Official Review: The Familiar by Benjamin E. Sawyer

[theprancingponyx]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Familiar" by Benjamin E. Sawyer.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Do you know what a Familiar is? The good ones help you avoid mistakes. The bad ones see that you make them. Benjamin E. Sawyer captured the essence of what it’s like to see and feel something mysterious lurking in the shadows. This dark book had an eerie feel to it, which complimented the genre and writing style of The Familiar.

The book begins with a six-year-old boy vanishing into thin air. No trace of where he went, no sign of forced entry in the house. Emma a single parent has begun to worry and calls in the early hours awake her, however once she picks up the phone nobody answers. Strange drawings start to appear in places that are difficult for her daughter Caitlin to reach. If it can’t be her daughter, then who is trying to cause mischief? While this is happening, Caitlin has been constantly talking about her imaginary friend whom she calls Mr. Pig. In the night while her mother sleeps, Mr. Pig promises to take her away with him. Maybe Mr. Pig isn’t a figment of Caitlin’s imagination after all. As these events are unfolding we go back through time to the early 1990’s where a tragic incident has occurred. A dark entity has arrived and it promises to devour children. Can one person within the hospital walls stop this creature, The Familiar?

I read this book knowing little to nothing about the storyline or what lies ahead, and I must say I’m glad I didn’t know much. I was genuinely satisfied with how the book unraveled, the intertwining of two different time periods and the magic that encases the book. I don’t usually read horror, but this was an interesting concept and I’m glad I had the chance to experience the darkness surrounding the characters. At first the story was slow paced, however this added to the strange things that started to occur, which overall, added to the creepiness factor. One factor that tied the story together was the backstory of what happened in the 1990’s. It provided a clear understanding of what The Familiar is about and who or what this thing is.

Though I found the book enjoyable, there were minor errors throughout the book. I think it was just my copy of the book, however, there were various grammatical errors that made me slightly annoyed. Since I read this on my android tablet, there were words that were highlighted that suggested the improper use. Even though there were these little occurrences I managed to disregard it as the storyline of the book itself was great.

I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. The book itself was structured in a way that made it easy to imagine. As the reader, you are looking at the scene and the characters, but aren’t a character yourself. Personally, I like books like this, were you are looking into the lives of the characters, if that makes any sense. I rated it 3 because, while it was an interesting and enjoyable book, it wasn’t those books were you felt like you needed to finish it as soon as possible. It was more relaxed.

******
The Familiar
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes

Like theprancingponyx's review? Post a comment saying so!