Sour Candy

I saw Sour Candy on Amazon and was honestly truly drawn to the cover (which Patrick designed himself as he is also a talented cover designer) then the synopsis. I had to have it. This was a really great novella that I whizzed through at 2am from start to finish, eager for more. This is the first of Patrick's books I have read but am eager next to move on to his novel Kin after hearing so much rave about it. I really got a taste for Patrick's writing from this novella and it's made me hungry for more...At first glance, Phil Pendelton and his son Adam are just an ordinary father and son, no different from any other. They take walks in the park together, visit county fairs, museums, and zoos, and eat together overlooking the lake. Some might say the father is a little too accommodating given the lack of discipline when the child loses his temper in public. Some might say he spoils his son by allowing him to eat candy whenever he wants and set his own bedtimes. Some might say that such leniency is starting to take its toll on the father, given how his health has declined.What no one knows is that Phil is a prisoner, and that up until a few weeks ago and a chance encounter at a grocery store, he had never seen the child before in his life.The book has a really interesting plot theme that kind of slaps you in the face once it reveals itself fully to you. The book was creepy but it's not gory or graphic or terrifying as some horror can be, so I would recommend pretty much any type of reader would enjoy this. Not just horror or dark fiction fans. It's got wider appeal.The child...the father (not)...why?That's the big question of the book, who is this strange child and why the hell is he in Phil's life now and what does he want of Phil? It's not a great situation to be in let me tell you! It's hard to review this without spoilers so I will keep it pretty general for you. The writing is good, it's a quick and easy read, the plot holds your interest and I can't really fault it, my only wish was that I was a bit more chilled, a bit more creeped out - that would have pushed my rating to 5 stars.I will be back for more of Kealan Patrick Burke for sure...watch this space (well not this one exactly, but it will be a review on another space on Goodreads in the future). Yes, I am going now. Enjoy the novella should you read it too!

This was a serious read and has a lot of the what-the-hell moments. This story made me question my own mind at one point as we follow Phil Pendleton and what feels like his descent into madness. Honestly, this story had me gripped from beginning to end. I have never felt more unsettled or creeped out, especially with Adam. Kealen shows that even if you don't want kids, there is now a new fear unlocked. Waking up and finding a random kid has now entered your life in cuckoo bird style. Phil loses the life of his dreams when this little parasite decides to invade his and crap all over it. Plus Kealen does a mean portrayal of innocence meets terrifying. This short story packs a punch as Phil ends up being an unwilling father to a very much unwanted child. The supernatural elements in this story scream Twilight Zone meets Changeling. Considering how well thought out this physiological horror is in less than 80 pages, you can tell that Kealen is not afraid to drag the reader into the dark with him. Easily one of the most creative stories I've read and has a great shock value with the twisted ending. Bravo my friend, you have successfully changed my mind on adoption, because DAMN this book was haunting.

This plot sounded really good. I feel like it had a lot of promise but sadly it just wasn’t scary. I did find it an easy to read page turner, quite a short book. I think as a film it would work better, a lot of room for more visual impacts. I just found it rather a let down, was hoping for my creepyness.

This is another short horror of a read at 75 pages. My second book by this author. As I read Blanky before this one I went in knowing his level of horror and I much preferred this one to blanky. This one really messed with my mind! I was like woah. Okay. What just happened? How? Why? Honestly messed with my mind. I devoured this in just over an hour. I was gripped! Tense. Fast paced. Mind boggling. Suspense. Edge of your seat read. You just didn't know what would happen next. A brilliant read! A well deserved four stars. This is my favourite by him so far.

Since I started using Instagram more and following other readers I have come across books and authors that I may never have otherwise discovered. Kealan Patrick Burke is one of them. I had never heard of him until I started seeing his books on Instagram and then started following him as well because he is pretty active on social media. I am always open to trying new authors so I had asked around and “Sour Candy” was one that came up a few times as a good place to start. I had a Christmas Amazon voucher to spend so I added a copy to my order and decided to dive right in.I hadn’t realised before ordering that it was such a short story, just 74 pages, but that actually worked out well for me as I am full of a cold right now and needed something that wouldn’t take lots of concentration and brain power to keep track of. Obviously this also meant I have finished it in 2 sittings; I read half at lunch time and then finished it before bed.Burke’s writing is very easy to follow and extremely gripping. He takes a common incident of a screaming child in a supermarket, something I’m sure we’ve all encountered at some point, and turns it into something much more sinister. The premise is excellent and my only complaint would be that it wasn’t longer. I was left with so many questions due to the shortness of the book. This is why I don’t often read short stories. I always feel like I’m left wanting more.I was in the mood for a good, scary story and this had the creep factor right up there. Although creepy kids are always scary to me. The ending caught me out as I thought I knew where it was going and I was totally wrong.I’ll definitely be trying some of Burke’s other books and will have to see if he has any full length novels as I do prefer the time that can be given to a story in a full novel as opposed to a short story. If you’re a fan of creepy, horror stories then this would definitely be for you.

Fast read, that draws you in. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The cover and title of this novella caught my attention right away -- the searing red, the deer-skulled being, and the title almost ridiculously at odds with the apparent horror content within. And this being October, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to read something on the frightening side. "Sour Candy" is a short read, but it's definitely menacing, showing how one person's life can go so catastrophically wrong and giving us a taste of Lovecraftian horror alongside one of the creepiest children I've ever met in literature.An ordinary trip to the grocery store turns Phil's life into a nightmare after he encounters a disturbing child... and said child latches onto him in the worst way. Now everyone on Phil's life is convinced that the child is his, despite the fact that he's never met the child before today. The boy dominates Phil's life, demanding all his attention, even dictating his diet of sour candy... and giving him glimpses of a terrifying world beyond our own. If Phil is to stop this nightmare world from touching ours -- and the boy from destroying his life -- he may have to do the unthinkable...Kealan writes well, maintaining a clean and uncluttered writing style that focuses on crafting a plot and characters rather than flowery description and wordplay. I love beautiful description and wordplay, but in a story like this it would just interfere with the story and the buildup of tension. Some of the events feel a little clunky and forced, but for the most part the story flows well and builds up to a chilling climax.It helps that Phil, the main character, is a well-done character, an everyman of sorts who isn't perfect but is still a decent enough human being that we can empathize with him. Adam, the child character, is pretty much every creepy child cliche wrapped up in one and no personality beyond that, but given that he's more of a plot device than a character, that's understandable."Sour Candy" is a short read, but a chilling one, and Keanan Burke is shaping up to be a strong name in the horror genre. If you love your horror with a splash of cosmic influence and creepy children, give this a read.

From outward appearances, Phil and his son Adam are like any ordinary family doing ordinary things. But Phil is a prisoner and up until a couple of weeks ago, he didn’t have a son. A chance encounter at a Walmart has left Phil questioning his sanity. Who or what exactly is Adam?At under 100 pages, this was such a fun and creepy read. I loved the concept and lets face it, creepy kids add that extra bit of terror. I can still eat sour candy but I will certainly run the other direction from a screaming kid in a candy isle!

Eu não conhecia a obra de Kealan Patrick Burke e confesso que foi uma ótima surpresa. Neste livro ele traz um suspense bastante inspirado no horror cósmico de Lovecraft. O principal ponto positivo é como o autor consegue nos passar uma sensação angustiante por meio do uso competente do aspecto subjetivo do personagem.Nesta obra o personagem principal tem sua vida mudada quando encontra uma criança sinistra em um mercado. A partir dali a criança se insere em sua vida e começa a alterar a realidade ao redor... das piores maneiras possíveis. Recomendo.

This short story threw me through a wringer, and made me feel so incredibly anxious throughout, I LOVED it - perfect short horror!