I should have no better than reading book by Norman Reed's just because of the walking dead.

It just wasn't for me, personally, but I believe many will love it.

I found this to be very coarse in nature and I struggle with violence toward animals in any book. Perhaps I was not the right audience for this book.

All I knew going in, was that Norman Reedus was the narrator, which made it even better!

I enjoyed THE RAVAGED overall, and hope to see more by Reedus.

*many thanks to Blackstone and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Norman Reedus reads his own book in this audiobook version of his new novel. After running and never looking back at the suggestion of his dying mother, Jack has spent most of his life trying to build weath. With no remaining family, he has no one left to share his fortune with. He goes to South America with his PTSD and a backpack with the hope of finding something important to focus on. When he encounters a group of people with nothing, he starts to learn more about what matters to him. In North Carolina, a man named Hunter learns about his father's death in a fire. He travels to California to find out more about a secret family history. Anne is seventeen and hits her brother with a skillet after he attacks her.

For those sensitive to physical assault and child abuse, this book might be a touch too much. Its intentionally gritty, and with three main characters all heading towards a similar outcome, it can be a lot to take in. Fans of Norman Reedus will enjoy hearing him perform his own book.

I really disliked this book and was not able to finish. I love Norman Reedus as an actor and was excited to listen to him as the narrator, but this was not a story for me.

Meh...the story is ok. As much as I love Norman Reedus as an actor, as a narrator, he falls short of the mark. Everything sounded the same, it was difficult to listen to.

Norman reedus has written a fiction novel everyone, and as someone who has spent the entirety of their 20’s watching the walking dead. I couldn’t pass it up. I had to see how well his acting skills transferred over to his writing skills and folks, kind of not great. It’s questionable but I love his effort. I do want to mention I am going into this review as a fantasy lover, what he has written clearly is not fantasy and I don’t read contemporary fiction, ever, I don’t even own a single contemporary novel on my shelf.

I will start this off positively because, cover design, A+. You spot this in your local bookstore, you are going to pick it up. No denying the juicy red lips.

So this is set in our modern day world. We’re following multiple characters. All very different from one another, in very different circumstances dealing with what life is throwing at them, they have all been through some sh*t but they do have 1 thing in common and that is they are in search of something more.

We have Hunter who we find quitting his mechanic job and receives news his father who taught him everything has passed away so he takes a road trip to california.
We have Jack who is a man in his 60’s who has lost his mother, wife and daughter and now leaves behind all of his riches to travel to South America after recieveing his mothers last dying words to run. No cool curse or witchcraft to be had though. We actually find him getting beaten up when he’s introduced.
And then we have Anne, our female perspective, obviously someone I was going to relate to more and this story definitely needed a masculine break, she’s a 17-year-old who runs away from abusive, alcoholic parents and meets up with a gang of train hoppers. Unfortuantely she doesn’t find a fantasy portal to jump into, but then that would’ve made it worth reading.

aaaaand that’s it. I’ve described the entirety of the book for you. You don’t have to read it now. You’re welcome. For real though, the set up for the characters were great, sounded interesting, tragic back stories you hope to see redemption for but they just don’t go anywhere, typically you can expect characters to converge on one another and meet up but they do not. Also can normally expect an ending or conclusion, or heck even bouts of character development where growth occurs so that it stays crispy and satisfying, you don’t get that either. I know not every book has to be wrapped up with a pretty bow, it can be open ended but I just wasn’t satisfied with anything.

When you favourite actor from Walking Dead writes a book, you obviously have to read it. I am sure this book will be a 4 to 5 star for others, but unfortunately I did not like it. It was a bit all over the place, and I often felt lost with no clear direction.

The Ravaged tells three separate stories about three characters on journeys. . The story is gritty and rough as the individuals lives are explored. At the end of the book, I was wondering if there will be a sequel, because you are left with the characters' journeys not having a clear ending. That could be the point, though, as they all are continuing their journeys, just as the readers are on their own journeys.
I was given an ARC of this audiobook by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#netgalley
#theravaged
#normanreedus

I've been a fan of Norman Reedus since Boondock Saints, so I was happy to see he wrote a book. He narrated the audiobook and did a great job. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the story very well and may not be the target audience. It's a solid debut book and decent writing, just not my style.

I was drawn to this book because I love Norman Reedus and the kick-ass cover! It's awesome. Once I saw that Norman Reedus was the narrator of the audiobook I knew that was the way to go as he has one of my favorite voices (I literally could listen to him read the phone book).

The Ravaged was a decent debut novel. I can honestly say it won't be for everyone as it is gritty, raw, fast-paced and holds a mirror to the harsh realities in our world. It is about three people - Jack, Hunter, and Anne- who each are running from bad situations and go on a journey to learn about themselves, their family, face their demons and try to figure out how to be their best self moving forward. I thought the characters were well written and this book left me reflecting on my parts of my own journey.

I gave this book 3 stars because the end left me wanting to know more about the characters and I really wanted the characters to cross paths at some point and they didn't. If you give this book a shot, do the audio. Norman Reedus is a 5 star narrator!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing (Audiobooks) and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You know I just grabbed this one because it was by Norman Reedus (plus the awesome cover) because that's pretty much how I roll these days. (No shame!) I had no idea what I was getting into, but if it's narrated by Daryl Dixon and it's a gritty road trip type story - I had no qualms with knowing zero things about the plot!

One thing that I think going into this you should know is it's 3 different stories. They do parallel each other - but they never connect. I anticipated the stories merging at some point, and was a tad bit disappointed they never did. But - the three stories themselves were incredibly descriptive and moving - these are not happy stories with endearing characters. They are quite messy and we are thrown right into their journeys as they navigate the disorder of their lives.

We follow each as they travel through these tough situations simultaneously with a road trip - running from something, running away, or running to something. The writing is darkly poetic and Norman narrates it beautifully. There were a few times it feels like it gets stuck in almost too detailed of a descriptive spiral - but it's dark and grittily lyrical, nonetheless.

It's very clear Norman has taken experience from his own travels and applied it throughout the story which I loved. It's very raw and quite a unique read - which I appreciate. A solid debut, I just wished the plots had merged somehow (even a teeny bit!) and the ending wasn't so open. But to be fair - sometimes it really is more about the journey than the destination.

A simple story with three points of view all running... and the story that emerges shows how connection, community and family are really all that matter in a world full of strife. I was given the opportu ity to listen to the audiobook (thanks to NetGalley), which is read by Reedus. His dry, bare bones no frills way of reading gave a great grit to the story, its prose sometimes evocative of Hemmingway's staccato style, if not always the depth of emotion. Overall, a good work I enjoyed!

It would be easy to dismiss this book out of rote as a book by an actor. You would be completely wrong. This book is one of the most fascinating looks at the human spirit I’ve read in a long time. It’s not about the ending, it’s about the journey. It’s about the life lived.

Honestly this book reminds me of one of the classics that you read over and over again. Gaining something different and important with each read.

Norman Reedus is a natural born storyteller. It’s no surprise that he does an incredible job as narrator for this book.

The Ravaged follows three people on journeys. I was really excited to hear Norman Reedus narrate his audio book, but his voice was very monotone, and the very long descriptions of simple things took me out of the story and made this a challenge to finish.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Jack was told by his dying Mother to "run and never look back." Hunter beats up his dog abusing boss and he rides from North Caroline to California. Seventeen-year-old Anne flees after her brother attacks her. These three people don't seem to have anything in common except that the harsh realities of life are bearing down upon them.

This is a gritty novel about three people on a ques/journey. A journey where they learn about themselves, their family, their definition of family and their search for what is important in life. Life is harsh and is many things in this book which gives it a very real feel.

Norman Reedus narrates the audiobook, and he does have a great voice for telling a gritty, raw story. A story, which sadly, was not for me. He sure likes his adjectives and comparing one thing to another, I will give him that. Others are enjoying this more than I did, so please check out their reviews as well.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

ARC review expected release 5.10.22

https://www.tiktok.com/@kagedbooks/vi...?

This is Norman Reedus’ debut novel, yup the same Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead and Boondock Saints.

I had to jump on the chance to listen to this audio arc, as Reedus narrates the novel himself. I’ve only seen a few authors choose to do this and i’ve liked it every time. This is no exception he puts the same level of effort into the reading as any of his film roles, and you get the story with all the tone and inflection he intended while writing this.

In the novel you get three different POVs from people that are on different journeys of self-discovery but in very different ways. They are seeking to become better versions of who they want to be, not necessarily who society sees as better but true to themselves. These journeys force the characters to face their respective past, and carve out the future they are looking for.

All and all this is a solid debut novel. It’s written in a gritty and engaging style. All three characters have stories that have ups and downs and left me wanting to know more about them. This is actually where it lose some points for me as the ending left me needing more, and i do not believe this is intended to be the start of a series, at least not that i’ve seen. That may be part of the point though because life can leave us searching for more.

This is more of a personal bias and not a reflection of writing quality but i would have like to have seen (view spoiler).

Overall, I enjoyed reading this and it made me reflect upon the path i’d like my life to take which i feel like is a pretty solid response to a book that doesn’t set out to be in any kind of self-help category. I’d definitely read another book by Norman Reedus and will probably get a physical copy for the shelf.

Big thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a chance to get in on this book early. I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Gritty and engaging, just as you'd expect from Reedus. His name alone will keep this circulating. A recommended purchase in all formats.

I must admit I was super excited to read the debut book from Norman Reedus. As an narrator I literally could listen all day long and he did a brilliant job. It follows the story of three characters and is a gritty, down to earth read. It's a little bit flowery with descriptions in parts but on the whole was an highly entertaining listen. Exactly what I was hoping for.

I was so excited to read a book written by Norman Reedus. I’m not going to lie this book was very dry. I almost DNF’ed it but I kept on. The audiobook was definitely a way better way to read it. I just don’t think I’m the right audience for this book. It is overly descriptive in everything. In the first chapter there is even a step by step instruction on how to sharpen lawn mower blades. Why? That was unnecessary. The novel follows three different main characters and I did enjoy some characters more than others. This book is described as gritty and it definitely is. The characters all face many hardships throughout their journey.

*thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review