July 13, 2012

Review: Shackled by Angela Carling

Shackled
Shackled by Angela Carling
Paperback, 204 pages
Published June 1st 2012
By Acacia Publishing

After shy, quiet Lucy and her family move from their small hometown in Minnesota to Seattle, Washington, she is surprised when Ryan, the most popular boy at school asks her out. Soon, she is swept up in a whirlwind romance and her naïve and trusting nature allows her to fall head over heels in love with her too-good-to-be suitor. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself enraptured by the excitement of her new relationship, leaving her blinded to the warning signs of danger ahead. Can her fairy tale romance last, or will she find that her prince charming is more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing,



My Review:

     To be honest, when I picked up Shackled I wasn't sure what to expect. But I really enjoyed this story. This book puts a shine on domestic abuse. Any kind of abuse is always a touchy subject for anyone. And Angela wrote her story without holding anything back. The reality is, abuse is something that most victims probably wouldn't recognize it at first. I know that probably doesn't make sense. But most victims probably make excuses such as "S/He had a bit too much to drink" or "S/He's just so stressed". Well basically that's what Angela showed us in her novel. How easy someone can miss the signs of abuse. Lucy was unaware of what was happening before her eyes.

     This story was so heartbreaking and realistic. Angela's protagonist Lucy was a young girl new to a school when she meets Ryan (hottest boy in school) and was swept her off her feet. He showered her with attention and affection and her parents loved him. Most likely, you probably will too. He was the "perfect" boyfriend. So basically Lucy counting her lucky stars. That is until he starts showing his repelling side. His insecurities got the best of him and his abusive side surfaced. That's when everything went down a spiral slide.

     I must say that Ryan was pretty smooth with his antics. Even I would have been smitten by him. So I can see how Lucy was fooled by him. But what was once a cute jealously act was now something much more dangerous. Shackled gives you an insider look at how domestic abuse develops and how frighten a victim can gets.

     I enjoyed this novel very much but when Ryan started acting abusive, I found myself hoping that this book doesn't end tragically. I recommend this book to mothers, daughters and every single female in your family. It can be an eye opener. There is one little complaint and that is the cover of this book. In my opinion it honestly doesn't do the book justice. And as much as we say "Don't judge a book by it's cover.", this cover doesn't scream, pick me up. This book deserves a better fitting cover. I give Shackled a 5 starts and a definitely Good Choice for Reading.

Here's a trailer for "Shackled"



2 comments:

  1. This author is actually a friend of mine, but I haven't gotten around to reading this yet. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your review :) This issue can't be over-emphasized. I'm sure that everyone knows the danger signs and yet when it happens to them or someone they know...

    Abusers like Ryan target victims who are vulnerable. Also, they don't appear to be monsters, quite the opposite. This is why everyone who knows the abuser, including the victim, makes excuses for him/her and second-guess themselves.

    ReplyDelete

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