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Shattered: Where There Is Darkness, There Isn't Always Light
Where there is darkness, there isn't always light... Dayna Harris thought her problems began in her bedroom. More specifically in her bed, the bed she'd shared with her husband, Richard, for twenty-six years. The bed where she witnessed Richard cheating on her with a woman half his age. But maybe they really began in the motel room that day. What conjured the dark figure Dayna first glimpsed in the motel mirror? The dark figure that continues to haunt her as her marriage to Richard crumbles. Consumed by Richard's infidelity, Dayna begins unravelling his lies revealing a husband she never knew. Now, psychologically imprisoned by a manipulative and dangerous husband, can Dayna find the courage to leave, and can she discover if the very real shadow that torments her is a figment of her imagination or something more sinister? In this edgy paranormal psychological thriller, author J.M. White takes us into the realms of the unknown, lives that are built on lies, forces we can't always explain and the emotional torture of domestic abuse. It shows one woman's search for light in the darkness.
192 pages, Paperback
Published April 26, 2019
29 people want to read
About the author
J.M. White
3 books27 followersJ.M. White is the author of Shattered and The Other Inside, psychological thrillers with a supernatural twist.
She is also the creator of Thirst for Thrillers, a blog pairing cocktail recipes with books. A concept aimed at encouraging more people to read good books in a genre she loves.
J.M. White currently lives in the greater Boston area where she is working on her third novel and (probably) re-binging the X-Files.
She is also the creator of Thirst for Thrillers, a blog pairing cocktail recipes with books. A concept aimed at encouraging more people to read good books in a genre she loves.
J.M. White currently lives in the greater Boston area where she is working on her third novel and (probably) re-binging the X-Files.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 23, 2019
Shattered is a domestic thriller with a paranormal horror twist. Dayna Harris catches her husband in the act of infidelity with a younger woman. In a blind rage, Dayna flees her husband of twenty-six years and tries to sort out her feelings alone in a nearby hotel.
She encounters a lurking shadow in the hotel mirror but chalks it up to heightened stress.
The rest of the book, a sleek novella just under two hundred pages, is Dayna trying to find her sanity amidst her failing marriage, her husband’s secrets and lies and this new dark shadow that haunts her.
This was a page turner. It read like a dark movie you find yourself watching on a day off when you’re supposed to be working from home.
It’s addictive and compelling as every chapter leaves you with an enticing hook. My favorite aspect was the main character Dayna. She’s a little more complicated than your average unreliable narrator because she seems to have long stretches of clarity but then she goes off the rails in the next chapter, leaving you unsure of her perceived reality.
When things get heated with her husband in various confrontations, I really began to have doubts about Dayna. It was hard to distinguish if her husband was just gaslighting her or if Dayna truly was unstable.
I wish I could say that this was a clean, solid book without any flaws. However, the plot is complicated with many twists and turns and the pages are few so there is quite a lot to be desired. I had issues with the paranormal storyline and the dark, haunting shadow. There isn’t a satisfying explanation or purpose given for this strange phenomenon. Also, as Dayna begins to investigate her husband’s personal affairs, she finds some pretty sordid information about him and a friend/colleague of his but this storyline isn’t explored enough to really get a grasp of what, specifically was going on. I was longing for more closure on several loose ends. It’s this reader’s opinion that this story could have easily benefited from at least doubling in size to a three or four hundred page book--there certainly was enough here to warrant it. So as it is, everything is a little thin. The bones are here and J. M. White’s writing is excellent. Perhaps it just needed a little longer in the oven. I’ll certainly look for more from this author.
3 out of 5 skulls
She encounters a lurking shadow in the hotel mirror but chalks it up to heightened stress.
The rest of the book, a sleek novella just under two hundred pages, is Dayna trying to find her sanity amidst her failing marriage, her husband’s secrets and lies and this new dark shadow that haunts her.
This was a page turner. It read like a dark movie you find yourself watching on a day off when you’re supposed to be working from home.
It’s addictive and compelling as every chapter leaves you with an enticing hook. My favorite aspect was the main character Dayna. She’s a little more complicated than your average unreliable narrator because she seems to have long stretches of clarity but then she goes off the rails in the next chapter, leaving you unsure of her perceived reality.
When things get heated with her husband in various confrontations, I really began to have doubts about Dayna. It was hard to distinguish if her husband was just gaslighting her or if Dayna truly was unstable.
I wish I could say that this was a clean, solid book without any flaws. However, the plot is complicated with many twists and turns and the pages are few so there is quite a lot to be desired. I had issues with the paranormal storyline and the dark, haunting shadow. There isn’t a satisfying explanation or purpose given for this strange phenomenon. Also, as Dayna begins to investigate her husband’s personal affairs, she finds some pretty sordid information about him and a friend/colleague of his but this storyline isn’t explored enough to really get a grasp of what, specifically was going on. I was longing for more closure on several loose ends. It’s this reader’s opinion that this story could have easily benefited from at least doubling in size to a three or four hundred page book--there certainly was enough here to warrant it. So as it is, everything is a little thin. The bones are here and J. M. White’s writing is excellent. Perhaps it just needed a little longer in the oven. I’ll certainly look for more from this author.
3 out of 5 skulls
April 17, 2019
"You'll be sorry...You'll be so fucking sorry."
3.5⭐
Shattered is JM White's debut novel, and it caught my attention from the beginning. This book is a blend of domestic suspense and paranormal horror, which sounds perfect for me. I buddy read this one with my friend Sadie, and we had fun discussing it.
I am always so creeped out by things involving mirrors, so I was happy that the horror storyline was something spooky. I wish there would have been more focus on it since it could have been a much creepier storyline. I didn't love the direction it went in, and I wish the final wrap-up for this storyline would have been clearer. It sort of just fades out, and I was hoping for more.
I enjoyed the domestic suspense aspect of the story - I was always trying to figure out if the narrator was crazy, or was really experiencing what was happening to her. The husband irritated me, but that was definitely the point.
I feel like there were some storylines that needed more attention - if this book was longer, I think it would be more fleshed out everywhere. There were some things that were never fully explained, and I liked the story overall, so I wanted to know more.
Shattered is a very entertaining story, but there are just some things missing that keep it from feeling complete. There were also some things that felt out of place, like something with a dog that I wasn't wild about. I feel like the ending was missing some information, and again, I think this would have worked better as a longer book. Although I had issues, I liked the book, and I would try another book by JM White. If you like domestic suspense mixed with horror, Shattered is a fun one to check out!
3.5⭐
Shattered is JM White's debut novel, and it caught my attention from the beginning. This book is a blend of domestic suspense and paranormal horror, which sounds perfect for me. I buddy read this one with my friend Sadie, and we had fun discussing it.
I am always so creeped out by things involving mirrors, so I was happy that the horror storyline was something spooky. I wish there would have been more focus on it since it could have been a much creepier storyline. I didn't love the direction it went in, and I wish the final wrap-up for this storyline would have been clearer. It sort of just fades out, and I was hoping for more.
I enjoyed the domestic suspense aspect of the story - I was always trying to figure out if the narrator was crazy, or was really experiencing what was happening to her. The husband irritated me, but that was definitely the point.
I feel like there were some storylines that needed more attention - if this book was longer, I think it would be more fleshed out everywhere. There were some things that were never fully explained, and I liked the story overall, so I wanted to know more.
Shattered is a very entertaining story, but there are just some things missing that keep it from feeling complete. There were also some things that felt out of place, like something with a dog that I wasn't wild about. I feel like the ending was missing some information, and again, I think this would have worked better as a longer book. Although I had issues, I liked the book, and I would try another book by JM White. If you like domestic suspense mixed with horror, Shattered is a fun one to check out!
April 1, 2019
4.5
A one of a kind domestic thriller, that will keep you up at night trying to figure out just what in the world is going on. Yes this book might look short but in all honesty it packs a hell of a story. I thought I knew what the twist was all about but J.M White proved me wrong and I was left happy and surprised! I really enjoyed the fact that we had an unreliable set of characters, a constant chilling atmosphere and a hint of horror. I had a hell of a time with this one, I am looking forward to what this author has in store in the future.
A one of a kind domestic thriller, that will keep you up at night trying to figure out just what in the world is going on. Yes this book might look short but in all honesty it packs a hell of a story. I thought I knew what the twist was all about but J.M White proved me wrong and I was left happy and surprised! I really enjoyed the fact that we had an unreliable set of characters, a constant chilling atmosphere and a hint of horror. I had a hell of a time with this one, I am looking forward to what this author has in store in the future.
August 13, 2019
For me, this was a solid 3.5 ⭐ overall, although I rounded up to 4 ⭐ because I really enjoyed the book.
I loved J.M. White's style of writing. She left me coming back for more, I found it hard to put this book down. I think she did a great job portraying the different characters, and made the narrator relatable. Without giving too much away - I also loved the references she made throughout the book. Some made sense right then and some you came back to. Love that!
I didn't totally love the ending, although it is a fine ending. It fell a little short for me personally - I guess I was wanting a little bit more, but it IS a suitable ending for this book.
Definitely some punctuation and typo errors in here, but nothing that affected the readability of the book.
Overall I recommend this book, and absolutely look forward to the next J.M. White novel!
I loved J.M. White's style of writing. She left me coming back for more, I found it hard to put this book down. I think she did a great job portraying the different characters, and made the narrator relatable. Without giving too much away - I also loved the references she made throughout the book. Some made sense right then and some you came back to. Love that!
I didn't totally love the ending, although it is a fine ending. It fell a little short for me personally - I guess I was wanting a little bit more, but it IS a suitable ending for this book.
Definitely some punctuation and typo errors in here, but nothing that affected the readability of the book.
Overall I recommend this book, and absolutely look forward to the next J.M. White novel!
December 30, 2019
A quick, engaging read! Dayna is an unreliable narrator, but at the same time, her husband is trying to gaslight her, so it makes for a very interesting read! I definitely enjoyed this debut, and will be looking forward to reading her next!
May 3, 2019
As domestic thrillers go, this the best in a long time, but it definitely needs improvement.
This was billed as domestic thriller with a horror vibe to it and on paper that’s true, but it felt too much of the vindictive wife versus cheating husband trope that we see all the time in these books. Not to mention yet another bad use of unreliable narrator. Even it’s “horror” moments have no real resolution and the ending just stops and doesn’t leave you satisfied. Just disappointed with this one in every way.
This was billed as domestic thriller with a horror vibe to it and on paper that’s true, but it felt too much of the vindictive wife versus cheating husband trope that we see all the time in these books. Not to mention yet another bad use of unreliable narrator. Even it’s “horror” moments have no real resolution and the ending just stops and doesn’t leave you satisfied. Just disappointed with this one in every way.
May 24, 2022
What a page turner! I couldn’t put this psychological thriller down for a minute, I had to see what happened next. And just when I thought I had it figured out, bam! Another twist! The twists and turns kept me wanting more. It was like being on a rollercoaster. The author’s use of descriptive text captured my attention immediately and allowed me to vividly ‘see’ the characters and picture exactly what was going on..and even feel the emotions. I was completely entwined in the story. A fantastic must read!
July 14, 2019
OMg,Omg,Omg! This was such a good book and I was shocked as all hell at the ending! I believe I dropped the eff bomb a good 2 or three times.Im really trying not to spoil anything here, but you guys need to read this, seriously. A book with a cheating,lying husband, murder,psycopaths, maybe an evil entity? All a good combination.
February 9, 2026
Loved this book! Only part I didn’t care for was the ending 🤷🏻♀️
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews