Petrified Women

Petrified Women by Jeremy Ray

Harley is used to dating toxic men, but her current boyfriend Aiden isn't too bad. He has one special request; scaring Harley. Aiden absolutely loves pranks. The scarier the better. Harley sucks at pulling pranks but she's certain her most recent idea will give her the “jump” on Aiden. However, it's not always fun and games, and sometimes a prank becomes reality.

A warning that this book contains content that may be uncomfortable for some, so reader beware.

Petrified Women is a short suspenseful read. Jeremy Ray is a great storyteller and his pacing in the story is excellent. I definitely felt unsettled the entire time reading this book. The writing is detailed and I could imagine certain scenes perfectly. I literally flew through this book. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking of it. Characters were unique and interesting, although I found myself wanting to scream at Harley a few times to use her brain.

There is a CW at the start of the book for SA, violence, strong language and body horror.

From the very start of this novella, I was exclaiming “wtf?” as the main character seemed so subservient and I felt I was not going to connect to her. It wasn't long before I realised her assumed subservient attitude was more so a response to past traumatic events. It was painful to witness how much she gaslit herself questioning her very real feelings and intuitions, punishing herself for her reactions.

I loved the pacing of this book and read it in one go as it's a short read. I was rooting for the main character once I knew her story.

I highly recommend this novella, the only logical next step for me is to read more from Jeremy Ray.