Review "With A PRISONER WITHIN, J.M. Northup hits her stride. For those who love dark psychological thrillers, young Tiffany is trapped in the deadliest of mind games where each move is made in a maze of madness and exploitation." - Kathleen O'Neal Gear & W. Michael Gear, authors of PEOPLE OF THE MORNING STAR Read more From the Author My youngest daughter prefers to read books with a darker content.  She asked me to write a book that would appeal to that genre style.  A PRISONER WITHIN is the result of that request!I wanted to have a believable story that would give a new perspective to "monsters" and "horror."  When I thought about how I personally would define those two words, I knew I had my story.  There's nothing more terrifying to me than the sinister side of human nature and the potential abuse that we can inflict. Some of my favorite excerpts from the book are:My step-dad's rendition of events was uncontested even by me and therefore, it became our truth.  Truth I'd never be able to prove or change; truth that protected him from suspicion and penalty.  Truth that I now knew was a lie."She's erasing me bit by bit and it's painfully obvious that no one can stop her."Worse, there was that part of me that thought if I was already being accused of it and punished for it, then I should just do it. Of course, I didn't want to be that person.  Did I?As I lay in the late hours of night or perhaps the wee hours of morning, I felt content.  I'd been right to keep faith and trust when I had no reason to.  I didn't expect any grand gestures or magical solutions to things, but my hope was fueled.   Read more See all Editorial Reviews
B**E
Horrors, hatreds, wishes for the death of an abuser, almost glee at that occurring. A Stunning Story!
I have never read a book in my lifetime that I can remember hating the content, hating the story, hating a couple of the characters with so much fervor and at the same time loving the book, the story, the characters as described by this wonderful and talented author. The story made me angry many times. The idea of so much horrible abuse being heaped on one person made me sick at my stomach and enraged me as the crescendo of the story rose to its crashing climax. And the ending left me almost in a state of shock. Congratulations Julie on a wonderful, painful, horrible, entertaining story that I hope never occurs for anyone even while knowing that there are parents out there in our world who might well do all the things you have so brilliantly portrayed in this tale.
P**N
amazing read!!
This is really a good story, that tells a heart wrenching tale. Readers meet Tiffany as a teenager. She has an abusive mother and a step father who allows the abuse to happen. This could easily be a biography for hundreds of people. he author tackles a hard subject and adds a psychological view of a person who is abused. Following Tiffany's story is fascinating and the author does a great job with the feel of this story and with the character of Tiffany. Well done!
J**R
Dark Story of Abuse
Tiffany is a prisoner of abuse. Now a teen, she’s lived her entire life in a world of mistreatment. Her pain and her suffering fill every part of her being, dark and painful and never ending.She lands in the healthcare system. No one believes her. Her mother hides the monster with a believable mask, free to dig ever deeper scars in her daughter’s psyche.Finally at a crossroads, what path will Tiffany choose?
D**S
Not What I Expected
I read all the reviews before buying the kindle version. Unfortunately, one of the reviewers misrepresented some details in the story, and I kept thinking "am I reading the same book?"This is a horrifying story of physical and emotional abuse. Almost too much to bear at times. But I found myself questioning why no one ever believed Tiffany but everyone was so quick to side with the mother. Tiffany visited the ER on so many occasions; why wasn't child protective services notified? I found that just a little implausible.Also, this is another book that truly suffered from lack of editing. Missing words, misspelled words, half-written words. Whatever happened to editing a story? The lack of editing was a definite distraction for me.
D**B
Very Interesting
I chose this rating because this book is so much better than just good. It enlightens. It tells secrets. It tattles. It whispers and gossips. It speaks of punishment in a form most of us never dream of. It tells us of an existing madness that we hope to never have to cope with . And it also tells us of birds singing on sunny days and squirrels scampering. Life goes on. We all learn as we grow.
C**B
Unbearably Torn, but good.
I am truly torn with this book.Rated at 4 because I was captivated by my own turmoil as I read about the life of a young woman and how her up bringing had been, become.The reality that someone could be subjected to this life...unbearable.Initially lost upon reading, but once the writers style was adjusted to, it read quickly.
M**E
It will stick with you
I purchased this book and before I knew what happened I was sucked in. I read the book overnight desperate to know what was next. Months later this hauntingly realistic story still calls.
P**Y
AWESOME STORY
What a dark, twisted tale. And I loved it. From the first opening pages, you’re thrown into the violent, abusive relationship between Tiffany and her mother. The first half of the book bounces between past and present, as J.M. Northup shows how the Mother has trained Tiffany to be the perfect slave to her aggressive needs for control and domination. With her smart intellect and knowledge of the human mind, he Mother spins tales and lies to turn everyone against Tiffany, even the people in authority that are the only ones that can save Tiffany from her abusive lifestyle.As the story progressed, my hatred for the Mother and step-dad grew. But at the same time, as Tiffany started doubting herself, thinking maybe she was really the problem, I started wondering if Tiffany was suffering from Schizophrenia. What a roller-coaster ride of emotions. And then everything culminates with Tiffany’s 18th birthday, her day of freedom from her tyrannical mother.Growing up in this type of lifestyle will bring out the dark nature in anyone. How do you be true to yourself, when everyone around you sees you as evil? All the self-doubts instilled in you as a child are very difficult to overcome as an adult. How do you stop yourself from repeating the abusive nature of your parents? One of the reasons child abuse is so rampant.There are gaps in the storyline that I found slightly confusing as I tried to follow the linear path of the story. But, overall, a well done job.I highly recommend this book for a peak into the dark nature of abusive relationships. I give it 5 feathers.
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