or just another act of violence.
💪 The Bro: Look, I’ll be real—slashers and splatterpunk aren’t always my go-to. But I respect a book that commits to its vibe. This one? Think if Rob Zombie’s Michael Myers character went with young Otis Driftwood on a murder-streak road trip.
🥊 ROUND 1: First Impressions
• The concept is solid: trauma-fueled vengeance with a personal hook.
• Lawler doesn’t flinch—this is brutal, bloody, and soaked in violence.
• Not quite extreme horror, but it gets close in spots.
🥊 ROUND 2: Midway Feels
• If you’re into gritty, no-holds-barred carnage, this might be your jam.
• But the emotional weight is a bit lacking—characters feel more like weapons or targets than fully fleshed-out people.
• There’s a certain bleak poetry in that simplicity, but it kept me from getting fully pulled in.
🥊 ROUND 3: Final Verdict
• The book knows exactly what it wants to be: raw, grim, and unapologetically violent.
• For me, I wanted just a bit more nuance—more emotional texture to balance out the bloodshed.
• Still, if you like your horror dirty, fast, and mean? This might be a hidden gem.
🔥 FINAL BELL: The ARC Bro Scorecard 🔥
🛎️ Went the Distance (and a Win for the Right Reader) – A Symphony of Violence swings for the throat with slasher grit and splatterpunk sensibilities. Not quite my favorite flavor, but for fans of more brutal horror, it could be a hit.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🔥 BRO vs. A SYMPHONY OF VIOLENCE 🔥
🥊 The Book: A Symphony of Violence follows a man forged in trauma—haunted by the memory of his father murdering his mother, scarred by a childhood ripped apart, and fueled by a relentless mission to find his long-lost sister. Along the way, the trail runs red with blood as he spirals into a reckoning that forces him to question if he’s seeking justice… or just another act of violence.
💪 The Bro: Look, I’ll be real—slashers and splatterpunk aren’t always my go-to. But I respect a book that commits to its vibe. This one? Think if Rob Zombie’s Michael Myers character went with young Otis Driftwood on a murder-streak road trip.
🥊 ROUND 1: First Impressions
• The concept is solid: trauma-fueled vengeance with a personal hook.
• Lawler doesn’t flinch—this is brutal, bloody, and soaked in violence.
• Not quite extreme horror, but it gets close in spots.
🥊 ROUND 2: Midway Feels
• If you’re into gritty, no-holds-barred carnage, this might be your jam.
• But the emotional weight is a bit lacking—characters feel more like weapons or targets than fully fleshed-out people.
• There’s a certain bleak poetry in that simplicity, but it kept me from getting fully pulled in.
🥊 ROUND 3: Final Verdict
• The book knows exactly what it wants to be: raw, grim, and unapologetically violent.
• For me, I wanted just a bit more nuance—more emotional texture to balance out the bloodshed.
• Still, if you like your horror dirty, fast, and mean? This might be a hidden gem.
🔥 FINAL BELL: The ARC Bro Scorecard 🔥
🛎️ Went the Distance (and a Win for the Right Reader) – A Symphony of Violence swings for the throat with slasher grit and splatterpunk sensibilities. Not quite my favorite flavor, but for fans of more brutal horror, it could be a hit.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 27, 2025
If you're looking for an achingly brutal splattery book which is unrelenting in it's violence, this is the one for you.
It starts with a man killing his wife in front of his kids before disappearing. He's never caught but his son is traumatized and soon begins to act in a psychopathic rage against anyone who crosses his path. He meets another boy just as vicious inside of a facility for people like them.
Once they escape, leaving a path of bloody horrors behind them, he vows to track down his sister and kill their father. This sets him on a trail of brutality and vengeance which, as you'll read, is very extreme. The torture, psychopathy, and rage is dealt with here in a visceral way.
There are no protagonists in this novella. The characters are all fundamentally broken beyond repair in various ways. But this gives the book an extremely dark and dread filled narrative where the violence only escalates as it continues.
This book isn't a "fun" read, but it's a glimpse into the mind of an unfeeling and repentless psycho. If you're looking for something dark as midnight and filled with descriptive scenes of brutality, I highly recommend this one.
It starts with a man killing his wife in front of his kids before disappearing. He's never caught but his son is traumatized and soon begins to act in a psychopathic rage against anyone who crosses his path. He meets another boy just as vicious inside of a facility for people like them.
Once they escape, leaving a path of bloody horrors behind them, he vows to track down his sister and kill their father. This sets him on a trail of brutality and vengeance which, as you'll read, is very extreme. The torture, psychopathy, and rage is dealt with here in a visceral way.
There are no protagonists in this novella. The characters are all fundamentally broken beyond repair in various ways. But this gives the book an extremely dark and dread filled narrative where the violence only escalates as it continues.
This book isn't a "fun" read, but it's a glimpse into the mind of an unfeeling and repentless psycho. If you're looking for something dark as midnight and filled with descriptive scenes of brutality, I highly recommend this one.
April 7, 2025
(4.5 rounded up)
Some books stick with you —not just with their themes but with the emotions they leave behind. A Symphony of Violence is exactly that. It’s a brutal yet deeply moving story about unconditional love, brotherhood, and survival.
The title is incredibly fitting—a “symphony” suggests something orchestrated, layered, and intentional, and that’s exactly what this book delivers.
Violence is ever-present, but so is the raw emotion behind it.
The story follows a brother who, through tragic circumstances, ends up on the wrong side of life alongside his best friend. Despite the darkness, his unwavering mission remains: finding his sister and giving her the better life she deserves.
At its core, this book explores finding love and comfort in unexpected places, the weight of trauma, and how we cope with what life throws at us. It’s intense, gripping, and impossible to put down.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do yourself a favor and check it out on @indiereadssparc.
Some books stick with you —not just with their themes but with the emotions they leave behind. A Symphony of Violence is exactly that. It’s a brutal yet deeply moving story about unconditional love, brotherhood, and survival.
The title is incredibly fitting—a “symphony” suggests something orchestrated, layered, and intentional, and that’s exactly what this book delivers.
Violence is ever-present, but so is the raw emotion behind it.
The story follows a brother who, through tragic circumstances, ends up on the wrong side of life alongside his best friend. Despite the darkness, his unwavering mission remains: finding his sister and giving her the better life she deserves.
At its core, this book explores finding love and comfort in unexpected places, the weight of trauma, and how we cope with what life throws at us. It’s intense, gripping, and impossible to put down.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do yourself a favor and check it out on @indiereadssparc.
August 20, 2025
T.D Lawler’s new short story packs one hell of a punch. At just 43 pages, Lawler pulls you into the terrifying and brutal world of Erik and his disturbing friend (I’m putting that lightly- just wait to you read this story!) who could easily give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money. It is a brutal, violent story from the very start (not for the weak stomached so be warned) and Lawler has come up with some very creative means for his characters to execute their prey. Be prepared for gore, torture and moments where you question why you love such a brutal story so much.
But at the heart of this story is an extremely traumatised young man whose only goals are to punish his father for the brutal death of his mother and to find his little sister taken into foster care. The violent acts perpetrated by the main character should disgust us, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him especially in the final pages of the story. He became a monster just like his father, his identity inextricably tied to the moment of his mother’s death at the hands of her husband. Ultimately his quest to find and protect his sister means he must embody the qualities of the person he hates the most.
I will admit that the ending genuinely upset me a bit, demonstrating Lawler’s ability to create and development characters that you become wholly invested in within a short amount of time (even if they are the monsters).
A Symphony of Violence is relentless and if you’re looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller, do yourselves a favour and check it out.
But at the heart of this story is an extremely traumatised young man whose only goals are to punish his father for the brutal death of his mother and to find his little sister taken into foster care. The violent acts perpetrated by the main character should disgust us, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him especially in the final pages of the story. He became a monster just like his father, his identity inextricably tied to the moment of his mother’s death at the hands of her husband. Ultimately his quest to find and protect his sister means he must embody the qualities of the person he hates the most.
I will admit that the ending genuinely upset me a bit, demonstrating Lawler’s ability to create and development characters that you become wholly invested in within a short amount of time (even if they are the monsters).
A Symphony of Violence is relentless and if you’re looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller, do yourselves a favour and check it out.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews