Kyrian Lyndon-Shattering Truths

5/5

She was left fighting her demons alone . . . For sixteen-year-old Danielle DeCorso, the old house in Glastonbury was an eerie place to grow up. Coping with mental health challenges exacerbated by a traumatic family dynamic, Danielle watches from the window for two men in a dusty black sedan who keep circling the house and harassing her with phone calls. The two predators drugged her and her cousin, Angie, and then lured them from Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport to a secluded cottage on Long Beach West. She remembers feeling dizzy, the room spinning. She recalls screaming, crying, fighting, and then slipping in and out of consciousness. Angie, however, has no recollection of the incident. When Danielle attempts to jog Angie’s memory and convince their best friend, Farran, that the two strangers had victimized them, no one seems to believe her. Alone in her pain, Danielle remains guarded, obsessed, and withdrawn. Soon she is sinking deeper into a tumultuous world of adolescent isolation and change. Grief, guilt, and anger send her spiraling into an even darker place. Tormented by terrifying nightmares, she fears she will lose her sanity, or possibly her soul. Is she having post-traumatic stress hallucinations, as one of her friends suggest, or are her recurring nightmares as real as they seem? Trapped in an unyielding emotional bondage, Danielle continues the fight to reclaim her power. Startling revelations awaken her newfound spirit, inspiring a once naïve girl to grow into a woman of defiance and courage. I would just like to start off by saying how much I love when an author starts with "Dear Reader," it gives the reader an opportunity to jump through the mind of the creator and a more in depth view of the world they are about to jump into. Lyndon starts out with, "This story, while not for the faint of heart, is about one young woman's path to healing from trauma." Boom, captured my attention instantly and gave me the interest and desire to read on. I obviously don't want to spoil the book because I highly recommend this good read but make sure you go into this book with an open mind and a strong heart, not everything is as it seems. A confused teen with a rough past has her conflicts conveying more than it may seem. Love Triangles, teases and mysterious character's leave the story with your mind wandering. An abusive, bi-polar family leaves the Danielle with what life has to offer and it's for her to determine if it's good or bad. There is some comic relief that shows she is still young and learning about who she is and what she wants to do with her future. Dani moves jobs, boundaries are broken and new friends make her life a little more trouble than she expected. A writer, singer and poet with dreams but her career aspirations are the least of her worries. I pictured Danielle as someone with social anxiety, she seems confident when in group settings yet has her moments when she is around uncomfortable people. Her dreams left fears in my mind and I certainly could not get some of her thoughts out of my head. The novel was fast paced and had a great couple twists that kept me reading. I was very connected to the main character Danielle, simply because she was a powerful teenage who knows where she stands in the world and will do anything to get where she wants to be. There is always a twist but never to many to have your mind fixated on one problem than quickly moved to the next. The healing process is never easy but it's those we trust and those who we tell about what happened is what makes the process go smoothly or just another problem. I would like to thank Kyrian Lyndon for the opportunity to review her book, it was truly a novel I will always cherish and always remember. As for the book, Shattering Truths is a great book to read. I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars. I am a huge fan of books dedicated to finding ones self and this book really took me by surprise with the twists it took. This is a book you NEED to read. "Kind of a bizarre love story with a few twists...turns into a mystery" - Shattering Truths