Atlanta’s Reviews > Stolen Tongues > Status Update

The story has completely bogged down at this point. The intensity peaked earlier, and now the plot is circling the same territory without adding anything new. The claustrophobia has turned into repetition, and the last stretch feels more like endurance than suspense. I’m finishing it because I’m this far in, but the momentum has definitely stalled.

The atmosphere has closed in completely. The book becomes intensely claustrophobic here, with the horror looping and tightening instead of escalating outward. The sense of being trapped is deliberate and overwhelming, and the characters feel stuck in a way that’s genuinely unsettling. This section is heavy, tense, and exhausting in the way late-stage possession stories are meant to be. I’m pushing through

The horror has fully escalated into something surreal, physical, and genuinely disturbing. The earlier atmosphere has transformed into outright nightmare fuel, and the imagery is intense enough that this is no longer anything close to a bedtime read. The book finally commits to its most unhinged elements, and the result is unsettling in all the ways the opening only hinted at. I’m putting it down for the night

The story has shifted from atmospheric dread to full psychological and body horror. The danger is clearer, the entity’s influence is unmistakable, and the events are genuinely unsettling. This is the point where the book stops teasing and fully reveals what kind of horror it intends to be. Disturbing, intense, and far more effective than the early chapters suggested.

The story finally hits full horror mode. The tension that’s been simmering snaps into something violent, visceral, and genuinely unsettling. The folklore elements get sharper here, and the sense of the unknown becomes far more dangerous than the earlier atmosphere suggested. This section is intense in the way the book has been aiming for all along.

The tension finally pays off here. Felix’s judgment is falling apart, and the story leans hard into the dreamlike, disorienting quality that’s been building. The moment with the dreamcatcher and the ring pulls him into a choice that feels both desperate and inevitable, and the isolation is hitting its peak. The atmosphere is stronger than ever, and the dread is tightening in a way that actually works.

The book has fully hit its stride. The horror is sharper, the tension finally pays off, and the pieces that felt scattered earlier start aligning into something genuinely unsettling. The atmosphere still carries the story, but now the plot is strong enough to match it. The second half is landing far better than the first.

Goodreads Check-In — 37% (Chapter 16)

The story finally locks in at this point. The atmosphere stops repeating itself and the horror gains definition instead of just noise. Faye’s condition moves from “unnerving” to genuinely compelling, and the folklore angle starts taking shape in a way that actually supports the dread instead of distracting from it. The tension is sharper, the pacing is tighter.

The possession thread is getting clearer: Faye’s symptoms read less like anxiety and more like something using her body as an access point. Felix is still clinging to denial, which at this stage feels more like self-protection than realism. We’ve now met Taiwood, whose appearance shifts the tone from intimate dread to a broader, folklore-adjacent angle. The atmosphere still works.

16% — End of Chapter 6
The atmosphere is still the strongest part of the book. The voices can feel repetitive and scattered, but when the focus narrows back to Faye and the physical presence of fear, the tension works again. I’m not fully sold yet, but the sense of place and the unsettling moments are enough to keep me going for another chapter.