The Patchwork Girl

by Sebastian Bendix

What could be worse for a 16 year-old girl than waking up to find that your skin has transformed into a bizarre, calico patchwork? For Padget Beaumont, the answer is: a lot. Looking like a freak turns out to be the least of her problems when Padget is chased from high school into a nightmare dimension where science is superstition and the supernatural is real. There she finds herself caught between an arcane city full of vampires, demons and witches and a religious zealot intent on burning it all down. Her only hope is to find her father, an expatriate scientist hiding out somewhere among the towering Gothic spires and dank, twisting catacombs. But when Padget falls in love with a roguish demon possessed by the soul of a troubled teenaged boy, she must confront the most terrifying truth of all to save him: who she really is.
The Patchwork Girl is a dark fantasy novel for young adults that will appeal to fans of Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The adventures of The Patchwork Girl promise to draw the reader in with action, romance and fantasy while at the same time addressing the real-world issues that trouble both young and adult readers alike.

ebook

First published October 21, 2013

About the author

Sebastian Bendix is a Los Angeles based writer and musician, as well as founder of horror film series, Friday Night Frights. He attended school at Emerson College for creative writing and spent his formative years in Boston playing in popular local band The Ghost of Tony Gold. Upon moving to LA he shifted his focus back to writing and began contributing articles to entertainment websites such as CHUD.com and the print publication Mean Magazine. However, his true passion lies in the realm of horror fiction. Bendix has found success both online and in print with numerous stories published in genre imprints and noted podcast The Wicked Library. In 2013, Bendix self-published his first horror/fantasy novel titled "The Patchwork Girl." This was followed by his second novel, "The Stronghold," a thrilling story inspired by real-life events, which has been published and is available digitally and in print. Alongside his writing endeavors, Sebastian Bendix is also a devoted film lover. He has made contributions to a science fiction anthology film called "Portals," released in October 2019. Recently, Bendix completed “Hell Bent for Heather”, a horror novel in the style of Stephen King that he hopes will be the definitive take on heavy metal horror, it is currently out to publishers. He also just published “Hollow Jack & the Blood Curse of Blackwater”, the first in a series of western horror novellas centered around a supernatural gunslinger. Sebastian Bendix's diverse background in writing, music, and film influences his unique storytelling style, making him a notable figure in the world of horror fiction. Bendix currently resides in Atlanta with his wife Jennifer and their supermutt Annie.

Reviews

[Carla Remy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very high school, but any real horror fan knows that all gothic fear centers on teenaged girls.

[Sharon Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading The Patchwork Girl! My enjoyment of it was heightened by the fact that I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, as this isn’t the sort of thing I usually gravitate towards… but I’m so glad I gave it a chance because it was a pleasure to read. I seriously couldn’t stop reading it once I got started; the various predicaments our Patchwork Girl gets herself into would not let me get a moments rest until I learned of their outcome!

Padget is a true outsider, and her adventures are as special, and weird, as she is. Her world gets suddenly shattered, both figuratively and literally, and like Alice through the looking glass, she goes tripping through a phantasmagoric journey of fear, magic and self-discovery. At times the storyline shared some parallels with A Wrinkle in Time, though a lot scarier. There are a number of creeptastic villains in this book who were delicious to get to know, along with genuinely likeable (dare I say, loveable?) characters and well-developed world building. I wanted to explore even more of Nusalem, the town where all manner of monsters, demons and madmen roam the brutal streets. There’s even a touch of romance, something that usually ruins books for me, but in this case it’s handled both uniquely and sweetly, after all, this is at heart a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl. The Patchwork Girl practically demands a sequel and would even make for a great series. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ve seen of her!

[Matt Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. I'm a slow reader. So that said, I read this book in a weekend!

It's such a great story of self-discovery, with mystery and rad Syfy elements. I've always been a fan of Buffy, Dollhouse...basically give me a strong lady who's out to find herself and I'm there. If you like strong female heroines, then The Patchwork Girl is the book for you.

I don't want to give away spoilers, but I will say the story keeps you guessing. In the first few chapters, I was thinking I knew who this girl was and what was going to happen. Instead, Bendix created a story that I didn't expect and characters with flaws I didn't anticipate, which is maybe why I read it in a weekend.

Lastly, the WORLD Bendix created is great. I'm already imagining what could happen in the Patchwork Girl 2, which I think is a testament to good story and good writing. This book is great for teens or adults.

[Jennifer Yarbrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. Padget is someone that I could identify with and would actually enjoy being around. This isn't generally my go-to genre, but as a fan of Buffy (TV show) it was a good fit for me. I also liked that this book created an alternate world that was very different from the "real world" but also had many similarities...kind of "wherever you go, there you are" type thing – I also thought it was cool how the humans and "monster-like" folks co-existed in Nusalem. There are definitely some intense and scary elements to the book, but I think that younger readers can totally handle it. It's just a really fun read and I was bummed when the ride was over, but hopefully we'll get to hear more from Padget soon!

[Todd Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

It plodded through one disaster after another. Over all, exciting once it found a direction.

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's a fun summer read for folks that like supernatural and YA fiction. Well written and engaging without being too serious.