susanvoss18

Christmas morning isn’t going as planned. Young Annabelle expected it to be beautiful and fun, as it had always been. However, she finds first one parent and then another, dead, torn apart. But there’s something worse that she has yet to discover, to understand.

This is not a tale for kids, unless they are a bit older and a little twisted. After discovering the horror of Christmas morning, she runs. She continues until she can’t go one any more unless she figures out how to get some food, even it requires stealing. After a fumbled attempt to do so, a group of other street kids find her. She thinks she found others who understand her and what she has been through, but all is not quite that simple.

At heart, this is a Shifter story but it is told from the eyes of you girl who has to go through the horror of it on her own. It is a dark, slightly disturbing story. There’s quite a bit packed into this short story. Plenty questions come up as to what is right or wrong, and how much intent or the situation of the moment play into it.

I was quite impressed with this story and look forward to exploring more of the author’s work. Also, I hope he continues with more Annabelle stories as I think she has more to give to the Shifter genre.

The Narration: Rebecca Greene was a very good pick for Annabelle. She had a young woman’s voice without being too childlike. She also had distinct voices for the other characters, including believable male voices.