Please note that all these reviews are abridged. To read a review in full, please click the link at the bottom of the review to be taken to the website on which it originally appeared.
"Suffer the Children is awesome. Despite the synopsis revolving around a troubled teen trying to find her way through life, make no mistake that there are surprises within this novel. Any Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan would be highly pleased. Sara Townsend’s character development is perfect and undoubtedly makes a page turner. Townsend’s characterization is what makes her novels! At first, the reader is lead down the road of Leanne, sadly a very believable character, and then the reader is thrown a curveball out of thin air. I highly recommend Suffer the Children to lovers of horror and suspense novels."
Rating: 5 stars
Amanda
Manic Readers
Rating: 5 stars
Amanda
Manic Readers
"Suffer the Children is a good, old-fashioned horror story, with
a touch of the paranormal, a little classic mythology, and a healthy
dose of suspense, all set down in a contemporary British setting. It’s
the kind of book perfect for curling up with on a rainy afternoon and
reading from cover to cover. Author Townsend has a facile, easy way with
her prose and a keen observer’s eye for people, resulting in unique and
breathing characterization. Townsend’s characters are mostly young
adults, late teens to early twenties, and she captures them well, in all
their late-adolescent angst and bad decision-making."
Rick R Reed
Dark Scribe Magazine
Rick R Reed
Dark Scribe Magazine
"I find that when I read a horror story, often the author might give you thrills and chills but no plot or character development or vice versa. I am happy to say that Sara Jayne Townsend gives us all this and more, providing her readers with a well-rounded and memorable story - the kind that makes you feel as if you are participating in every moment with the characters. Suffer the Children is not only a horror story but a story of love, acceptance, friendship and hope.
What I most enjoyed was the rich development of the characters and the dialogue. There is enough background on each person to make you understand their desires, motivations and personalities and this allows the reader to form a bond with them. The dialogue is so realistic that you will be drawn in and forget you are reading a story.
Suffer the Children is not just for horror buffs but for anyone wanting to read a well-crafted story."
Rating: 4 tombstones
Brit
Bitten By Books
What I most enjoyed was the rich development of the characters and the dialogue. There is enough background on each person to make you understand their desires, motivations and personalities and this allows the reader to form a bond with them. The dialogue is so realistic that you will be drawn in and forget you are reading a story.
Suffer the Children is not just for horror buffs but for anyone wanting to read a well-crafted story."
Rating: 4 tombstones
Brit
Bitten By Books
"This book has a polished narrative and believable, realistic characters that make the story a pleasure to read. Ms. Townsend takes the time to develop the background and build the situation, immersing her reader into the setting so that when the horror in this story is revealed, it is both threatening and startling in its contrast to the day-to-day world.
The portions of this story that I enjoyed the most, I believe, were the scenes that revolved around the creepy old house at sixty-six Nightingale Road. They are straight out of a horror flick, complete with dark and threatening basement and young heroine with a flashlight. I read these scenes with a kind of thrilled horror and found myself holding my breath a time or two in suspense.
I found Suffer the Children to be entertaining, perhaps not perfect (is there such a thing as perfect?) but quite worth my reading time. It is my understanding that this is Ms. Townsend’s first published novel. I hope that she continues to write and to publish, and I’ll be looking forward to whatever she has in store for her readers next."
Rating: 4.5
B D Whitney
BookWenches
The portions of this story that I enjoyed the most, I believe, were the scenes that revolved around the creepy old house at sixty-six Nightingale Road. They are straight out of a horror flick, complete with dark and threatening basement and young heroine with a flashlight. I read these scenes with a kind of thrilled horror and found myself holding my breath a time or two in suspense.
I found Suffer the Children to be entertaining, perhaps not perfect (is there such a thing as perfect?) but quite worth my reading time. It is my understanding that this is Ms. Townsend’s first published novel. I hope that she continues to write and to publish, and I’ll be looking forward to whatever she has in store for her readers next."
Rating: 4.5
B D Whitney
BookWenches
"At first, I thought Suffer the Children was going to be a very mature Young Adult story, but after the first chapter, my opinion was very quickly changed. Without giving the story again, let me say it’s an intriguing tale, and basing it on a certain supernatural legend (that has been rarely used and deservedly should be given more literary attention) gives it that little something extra. From my very distant and more mature outlook, I found the younger characters very believable. Though the setting for the story is the UK, I didn’t find their behavior so different from a US student in the same situation. Suffer the Children is a very enjoyable and suspenseful read."
RATING: 3 stars
Tony-Paul de Vissage
author
RATING: 3 stars
Tony-Paul de Vissage
author
"One thing that especially struck me about this was the age of the victims, mostly 18 to 21. Old enough to be legal adults, which coupled with their fringe status helped ensure no one would look for them, but still young enough to not really be adults in the true sense. It's an incredibly vulnerable time in a person's life. The feeling that you could slip off the edge of the world and no one would even notice is terrifying, and recalling that feeling really upped the tension for me while reading this. Though at times a difficult read - Leanne has had a very rough upbringing - I liked the book very much and would recommend it to anyone who likes old-school horror."
Sonya Clark
author
Sonya Clark
author
"This novel kept my interest and was not too gory for my taste. It is a well written book that has various degrees of suspense with a little mystery thrown into the mix. I would recommend this book for the Stephen King fans!"
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Carrol Langstroth
Mind Fog Reviews
Rating: 4 bookmarks
Carrol Langstroth
Mind Fog Reviews
"Suffer the Children is a great book to read. The descriptive language is well-done and my favourite scene is when the trio break into an abandoned house, a moment which is both creepy and suspenseful. Overall, this is a solid and spooky plot written by Sara-Jayne Townsend."
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Natasha Bennett
author
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Natasha Bennett
author
"This book portrays harsh realities with sympathy and compassion. At first I felt the strong language was off-putting, but as the story develops it is the type of language used by many adolescents and it adds rather than detracts from the scenes the author is portraying. I enjoyed this book; the story doesn't ask for pity and is not judgemental of the characters. A well written and entertaining read that I have passed on to my teenage daughter."
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Lis
Book Shelf
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Lis
Book Shelf