Official Review: As The Flowers Bloom by Cheryl T.Long

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "As The Flowers Bloom" by Cheryl T.Long.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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As the Flowers Bloom is a heart-wrenching fictional book about a young girl, Cherish, who is born into a family tainted by generations of abuse. It is written by Cheryl T. Long. It appears to be the first book in a series.

Eight-year-old Cherish Flowers is trafficked by her abusive father, who uses her as a means to make "easy" money. He scares, threatens, and beats her into submitting into the whims of his paedophile clients. Her mother, Liz, is opposed to it all. However, she is powerless to put an end to it. Although a part of Cherish holds her mother accountable for her torment, Liz is the only reason she pushes aside thoughts of suicide. Cherish's only emotional outlet is dancing, which she does in secret. Will she ever be free from the torment, pain, and suffering? Will she ever be the famous dancer she desires to be?

The author's descriptive writing style is engrossing. Her ability to create tension, fear, and captivate her readers is amazing. For example, there is a scene where Cherish hears her drunk father come back home. She cowers under her sheets, hoping that he will direct his anger at some other target. That scene was so well written, and it felt real!

I enjoyed her parents' backstories, which were written from their individual viewpoints. Their horrific pasts give clues to the current dysfunctional lives they lead. The backstories, coupled with the author's descriptive style, created a realistic, believable tale. They also helped set apart As the Flowers Bloom from other abuse tales.

If you are fainthearted, you may want to stay away from this book; it contains narrations of some the abuse Cherish and her mother experience. If you enjoy tragedies though, you may enjoy this book. I rate it 2 out of 4 stars. It wasn't my cup of tea, but someone else could enjoy it. It's really easy to read, and can be finished in a single sitting. Sad to say, it could use a round of editing as it contains a lot of spelling and punctuation errors.

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As The Flowers Bloom
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Like Kelebogile Mbangi's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kandscreeley]

It sounds like this story is quite intense and emotional. I just can't stand the thought of anyone having to endure that abuse, much less because of one's father. It's despicable. I'm not sure I could handle these strong themes. Thanks for the review, though.

[chewy4uto]

Another fictional book about abuse. It's a shame that one writes in fiction about an oh so common problem in today's world. It is always good to bring to the forefront such issues. I guess if it needs to be done through fiction so be it. I hope it does well for you.

[Rose Harebate]

The plot seems captivating. I am interested to discover how Cherish manages to survive the abuse. Too bad the book did not seem to be professionally edited. Nice review!

[Anon_Reviewer]

What a pity the editing was not up to par. This book seems to contain more violence and abuse than I'm willing to stomach. I'll pass. Either way, thanks for the review!

[Mbrooks2518]

I definitely do not want to read about the sexual abuse of a child. Good review, though.