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Sticks & Stones
Not yet published
Expected 8 Aug 26422 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 8, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Some books ask to be read.
Sticks & Stones asks to be witnessed.
This is not a gentle story. Nor should it be. It drags you through the places history so often softens with distance and forces you to look at the women who lived there. The ones controlled, silenced, owned, punished, and forgotten.
And the further I read, the angrier I became.
Not at the story.
At the familiarity of it, and later, the possibility of it.
The centuries change. The walls look different. The language used to justify cruelty becomes more refined. But beneath it all, there is the same hand closing around a woman's throat and insisting it knows what is best for her.
That is where this book found its teeth for me.
Vivian's writing is stunning. There is a sharpness to it that suits this story perfectly, but also a real beauty. Her prose knows when to linger and when to cut. There are lines that almost feel delicate until you realise what they have just done to you. Images that stay long after the scene has passed.
More importantly, she trusts her writing.
She doesn't need to scream every point at you. The words do the work. The horror is allowed to settle. The anger is given space to grow.
And grow it does.
The rage within these pages does not arrive screaming. It gathers. Slowly. Painfully. One life at a time. One injustice laid upon another until the weight of it becomes impossible to ignore.
There are moments here that are difficult to read, and I strongly suggest checking the trigger warnings before stepping into this story. But I never felt the darkness was used carelessly or graphically. Vivian does not ask you to look simply for the sake of hurting you.
She asks you to remember.
By the end, I was angry. I was uncomfortable. And I was left thinking about how easily we call something history simply because we no longer wish to admit how much of it remains.
Sticks & Stones is brutal, beautifully written, haunting, and filled with a very particular kind of feminine rage.
The kind born when being silent is no longer an option.
And, honestly?
I think more people need to feel it.
Sticks & Stones asks to be witnessed.
This is not a gentle story. Nor should it be. It drags you through the places history so often softens with distance and forces you to look at the women who lived there. The ones controlled, silenced, owned, punished, and forgotten.
And the further I read, the angrier I became.
Not at the story.
At the familiarity of it, and later, the possibility of it.
The centuries change. The walls look different. The language used to justify cruelty becomes more refined. But beneath it all, there is the same hand closing around a woman's throat and insisting it knows what is best for her.
That is where this book found its teeth for me.
Vivian's writing is stunning. There is a sharpness to it that suits this story perfectly, but also a real beauty. Her prose knows when to linger and when to cut. There are lines that almost feel delicate until you realise what they have just done to you. Images that stay long after the scene has passed.
More importantly, she trusts her writing.
She doesn't need to scream every point at you. The words do the work. The horror is allowed to settle. The anger is given space to grow.
And grow it does.
The rage within these pages does not arrive screaming. It gathers. Slowly. Painfully. One life at a time. One injustice laid upon another until the weight of it becomes impossible to ignore.
There are moments here that are difficult to read, and I strongly suggest checking the trigger warnings before stepping into this story. But I never felt the darkness was used carelessly or graphically. Vivian does not ask you to look simply for the sake of hurting you.
She asks you to remember.
By the end, I was angry. I was uncomfortable. And I was left thinking about how easily we call something history simply because we no longer wish to admit how much of it remains.
Sticks & Stones is brutal, beautifully written, haunting, and filled with a very particular kind of feminine rage.
The kind born when being silent is no longer an option.
And, honestly?
I think more people need to feel it.
July 11, 2026
Reading this book I felt so many emotions, mostly anger. Anger of the unfairness that women have and still endure. This book was written so incredibly well, rich in detail and emotion, it was though provoking in a way that makes me think that woman need to be angrier. While this book was fiction, the lives that are written are very much a heartbreaking reality for women throughout history. I am excited to read Broken Bones when it is released!
Review of advance copy received from Author
The first time I read Sticks and Stones, I completely forgot I was beta reading it. I sat down expecting to read a few chapters, make some notes, and come back to it later, but instead I devoured the entire book in one sitting and finished it with an incredibly heavy heart. As a man, I know there are parts of this story that I will never fully understand because I haven't lived these experiences, carried these fears, or faced these struggles, but that didn't stop me from feeling the hurt woven into every page. The concept is both brilliant and heartbreaking: a witch, burned at the stake, casts a spell that sends her through the lives of women throughout history, forcing her to experience some of the darkest realities women have endured across generations. What struck me wasn't just the events themselves, but how personal they felt. These weren't dates in a history book or facts listed on a page. They were people. They were lives. They were mothers, daughters, sisters, and women whose pain was often ignored, dismissed, or forgotten. More than once this book made me angry. More than once it made me want to scream. Not because the writing was difficult, but because the truths behind it were. What hit me hardest was realizing how many of these struggles weren't isolated tragedies but wounds repeated across centuries, cultures, and generations. Vivain Rage doesn't soften those realities, and I don't think she should. This book is painful, political, uncomfortable, and at times absolutely heartbreaking, but it is also important. It teaches history in a way that makes you feel it rather than simply learn it, and while I can never honestly say I fully understand the pain this book explores, I can say it helped me see it, acknowledge it, and walk away with a deeper understanding than I had before. Sticks and Stones is the kind of story that stays with you long after you've finished reading it, and in a world that is often too eager to forget uncomfortable truths, I think it's exactly the kind of book that needs to be read. Grab this book on pre-order today. Give this to the old men in your life who dont understand. Give this to the girl just entering college who doesn't know the history of pain. Give this book for everyone in your life because this is a book that absolutely needs to be read and understood across the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Advance Reader Copy
Sticks and Stones is unique. It’s not a memoir of “how I hit rock bottom and crawled back out” although of course they have their place.
It’s not romantasy. It echoes with a singular, haunting resonance and carved its own space with stark, quiet truth.
This story infuses a pain that doesn't make me flinch; instead, it draws me completely under. It feels so intimate that I wondered if Vivian Rage had somehow untangled my own thoughts. This has been the exact, quiet soundtrack of my life—the frantic urge to stay invisible, pliant, and unbroken since childhood. It captures that exhausting cycle of panic and sudden, self-protecting numbness perfectly. While it brilliantly mirrors the reality of emotional torment, it never completely snuffs out hope. Ultimately, it feels like the ageless, universal cry of every woman.
These sentences are pure artistry to me.
“Because I have seen girls cling to themselves so hard they broke around the effort.”
“It catches the light briefly, then stops meaningfully catching anything at all.”
“All the small evidence of a life that goes nowhere dramatic and ends nowhere visible”
Brutal. Soft. Woman centred. No unnecessary damned romance .
Painful and pure.
It’s why I didn’t want it to end. When the best books finish it’s like dying.
Sticks and Stones is unique. It’s not a memoir of “how I hit rock bottom and crawled back out” although of course they have their place.
It’s not romantasy. It echoes with a singular, haunting resonance and carved its own space with stark, quiet truth.
This story infuses a pain that doesn't make me flinch; instead, it draws me completely under. It feels so intimate that I wondered if Vivian Rage had somehow untangled my own thoughts. This has been the exact, quiet soundtrack of my life—the frantic urge to stay invisible, pliant, and unbroken since childhood. It captures that exhausting cycle of panic and sudden, self-protecting numbness perfectly. While it brilliantly mirrors the reality of emotional torment, it never completely snuffs out hope. Ultimately, it feels like the ageless, universal cry of every woman.
These sentences are pure artistry to me.
“Because I have seen girls cling to themselves so hard they broke around the effort.”
“It catches the light briefly, then stops meaningfully catching anything at all.”
“All the small evidence of a life that goes nowhere dramatic and ends nowhere visible”
Brutal. Soft. Woman centred. No unnecessary damned romance .
Painful and pure.
It’s why I didn’t want it to end. When the best books finish it’s like dying.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sticks and stones Review
4½ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was an amazing book, yet a difficult read. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when starting this book as I went into it blind.
The author did an amazing job with very difficult subject matter. My emotions were all over the place. But by the end, I was not only a mess but absolutely enraged at the same time. Knowing that these things still happen on a daily basis and nothing really has changed muched over not only years but centuries will get your blood boiling. This book I could not read straight through as my emotions wouldn't allow it. I had to sit the book down and walk away for a bit to let my emotions regulate. It starts out with a woman accused of being a witch on a witches pyre casting a spell that takes her through the lives of several women over generations as a witness to what happens to each one. This subject should be talked about more instead of swept under a rug. Everyone should read this book and feel the rage of what happens throughout this book. The author did an amazing job with this story, and I hope you read it as every person should read it. Both men and women it might actually help start some changes in the world.
4½ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was an amazing book, yet a difficult read. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when starting this book as I went into it blind.
The author did an amazing job with very difficult subject matter. My emotions were all over the place. But by the end, I was not only a mess but absolutely enraged at the same time. Knowing that these things still happen on a daily basis and nothing really has changed muched over not only years but centuries will get your blood boiling. This book I could not read straight through as my emotions wouldn't allow it. I had to sit the book down and walk away for a bit to let my emotions regulate. It starts out with a woman accused of being a witch on a witches pyre casting a spell that takes her through the lives of several women over generations as a witness to what happens to each one. This subject should be talked about more instead of swept under a rug. Everyone should read this book and feel the rage of what happens throughout this book. The author did an amazing job with this story, and I hope you read it as every person should read it. Both men and women it might actually help start some changes in the world.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sticks and Stones by Vivian Rage is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you've finished it. I loved it so much that I read it twice, and it was just as powerful the second time.
Each story was beautifully written and incredibly moving, capturing the realities of what women have endured throughout history and, heartbreakingly, what many continue to experience today. A couple of the stories hit especially close to home, reminding me of personal experiences I'd rather never have had. That made them all the more powerful, and at times, difficult to read—but in the best possible way.
Every chapter carried its own emotional weight, yet together they created a powerful reminder of the resilience, strength, and courage of women across the centuries. This isn't just a book you read—it's one you feel. It made me reflect, broke my heart more than once, and left me with a deep appreciation for the voices and experiences it shared.
If you're looking for a book that is thought-provoking, emotional, and unforgettable, I cannot recommend Sticks and Stones enough. Thank you, Vivian Rage, for writing a book that not only tells these stories but gives them the space and compassion they deserve.
Each story was beautifully written and incredibly moving, capturing the realities of what women have endured throughout history and, heartbreakingly, what many continue to experience today. A couple of the stories hit especially close to home, reminding me of personal experiences I'd rather never have had. That made them all the more powerful, and at times, difficult to read—but in the best possible way.
Every chapter carried its own emotional weight, yet together they created a powerful reminder of the resilience, strength, and courage of women across the centuries. This isn't just a book you read—it's one you feel. It made me reflect, broke my heart more than once, and left me with a deep appreciation for the voices and experiences it shared.
If you're looking for a book that is thought-provoking, emotional, and unforgettable, I cannot recommend Sticks and Stones enough. Thank you, Vivian Rage, for writing a book that not only tells these stories but gives them the space and compassion they deserve.
Review of advance copy received from Author
It's hard to put into words the feelings I've experienced whilst reading Sticks & Stones. The premise is quite unique, and even though I came into this ARC with the attitude of "it's not really my cup of tea but I should expand my reading horizons anyway", I must admit I was blown back by Vivian's style of writing and creative output.
It's not easy to render pain and struggle (among other things) on paper. It really isn't. Vivian does a fantastic job at it, and not only that, she manages, through techniques she either studied hard or simply has the talent to grasp them intrinsically, to send you into an empathetic trance. You are there, living the stories, experiencing a few of what is probably an interminable list of wrongdoings conjured by humanity.
Suffice it to say, I am impressed and cannot wait to see what else Vivian comes up with next. You just earned yourself a new follower.
Oh wait, I also loved the artwork in the book.
... Nailed it.
It's not easy to render pain and struggle (among other things) on paper. It really isn't. Vivian does a fantastic job at it, and not only that, she manages, through techniques she either studied hard or simply has the talent to grasp them intrinsically, to send you into an empathetic trance. You are there, living the stories, experiencing a few of what is probably an interminable list of wrongdoings conjured by humanity.
Suffice it to say, I am impressed and cannot wait to see what else Vivian comes up with next. You just earned yourself a new follower.
Oh wait, I also loved the artwork in the book.
... Nailed it.
July 14, 2026
Advanced copy provided by author for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What begins as a curse to avenge women wronged before her turns into a journey across time and worlds residing in women who have been oppressed by the whims of man.
I read this book in less than 24 hours, and what a profoundly raw experience that was. My emotions oscillated back and forth from simmering anger to rage to gut-wrenching sadness. I have never highlighted so many passages in a book in my life! This is a story that needs to be told. This is a work of fiction, but it very well could have been someone’s lived experience.
Content warnings: violence, execution, murder, water torture, domestic violence, human trafficking to minor, sex slavery, mail order bride, ectopic pregnancy, forced pregnancy, genocide abortion.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What begins as a curse to avenge women wronged before her turns into a journey across time and worlds residing in women who have been oppressed by the whims of man.
I read this book in less than 24 hours, and what a profoundly raw experience that was. My emotions oscillated back and forth from simmering anger to rage to gut-wrenching sadness. I have never highlighted so many passages in a book in my life! This is a story that needs to be told. This is a work of fiction, but it very well could have been someone’s lived experience.
Content warnings: violence, execution, murder, water torture, domestic violence, human trafficking to minor, sex slavery, mail order bride, ectopic pregnancy, forced pregnancy, genocide abortion.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an advanced copy from the author for my honest review.
This book is not what I was expecting. The raw emotions took me by surprise and I followed along on the rollercoaster until the climatic ending. This is literally a tale as old as time, but proudly out in the open, instead of quietly hidden behind closed doors. It was so well written that I felt like the main character, swept from one situation to another. It is truly a most amazingly well crafted narration and I cannot wait to see what Vivian Rage writes next. I have already pre-ordered my own copy to share with others
This book is not what I was expecting. The raw emotions took me by surprise and I followed along on the rollercoaster until the climatic ending. This is literally a tale as old as time, but proudly out in the open, instead of quietly hidden behind closed doors. It was so well written that I felt like the main character, swept from one situation to another. It is truly a most amazingly well crafted narration and I cannot wait to see what Vivian Rage writes next. I have already pre-ordered my own copy to share with others
Review of advance copy received from Author
Wow. Just wow!
I wasn't sure what I was heading into with this book. With each story I read, the angrier I became. My emotions are all over the place. I was heartbroken and teary, but that would be followed by Rage.
This book sums up all of the conversations that I have had myself with other women around me. When and where does it end?
Everyone needs to read this.
I wasn't sure what I was heading into with this book. With each story I read, the angrier I became. My emotions are all over the place. I was heartbroken and teary, but that would be followed by Rage.
This book sums up all of the conversations that I have had myself with other women around me. When and where does it end?
Everyone needs to read this.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews