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Needle Freak
Phineas first appeared to Jack as a friend and he took him away from all the horrors of his childhood. No one could see Phineas except Jack though, and more and more as the years passed he seemed less like a friend and more like a demon. At sixteen Jack ran away from home and ended up living on the street. Out there, Jack learned just what lengths he would go to in order to survive.
Then he met Steve and Steve is a bad, bad man—one who drags Jack lower than even he imagined he could go. But that doesn't matter to Jack because he is stupidly, pathetically in love with him.
When Jack finally starts to pull his life together and puts all of that behind him, he reconnects with the brother he used to be so close to but hasn’t seen in fourteen years and with his sweet Grandma Chloe. He gets a real job and kicks the drugs. He even believes that he’s gotten away from Phineas at long last.
He couldn’t be more wrong and when Phineas returns to torment him, Jack becomes more desperate than ever to escape him. Jack’s secrets come out and threaten to destroy everything and a ghost from his past tracks him down and this time he may not survive. When it comes right down to it, Phineas might be a demon, but he’s one of Jack’s demons and Jack needs him if he’s going to make it out alive.
Then he met Steve and Steve is a bad, bad man—one who drags Jack lower than even he imagined he could go. But that doesn't matter to Jack because he is stupidly, pathetically in love with him.
When Jack finally starts to pull his life together and puts all of that behind him, he reconnects with the brother he used to be so close to but hasn’t seen in fourteen years and with his sweet Grandma Chloe. He gets a real job and kicks the drugs. He even believes that he’s gotten away from Phineas at long last.
He couldn’t be more wrong and when Phineas returns to torment him, Jack becomes more desperate than ever to escape him. Jack’s secrets come out and threaten to destroy everything and a ghost from his past tracks him down and this time he may not survive. When it comes right down to it, Phineas might be a demon, but he’s one of Jack’s demons and Jack needs him if he’s going to make it out alive.
Unknown Binding
First published May 16, 2016
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About the author
J.L. Aarne
16 books114 followersJ.L. Aarne currently lives in the Northwest United States. She was born in Washington, but she has moved around a lot and lived in many other places. She has two cats, Jack and Wally, and she is a compulsive collector of notebooks and coffee mugs, which she drinks tea out of. Aarne studied English and literature at the University of New Orleans. Her favorite fictional characters always seem to be the villains.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 25, 2018
"He was starved for affection and broken in so many places. Maybe he’d grown stronger in the cracks, but mostly he just figured he’d learned to patch them and cover them up because he had to."
Aarne once again deals with the twists and turns of the morally ambiguous side of human nature with visceral and raw emotional highs and lows. Throughout, there is an inescapable poignancy to the writing.
The characters are flawed and broken, but - as Jack knows - breaks and cracks can sometimes lead to wounds healing stronger than before; like bones.
Like some of the other works by Aarne, the way in which the author deals with the heart of darkness lying beneath the thin veneer of civilisation is not gratuitous. The violence, anger, and even resignation underpinning the plot serves a purpose. The Happily Ever After is presented in more realistic terms of acceptance of flaws and faults. The characters know that this is as good as it's likely to get, and readers are left with the same sense of gratitude for small mercies.
Some may find the contents of the novel disturbing, but Aarne's world is our world. The tragedies within the pages are real, and Aarne isn't afraid to face them on.
There is beauty to be found when staring into the eyes of the abyss that has returned one's gaze. The writing is elegant and colloquially prosaic, and the flaws inherent in the characters perfect in their imperfections.
Aarne once again deals with the twists and turns of the morally ambiguous side of human nature with visceral and raw emotional highs and lows. Throughout, there is an inescapable poignancy to the writing.
The characters are flawed and broken, but - as Jack knows - breaks and cracks can sometimes lead to wounds healing stronger than before; like bones.
Like some of the other works by Aarne, the way in which the author deals with the heart of darkness lying beneath the thin veneer of civilisation is not gratuitous. The violence, anger, and even resignation underpinning the plot serves a purpose. The Happily Ever After is presented in more realistic terms of acceptance of flaws and faults. The characters know that this is as good as it's likely to get, and readers are left with the same sense of gratitude for small mercies.
Some may find the contents of the novel disturbing, but Aarne's world is our world. The tragedies within the pages are real, and Aarne isn't afraid to face them on.
There is beauty to be found when staring into the eyes of the abyss that has returned one's gaze. The writing is elegant and colloquially prosaic, and the flaws inherent in the characters perfect in their imperfections.
June 26, 2018
Reread update: still love this author’s style of writing - dark and twisted but an unwaveringly honest depiction of human emotion. Brilliant read.
Well, after having devoured I Hear they Burn for Murder last week, I thought I'd explore some of this author's other books and found Needle Freak and my God is it good. It centres around Jack and his story as per the blurb, but in what seems to be this author's way, the story is all consuming, pretty gruesome and utterly brilliant. Again, the characters are complex yet understandable (which is what really grips you throughout) and the interaction between Jack and his brother, Phineas and Steve plays out really well.
Absolutely loved it.
Well, after having devoured I Hear they Burn for Murder last week, I thought I'd explore some of this author's other books and found Needle Freak and my God is it good. It centres around Jack and his story as per the blurb, but in what seems to be this author's way, the story is all consuming, pretty gruesome and utterly brilliant. Again, the characters are complex yet understandable (which is what really grips you throughout) and the interaction between Jack and his brother, Phineas and Steve plays out really well.
Absolutely loved it.
August 22, 2024
Not for the easily offended
Yes this book deals with a dark underground of society that most of us will never know. Drug addiction, sexual violence, incest, torturous "imaginary" clowns, serial killers, etc.
Isn't that is half of the appeal? It is for me.
But... And this is important... This book is so well written and full of insightful observations about humanity. It really is beautifully written.
Is it an M/M romance? Eh... I don't think so. There is gay sex. There is a M/M relationship, but it isn't the focus for the majority of the book. Is there a
HEA? You'll have to judge for yourself.
I think this falls more into the catagory of LGBTQ horror if I had to pick which shelf to put it on
I'm glad I read it and I will immediately go check out other books by this very talented author.
Yes this book deals with a dark underground of society that most of us will never know. Drug addiction, sexual violence, incest, torturous "imaginary" clowns, serial killers, etc.
Isn't that is half of the appeal? It is for me.
But... And this is important... This book is so well written and full of insightful observations about humanity. It really is beautifully written.
Is it an M/M romance? Eh... I don't think so. There is gay sex. There is a M/M relationship, but it isn't the focus for the majority of the book. Is there a
HEA? You'll have to judge for yourself.
I think this falls more into the catagory of LGBTQ horror if I had to pick which shelf to put it on
I'm glad I read it and I will immediately go check out other books by this very talented author.
November 14, 2017
Не могу сказать, что получила удовольствие от прочтения т. к. "Needle freak" - беспробудный депресняк и крипота. Но книжка затягивает. Советую тем, кому хочется пощекотать нервы.
May 10, 2017
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Affected I guess. It was dark, but in an understated kind of way. Well, that's not quite right, because the dark theme's in this book were properly dark and not at all subtle, the understated element is how it was presented. Which made it all the more real and chilling as you really identify with Jack. Plus then there was the whole, err I'm not sure what's going on with Jack's hallucinations, thing.
I think it's easier to say what this book isn't . It isn't a romance, although there is sex and love in it. It isn't overblown (in a cackling baddies in black hats kind of way if you know what I mean). It isn't black and white. It isn't always clear what's going on. And there isn't really a hero, not considering what we know about the characters, none of them could really be called a good guy.
It is different. And unexpected. And it will make your heart ache. By the end I really really wanted a relationship to work out that I would not normally condone, because I wanted them to have some solace from all the hurt that they'd suffered.
I think it's easier to say what this book isn't . It isn't a romance, although there is sex and love in it. It isn't overblown (in a cackling baddies in black hats kind of way if you know what I mean). It isn't black and white. It isn't always clear what's going on. And there isn't really a hero, not considering what we know about the characters, none of them could really be called a good guy.
It is different. And unexpected. And it will make your heart ache. By the end I really really wanted a relationship to work out that I would not normally condone, because I wanted them to have some solace from all the hurt that they'd suffered.
February 8, 2017
I was thoroughly engrossed with Needle Freak. It was gritty, dark, and intense, and I loved the moral dilemmas that gave it depth.
Jack's existence is bleak and tragic and my heart was moved by his plight. Luckily there is Shane, his brother, and their relationship, whilst complicated and so very interesting, is his one lifeline. However, there is no illusion of a magical fix, of a happily ever after. This book is real and problems are not solved easily, although despite the foreboding tone there is hope.
The character of Phenias, a demonic clown that haunts Jack, reminded me of the rabbit from Donnie Darko, and he certainly brought an edge that had my blood racing. The ending chilled me and left me perplexed and wanting more. It's definitely worth reading.
Jack's existence is bleak and tragic and my heart was moved by his plight. Luckily there is Shane, his brother, and their relationship, whilst complicated and so very interesting, is his one lifeline. However, there is no illusion of a magical fix, of a happily ever after. This book is real and problems are not solved easily, although despite the foreboding tone there is hope.
The character of Phenias, a demonic clown that haunts Jack, reminded me of the rabbit from Donnie Darko, and he certainly brought an edge that had my blood racing. The ending chilled me and left me perplexed and wanting more. It's definitely worth reading.
June 16, 2017
Okay... I think I fried my brain a little.
What the f**** have I just read??? And why did I enjoy it so much???
I thought "I Hear They Burn For Murder" was crazy. This... THIS was straight up f*****d up! Heroine junkies, serial killers, creepy clowns, incest... I feel like I permanently damaged my brain. The book is DARK! It's seriously creepy, it's twisted, it's shocking (unnecessarily? perhaps, sometimes), and I just couldn't put it down.
It's a horror story (-ish) but the author's insight into human psyche is captivating. JL Aarne's prose is beautiful and poetic, and although this book is simply CRAZY it is backed up by melody of words.
I enjoyed every sick minute of it.
What the f**** have I just read??? And why did I enjoy it so much???
I thought "I Hear They Burn For Murder" was crazy. This... THIS was straight up f*****d up! Heroine junkies, serial killers, creepy clowns, incest... I feel like I permanently damaged my brain. The book is DARK! It's seriously creepy, it's twisted, it's shocking (unnecessarily? perhaps, sometimes), and I just couldn't put it down.
It's a horror story (-ish) but the author's insight into human psyche is captivating. JL Aarne's prose is beautiful and poetic, and although this book is simply CRAZY it is backed up by melody of words.
I enjoyed every sick minute of it.
May 14, 2017
I’m inhaling every JL Aarne book I can read. This too was excellent, it’s a stand alone but has been written so well that the option for a sequel is available but also not necessary. This too ended very abruptly but was done very well. I think this makes it 5 JL Aarne books in 7 days now. Bless text to speech!
September 27, 2022
Wow this book was amazing, the character development, the angst, the realistic storytelling... Amazing.
You really feel for Jack and later Shane, every event was so unexpected and really kept me going. Needless to say I finished this all on one sitting.
You really feel for Jack and later Shane, every event was so unexpected and really kept me going. Needless to say I finished this all on one sitting.
June 11, 2016
Oh my god, this book is a masterpiece. I have been looking for a book with all the elements in it, so dark and perfect!
December 18, 2016
Incredibly creepy and dark, really well done.
November 3, 2017
Dark, twisted, frustrating, powerful and simply a great read.
February 6, 2019
Intriguing. It gave off this surreal tone so what's happening feels scary and hard to believe but it made for a very compelling read. Wish there was a sequel to know more. If felt too short.
October 26, 2016
Creepy clown thriller
I don't know why m/m authors love incest tropes so much, I don't like them. However, at least this is a book about creepy messed up people doing creepy messed up things, rather than a romance, so it fits.
I didn't find this book amazing but it was fairly compelling and very well paced so it kept me engaged. It is about messed up people who experienced the worst types of abuse and neglect, so basically every page is a trigger.
I wished the end was a little more revealing but this book doesn't really go in for deep insight.
I think 3.5 stars, with the caveat that only people who like very dark fiction are going to enjoy it. There isn't much to it other than the creepy stuff.
I don't know why m/m authors love incest tropes so much, I don't like them. However, at least this is a book about creepy messed up people doing creepy messed up things, rather than a romance, so it fits.
I didn't find this book amazing but it was fairly compelling and very well paced so it kept me engaged. It is about messed up people who experienced the worst types of abuse and neglect, so basically every page is a trigger.
I wished the end was a little more revealing but this book doesn't really go in for deep insight.
I think 3.5 stars, with the caveat that only people who like very dark fiction are going to enjoy it. There isn't much to it other than the creepy stuff.
April 15, 2021
The story and characters got me really invested, but there is too much suffering for a main character and this is exhausting.
I really wanted to get an answer what clown really is, but author didn’t evolve this plot line and all, which made story absolutely unsatisfactory. I wanted a conflict around him, but he was, then disappeared and appeared AGAIN. And main character suffers because of him just because. What, why? I want my answers and just “whatever, ignore him”. Really if it ended like “IT” I would be glad.
I really wanted to get an answer what clown really is, but author didn’t evolve this plot line and all, which made story absolutely unsatisfactory. I wanted a conflict around him, but he was, then disappeared and appeared AGAIN. And main character suffers because of him just because. What, why? I want my answers and just “whatever, ignore him”. Really if it ended like “IT” I would be glad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2025
4.5 rounded down. I really enjoyed this, was very fucked up but beautifully written
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews