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The Familiar
A six year old boy has vanished, taken from his bed whilst his parents slept. He was not the first.
Now a whole town lives in a state of fear.
Single parent Emma is worried. Nuisance calls in the early hours. Her daughter, Caitlin’s obsession with an imaginary friend. A man she calls Mr. Pig.
Drawings begin to appear all over the house, on windows and place that Caitlin cannot reach. Each drawing telling the tale of Mr. Pig. Of his strange, animal features and his promise to take Caitlin away with him, whilst her mother sleeps…
Soon events conspire to make Emma believe that her daughter’s friend may be all too real. She cannot escape the fear, is Caitlin next?
From the past has risen a dark evil. The Tall Man is coming. The Familiar. Right hand of vengeance. The devourer of children. Within the walls of a secure hospital is the only person who might be able to stop it…
Age old Fear. Brand new terror…..
Now a whole town lives in a state of fear.
Single parent Emma is worried. Nuisance calls in the early hours. Her daughter, Caitlin’s obsession with an imaginary friend. A man she calls Mr. Pig.
Drawings begin to appear all over the house, on windows and place that Caitlin cannot reach. Each drawing telling the tale of Mr. Pig. Of his strange, animal features and his promise to take Caitlin away with him, whilst her mother sleeps…
Soon events conspire to make Emma believe that her daughter’s friend may be all too real. She cannot escape the fear, is Caitlin next?
From the past has risen a dark evil. The Tall Man is coming. The Familiar. Right hand of vengeance. The devourer of children. Within the walls of a secure hospital is the only person who might be able to stop it…
Age old Fear. Brand new terror…..
- GenresHorror
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2015
64 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 13, 2015
I was very enthused about reading this book after discovering it on Amazon. It sounded right up my alley and had the added bonus of a really awesome cover. Sadly the overall executive feel short of expectation. The plot is actually really good, the entire premise should have worked so well, where I think it fell down is it's too wordy in most places, losing the sense of tension that a book like this should have. At times I found where the story was meandering was a bit confusing. It needed a tighter, tauter plot to really have been a five star read. So much potential here!
A six year old boy has vanished, taken from his bed whilst his parents slept. He was not the first.
Now a whole town lives in a state of fear.
Single parent Emma is worried. Nuisance calls in the early hours. Her daughter, Caitlin’s obsession with an imaginary friend. A man she calls Mr. Pig.
Drawings begin to appear all over the house, on windows and place that Caitlin cannot reach. Each drawing telling the tale of Mr. Pig. Of his strange, animal features and his promise to take Caitlin away with him, whilst her mother sleeps…
Soon events conspire to make Emma believe that her daughter’s friend may be all too real. She cannot escape the fear, is Caitlin next?
From the past has risen a dark evil. The Tall Man is coming. The Familiar. Right hand of vengeance. The devourer of children. Within the walls of a secure hospital is the only person who might be able to stop it…
Age old Fear. Brand new terror…..
I mean how great does that sound? I loved the concept of these children going missing from their beds, the sightings by children only of The Tall Man, the creepy atmosphere and where it was all heading but it just lacked something to bring it all together. It was still a readable book but a bit of really good editing might have done this one a lot of justice. I read a lot of similar type of books so I have a lot to compare to. I felt like when the creepy factor crept up on me suddenly it would go away again for sometime and I wanted it to build and build.
Not a bad effort. 3 stars from me for The Familiar. I just wish it was that little bit more. I would try something else from this author in future for sure.
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A six year old boy has vanished, taken from his bed whilst his parents slept. He was not the first.
Now a whole town lives in a state of fear.
Single parent Emma is worried. Nuisance calls in the early hours. Her daughter, Caitlin’s obsession with an imaginary friend. A man she calls Mr. Pig.
Drawings begin to appear all over the house, on windows and place that Caitlin cannot reach. Each drawing telling the tale of Mr. Pig. Of his strange, animal features and his promise to take Caitlin away with him, whilst her mother sleeps…
Soon events conspire to make Emma believe that her daughter’s friend may be all too real. She cannot escape the fear, is Caitlin next?
From the past has risen a dark evil. The Tall Man is coming. The Familiar. Right hand of vengeance. The devourer of children. Within the walls of a secure hospital is the only person who might be able to stop it…
Age old Fear. Brand new terror…..
I mean how great does that sound? I loved the concept of these children going missing from their beds, the sightings by children only of The Tall Man, the creepy atmosphere and where it was all heading but it just lacked something to bring it all together. It was still a readable book but a bit of really good editing might have done this one a lot of justice. I read a lot of similar type of books so I have a lot to compare to. I felt like when the creepy factor crept up on me suddenly it would go away again for sometime and I wanted it to build and build.
Not a bad effort. 3 stars from me for The Familiar. I just wish it was that little bit more. I would try something else from this author in future for sure.
For more reviews, books to win and author spotlights: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
You can follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook
September 16, 2017
**ACTUAL RATING: 3.5***
Well, well, well. That was pretty atmospheric and creepy. It was way more imaginative that I thought it would be, with strong and assertive personailities facing memorably ominous bad things - things that have a very long reach.
Although it could benefit from a quick sweep to clear up the odd spelling error, incorrect word substition, and minor punctuation ommisions, overall The Familiar is spookily addictive, and I wouldn't mind trying another book by this author in the future as he obviously has a talent for suspenseful timing.
Well, well, well. That was pretty atmospheric and creepy. It was way more imaginative that I thought it would be, with strong and assertive personailities facing memorably ominous bad things - things that have a very long reach.
Although it could benefit from a quick sweep to clear up the odd spelling error, incorrect word substition, and minor punctuation ommisions, overall The Familiar is spookily addictive, and I wouldn't mind trying another book by this author in the future as he obviously has a talent for suspenseful timing.
April 13, 2018
I picked this one based just on the cover. It turned out that what I had selected was a horror story. The basic premise was one of a mother, who just happened to be a witch, taking supernatural revenge on the people she held responsible for the death of her mentally disabled son.
The idea itself is a strong one but the execution left something to be desired. The ending felt very rushed, with everything up to about 85% of the way through feeling like backstory and the tying up of the tale all happening within a couple of pages. There were also major issues with the writing; it seems the book had never had anyone proof read it and so it was riddled with fundamental errors with punctuation, spelling and grammar. In places this was so bad that it became distracting and made the story harder to follow.
In the hands of a capable editor, this could be a very good novel. However, with that having been lacking, it became far more mediocre. There were still strong horror elements to the story but overall the novel lacked the sustained suspense that I prefer in the genre.
The idea itself is a strong one but the execution left something to be desired. The ending felt very rushed, with everything up to about 85% of the way through feeling like backstory and the tying up of the tale all happening within a couple of pages. There were also major issues with the writing; it seems the book had never had anyone proof read it and so it was riddled with fundamental errors with punctuation, spelling and grammar. In places this was so bad that it became distracting and made the story harder to follow.
In the hands of a capable editor, this could be a very good novel. However, with that having been lacking, it became far more mediocre. There were still strong horror elements to the story but overall the novel lacked the sustained suspense that I prefer in the genre.
February 16, 2016
How Disappointing
Good premise, but either this was translated to English or it is just poorly written. At first I skimmed over the missing or misused words, after awhile that became too distracting. There were some truly creepy situations in the beginning which tricked me into continuing with the book. Then, the story became just too convoluted between characters. I finally gave up as it was not worth wasting any more of my valuable reading hours. There is just so little time to read a good story. Unfortunately this was not one of them.
Good premise, but either this was translated to English or it is just poorly written. At first I skimmed over the missing or misused words, after awhile that became too distracting. There were some truly creepy situations in the beginning which tricked me into continuing with the book. Then, the story became just too convoluted between characters. I finally gave up as it was not worth wasting any more of my valuable reading hours. There is just so little time to read a good story. Unfortunately this was not one of them.
January 10, 2016
Creepy
Creepy and twisted . I like how it all interlinks . gave me goosebumps so not one to read on your own !
Creepy and twisted . I like how it all interlinks . gave me goosebumps so not one to read on your own !
April 14, 2016
A good concept and story which was let down, overall, it it's execution. A damned good editor could have tidied this up and it would have been 4/5 stars
October 31, 2024
Great Story, Terrible Editing
Technically I would give it a 3.5 star rating, I really wish we had a better ratings system for nuanced results.
There is a lot to like about this novel. The story itself is pretty unique, which is always nice.
The author is obviously talented - he has created a layered world that follows multiple time lines.
The characters are really well crafted. None are totally perfect, which is realistic. You have real sympathy for the main character and her mental health issues are presented authentically.
There are a lot of peripheral characters with a lot of shades of grey. Their actions, however awful, all have reason behind them. Even those guilty of being utterly repugnant have that kernel of reality that stops them from simply being "baddie" caricatures. They are three dimensional, which is difficult for a writer to pull off.
There is one, brief, lodger character who is wholly disgusting but it makes sense - some beings deserve no sympathy!
What really lets this book down is the lack of editing and proofreading. The wrong words used, words missing entirely. It does break the spell of being in the story.
Changed in timelines and character pov are not clearly marked. This causes confusion and I had to double check that I hadn't skipped a page a number of times, which again stops the flow of the story. Chapter names showing the time and character clearly would have avoided this issue totally.
I found these issues highly annoying and they happen a lot. They did affect my enjoyment which is why I have given a lower star rating.
So yes, I would recommend this book but with a warning. Go into it expecting to be irritated and confused at times.
Technically I would give it a 3.5 star rating, I really wish we had a better ratings system for nuanced results.
There is a lot to like about this novel. The story itself is pretty unique, which is always nice.
The author is obviously talented - he has created a layered world that follows multiple time lines.
The characters are really well crafted. None are totally perfect, which is realistic. You have real sympathy for the main character and her mental health issues are presented authentically.
There are a lot of peripheral characters with a lot of shades of grey. Their actions, however awful, all have reason behind them. Even those guilty of being utterly repugnant have that kernel of reality that stops them from simply being "baddie" caricatures. They are three dimensional, which is difficult for a writer to pull off.
There is one, brief, lodger character who is wholly disgusting but it makes sense - some beings deserve no sympathy!
What really lets this book down is the lack of editing and proofreading. The wrong words used, words missing entirely. It does break the spell of being in the story.
Changed in timelines and character pov are not clearly marked. This causes confusion and I had to double check that I hadn't skipped a page a number of times, which again stops the flow of the story. Chapter names showing the time and character clearly would have avoided this issue totally.
I found these issues highly annoying and they happen a lot. They did affect my enjoyment which is why I have given a lower star rating.
So yes, I would recommend this book but with a warning. Go into it expecting to be irritated and confused at times.
January 21, 2020
Brilliantly different.
I've never read concept like this, although its rather simiaalr to the Sinister movie. But I like that it's more a familiar rather than a boogie man. It's a rather unique and exciting story, aand I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I will say that there are a lot oof spelling and grammar mistakes which made the story hard to read at times. So, to the author I say well done, but make surer to double check, oor have some one proof read. And to those who read the book, I say ignore the mistakes, the story is worth it.
I've never read concept like this, although its rather simiaalr to the Sinister movie. But I like that it's more a familiar rather than a boogie man. It's a rather unique and exciting story, aand I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I will say that there are a lot oof spelling and grammar mistakes which made the story hard to read at times. So, to the author I say well done, but make surer to double check, oor have some one proof read. And to those who read the book, I say ignore the mistakes, the story is worth it.
February 26, 2022
This book really needed a further edit or some proof readers before being released as there were a lot of grammatical errors, incorrect words and spellings. One error made me laugh out loud as I'm free the region in the story and we definitely wouldn't say we had "a sandwich of Tuna" for lunch.
Even so the premise was great, the story meandered quite a bit but I did enjoy it overall.
Even so the premise was great, the story meandered quite a bit but I did enjoy it overall.
July 8, 2022
Obviously not edited
There were so many typos, missing words and missing letters throughout this book. It also jumped from story to story a lot and at times between paragraphs without warning.
There were so many typos, missing words and missing letters throughout this book. It also jumped from story to story a lot and at times between paragraphs without warning.
July 2, 2023
Strange but good
This is a really weird but good book, really pulls u in MR Pig will give u nightmares, don't sleep
This is a really weird but good book, really pulls u in MR Pig will give u nightmares, don't sleep
January 5, 2017
Better than I thought it would be.
I chose this book because of the title. It sounded scary and it was. Not gory, but old fashioned scary. I would recommend it to my friends to know what their reaction would be.
I chose this book because of the title. It sounded scary and it was. Not gory, but old fashioned scary. I would recommend it to my friends to know what their reaction would be.
April 14, 2016
The idea of this story was good, although it was confusing at times and strayed from the core. I understand that characters need background and depth but not at the expense of the suspense necessary for this genre. Emma, for example was certainly a complex character and her emotions and mental health could allow the reader to think that events were all in her mind, however, it didn't quite work.
The pace was quite good, but the book's lack of editing let it down. A thorough edit and proofread would greatly benefit the story, therefore earning a higher rating.
The 'creepy' factor was great when it came, although it didn't always follow through.
Overall, a great idea and some good 'shivers', but needs serious attention.
The pace was quite good, but the book's lack of editing let it down. A thorough edit and proofread would greatly benefit the story, therefore earning a higher rating.
The 'creepy' factor was great when it came, although it didn't always follow through.
Overall, a great idea and some good 'shivers', but needs serious attention.
February 25, 2016
Fantastic book, I was a little scared due to the fact that I have a black cat that sits on my doorstep all the time and as for answering the phone at night time...not happening. I thought the story flowed very nicely and was very enjoyable especially with the twists and turns in the story. When is the film coming out as it will defintely be on my list.
January 3, 2016
This book started out so promising- I can't remember the last time I read a book that scared me. However, it peaked too early at one point even becoming quite mundane. I felt the ending lacked the suspense I expected given the start of the book.
June 30, 2016
Loved this book. very creepy and gave me goosebumps more than once. I really enjoyed it. only thing that stopped me giving 5 stars was that it was to wordy at times and over using of the name and a few missing or wrong words but it was still easy follow.
April 25, 2016
Fantastic book
This book will keep you on the edge of your nerves, a turn pager ,great skill in writing this story and I mean story in every way the twists and turns have you wanting more even if it scares you to the bone .
This book will keep you on the edge of your nerves, a turn pager ,great skill in writing this story and I mean story in every way the twists and turns have you wanting more even if it scares you to the bone .
July 27, 2016
Good read
Was recommended this book by a friend , I loved this book it was a wee bit creepy but I just couldn't put it down its not my normal book to read I'm glad I read it looking forward to reading more books from this author
Was recommended this book by a friend , I loved this book it was a wee bit creepy but I just couldn't put it down its not my normal book to read I'm glad I read it looking forward to reading more books from this author
January 20, 2016
Great
Loved this book, something different to the usual thrillers, could of done with being proof read first as lots of mistakes. But highly recommend, I couldn't put it down.
Loved this book, something different to the usual thrillers, could of done with being proof read first as lots of mistakes. But highly recommend, I couldn't put it down.
January 24, 2016
Page turner
A tale with twists and turns that left me with hairs standing on end and the fear of nightmares. Worth a read.
A tale with twists and turns that left me with hairs standing on end and the fear of nightmares. Worth a read.
January 29, 2016
Good read
Original storyline, read in 3 sessions, was a bit out off by all the spelling mistakes but overall I'd read more by this author
Original storyline, read in 3 sessions, was a bit out off by all the spelling mistakes but overall I'd read more by this author
February 10, 2016
A real page turner.
A really good read that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Could not pit it down once I had started reading.
A really good read that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Could not pit it down once I had started reading.
February 15, 2016
Good story spoilt by bad typing
The story in itself was entertaining,although I could not help but be distracted by the non existent proof reading ,
The story in itself was entertaining,although I could not help but be distracted by the non existent proof reading ,
March 11, 2016
Review
This book was very good.it was exciting. Kept me turning pages. I cried for the children. And cheered for the death which finished the horror.
This book was very good.it was exciting. Kept me turning pages. I cried for the children. And cheered for the death which finished the horror.
March 12, 2016
Easy read
A good page turner and kept me engaged,very bad editing with multiple typos but enjoyed the general style of the novel
A good page turner and kept me engaged,very bad editing with multiple typos but enjoyed the general style of the novel
May 12, 2016
Scary
I cracking book with enough twists and turns to keep you reading. Some real scary bits as well. Read it in two days.
I cracking book with enough twists and turns to keep you reading. Some real scary bits as well. Read it in two days.
April 4, 2016
So much potential,sadly i just couldn't finish it.I loathe to give up on a book& rarely do.
April 9, 2016
Well written
Even though it is full of wrong and missed words the story is brilliant. From start to end it kept my interest and for the last chapters I could not put it down.
Even though it is full of wrong and missed words the story is brilliant. From start to end it kept my interest and for the last chapters I could not put it down.
July 24, 2016
Excellent book
I've given this book top marks , great storyline . original , and believable as well as scary . really enjoyed it x
I've given this book top marks , great storyline . original , and believable as well as scary . really enjoyed it x
September 25, 2016
Good read
Brill reading, would read again, read books by same author before and it was just as good as this one
Brill reading, would read again, read books by same author before and it was just as good as this one
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews