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The Boy
What would you do if the people who are meant to love and protect you the most, were monsters?
How far would you go to escape the very worst kind of punishments imaginable?
What would be your breaking point?
How far would you go to escape the very worst kind of punishments imaginable?
What would be your breaking point?
236 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2021
6 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 7, 2022
Immediate thoughts:
A good debut novel by this indie author.
Really enjoyed parts 1 and 3. The second part was developing the characters more and setting the scene, but I wanted to hurry up and get to the ending so I could find out what happened! Call me impatient? 🤷🏼♀️
I found out the “what” early on, but I believe that was the point. A second twist came that I didn’t expect and the ending was also a surprise.
This book is not for the faint of heart and if you get easily triggered over things like abuse and mental health, I would proceed with caution.
This book evoked lots of emotions for me ranging from anger to disgust to sad to heartbreak back to anger and disgust and ending with sadness.
Looking forward to reading other novels by this independent author.
A good debut novel by this indie author.
Really enjoyed parts 1 and 3. The second part was developing the characters more and setting the scene, but I wanted to hurry up and get to the ending so I could find out what happened! Call me impatient? 🤷🏼♀️
I found out the “what” early on, but I believe that was the point. A second twist came that I didn’t expect and the ending was also a surprise.
This book is not for the faint of heart and if you get easily triggered over things like abuse and mental health, I would proceed with caution.
This book evoked lots of emotions for me ranging from anger to disgust to sad to heartbreak back to anger and disgust and ending with sadness.
Looking forward to reading other novels by this independent author.
Read
August 31, 2022I went through different emotions as I read the book. Some heavy topics made me in tears during the reading but just as I think I kind of figured out what was going on, the ending that I could have never ever thought of made me cry even worse.
August 23, 2021
My Review Of
THE BOY
By Author, Alan Sakell
Published by Fulton Books
On Sale: 3/9/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio
*****
This is such a haunting and twisted psychological thriller that gutted me at my inner core. As this topic is something that can actually happen in real life. A child abused both emotionally and physically by his parents, worse than any stretch of the imagination. What does that do to a fragile psyche of a child? Can it create a monster? What type of punishment do such malignant parents deserve? Author, Sakell creates a complex storyline that mirrors real life repercussions of a child left to fend for themself. This story will catch your attention and not let go and like me, you will be overcome with emotion, chills and wanting more with the turn of each page. This is one that I’m glad did not get past my radar.
THE BOY
By Author, Alan Sakell
Published by Fulton Books
On Sale: 3/9/21 - Purchase Link in my Bio
*****
This is such a haunting and twisted psychological thriller that gutted me at my inner core. As this topic is something that can actually happen in real life. A child abused both emotionally and physically by his parents, worse than any stretch of the imagination. What does that do to a fragile psyche of a child? Can it create a monster? What type of punishment do such malignant parents deserve? Author, Sakell creates a complex storyline that mirrors real life repercussions of a child left to fend for themself. This story will catch your attention and not let go and like me, you will be overcome with emotion, chills and wanting more with the turn of each page. This is one that I’m glad did not get past my radar.
February 12, 2024
Honestly, this one was a struggle for me. Right from the start, it was apparent what was going on (maybe because I'm a therapist?), which took away a lot of the suspense.
Part 1 was okay, nothing to write home about. But then we hit Part 2, and oh boy, it was agonizing. The repetitive nature and painfully slow development made it feel like I was trudging through quicksand. I kept hoping for something to break the monotony, but it never came.
And don't even get me started on Part 3. By that point, I was just racing to get through because I wanted to be done with it. The book falls into the trap of being dark for the sake of being interesting, but it just didn't work for me.
I'm honestly confused by the high ratings this book has received. Maybe I'm missing something, but for me, it was a miss. If you're looking for a dark and twisted read, there are better options out there.
Part 1 was okay, nothing to write home about. But then we hit Part 2, and oh boy, it was agonizing. The repetitive nature and painfully slow development made it feel like I was trudging through quicksand. I kept hoping for something to break the monotony, but it never came.
And don't even get me started on Part 3. By that point, I was just racing to get through because I wanted to be done with it. The book falls into the trap of being dark for the sake of being interesting, but it just didn't work for me.
I'm honestly confused by the high ratings this book has received. Maybe I'm missing something, but for me, it was a miss. If you're looking for a dark and twisted read, there are better options out there.
June 7, 2021
Very well written. Will keep you sitting in your chair dying to find the end. Many twists.
May 9, 2022
I was given this book by the author and it was just not for me.
There is a lot of childhood abuse and mental health issues that were hard for me to read.
I felt like this storyline is overly familiar and predictable. I never felt any suspense as I figured out the premise almost immediately. As much as I liked the short chapters that went between the POV'S, I didn't care for the simple prose, especially from the doctor.
Again, this is my own perspective and if you enjoy dark psychological dramas, this may be right up your alley. It is a very quick read. I wanted to like this novel and I feel bad for the 2 stars, but I just didn't like it.
There is a lot of childhood abuse and mental health issues that were hard for me to read.
I felt like this storyline is overly familiar and predictable. I never felt any suspense as I figured out the premise almost immediately. As much as I liked the short chapters that went between the POV'S, I didn't care for the simple prose, especially from the doctor.
Again, this is my own perspective and if you enjoy dark psychological dramas, this may be right up your alley. It is a very quick read. I wanted to like this novel and I feel bad for the 2 stars, but I just didn't like it.
July 9, 2022
The “twist” has been done in enough thrillers that I don’t even know if it was supposed to be a twist. It was wrapped up unrealistically quickly. The lack of contractions made the characters seem too similar. The abuse scenes seemed unnecessarily graphic (and I read a lot in this genre—felt like it was graphic to set it apart, when unfortunately the details of the abuse were not that different from others in this genre), and described so clinically it did not seem like a 9-year-old’s description.
For a new, self-published author it wasn’t bad and I’ll be trying his other book.
For a new, self-published author it wasn’t bad and I’ll be trying his other book.
April 12, 2022
I received a free copy of The Boy from the author via a promotion, but this has no bearing on my review.
I rate this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars. It was exciting, and super hard to but down. I recently read "The Last House on Needless Street" and "The Boy" was of the same topic. This was not a bad thing, as I absolutely loved both books, and after reading The Last House on Needless Street I was thrilled to find something similar. If you have read Needless and you enjoyed it, you should definitely pick up The Boy. If you haven't read Needless, but you love a good thriller, you should pick up The Boy.
The only reason I would say it's 4.5 stars instead of a straight up 5, is I hated the descriptions of the characters molestation in the beginning of the book. While description was necessary, I felt that it was far more graphic than need be. It was upsetting...it was stomach-turning! I think the author wanted us to really "feel" what was happening to The Boy (and it worked) but I would have welcomed a little metaphor there! Fortunately, those most graphic scenes were quickly over and the story took other, interesting turns. The Boy was quite the ride and I can't wait to read what Alan Sakell writes next.
I rate this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars. It was exciting, and super hard to but down. I recently read "The Last House on Needless Street" and "The Boy" was of the same topic. This was not a bad thing, as I absolutely loved both books, and after reading The Last House on Needless Street I was thrilled to find something similar. If you have read Needless and you enjoyed it, you should definitely pick up The Boy. If you haven't read Needless, but you love a good thriller, you should pick up The Boy.
The only reason I would say it's 4.5 stars instead of a straight up 5, is I hated the descriptions of the characters molestation in the beginning of the book. While description was necessary, I felt that it was far more graphic than need be. It was upsetting...it was stomach-turning! I think the author wanted us to really "feel" what was happening to The Boy (and it worked) but I would have welcomed a little metaphor there! Fortunately, those most graphic scenes were quickly over and the story took other, interesting turns. The Boy was quite the ride and I can't wait to read what Alan Sakell writes next.
July 9, 2021
The Boy
By Alan Sakell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not for the faint of heart!
OMG! What did I just read?! It was so heart wrenching and disturbing. It was one of those books that not only kept you on your toes, it stays with you when you put it down to read something lighter or even go about your day. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat. I found myself wishing my book club would read this book, just so I had someone to discuss it with in detail.
I’m blown away that this was a brand new author. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Seriously, buy this book! I’m blown away! 📚🐛🏝
Book Blurb
What would you do if the people who are meant to love and protect you the most, were monsters?
How far would you go to escape the very worst kind of punishments imaginable?
What would be your breaking point?
By Alan Sakell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not for the faint of heart!
OMG! What did I just read?! It was so heart wrenching and disturbing. It was one of those books that not only kept you on your toes, it stays with you when you put it down to read something lighter or even go about your day. This one will keep you on the edge of your seat. I found myself wishing my book club would read this book, just so I had someone to discuss it with in detail.
I’m blown away that this was a brand new author. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Seriously, buy this book! I’m blown away! 📚🐛🏝
Book Blurb
What would you do if the people who are meant to love and protect you the most, were monsters?
How far would you go to escape the very worst kind of punishments imaginable?
What would be your breaking point?
March 1, 2022
📚Review:- It is not the first time I'm reading psychotic thriller,I have read ample of mystery, crime and thriller book in my past bit it's the first time I have got goosebumps reading such mind blowing story.
📚The story unfolds in the mind of a young and naive seven years old boy, who is continuously harassed and is being exploited by his own parents. The book takes you on the journey of this boy's emotional turmoil and sufferings he has gone through which landed him in the state of depression and anxiety.
📚Though the book was around 230 pages long yet so captivating and heart wrenching to read that will definitely keep you hooked till the very end and ne emotionally connected with his journey.
📚The story unfolds in the mind of a young and naive seven years old boy, who is continuously harassed and is being exploited by his own parents. The book takes you on the journey of this boy's emotional turmoil and sufferings he has gone through which landed him in the state of depression and anxiety.
📚Though the book was around 230 pages long yet so captivating and heart wrenching to read that will definitely keep you hooked till the very end and ne emotionally connected with his journey.
July 2, 2021
My heart ached throughout the twists and turns of this novel. Bryant was abused as a young boy. He is now 28 years old and was accused of his parent’s murder when he was nine, yet he says he didn’t do it, and has zero recollection of it.
From varying points of view, the author has the reader questioning and wondering until the very end. Is a nine year old boy capable of murder?
From varying points of view, the author has the reader questioning and wondering until the very end. Is a nine year old boy capable of murder?
July 19, 2021
TW: child abuse, rape
Is a 9 year old capable of murder?
That is what therapist Dr. Frank is trying to find out.
Debut author Alan Sakell has the reader going on a dark and twisted path in the mind of a tormented little boy, an adult who doesn’t have the answers, some very interesting friends and a game of three monkeys.
While I did have a guess as to how how it would end, the delivery was well done and I was still taken by surprise all the way to the very last line.
Written from multiple points of view, the writing is simple and easy to follow but still kept me on the edge of my seat as things started to come together.
A very dark topic and a bold debut novel. Alan Sakell will be one to keep an eye on. If this is what he debuts with…. Oh man. I can’t wait to see what he has in store his next book.
Is a 9 year old capable of murder?
That is what therapist Dr. Frank is trying to find out.
Debut author Alan Sakell has the reader going on a dark and twisted path in the mind of a tormented little boy, an adult who doesn’t have the answers, some very interesting friends and a game of three monkeys.
While I did have a guess as to how how it would end, the delivery was well done and I was still taken by surprise all the way to the very last line.
Written from multiple points of view, the writing is simple and easy to follow but still kept me on the edge of my seat as things started to come together.
A very dark topic and a bold debut novel. Alan Sakell will be one to keep an eye on. If this is what he debuts with…. Oh man. I can’t wait to see what he has in store his next book.
June 11, 2021
A really good read!
This book was so good, I could not our it down. Great characters, excellent plot. It is a little dark and graphic at times, but in a way that is necessary to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
This book was so good, I could not our it down. Great characters, excellent plot. It is a little dark and graphic at times, but in a way that is necessary to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
August 26, 2021
Fascinating Book . The Characters keep your interest throughout the whole Book . This book proves how the mind can play tricks on you . The twists and who dun it takes your emotions on a ride . The Boy is definitely a game changer with an ending that completed the story .
May 19, 2021
This book was amazing! So many twists and turns! I would highly recommend!
May 12, 2024
WOW!!!
What an amazing book! Very hard book to put down. can’t wait to read others by him. What an excellent read.
What an amazing book! Very hard book to put down. can’t wait to read others by him. What an excellent read.
December 28, 2021
This story is not really about the end product. I am sure like many other readers, i felt that the 'twist' was already glaring pretty early on.
But the book is nonetheless enjoyable because the book is more of a process. Reliving, understanding, and going through the 'why'. It is not about 'what' had happened.
A sad book through and through. I do not think the explicit details and trigger warnings would be everybody's cuppa tea.
But the book is nonetheless enjoyable because the book is more of a process. Reliving, understanding, and going through the 'why'. It is not about 'what' had happened.
A sad book through and through. I do not think the explicit details and trigger warnings would be everybody's cuppa tea.
October 23, 2022
The dialogue doesn’t sound natural but has a like-able storyline
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews