Scan barcode
ms_shini's review
4.0
Okay, wow. This book was excellent. It had a heavy Christian influence with a lot of horror that dug in deep. The scariest part of this story is that people are still out there living in situations like this one, some are even much worse.
Some of the imagery in this novella are up there with Stephan King and Grady Hendrix. Is this a King book, absolutely not. It’s far too short. Besides that not even King started out as prolific as he is now. Have you read Carrie? Great story, difficult read. I’m getting off topic. The potential for greatness is there! I, for one, cannot wait to see what comes next for Andrew Franks.
Some of the imagery in this novella are up there with Stephan King and Grady Hendrix. Is this a King book, absolutely not. It’s far too short. Besides that not even King started out as prolific as he is now. Have you read Carrie? Great story, difficult read. I’m getting off topic. The potential for greatness is there! I, for one, cannot wait to see what comes next for Andrew Franks.
mk_oldman's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
chellecypress's review
4.0
Prey Without Ceasing is a compelling read laced with metaphor about the hypocrisy that occurs in the Christian church while still holding onto a thread of faith in God by the end of the novel.
As a person who grew up in a religious cult the intensity of the religious fervor felt very familiar and relatable as well as Daltons rebellious and questioning nature.
The last half of the book was filled with metaphors. However I felt like the author could have achieved the point that child sa is rampant in the church without the depiction he choose to use. I just felt like it could have been done differently though I do believe that the depiction was to highlight the abusive nature in the church. This is my primary reason for giving the book a 4 instead of a 5 star.
Overall, if you are someone who grew up in an intensely religious Christian church or home and are deconstructing but still wanting to hold onto a core of your belief system then this is an interesting and intriguing read
As a person who grew up in a religious cult the intensity of the religious fervor felt very familiar and relatable as well as Daltons rebellious and questioning nature.
The last half of the book was filled with metaphors. However I felt like the author could have achieved the point that child sa is rampant in the church without the depiction he choose to use. I just felt like it could have been done differently though I do believe that the depiction was to highlight the abusive nature in the church. This is my primary reason for giving the book a 4 instead of a 5 star.
Overall, if you are someone who grew up in an intensely religious Christian church or home and are deconstructing but still wanting to hold onto a core of your belief system then this is an interesting and intriguing read
nelldiaz's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I finally found this book on audible and listened to the whole thing on a road trip.
Really enjoy the authors tiktok account (where I first heard about the book) and I was not disappointed.
Really enjoy the authors tiktok account (where I first heard about the book) and I was not disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, and Vomit
vezreads's review
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Religious bigotry
apagecastingwitch's review
3.5
Religious horror (or religion any genre) is really hard for me to get through because I have a lot of religious trauma from my childhood and as soon as any book gets “preachy” I checkout. This one is so full of metaphors. It’s short and quick, but it’s heavy. The writing style is so descriptive that it easily plays like a movie in your head. I lol’d at the end with what happens Dalton’s dad - goes to show that just because someone goes to church every week does not mean that they are a good person.
monakabbani's review against another edition
4.0
“God does have plans for you. But it won’t happen if you choose to focus on the imperfections of man instead of the sanctity of God.”
Dalton is twelve, almost thirteen—almost a man now. He is the son of the town’s preacher which gives him power over some like the school bullies and maybe even his principle. But growing into a man comes with the beginnings of sinful curiosity and Dalton finds himself hovering over the line of God and hypocrisy. When Dalton’s little brother is kidnapped by a witch, he uncovers just how deep the corruption of his family’s history goes while fighting for the salvation of his very own soul.
I said this many times and I’ll say this again: religious horror always riles me up and that’s because, for the most part, it plays on the gears of hypocrisy. There’s always a character claiming to have moral righteousness and they are typically always the most evil of them all. Dalton is trying to understand these religious morals while watching adults commit the opposite of what they preach. It’s a confusing time for a kid let alone being told one thing and witnessing the opposite! I like that in the end though, Dalton finds his own peace and place within his beliefs rather than casting religion aside altogether. I think both types of endings are acceptable for stories such as these but it’s nice to see different characters make different decisions for their own reasons.
Prey Without Ceasing sits at 90 pages and although the writing is a bit rushed, I breezed through this book in one quick sitting. I couldn’t put it down! The pacing was so quick, I was eager to reach that end and see the final conclusion. And it’s spooky, let me tell ya.
Dalton is twelve, almost thirteen—almost a man now. He is the son of the town’s preacher which gives him power over some like the school bullies and maybe even his principle. But growing into a man comes with the beginnings of sinful curiosity and Dalton finds himself hovering over the line of God and hypocrisy. When Dalton’s little brother is kidnapped by a witch, he uncovers just how deep the corruption of his family’s history goes while fighting for the salvation of his very own soul.
I said this many times and I’ll say this again: religious horror always riles me up and that’s because, for the most part, it plays on the gears of hypocrisy. There’s always a character claiming to have moral righteousness and they are typically always the most evil of them all. Dalton is trying to understand these religious morals while watching adults commit the opposite of what they preach. It’s a confusing time for a kid let alone being told one thing and witnessing the opposite! I like that in the end though, Dalton finds his own peace and place within his beliefs rather than casting religion aside altogether. I think both types of endings are acceptable for stories such as these but it’s nice to see different characters make different decisions for their own reasons.
Prey Without Ceasing sits at 90 pages and although the writing is a bit rushed, I breezed through this book in one quick sitting. I couldn’t put it down! The pacing was so quick, I was eager to reach that end and see the final conclusion. And it’s spooky, let me tell ya.
eucareads's review
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
completely unexpected
I knew this was a horror story about religious trauma, but I didn’t expect it to be such a damn good metaphor. Quite literally, this shows you that just because you aren’t the perfect person for your faith… you can still believe. You don’t have to fit in at the church to follow your religion. I will say this does need a CW. There are a couple mentions of sexual assault between Jesus and a minor. It’s metaphorical, I believe, but still. I didn’t expect to read about Jesus literally having sex with a middle school girl.
I knew this was a horror story about religious trauma, but I didn’t expect it to be such a damn good metaphor. Quite literally, this shows you that just because you aren’t the perfect person for your faith… you can still believe. You don’t have to fit in at the church to follow your religion. I will say this does need a CW. There are a couple mentions of sexual assault between Jesus and a minor. It’s metaphorical, I believe, but still. I didn’t expect to read about Jesus literally having sex with a middle school girl.
celeste57's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I became friends with Andrew Franks on TikTok before I realized he was an author, because I enjoyed his taste and his content. When he reached out offering a code to the audiobook for Prey Without Ceasing, I was both excited and nervous. I tend to shy away from reading books written by people I’ve developed any kind of relationship with, because I try to be as (kindly) honest as I can be about every book I read, and this has cost me relationships in the past. But the synopsis of this book called to me so strongly that I accepted his offer and also purchased the Kindle book so I could tandem read and make notes. I made the right decision. This was definitely a book worth reading, and I related to portions of it so deeply that it was painful.
While I never experienced quite the spiritual turmoil (internal or external) that Dalton underwent in this story, I related to his struggles and doubts and attempts to live out his shaky faith on a profound level. I am incredibly fortunate in that my family was always wonderfully supportive. I was never yelled at or struck or judged and found lacking. My home, and my church, was always a safe space. But the internal struggles and questions Dalton was wrestling with? I’ve been there. I’ve felt that same guilty confusion as I tried to work out my own faith, live it out to the best of my ability, and deal with the stomach-churning disappointment that came anytime I fell short.
I am so, so incredibly thankful that I didn’t have the dad Dalton did. Pastor Gary was horrible. He’s the epitome of the legalistic, judgmental, hypocritical Christian that drives so many away from the faith. The minute things he chose to harp on, like light profanity in movies for example, don’t matter even the tiniest bit in the scheme of things. And yet Gary placed so much weight on these unimportant things that it threatened to crush the faith of his (very faithful) son. If I could’ve reached through the pages of this book and smacked him, I totally would have.
While I never experienced quite the spiritual turmoil (internal or external) that Dalton underwent in this story, I related to his struggles and doubts and attempts to live out his shaky faith on a profound level. I am incredibly fortunate in that my family was always wonderfully supportive. I was never yelled at or struck or judged and found lacking. My home, and my church, was always a safe space. But the internal struggles and questions Dalton was wrestling with? I’ve been there. I’ve felt that same guilty confusion as I tried to work out my own faith, live it out to the best of my ability, and deal with the stomach-churning disappointment that came anytime I fell short.
I am so, so incredibly thankful that I didn’t have the dad Dalton did. Pastor Gary was horrible. He’s the epitome of the legalistic, judgmental, hypocritical Christian that drives so many away from the faith. The minute things he chose to harp on, like light profanity in movies for example, don’t matter even the tiniest bit in the scheme of things. And yet Gary placed so much weight on these unimportant things that it threatened to crush the faith of his (very faithful) son. If I could’ve reached through the pages of this book and smacked him, I totally would have.
“I’ve seen a lot of kids grow up and walk away from God because of the way they were treated at church. They walked away because of the reckless way faith was presented to them.”
I loved the symbolism in Dalton’s nighttime visit to the church, how it looked rundown and decaying and infested by things that kept to the shadows. However, it still wasn’t without its beauty. Dalton’s “dark night of the soul” was tense, but the horror elements were a bit lighter (and more heavily symbolic) than I would’ve expected. I was reminded a bit of The Visitation and House, books that I loved as a teen.
Kellen Boyle did an absolutely fantastic job narrating the audiobook. He captured the feeling of living in the Bible Belt in the American South. His slight drawl was perfect for this story. Reading this was very nostalgic, as it reminded me of the Christian horror novels I loved so much in my youth, from authors like Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. And, similar to those authors, there were times when the spiritual symbolism and message felt just a tad heavy-handed; it could have used as touch more finesse in the writing, but so could the books I loved from Dekker and Peretti and they were very effective. I also thought that it felt a tiny bit rushed, though I often feel that way about novellas.
I really enjoyed Prey Without Ceasing, and felt somehow seen by it. It was quick but still deeply thoughtful, and it brought me back to the time when my faith was young and sometimes shaky. Franks did a great job with it, and the audio version was superb. This is a book that I’ll be pressing into the hands of my cousins and others who have had a similar Christian experience, though I think that even those who don’t share that faith will find it fascinating.
ashley__reads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This 91 page novella packs a huge punch.
Following Dalton, the twelve year old son of a preacher man, following the religious teachings of his overbearing father and church - until he’s approached by a witch and is told his younger brother James’ soul has been stolen and he only has until daylight to find it, or he’s hers forever.
This novella was extremely fast paced, from the first chapter on - it shows just how effected people can become from religious trauma and how sometimes getting away from the church is the best thing for a Christian person. I was not once disappointed in this short read, and got through it in one sitting. I didn’t want it to end, but it was wrapped up so nicely I wasn’t angry when it did. Demons are a terrifying trope in horror for me, so this one did it for me. Easily a five star read.
Following Dalton, the twelve year old son of a preacher man, following the religious teachings of his overbearing father and church - until he’s approached by a witch and is told his younger brother James’ soul has been stolen and he only has until daylight to find it, or he’s hers forever.
This novella was extremely fast paced, from the first chapter on - it shows just how effected people can become from religious trauma and how sometimes getting away from the church is the best thing for a Christian person. I was not once disappointed in this short read, and got through it in one sitting. I didn’t want it to end, but it was wrapped up so nicely I wasn’t angry when it did. Demons are a terrifying trope in horror for me, so this one did it for me. Easily a five star read.