Tormented

by Kate Machugh

Tormented dives deep into the teenage psyche and reveals the gruesome underbelly of teenage life. What torments you? Bullies, secrets, lies? What if you have all three? Kelly Peters fights fierecely against her demons. The question is; will she win?

266 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

Kate started her writing career as a coping skill for when she was a victim of bullying in middle school and high school. Kate often wrote poetry about her feelings of loss, anger, and worthlessness.

Kate's first book; Ugly was published in 2013 by YouthLight Inc. Ugly details Kate's experiences as a victim of bullying.

Tormented is young adult fiction and tackles the topics of bullying, self-harm, and suicide. Kate's writing is raw as she draws upon her own feelings during adolescence.

Barefoot Johnny is Kate's third book. Barefoot Johnny delves deep into the world of teenage sociopaths. Colton Browning is struggling with his sexuality in a town that hangs the gay on a social cross. Neeka Johnson has to outwit pimps, gangs and dealers to stay alive on the mean streets on Delran. Leah Andrews is living in the shadow of a perfect sibling. Their lives collide in a seemingly innocent way with devastating consequences. Three lives entwined by fate. What will become of these three strangers?

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has quite a lot of potential as it is such a gripping & heart breaking read.
The author writes from different points of view & I would say this is aimed at Young Adults going by the dialogue "yanno I was all like it's so uncool.."
The book is about a girl who is picked on, it escalates & has devasting consequences. Along the way teachers & parents are so oblivious to a lot of the signs or sweep them under the carpet.
A few things which annoyed me though was principal swearing at a bully, not having a witness with him in office when reprimanding another girl, that the bully went crying to him over a picture....
When autopsy was done the findings weren't passed on to the parents, police or lawyers as this would have come up in court case regardless. There was no mention whatsoever of the victim's predicament.
I did feel sorry for the victim Kelly but then thought her to be selfish, especially at having a bit of hope & then thinking she had nothing left to live for. Which was untrue. Also felt she was a bit spoilt as she had a little bleed on her bedsheets, told her mum she was throwing them out & her mum didn't even bat an eyelid! Do they not have a washing machine?!
Liz, was so stupid, yanno? She had no mind of her own, preferring to go along with the Queen Bully, Quinn. Couldn't believe how dense she was at the end especially after all that had happened. She deserved her come-uppance for stupidity alone.
I wouldn't read this book again BUT I DO recommend it despite the spelling mistakes "VIAL" of liquid not VILE. The punctuation, grammar and missing words "he looks someone's grandfather". A lot is needed to tidy this up but well done to author on writing about dark topics which are going on in today's society.


***Copied from my Amazon review***

[Krys Fenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I loved the story. It was written from a multitude of viewpoints and also switched from present to past. The novel opens with an officer heading to a house where a teenage suicide has been committed. Initially I was skeptical, mostly because I’ve read stories where the aftermath of the suicide is well presented. Nothing of what leads to that particular event is discussed (an exception in my opinion is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher). In this novel, the author did both. The posted dates allowed me to easily follow along and figure out where exactly I was in the story (past or present). The events were well-told. This book beautifully encompassed all the horrors that come with rape, loneliness, loss of sense of self, bullying, and suicide.

What I liked most was the reality of the consequences. If you have never attempted to take your own life, to me it seems you can’t begin to comprehend what could lead a person to such a decision. This doesn’t mean I’m right. In this story, there is a person like that who exists. In fact, she is the cause of everything. In the end of the novel, the licensed social worker she has been court ordered to see diagnoses Quinn (basically the antagonist) as having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She is the one who tortured Kelly (the protagonist) and ultimately forced her to commit suicide. Quinn later murders Liz, the girl who helped her bully and torment Kelly. With the lives Quinn has taken, she is arrested and will live her life in jail.

[Kate Machugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tormented explores what drives human behavior and causes us to make the choices that we do. Sixteen year old Kelly Peters is confronted with issues that most of us will never begin to understand. She battles these demons fiercrely-the question is; will she win?

[Gracie Ann Gatte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I really have enjoyed this book and the way every character has their point of view. I would recommend this book to most people that think they are alone, they're not. I really love this book!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quinn was one nasty bitch