motherhorror's review
3.0
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
exorcismofemilyreed's review
3.0
"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!
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