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Brent Jones

Autore di The Fifteenth of June

6 opere 22 membri 6 recensioni

Opere di Brent Jones

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I won a kindle version #GoodreadsGiveaway
 
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tenamouse67 | 1 altra recensione | Oct 18, 2022 |
I won a kindle version #GoodreadsGiveaway
 
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tenamouse67 | Oct 18, 2022 |
Afton Morrison thinks she might be a psychopath. Although, maybe not a true psychopath because she still has a conscience. Murderous thoughts have been running through her head and she can’t seem to stop the craving to kill someone. Just the thought of all the blood and gore gets her excited. She has never killed before and does not want to kill just anyone. Her first kill has to be of someone who surely will not be missed and that the world will be better off without. She thinks she has found the perfect victim in Kenneth Pritchard. Kenneth is a serial rapist who has alluded capture so far and she is determined to make him pay for each evil deed.

Afton has planned out every last detail, along with her imaginary alter-ego, Animus. Animus is the crazy one of the two and prefers Afton to go on a killing rampage. But, Afton tries to hold her at bay because Afton does have a conscience and killing someone should mean something. While stalking Pritchard and learning his routine. Afton feels as if she is being watched by The Man in the Shadows. She does not know who he is, but he has the potential to ruin her first kill if he keeps tailing her.

Who is the Man in the Shadows and what does he want with Afton?

Afton is a female heroine you can’t help but want to like even though she may be a serial killer in the making. Sure, she has thoughts of pulling off the perfect crime and basking in the blood of her victims, but she is also kind and thoughtful. She has a pet goldfish named Twinkie whom she loves dearly and she is very close with her brother Chris. Even though Afton would hate to admit it, she does actually care for Kim, one of the volunteers at the library she manages. In a way, she sort of takes her under her wing to try to toughen her up. Make no mistake though, there is a darkness to Afton, one that is bubbling forth to the surface. You can see it in some of her actions where she starts to lose control and even with her “twin” sister, Animus, you really get to see the inner workings of her mind. Afton is kind of like a modern day Jekyll and Hyde. Her “twin” Animus often lends some comedic relief to the story with her no nonsense approach to killing. “Hey just kill everyone! It’s okay just bash their head in! You can do it!” There were a lot of moments where I wanted to laugh at the things Animus says even though I know she is not real and is a part of Afton.

I really love how Brent Jones plays out an incident that happened in Afton’s past and because of it, I was able to sympathize with Afton forcing me to like her even more. Jones really knows how to make a standout character that plays with your emotions and makes you wonder what could possibly be wrong with you that you can like a character that wants to kill. Afton has two sides and sometimes they are at war with each other in thoughts and it was easy to see why Animus is the way she is as the “protector” of Afton.

For such a short novella, Go Home, Afton really packs a lot in its pages. I found myself totally engrossed and rooting for Afton and at the same time, understanding her coping mechanisms and the reasons behind her wanting to kill. Afton is not an easy character at times and sometimes you can see the darkness take over her, but you can’t help to feel sorry for what she has gone through and how it has shaped her life today.

Go Home, Afton is the perfect blend of a thrilling suspense with a hint of psychology that will leave you flipping through the pages through all the twists and turns leaving you slightly uncomfortable that you can love such a dark heroine. We are left with a bit of a cliff hanger at the end, but the next installment of this four part series will be published relatively soon. I can’t wait to read more about Afton and her fascinating story.
… (altro)
 
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RobynReo | 1 altra recensione | Aug 15, 2018 |
***Trigger Warning: sexual assault, moments of physical violence graphicness (few and far, but there)

Go Home, Afton by Brent Jones is a tense suspense novel told from the point of view of Afton, an introverted young woman working as a children's librarian at the local Wakefield library. But Afton harbours a dark secret. Deep down, this mild-mannered, if snarky woman has a drive to kill. While she hasn't yet, the craving is getting stronger, urged on by a fragment of self she calls Animus, a visual and auditory hallucination of herself. Afton has chosen her victim, a known serial rapist, and is planning her moment with care, much to the dismay of Animus. After a big scare, Afton knows she needs to take her prey down. Now. But there's someone out there who knows Afton, and is watching her. Someone who knows about Animus. Who is the Shadowy Man, and what does he want? How far will his interference go?

I loved this story! I was a such cranky cat when it ended right where it did. Good cliffhanger point. I want the next book like yesterday! It’s to be a series, and I'm very curious to see how Afton grows and changes. I haz theories and I wanna know how they play out.

To me, with a shamanic practitioner background, and a degree in psychology, be it only a BA, Animus is more akin to a manifested Shadow Self, than she is anything else. She seems to reflect hidden aspects of Afton. Learning what made Animus manifest, she is doing what the Shadow Self is meant to do- help you retrieve your lost Power. The Power Afton lost during 'the incident’.

Without proper guidance, these things do not always progress the path hoped for, and Afton certainly doesn't have that guidance (yet). This means Animus will push for retrieval the only way she believes possible- violence against those who also cause 'incidents’, instances of violence that strip away innocence. Afton has a stricter sense of this than Animus. Her Shadow would have been quite happy to take out the skeezy men in the Corridor, but not Afton. Animus is less picky. I think she believes only by turning Afton into a vicious killer can her lost Power not only be retained, but never lost again. And certainly, there are many cultures of the past that believed shed blood, especially of an enemy, was a source of great spiritual Power.

I don't feel Afton is psychopathic (or sociopathic for that matter), nor truly a serial killer type deep down. People like that, they get broken at a very very young age and tend to progress from bullying, and harming small creatures, to killing said creatures, to killing humans, as the ratio of pleasure shrinks. Take Dexter Morgan, to whom I've seen Afton compared. She is not a female Dexter. Dexter's shaping event took place when he was a tiny child. His adoptive father realised that the above scenarios were taking place. Rather than condemn Dex to a facility for life, Harry showed Dexter how to be the best he could be, bringing punk-ass criminals who got off in law courts to their deserved justice, and Harry gave Dexter the Code which helps keep him safe. Look too, at Hannibal Lecter, another literary serial killer. The horrific events that shaped his psyche happened when he was quite young, though not so young as Dex. It explains why he does the specific things he does. Even real-life killers tend to have violence and abuse in their childhoods. Do I think Afton has what it takes to become that? Sure, depending on how or if Animus is reintegrated. Do I think it likely? No, I don't.

Afton seems like an overall nice, and quite introverted, person who doesn't like hurting others all that much, despite the death fixation. Since we get her perspective and thoughts, we know how she really is. She refused to harm Neil, or Jared. She freaked and went into a fierce protective mode with Becca, and later with Kim. I think she's even growing protective of Tia, though I doubt she'd admit it. These are not actions I would associate with a killer at heart. Nor do I get the feeling Afton has dissociative identity disorder. She is fully aware and interacting with Animus, never blacking out and waking to find herself in a pool of blood.

So, I am back to my Shadow theory. I've done Shadow work, and interact with my own Shadow Self, who calls herself Steele, in a similar manner to Afton with Animus. Steele tends to push me to be more assertive. The more of my sense of self-worth I regain, the stronger our bond, and the less frequently she manifests as such. We all have a Shadow, and it can rip us asunder if ignored. You can shove the darkness away, but you'll be a stronger person with all your Shadow has to offer. I look forward to the next book in the series to see how my theories pan out (or not, as the case may be). Afton has some hard choices to make. She’ll need help from Animus, but she must remain in control of everything, making final choices herself.

***Many thanks to Reads and Reels Tours and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
… (altro)
 
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PardaMustang | 1 altra recensione | Jun 27, 2018 |

Statistiche

Opere
6
Utenti
22
Popolarità
#553,378
Voto
½ 3.6
Recensioni
6
ISBN
2