Author: Kol Anderson
Publisher: Self-Published
Pages/Word Count: 55 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Next Installment in the Broken Series. Find out what happens to Aaron next and meet Carter Bennett, his replacement.
Review: It’s no secret I’m a huge Kol Anderson fan. I find his writing mesmerizing and compelling and will continue to read everything he writes.
For those who haven’t read the 3 short stories of season one in the Broken series, why not? Go read them before you read this one. It all goes together and you’ll be missing vital information if you don’t. And please, for those who have triggers, this story touches on a lot of issues, so please read the blurb carefully. You have been warned.
On to the review.
As with season one, this first story in season two starts out with a bang and keeps on going. I can’t say it enough times, Mr. Anderson has a way with bringing you into his stories and captivating you with his technique of emotional storytelling. I’m not gushing too much, am I? Well, it’s how I feel, not apologizing for it. I am in awe of this author.
We meet Carter, who we briefly met at the end of Season One. He becomes another victim in Vincent’s dark, vicious world and, unbeknownst to Carter, Aaron’s “replacement”. The brutality and torment Carter goes through is atrocious. The author brings us into the depths of Carter’s mind. We feel his pain, confusion, and fear. We see the horror that is Carter’s life now. Instead of the author focusing on the torture used in training the slave in Aaron’s story, the author fast forwards to what happens after that. He takes us to the brothel where the sex slave victims are at the mercy of others with their sick perversions. If the training wasn’t bad enough, the brothel itself was on a whole other level of abuse. What really left me with chills – now it was crystal clear – this isn’t just a handful of sickos. This was a lucrative, no holds barred, successful business made possible by the kidnapping and deprogramming of innocent people against their will. I was also left thinking, can this be happening right now in the real world? How are they getting away with this?
We also get what we didn’t really see in the previous installments, a little bit of hope for our main character. Tristan is a man who has the ability to maybe get Carter out of this nightmare. But as with all the other Kol Anderson stories, we just don’t know what’s going to happen. We have to wait until the next one to find out. I hate the not knowing, but I love the anticipation. I get goosebumps just thinking of what’s to come.
For those who love Aaron, his story isn’t over yet. The ending tells us Vincent isn’t quite finished with him yet. Talk about an eye popping, OMG conclusion to this story. Did I expect anything less from Kol Anderson? No, not at all.
Once again the author takes us on this dark journey into the pits of hell and keeps us wanting more. I would recommend this to those who love dark, twisted tales and don’t mind being left hanging for the conclusion.
You can buy Once Broken (Broken: Season Two) here:
