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TEN-4-FACESp
Maren Blackwood is a forensic social worker documenting suspected abuse cases involving children under four using standardized injury body maps. When she records injuries, they begin appearing on her own body hours later. Has suffering itself become a form of administrative currency within systems designed to process it?
80 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2026
About the author
Sierra Waff
3 books87 followersSierra Waff is a Pacific Northwest writer whose work is fueled by her obsession with extreme horror in both film and fiction. When not writing, she practices traditional witchcraft, unravels folklore, and deep-dives into the unknown.
Favorite films include: Martyrs(2008), Coven(2020), and Nosferatu(2024).
You can connect with Sierra on socials at @SierraSorcery
Favorite films include: Martyrs(2008), Coven(2020), and Nosferatu(2024).
You can connect with Sierra on socials at @SierraSorcery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
July 4, 2026
It's no secret that extreme horror fiction usually lacks emotional complexity, let alone character growth. In the few cases where authors in this genre managed to consistently break through conventional genre-imposed boundaries (Jon Athan, Stuart Bray, Daniel Volpe, early Judith Sonnet, and Aaron Lebold are all good examples), they have done so brilliantly. After reading "TEN-4-FACESp", I now count Sierra Waff among them.
With short, crispy sentences, and a clinical style perfectly suited to the novellette's horrific subject matter, Waff develops the story of a female social worker documenting cases of child abuse. The children are under four; the aftermath of the abuse is described in detail (but it itself is never actually shown on the page); the protocol employed in recording it is the titular "TEN-4-FACESp", the acronym made out of the places on a child's body where parents or carers hurt the child; and in cases of "infants under four months, the protocol expanded to include additional locations, bruising to the buttocks, the genitals, the inner thighs. As if the body needed footnotes" (a indicative quote from the book).
The narrative spans three simultaneous fronts, keeping the stakes high and the pacing fast: the elaborate social services system dealing with the cases of suspected child abuse, the tremendous impact on the social worker, and the unexpected supernatural element cropping up when the worker, almost burnt out and fatigued beyond measure, suddenly discovers that the wounds she records and which recordings she places on the system's archive, are appearing afterwards on her own body.
In the last few months, ebook retailers are getting wrecked with horror tales of professionals documenting matters in haunted archives, cursed ledgers, sinister digital and analog media, and evil supervising systems. Waff's book stands out for being an extreme horror masterclass that goes straight for the heart and the emotions, hitting right in the feels, rather than simply testing readers' psychological limits and their stomach's tolerance. Unlike many works in the genre, quite a lot is left to the imagination. The abuser's mindset, for instance, is (wisely) never explained. But where the story succeeds against all odds is in illuminating the real horrors of child abuse through the consequences of the social worker's very human choices: out of the blue, the story develops a critical moral dilemma I myself can still not resolve adequately. It makes the ending feel so much more important, leaving a lingering message that will resonate long after the story concludes. Highly recommend!
With short, crispy sentences, and a clinical style perfectly suited to the novellette's horrific subject matter, Waff develops the story of a female social worker documenting cases of child abuse. The children are under four; the aftermath of the abuse is described in detail (but it itself is never actually shown on the page); the protocol employed in recording it is the titular "TEN-4-FACESp", the acronym made out of the places on a child's body where parents or carers hurt the child; and in cases of "infants under four months, the protocol expanded to include additional locations, bruising to the buttocks, the genitals, the inner thighs. As if the body needed footnotes" (a indicative quote from the book).
The narrative spans three simultaneous fronts, keeping the stakes high and the pacing fast: the elaborate social services system dealing with the cases of suspected child abuse, the tremendous impact on the social worker, and the unexpected supernatural element cropping up when the worker, almost burnt out and fatigued beyond measure, suddenly discovers that the wounds she records and which recordings she places on the system's archive, are appearing afterwards on her own body.
In the last few months, ebook retailers are getting wrecked with horror tales of professionals documenting matters in haunted archives, cursed ledgers, sinister digital and analog media, and evil supervising systems. Waff's book stands out for being an extreme horror masterclass that goes straight for the heart and the emotions, hitting right in the feels, rather than simply testing readers' psychological limits and their stomach's tolerance. Unlike many works in the genre, quite a lot is left to the imagination. The abuser's mindset, for instance, is (wisely) never explained. But where the story succeeds against all odds is in illuminating the real horrors of child abuse through the consequences of the social worker's very human choices: out of the blue, the story develops a critical moral dilemma I myself can still not resolve adequately. It makes the ending feel so much more important, leaving a lingering message that will resonate long after the story concludes. Highly recommend!
July 8, 2026
4.5 rounded down
Maren is a social worker specializing in trauma to small children and suspicious activities surrounding them. She documents their injuries using the TEN-4-FACESp body diagram. But suddenly, her cases start literally coming home with her when their painful injuries become her injuries.
“Another coffee table. The most dangerous piece of furniture in America.” Satirically sad.
We take a good look Maren, our MC, and how she deals with her job. How she feels about the people she comes across, how she functions under a meaningful and depressing job. She doesn’t necessarily hate her job. She just hates that there are predators and people in the world harming children that her job has to exist in the first place. Maren cares deeply for the kids she comes across. It’s hard not to take that kind of work home with you when you see such evil on a regular basis. And to some of the most innocent kind of people (young kids) makes it just horrid. I think anybody in this line of work would be stressed and depressed all the time whether at home or at work.
This is an example of the system failing kids with abusive parents or guardians. Whether it be the nurses, doctors, the police, the social workers or the lawyers. It seems that predators and abusers slip through the cracks time and time again. Your only hope is sufficient and precise evidence and even then sometimes the bad guys go free. It’s sickening how much reality is etched in this.
The premise is extremely sad and maddening but also very interesting and dark. The book is unsettling at its core. The writing is quite metaphoric and the pace is fast, especially towards the end. A short read you can finish in one sitting. My first read by this author and hopefully not my last. Very good!
Maren is a social worker specializing in trauma to small children and suspicious activities surrounding them. She documents their injuries using the TEN-4-FACESp body diagram. But suddenly, her cases start literally coming home with her when their painful injuries become her injuries.
“Another coffee table. The most dangerous piece of furniture in America.” Satirically sad.
We take a good look Maren, our MC, and how she deals with her job. How she feels about the people she comes across, how she functions under a meaningful and depressing job. She doesn’t necessarily hate her job. She just hates that there are predators and people in the world harming children that her job has to exist in the first place. Maren cares deeply for the kids she comes across. It’s hard not to take that kind of work home with you when you see such evil on a regular basis. And to some of the most innocent kind of people (young kids) makes it just horrid. I think anybody in this line of work would be stressed and depressed all the time whether at home or at work.
This is an example of the system failing kids with abusive parents or guardians. Whether it be the nurses, doctors, the police, the social workers or the lawyers. It seems that predators and abusers slip through the cracks time and time again. Your only hope is sufficient and precise evidence and even then sometimes the bad guys go free. It’s sickening how much reality is etched in this.
The premise is extremely sad and maddening but also very interesting and dark. The book is unsettling at its core. The writing is quite metaphoric and the pace is fast, especially towards the end. A short read you can finish in one sitting. My first read by this author and hopefully not my last. Very good!
June 24, 2026
People so easily interchange extreme horror and splatterpunk, but they are two TOTALLY DIFFERENT things. Extreme horror pushes all sorts of boundaries, as does splatterpunk, but splatterpunk sends a MESSAGE, whereas extreme horror does not. Excessive gore does not equal splatterpunk.
THIS, TEN-4-FACESp, is easily one of my top five favorite splatterpunk books I’ve read.
It’s a novella that mixes reality (think medical documentary) with a bit of a supernatural element. The feelings it brought on? Despondency. Anguish. Melancholy. Despair.
The brutality is written in a painfully poetic way that, though horrific, is given respect with careful consideration to the sensitivity of the subject matter.
It’s a grim, bleak look at the absolute reality of the nature of child abuse cases, systematic unjustness across all fields, and the effects they have as a whole on everyone involved.
This won’t be for those looking for a quick, shocking fix. It will be a novella for those who are looking for serious subject matter that will make them uncomfortable and truly reflect. It will undoubtedly be for mature readers who understand the correct concept of splatterpunk.
Sierra has come back with a vengeance to drop a novella with power, demonstrating her talent as a writer in this genre, showcasing her knowledge of true splatterpunk.
THIS, TEN-4-FACESp, is easily one of my top five favorite splatterpunk books I’ve read.
It’s a novella that mixes reality (think medical documentary) with a bit of a supernatural element. The feelings it brought on? Despondency. Anguish. Melancholy. Despair.
The brutality is written in a painfully poetic way that, though horrific, is given respect with careful consideration to the sensitivity of the subject matter.
It’s a grim, bleak look at the absolute reality of the nature of child abuse cases, systematic unjustness across all fields, and the effects they have as a whole on everyone involved.
This won’t be for those looking for a quick, shocking fix. It will be a novella for those who are looking for serious subject matter that will make them uncomfortable and truly reflect. It will undoubtedly be for mature readers who understand the correct concept of splatterpunk.
Sierra has come back with a vengeance to drop a novella with power, demonstrating her talent as a writer in this genre, showcasing her knowledge of true splatterpunk.
June 24, 2026
5/5 🍒
Maren is a woman who works as a forensic social worker. She is one of the first faces children see when they get taken out of an abusive situation. She is there to document every single wound and put it on a body map to be used in court proceedings, hopefully to convict the perpetrator/s.
Maren is also becoming burnt out. She can’t afford to allow herself to feel anymore when it comes to the children and what they go through. Whether she likes it or not her body still has a visceral reaction to the tragic things these sweet children go through.
She will feel the pain the children go through whether she likes it or not. What she maps ends up appearing on her body to a tee. Every single bruise, burn, tear and wound ends up on her body exactly where it was on the child she examined. She panics and tries to figure out what is happening. Will Maren be able to decipher what is happening and stop it? Or will she take on enough damage that her body will give up?
Sierra knocked it out of the park here. I will devour every book she writes. Every terrible scene in this book was done tastefully and methodically. This book is something every grown adult should read. The world is not daises and rainbows like some naive adults believe. There are children who never get to smell those daises or see those rainbows and everyone should know about them. Their stories are important.
Maren is a woman who works as a forensic social worker. She is one of the first faces children see when they get taken out of an abusive situation. She is there to document every single wound and put it on a body map to be used in court proceedings, hopefully to convict the perpetrator/s.
Maren is also becoming burnt out. She can’t afford to allow herself to feel anymore when it comes to the children and what they go through. Whether she likes it or not her body still has a visceral reaction to the tragic things these sweet children go through.
She will feel the pain the children go through whether she likes it or not. What she maps ends up appearing on her body to a tee. Every single bruise, burn, tear and wound ends up on her body exactly where it was on the child she examined. She panics and tries to figure out what is happening. Will Maren be able to decipher what is happening and stop it? Or will she take on enough damage that her body will give up?
Sierra knocked it out of the park here. I will devour every book she writes. Every terrible scene in this book was done tastefully and methodically. This book is something every grown adult should read. The world is not daises and rainbows like some naive adults believe. There are children who never get to smell those daises or see those rainbows and everyone should know about them. Their stories are important.
July 6, 2026
THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ!
This is one of those stories that marks you forever, and I don't mean that lightly or metaphorically.. I feel changed and I know that the message of this story has already planted a seed in my soul that I will bring with me forever.
I read mostly anything messed up including splatterpunk, but I wasn't expecting to be affected in this way. Please check the trigger warnings!
This story involving abuse cases on children under four, is not the usual complaint about a broken system with lots of revenge and a satisfying ending.. NO, this story highlights why the system is broken, which is down to each piece of it slowly and steadily breaking down, when bureaucracy starts getting sloppy and when people choose to look the other way because it's easier and it's less burdensome.
This story highlights how easy it is for everyone involved, including doctors and nurses to play a part in continued abuse and injustice towards infants and small children.
At the same time, it also emphasises how equally easy it is to report and do the job properly, to be the voice for these vulnerable victims.
If sloppiness had direct consequences and you'd truly feel the effect of your inaction, rest assured that you'd do anything to make it stop.
I loved this book! And if you want to read a splatterpunk story that has a truly meaningful message directed at all of us, then I beg you to choose this one.
Thanks to the author for a copy and this is my honest opinion.
This is one of those stories that marks you forever, and I don't mean that lightly or metaphorically.. I feel changed and I know that the message of this story has already planted a seed in my soul that I will bring with me forever.
I read mostly anything messed up including splatterpunk, but I wasn't expecting to be affected in this way. Please check the trigger warnings!
This story involving abuse cases on children under four, is not the usual complaint about a broken system with lots of revenge and a satisfying ending.. NO, this story highlights why the system is broken, which is down to each piece of it slowly and steadily breaking down, when bureaucracy starts getting sloppy and when people choose to look the other way because it's easier and it's less burdensome.
This story highlights how easy it is for everyone involved, including doctors and nurses to play a part in continued abuse and injustice towards infants and small children.
At the same time, it also emphasises how equally easy it is to report and do the job properly, to be the voice for these vulnerable victims.
If sloppiness had direct consequences and you'd truly feel the effect of your inaction, rest assured that you'd do anything to make it stop.
I loved this book! And if you want to read a splatterpunk story that has a truly meaningful message directed at all of us, then I beg you to choose this one.
Thanks to the author for a copy and this is my honest opinion.
August 5, 2026
5⭐️ - I went into TEN-4-FACESp expecting a brutal splatterpunk novella, but I was not prepared for just how deeply this one would affect me. My mama heart is absolutely shattered! 💔😭 We follow Maren, a forensic social worker who documents injuries on abused children using the TEN-4-FACESp body map. When the injuries she records begin appearing on her own body, she's forced to experience the pain of the children she's trying so desperately to protect.
This book is absolutely devastating, but every single brutal moment has a purpose. Sierra captures the heartbreaking reality of child abuse, using splatterpunk to shine a light on the failures within the systems designed to protect vulnerable children and the emotional toll this work takes on the people who witness it. Maren's character broke my heart because you can feel how much she cares, but also how impossible it is to carry that kind of pain day after day. The anger, the helplessness and the exhaustion she feels are overwhelming. She's someone who shows up every day for children who have already been failed and you can feel the weight of every single case she carries with her.
I know I'll be thinking about this book for a very long time. It's uncomfortable, soul-crushing and incredibly difficult to read, but it is also such an important story. Sierra has created something incredibly powerful here and TEN-4-FACESp is easily one of the most impactful horror reads I've picked up. If you're okay with splatterpunk and heavy subject matter, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!
Thank you so much to Sierra Waff for the eARC.
This book is absolutely devastating, but every single brutal moment has a purpose. Sierra captures the heartbreaking reality of child abuse, using splatterpunk to shine a light on the failures within the systems designed to protect vulnerable children and the emotional toll this work takes on the people who witness it. Maren's character broke my heart because you can feel how much she cares, but also how impossible it is to carry that kind of pain day after day. The anger, the helplessness and the exhaustion she feels are overwhelming. She's someone who shows up every day for children who have already been failed and you can feel the weight of every single case she carries with her.
I know I'll be thinking about this book for a very long time. It's uncomfortable, soul-crushing and incredibly difficult to read, but it is also such an important story. Sierra has created something incredibly powerful here and TEN-4-FACESp is easily one of the most impactful horror reads I've picked up. If you're okay with splatterpunk and heavy subject matter, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!
Thank you so much to Sierra Waff for the eARC.
July 2, 2026
This was my first ARC and first book I’ve read by Sierra Waff and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed this book! It was a really dark and deep topic and it was creative as hell! This book follows Marien Blackwood who documents child abuse cases. When she starts ti cut corners with her reports, she becomes cursed with having to endure the injuries that she documents from her child victims. The Afterword at the end of this book is what really sold me on it. It’s explained more about the topic that this book discussed and how serious it is.
July 3, 2026
Wow! When I tell you I was not ready for what this book had in store for me that is a complete understatement.
What Sierra was able to do with this story was one of the most heavy and helpless feelings stories I had ever read. What is described in this book is absolutely heinous, but it is what happens on a day-to-day basis with the system that we have in place that is set to help and protect the most vulnerable in this world, which is our children.
This book does have heavy trigger warnings for abuse, violence and disturbing descriptions of children but it is written in such a way and with purpose it honestly defines what splatter punk as a genre is.
Following our main character as she has to examine and document these children after some of the most heinous acts done by their parents and guardians and what it entails in the aftermath of everything going into our medical system. Our police system and foster care system And the honest failures that we have come to see multiple times within these systems are absolutely gut-wrenching.
Sierra definitely wrote a masterpiece of a splatter punk book which needs your attention
What Sierra was able to do with this story was one of the most heavy and helpless feelings stories I had ever read. What is described in this book is absolutely heinous, but it is what happens on a day-to-day basis with the system that we have in place that is set to help and protect the most vulnerable in this world, which is our children.
This book does have heavy trigger warnings for abuse, violence and disturbing descriptions of children but it is written in such a way and with purpose it honestly defines what splatter punk as a genre is.
Following our main character as she has to examine and document these children after some of the most heinous acts done by their parents and guardians and what it entails in the aftermath of everything going into our medical system. Our police system and foster care system And the honest failures that we have come to see multiple times within these systems are absolutely gut-wrenching.
Sierra definitely wrote a masterpiece of a splatter punk book which needs your attention
August 8, 2026
“Ten-4-FACESp” might be one of the most horrific and awful things I’ve ever read. Not “awful and horrific” because of the things that go bump in the night. Not because of malevolent spirits and forces. Not because of anything supernatural or fictitious. It is because it is absolutely, 100% real.
To quote Mark Twain, “fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.”
“Ten-4-FACESp” follows Maren, a forensic social worker working for Child Protective Services documenting in great detail the unspeakable abuses inflicted upon the most innocent: young children. After being worn down by the meticulous documentation of case after case of the worst humanity has to offer, she begins cutting corners — vague descriptions, approximations — in her work with the foolish hope it will assuage some of the burden she carries. What she gets instead is far worse.
Sierra Waff, in 80 pages, crafts a compelling, albeit infuriating, devastating, and heartbreaking, story about the horrors that we as a “civilized” society allow to happen through complacency, piss poor government oversight, and awful resource management.
To quote Mark Twain, “fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t.”
“Ten-4-FACESp” follows Maren, a forensic social worker working for Child Protective Services documenting in great detail the unspeakable abuses inflicted upon the most innocent: young children. After being worn down by the meticulous documentation of case after case of the worst humanity has to offer, she begins cutting corners — vague descriptions, approximations — in her work with the foolish hope it will assuage some of the burden she carries. What she gets instead is far worse.
Sierra Waff, in 80 pages, crafts a compelling, albeit infuriating, devastating, and heartbreaking, story about the horrors that we as a “civilized” society allow to happen through complacency, piss poor government oversight, and awful resource management.
August 6, 2026
This novella wrecked me. The premise: a social worker dealing with child abuse cases soon learns that the more accurately she documents these cases (using the Ten-4-facesp chart), result in the same injuries appearing on her own body, a grisly metaphor for the trauma that these social workers take home with them. This eventually leads to a heavy criticism of how the system fails theses children. I haven't read a book as heartbreaking and rage inducing as this once since Ketchum's The Girl Next Door, and Sierra Waff pulled this off in less than 80 pages. If you're looking for a fun splatterpunk book to read, this is not it---but it's a very important one.
June 24, 2026
This story follows Maren. She’s a forensic examiner and her current subject matter is heavy, emotional and downright heartbreaking. The world building is rich and I really liked the descriptive writing style. You know how they say don’t take your work home with you… well Maren can’t help it. I flew through this book. Yes it is extreme, yes it has a bunch of triggers but the writing and story are sensitively done, wholly believable and well executed. An easy five star read.
July 10, 2026
Maren works with abused children, and while documenting their bruises, lacerations, and cuts, she begins taking on their injuries as if they were her own!
As Maren digs deeper into what’s happening to her and uncovers how it all connects to her own life, the story starts coming full circle in a way that makes the ending hit even harder.
This was such a tastefully done splatterpunk book, and I’m so glad I got the chance to be an ARC reader for it!
As Maren digs deeper into what’s happening to her and uncovers how it all connects to her own life, the story starts coming full circle in a way that makes the ending hit even harder.
This was such a tastefully done splatterpunk book, and I’m so glad I got the chance to be an ARC reader for it!
July 4, 2026
While I enjoyed this book I would recommend checking trigger warnings. It’s a sad and bleak exploration of what reality can look like for hundreds of thousands of children across the country and how burn out can impact those working in the CPS/Social Work realm
July 27, 2026
Cried so hard! Knowing that this type of stuff does happen is scary. This was brutal, horrifying, terrible. Those poor babies! Maybe if this really happened, maybe the system wouldn't be so lazy
August 7, 2026
Utterly heartbreaking. A torturously emotionally challenging read. Brilliant.
July 18, 2026
WOW. This book was so well and beautifully written..hats off. What a hidden gem. The way this was written and the heavy topic discussed is just blowing my mind. I was left speechless and even the afterword gave me shivers. If i could give this book 100 stars I would.
August 10, 2026
Fantastic read
August 19, 2026
TEN-4-FACESp
This splatterpunk novelette truly got to me. My second book by Waff and while I thoroughly enjoyed I'LL PREY FOR YOU, TEN-4-FACESp locked its claws into my social work degree holding persona and reminded me of why I didn't go into the field.
Social work in all its forms is a hard field to go into. There's more work than there are workers and so things get looked over, dismissed or otherwise thrown to the side for lack of ... many things and reasons. I won't go into all the ins and outs of something I haven't been involved with in decades, but damn did this book take me back a bit. As a quick aside, I did my main internship at a VA medical facility to give back (as I'm a military brat) and realized just how awful the system actually is for veterans. But back to this story please....
Sierra brings us Maren, a forensic social worker, who starts to literally bring home the cases with her.... in its most cruel form. She starts to viscerally carry the wounds and pain of the children and babies she has to forensically assess. Not only does this get to her mentally, but now physically, and all of it is taking a huge toll on her, as you can imagine.
I felt for these children and fear I have now a forever crease between my eyes for how neglected and abused they were. Fiction or not, it's heart wrenching to read about.. especially as these things truly do happen in the real world. The supernatural portion of this read is telling in how much people bring their work home with them. The moral dilemma that people in this (and many) field(s) go through. You don't want to make the wrong decision. I wish I had more words. I feel like I can't describe the feelings I had during this read to its full extent. I just know that it got to me. Phew.
This splatterpunk novelette truly got to me. My second book by Waff and while I thoroughly enjoyed I'LL PREY FOR YOU, TEN-4-FACESp locked its claws into my social work degree holding persona and reminded me of why I didn't go into the field.
Social work in all its forms is a hard field to go into. There's more work than there are workers and so things get looked over, dismissed or otherwise thrown to the side for lack of ... many things and reasons. I won't go into all the ins and outs of something I haven't been involved with in decades, but damn did this book take me back a bit. As a quick aside, I did my main internship at a VA medical facility to give back (as I'm a military brat) and realized just how awful the system actually is for veterans. But back to this story please....
Sierra brings us Maren, a forensic social worker, who starts to literally bring home the cases with her.... in its most cruel form. She starts to viscerally carry the wounds and pain of the children and babies she has to forensically assess. Not only does this get to her mentally, but now physically, and all of it is taking a huge toll on her, as you can imagine.
I felt for these children and fear I have now a forever crease between my eyes for how neglected and abused they were. Fiction or not, it's heart wrenching to read about.. especially as these things truly do happen in the real world. The supernatural portion of this read is telling in how much people bring their work home with them. The moral dilemma that people in this (and many) field(s) go through. You don't want to make the wrong decision. I wish I had more words. I feel like I can't describe the feelings I had during this read to its full extent. I just know that it got to me. Phew.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“I am the archive now. I will carry them until I die.”
Maren is a medical social worker. Her entire job is to analyze and properly document injuries to children. But Maren is tired…beat down…and one day decides to cut corners. Through her professional detachment to her “cases”- her “cases” have now attached to her. She is living with the physical wounds she documents on these young children. When Maren draws the injuries on her TEN-4-FACESP form, they materialize on her body for her to now suffer. When she realizes the less she documents the less she endures, she chooses the latter. Will she continue to cut corners and knowingly send these children back to their dangerous homes to save herself from the suffering they have already been put through or will she do the right thing and bear the pain so that she can get them justice?
Sierra puts you there. She lets you feel the weight of the power you hold in the trenches of being a social worker- straight down to sights, smells, and the helpless, dreadful feeling of seeing child after child come in abused and assaulted only to be shuffled on through into the system like a piece of paper-not a human being let alone a child who needs and deserves care and protection.
As if a smack in the face for a reality check, Maren is getting a reminder that these kids are suffering but in her eyes after 4 years they have become just a job to her…just another form to fill out.
This is a sad, bleak book that is the utter epitome of what splatterpunk is meant to be.
Maren is a medical social worker. Her entire job is to analyze and properly document injuries to children. But Maren is tired…beat down…and one day decides to cut corners. Through her professional detachment to her “cases”- her “cases” have now attached to her. She is living with the physical wounds she documents on these young children. When Maren draws the injuries on her TEN-4-FACESP form, they materialize on her body for her to now suffer. When she realizes the less she documents the less she endures, she chooses the latter. Will she continue to cut corners and knowingly send these children back to their dangerous homes to save herself from the suffering they have already been put through or will she do the right thing and bear the pain so that she can get them justice?
Sierra puts you there. She lets you feel the weight of the power you hold in the trenches of being a social worker- straight down to sights, smells, and the helpless, dreadful feeling of seeing child after child come in abused and assaulted only to be shuffled on through into the system like a piece of paper-not a human being let alone a child who needs and deserves care and protection.
As if a smack in the face for a reality check, Maren is getting a reminder that these kids are suffering but in her eyes after 4 years they have become just a job to her…just another form to fill out.
This is a sad, bleak book that is the utter epitome of what splatterpunk is meant to be.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you Sierra for this ARC!
Okay now let's get into this review.
This book really touched me in a way that I don't think any splatterpunk book has before. I work in healthcare I have worked in healthcare for 13 years. When you see things happen to kids, an adult or elderly and you feel like there is absolutely nothing you can do to help them, it's a hopeless feeling. BUT on the flip side you burn out. You work long hours taking care of everyone else besides yourself. That is what happened with Maren in a way.
Maren is a forensic social worker seeing kids that have been abused....she is the first thing they see when they are scared and have no idea where to turn. Maren has a body map and needs to check over the children and document any marks, abuse signs and measurements on the body map. Maren is getting tired and when her boss tells her multiple times make sure you're documenting everything and measuring everything. Maren states she is, she says she does her job very well and documents every little thing that needs to be documented. Maren even thinks about the kids she has seen when she is home.....it's easier said than done but working in healthcare they say not to bring work home with you...But what happens when she makes a minor mistake of forgetting to document something very important......
She is confused when she gets home and has the same mark that the child had earlier in the day she saw.....
Okay now let's get into this review.
This book really touched me in a way that I don't think any splatterpunk book has before. I work in healthcare I have worked in healthcare for 13 years. When you see things happen to kids, an adult or elderly and you feel like there is absolutely nothing you can do to help them, it's a hopeless feeling. BUT on the flip side you burn out. You work long hours taking care of everyone else besides yourself. That is what happened with Maren in a way.
Maren is a forensic social worker seeing kids that have been abused....she is the first thing they see when they are scared and have no idea where to turn. Maren has a body map and needs to check over the children and document any marks, abuse signs and measurements on the body map. Maren is getting tired and when her boss tells her multiple times make sure you're documenting everything and measuring everything. Maren states she is, she says she does her job very well and documents every little thing that needs to be documented. Maren even thinks about the kids she has seen when she is home.....it's easier said than done but working in healthcare they say not to bring work home with you...But what happens when she makes a minor mistake of forgetting to document something very important......
She is confused when she gets home and has the same mark that the child had earlier in the day she saw.....
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book has emotionally fu*ked me up. I cried so much, and my mind is just spinning. I'm feeling completely out of sorts. Sierra has done an incredible job writing a novella that will linger in your thoughts long after you finish it. The system has checks and balances, and everyone is held accountable. But what happens when one person fails? Or when several people do? This book takes a hard look at what occurs when the very system designed to protect children from abuse lets them down in a big way.
Maren is a forensic examiner who specializes in working with abused children. She carries the heavy emotional burden that comes with her job, witnessing daily how the system is letting these kids down, many of whom are under four years old. Then, one day, the injuries she documents start appearing on her own body. How much can one person endure?
This book brought me to tears. I know horror can be intense, but what about those who are completely defenseless? The children left in the care of their parents or those who are supposed to keep them safe? I love the origin of this story! It carries such a powerful message. This was my first read by Sierra, and if her other books are anything like this one, I’m definitely a fan for life.
Thank you Sierra, for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Maren is a forensic examiner who specializes in working with abused children. She carries the heavy emotional burden that comes with her job, witnessing daily how the system is letting these kids down, many of whom are under four years old. Then, one day, the injuries she documents start appearing on her own body. How much can one person endure?
This book brought me to tears. I know horror can be intense, but what about those who are completely defenseless? The children left in the care of their parents or those who are supposed to keep them safe? I love the origin of this story! It carries such a powerful message. This was my first read by Sierra, and if her other books are anything like this one, I’m definitely a fan for life.
Thank you Sierra, for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
July 17, 2026
This book was absolutely miserable, right up until the afterword, but devastatingly enjoyable. Sierra Waff broke and shattered my heart repeatedly throughout this book and I will never be the same person I was before reading TEN-4-FACESp.
This tale features a lot of extremely heavy themes that will not be for everyone. It follows Maren, a forensic social worker who works on cases of abuse against children. Things take a supernatural turn, and violent situations she witnesses in her work life, begin impacting her physically.
A wonderfully unique tale that will have you hooked to see where it all ends. The most horrifying part of this story, in my opinion, is the truth within the pages. These situations are daily occurrences for some people, and that is terrifying and soul destroying. But they need to be spoken about. There needs to be awareness. And Sierra has done this in such an eerie, yet wonderfully impactful way.
For such a short story, it really does pack a punch and have a long lasting impact on the reader. I have not stopped thinking about it and the point it is trying to get across to readers!
Please never ever be silent. Speak up. It could save someone's life!
Thank you so much to Sierra Waff for an arc of TEN-4-FACESp. All opinions are mine and have been left voluntarily.
This tale features a lot of extremely heavy themes that will not be for everyone. It follows Maren, a forensic social worker who works on cases of abuse against children. Things take a supernatural turn, and violent situations she witnesses in her work life, begin impacting her physically.
A wonderfully unique tale that will have you hooked to see where it all ends. The most horrifying part of this story, in my opinion, is the truth within the pages. These situations are daily occurrences for some people, and that is terrifying and soul destroying. But they need to be spoken about. There needs to be awareness. And Sierra has done this in such an eerie, yet wonderfully impactful way.
For such a short story, it really does pack a punch and have a long lasting impact on the reader. I have not stopped thinking about it and the point it is trying to get across to readers!
Please never ever be silent. Speak up. It could save someone's life!
Thank you so much to Sierra Waff for an arc of TEN-4-FACESp. All opinions are mine and have been left voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
📖ARC REVIEW📖
💀TEN-FOURFACESP💀
🔪BY Sierra Waff 🔪
👀DROPPING JULY 7TH 2026👀
— what an incredibly wild ride, with a vengeance.
this one was so original, and such a pallet refresher. it’s always amazing as a horror/splatterpunk fan to see an author do something that’s never been done and told from a point of view, all while advocating for voices in real life that can be left unheard.
i loved this one from start to finish. it made me shake, it made me cry, and it told a story that not many authors want to tell. i truly appreciate the depth and the knowledge that went into this one. like i said- all around refreshing. every story deserves to be told, and i was so lucky to listen to this one!
every single character had personality and a story of their own, which i found was super interesting.
the gore was intense, and the trauma was RAW. if you are expecting to go into this and feel nothing, you are very wrong. check your trigger warnings, and i mean that.
thank you sierra for venturing into the unknown and giving this story life. i am honored!
make sure to get this one when it drops on july 7th! such a phenomenal writer!
be sure to check out her other works, i’ll tag the links below.
🔗 https://a.co/d/00FEPjaD
^^ ILL PREY FOR YOU- SIERRA WAFF
💀TEN-FOURFACESP💀
🔪BY Sierra Waff 🔪
👀DROPPING JULY 7TH 2026👀
— what an incredibly wild ride, with a vengeance.
this one was so original, and such a pallet refresher. it’s always amazing as a horror/splatterpunk fan to see an author do something that’s never been done and told from a point of view, all while advocating for voices in real life that can be left unheard.
i loved this one from start to finish. it made me shake, it made me cry, and it told a story that not many authors want to tell. i truly appreciate the depth and the knowledge that went into this one. like i said- all around refreshing. every story deserves to be told, and i was so lucky to listen to this one!
every single character had personality and a story of their own, which i found was super interesting.
the gore was intense, and the trauma was RAW. if you are expecting to go into this and feel nothing, you are very wrong. check your trigger warnings, and i mean that.
thank you sierra for venturing into the unknown and giving this story life. i am honored!
make sure to get this one when it drops on july 7th! such a phenomenal writer!
be sure to check out her other works, i’ll tag the links below.
🔗 https://a.co/d/00FEPjaD
^^ ILL PREY FOR YOU- SIERRA WAFF
Review of advance copy received from Author
“A masterpiece of splatterpunk with a purpose. A brutal dissection of a broken system. Don’t ignore the pain”
Wow! This is a haymaker of a book. Sierra shows how the child welfare system works in great detail to expertly deconstruct it—showing how it often fails in the long run. It’s a real eye-opener, exposing the cruel realities of the world without compromise. But despite dealing with a very sensitive subject, it never feels exploitative. You can feel the raw anger and disappointment in every page. Although the novella format doesn’t allow for enough time to truly flesh everything out, I felt the main character, Maren, was very authentic. You can feel how hard this job is, and how heavy of a toll it takes on healthcare workers. And that makes it all hit so much harder.
You should check your trigger warnings, but this isn’t gross-out horror. It’s not meant to make you gag and look away, although you might want to. It’s meant to make you SEE.
Highly recommended!
Wow! This is a haymaker of a book. Sierra shows how the child welfare system works in great detail to expertly deconstruct it—showing how it often fails in the long run. It’s a real eye-opener, exposing the cruel realities of the world without compromise. But despite dealing with a very sensitive subject, it never feels exploitative. You can feel the raw anger and disappointment in every page. Although the novella format doesn’t allow for enough time to truly flesh everything out, I felt the main character, Maren, was very authentic. You can feel how hard this job is, and how heavy of a toll it takes on healthcare workers. And that makes it all hit so much harder.
You should check your trigger warnings, but this isn’t gross-out horror. It’s not meant to make you gag and look away, although you might want to. It’s meant to make you SEE.
Highly recommended!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This novella is bleak in the best way possible. From the surroundings described to Maren hitting that point of burnout, the way it is written down makes you envision it. A colorless, grey world, with real-life horrors, day in, day out.
I could feel Maren's misery through the pages. The way she coped, by dissociating, because there's no other way. Getting attached will only burn you out faster, and you want to help as many children as possible.
This novella shows what happens when you slip up, when you fail in such an important job, and the grotesque consequences.
Great book, highly recommend.
I could feel Maren's misery through the pages. The way she coped, by dissociating, because there's no other way. Getting attached will only burn you out faster, and you want to help as many children as possible.
This novella shows what happens when you slip up, when you fail in such an important job, and the grotesque consequences.
Great book, highly recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I am not even sure where to start this review. I have never come across something so factual in splatter punk/ extreme horror before. Having been a foster parent in the past, she had to have done a lot of research for this book. It did not go in the direction I thought it would, and I feel like there should be a part two. It was a short story, with a huge impact. I’m a huge fan of Sierra Waff, having found her through I’ll prey for you, which was brutal. Solid gold score 5/5
Review of advance copy received from Author
I'm speechless. Truly. This is a very heavy, emotional read, but it was just impossible to put down.
The plot goes into a broken system, but Sierra Waff handles the difficult topic with so much care. The writing is incredibly well done, proving a story can be super dark while still remaining deeply respectful. It definitely stays on your mind long after the final page. You just need to pick this up.
Thank you to Sierra Waff for the opportunity to read this ARC.
The plot goes into a broken system, but Sierra Waff handles the difficult topic with so much care. The writing is incredibly well done, proving a story can be super dark while still remaining deeply respectful. It definitely stays on your mind long after the final page. You just need to pick this up.
Thank you to Sierra Waff for the opportunity to read this ARC.
August 6, 2026
Sierra is uniquely able to write masterful splatterpunk that explores real-life trauma and abuse and the effects it can have beyond the direct victim. Most storytellers can only pretend when writing about such atrocities, but Sierra shows us once again that she can expertly examine a serious issue through the lens of horror fiction. Too often, abuse is glorified in splatterpunk and extreme horror, whereas this story runs directly counter to that trope.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was my first book by Sierra Waff and I'm glad it was. Even with it's heartbreaking and horrific context. It had healing moments for as a survivor of abuse. It’s also heartbreaking as it shows how broken our cps system is if you didn’t already know that It’s broken. Overall great story and I can’t wait to read Sierra’s books.
July 10, 2026
Another visceral work of art by Sierra Waff!! Being a nurse for the last 20 years, I can relate to the burnout and the internal conflict to do the right thing vs the easiest thing. Sierra accurately describes the struggle between self sacrifice and being your own savior. Her attention to detail brings the atrocious injuries to life with a vividness you can see and feel! 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤
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