What a book. I was reading along so invested in the story that I was done. I did not expect the ending that’s for sure. The story was carefully written in a way that the reader suspects nothing. I was all for what the protagonist planned. I went along with how terrible it was for all the things to happen to his friends. Then when his brother started doing meth again, I was angry. So when I read the last chapter and finished the story, I am eager to write this review. Please read this story.

The prisoners in the jail aren't the only prisoners in Stewartville. A young boy and his friend discover a hole in a wall that leads to a tunnel, but only one is brave enough to venture in.

Ever just wanted to ease the pain?

Sure, supernatural elements in a place long forgotten by those on the outside and seemingly, God himself.

The author does a fantastic job of creating Stewartville as well as the desperation surrounding those involved in certain work forces. A small town, often becomes what it is known for. The inmates in an awful place that allows them to be treated as less than animals - citizens of the town working within and living under the cloud.

Sex problems, drug problems.

The town allows you to be an inmate or prison staff. Surrounded by boarded up buildings and an abundance of proverbial darkness, there seems to be no way to avoid one fate or the other.

Have I mentioned the scratching?

A well told tale that brings characters and location to live. Don't miss this short read.

This is the kind of book that you devour in one sitting, that you can't put down until you read that final word.
I was instantly hooked by Shannon's gripping writing style. You instantly feel connected to her characters and their town, feeling like you have a sense of familiarity of this town that you've never experienced before reading these pages. With such minimal descriptions, Felton was able to immerse you into this world, creating a crystal clear picture in my head from the beginning.
Bravo for this debut novella, I anxiously await further stories by this author.

Stewartville is a rundown town with the prison as its epicenter. Between the town and its residents there's no shortage of grit, brokenness, and simmering insidousness. There also lingers a pall; something sinister and macabre that fills every crevice.

This was a haunting page turner. The writing style is superb, yanking readers into the bloody heart of the horror. An excellent read for horror fans.

Who's the real prisoners here, the inmates within the prison or the poor souls who call Stewartville home?

The town of Stewartville is a living, breathing, and dying character within the pages of THE PRISONERS STEWARTVILLE by Shannon Felton. A hauntingly familiar setting that is eerily similar to many places in America nowadays. Run down, closed businesses, boarded up storefronts, an opioid crisis, and an economy that revolves almost solely around the prison complex. Clouds of despair and dread hang over the town casting their shadows over all. It seems like there are only two destinations at the end of the road for anyone growing up here, you either go to prison as an inmate or you go to prison as an employee.

Our narrator is Casey, a high school kid who lives with his older brother Shane and his Nana while his mom rots in prison. Fear stews within Casey and his belief that he is destined to end up a prisoner in Stewartville like everyone else. One day Casey and his friend Denny stumble across a secret tunnel hidden behind a wall of bricks in Denny's basement. Whatever is released from that tunnel causes things in town to go from bad to much much worse.

From people hearing scratching within their walls to bizarre and startlingly deaths Stewartville is bleaker than ever. With evil lurking at the edge of every shadow Casey takes actions into his own hands as he attempts to change his destiny and break the chains of oppression that have wrapped themselves around the town.

THE PRISONERS OF STEWARTVILLE by Shannon Felton is an insidious tale with a creeping sense of dread filled with bursts of violence. I instantly felt for the characters with Felton's writing bringing this story to life. The book went in the complete opposite direction from where I thought it was headed which was very refreshing. I cannot recommend this one enough.

There have been a lot of great newcomers in the last two years, and Shannon Felton is no exception. Her debut – a gripping novella called The Prisoners of Stewartville – is a fast-paced, terribly gritty story that blends crime, drama and horror with ease.

Like The Blinds (Adam Sternbergh), this novel left me in love with the possibilities of the town (which is, essentially, the most important character of the story). Stewartville could be the tree that extends various branches of stories for years to come. That being said, the actual human characters are also fun to follow, despite the fact that many are quite one-dimensional and short-lived. The lead – who tells the story – comes from a broken home (like so many others in Stewartville), one held loosely together by his older brother. Yes, his nana is there, too, but she’s feeble and basically immobile. As such, our lead has free roam of the town. This gives him the ability to disappear from home for hours or days at a time without any real resistance from anyone. You know what that means, don’t you? Trouble. And trouble he does find.

The thing is, people around Stewartville are acting even worse than before, following the discovery of a tunnel in a school friend’s basement early on in the novella. Seemingly at random, townsfolk are killing each other and themselves without warning. One friend suddenly pulls a firearm at a gas station. Another bludgeons his mother to death. This sort of thing continues throughout the book, and almost in passing. By this, I mean little time is spent describing them or lingering on their actions/consequences. Our lead is pretty desensitized, it seems, which is understandable on some levels; however, I would have liked to see some more reaction to the mass hysteria seeming to spread throughout town. Even though our lead does decide to seek out the evil of the town and destroy it, there were still various scenes that felt underdeveloped and skimmed over.

Nevertheless, The Prisoners of Stewartville kept me glued to the page. I tore through this one as quickly as I do anything these days, which is a surefire tell that I enjoyed the ride. Not only did Shelton’s easy writing style make it, well, easy to lose yourself in the story, the story itself is gripping and gritty. I most definitely loved this little book, and recommend it to all. Anything else Felton cooks up better be sent my way – I’m hungry for more.

This book was fast paced, tense, and full of creep factor.
Not only was the horror potentially supernatural, but there was the horror of humanity (murder, drugs, prostitution, domestic violence, etc).

I really enjoyed this read, up until the very end which I was somewhat confused about.

The Prisoners of Stewartville fits in the horror genre and I enjoyed it. I loved the writing style and it was easy to read. It also has small chapters, which I really enjoyed. Horror is not my usual genre and I gave it 4 stars, so I think that horror fans will love it. Definitely a good read.

[This review is posted on NetGalley, GoodReads and StoryGraph. And extended version is also posted on Instagram. Links are attached]

3.5 stars
I’m not sure if this is meant as a teen or adult horror as it is only tagged as horror. However, it was a good fun horror read either way.

This creepy novella is an engrossing look into the lives of people who live in a small ugly town that hosts a Super Max prison at it's center of attention.

The author really captures the hopelessness and angst of these characters as they go about their almost desperately pitiful lives. Add to this depressing landscape some very terrifying supernatural events and this makes for one hell of a good chilling horror story.

It has twists and turns and it builds your sense of dread as you find out more about what is causing these horrible events. With plenty of violence and blood and a deft hand at building suspense, I would definitely recommend this novella to horror fans.

With most of the town depending on the prison for employment (as well as many of its inhabitants being in the prison), there's really no way out for Casey and his friend Denny. But when they find a tunnel beneath the town, many questions arise and they wonder who the prisoners really are. Recommended read.

This book is tagged only as "horror" so I assumed it was an adult horror but it is actually YA. I did still try to read it but it didn't suck me in and it's not what I was looking for. DNF

The Prisoners of Stewartville by Shannon Felton.
Stewartville. A town living in the shadow of the prisons that drive its economy. A town haunted by the ghosts of its past, and cursed by the dark secrets hidden beneath.
Stewartville. Where the convicts aren’t the only prisoners.
A really good read. Creepy and spooky. Great story for any teen who likes horror. 4*.