Hillary: Tail of the Dog (Hillary #1)
by Angel Gelique
The blurb:
"WARNING: This novel contains disturbingly explicit sexual and deviant content that may be considered offensive to some readers, including rape, torture and cannibalism.
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Fifteen-year-old Hillary Greyson awakens from a horrific nightmare only to discover that she faces an even grimmer reality. Naked on a bed in an unfamiliar, empty room, she is unable to move her limbs. Worse, she cannot remember who she is. Panic-stricken, Hillary desperately searches her mind for answers, but finds nothing more than fear and confusion.
A man enters the room—a stranger to Hillary. He introduces himself as Dr. Morrison. Seemingly benign, he informs Hillary that she is there for her own good…that she is under his care until she regains her memory. Hillary cannot remember anything, but her instincts warn her not to trust this man who claims to be her doctor. She can only hope that someone will come looking for her…that someone will find her before it is too late.
Several weeks later, Hillary’s situation has grown even more dismal. Still unclothed, coarse ropes bind her limbs to the bed while she is fed intravenously. Two new strangers have entered her life—Monica, Dr. Morrison’s wife, and Dr. Bentley, who claims to be her psychiatrist. Yet they are more evasive than forthcoming. Her questions remain unanswered. She is trapped, with no hope of escaping…left to piece together the mystery of her miserable existence.
Abused and neglected, Hillary knows that with each passing day, her chance of survival diminishes. She spends her long days wasting away, growing depressed…growing angry. When all hope seems lost, a cruel twist of fate provides the opportunity she has been waiting for.
With renewed hope and an unrelenting will to survive, Hillary does whatever it takes to escape. She yearns for her freedom more than anything in the world.
Hillary just wants to go home…."
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When I am reading a book with a view to providing a review, I like to keep brief notes from the start which I can then fill out at the end. My notes at the beginning included “a great prologue that really set the scene and sense of fear and hopelessness - is this a sign of things to come?” and the Doctor is a “normal looking man - not the monster my parents warned me about”. I likened Hillary’s “treatment” being similar to that which was meted out in the old style insane asylums and you start to feel sorry for her.
I thought this was a story about a kidnapping and you think its going that way then the author slips a nugget in there which changes the direction completely. At one point, I asked myself “what the hell is going on?” but then about halfway through, it changes into a whole different ball game.
I’m not going to give away anything but if you are a fan of sick, twisted, gore-filled stories about psychopaths who love to inflict the worst imaginable pain to their fellow human beings, then this is the one for you. If not, please don’t put yourself through it and keep well away - the warnings are there for a reason … ignore them at your peril.
This book tore me in two - I really wanted to read it but then again, I really didn’t but I finished it and am glad that I did.
How can I give such a high rating to something containing such graphic and explicit scenes? Easy really, such a well written book, yes there were a few errors but they are easily forgotten in what is a brilliant but very disturbing story that had me taking sharp intakes of breath, holding my breath and gasping out loud. Some sections were really hard to read and, I admit, I did skim-read some particular gruesome bits and I did have to put it down a couple of times. I normally read before going to sleep but about 50% in, I decided this was not a good idea and decided to read it in my lunch hour … however, that wasn’t the brightest of moves either!!! Now I'm no wimp but there were parts that were way too graphic for even me but I must give plaudits to the author on the way they were written.
This is one of only a handful of books that I have talked about with my husband (just to see him cringe!), his friends (I quite enjoyed their reaction in a sick sort of way!) and work colleagues (had to choose who I told as they would have serious concerns about me!) - isn’t that what books are supposed to do?
I have the 3rd book in the series to read - Hillary: Retribution but I think I will have to delay reading it until I get over the images created in my mind from this one. There is also a 2nd one Hillary: Flesh and Blood which is a prequel but this is supposed to be worse than the 1st and 3rd put together .... so may have to give this one a miss as I don’t think my brain or stomach could take that.
I want to thank the author for a free copy in return for an honest review.
