We decided to try something new in our book club and chose something from the horror genre, rather than a thriller or fantasy. The Sorrowstones, by Felix Blackwell. This story follows Cole Graves, who starts receiving little statues/ figurines throughout the years from an unknown person. He quickly learns that these little statues have extraordinary gifts that improve his life.
Unfortunately, it seems they also contribute to the pain and destruction of those around him. He has to decide how much he’s willing to let himself and his loved ones suffer. Will he find it’s worth it to hold on to the statues? And if not, will he be able to get rid of them?
This story is chaotic and wild and a tad unhinged at times. It’s nightmarish and weird and totally different than books we typically read.
So let’s review, shall we? 😉
Book Stats
- Publication Date: 11/06/25
- Format: ebook
- Chapters: 65
- Pages: 344
- Narrator POV: 3rd person POV, focused on Cole
- Kindle Unlimited 🖤
Shayna’s Review
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
This was WEIRD and I loved it.
So this book had me hooked from the very first line: “The thing I remember most about seventh grade was watching my best friend die.” Well, alright Felix Blackwell. Just throw us right in, why don’t ya? 😂 But really, I absolutely love it when a book grabs my attention right away, so I was excited.
This book follows Cole Graves and his friends/family. He has a sister, Cassie, who he’s pretty close with and both parents, his mom Lily/Lillith and his dad, Rick. He also has 3 really close friends – Noah, Squeeze/Scotty, and Kevin. Along with a huge crush on his next-door neighbor, Kelly. There are a few other characters brought up throughout the book as well, but these are most of the main ones.
The story follows Cole’s life over several years, starting at 11 years old when he receives a jade turtle figurine in his Halloween trick-or-treating bag. Immediately, he finds that the stomach pains that plagued him his whole life have improved. But the joy is short lived when his best friend, Noah, suddenly starts to become very sick. And this is just the beginning.
Throughout the story, we see each new figurine Cole receives and how they alter his life for the better, while destroying the lives of those closest to him. The story takes some wild turns and gets really dark at times. It’s interesting to see how Cole learns about the little statues and the steps he takes to try and figure out who is giving them to him and why.
I have to say that I absolutely loved Blackwell’s writing. Things flowed so well and each chapter had enough going on that I was constantly intrigued and excited to continue the story. Our book club actually flew through this book pretty quickly.
I loved the weird vibes and definitely couldn’t guess what would happen next, or where things were headed.
The ending, however, was confusing and very anticlimactic for me. I re-read it and the second time it made more sense, but it still just kinda left me wanting more. I won’t explain in detail because I don’t want to spoil anything. But I guess I had hoped for more closure, or for things to come to a more definitive end.
I would still recommend this book to any horror-loving reader. 🖤 It was a good time!
Ronni’s Review
Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5
So I think Mr. Blackwell has some powers because after I started reading this, a post from him popped up in my Facebook newsfeed about how he got started as a writer. Creepy timing during a creepy book! It did make me enjoy him more, though.
Listen, Shayna already did the summarizing part so I’m going to skip that and get to the review part. Cole…. buddy….*SMH* I feel like you could have done more in the YEARS you had to figure this thing out!! You definitely could have been more proactive. I mean, I get it. You were young and it was an absolutely terrifying time for you but… come on man.
This book was weird and creepy, just how I like them. The writing was easy to follow and left me wanting more, which I think is a good thing when it comes to an author’s work. I would love more information on the backstory of the Sorrowstones and how the power infuses. I was completely caught off guard by the connections that were made. Usually I can make a guess and be at least partially correct. I was not expecting what we learned.
I felt so awful for Cassie and Noah. I fully understand their plotlines make the story, but man it sucks that they got what they did because they were two of my favorite characters.
All in all, I will recommend this one to horror lovers and I will continue reading his works. We’ve moved on to Stolen Tongues, as it was on our TBRs before we even picked this one up.
Leave a Reply