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Sorrel and Myriana

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Recipient of the 2016/2017 B.R.A.G Medallion! Pain begets insanity. Insanity begets love. Love begets pain. It is 1932, and the City of Dalltop is teeming with corruption. In the dead of night, a woman cries for help, but none turn an ear to her pleas. She scuttles through the lost buildings under their leaky roofs for shelter, but they always come. They dress as dark as the night and hide in the shadows. She pierces her feet in mileage and tears her clothes in desperation, but they always find her. Myriana was a rich young lady with no ambitions, no voice of her own that is until she became the wife of the handsome tycoon, Sorrel Borchardt. She soon learns that nothing is as it superficially appears. The streets that shine during the day actually stand upon the rotten foundations of a mafia organization known as Idon. What hand does Sorrel Borchardt have in Idon? Will Myriana learn to adapt to her new violent lifestyle or will she be consumed by it? Embark on a journey rout in spine-chilling bloodshed as you thread upon the fine line that divides infatuation from insanity.

546 pages, Hardcover

Published July 22, 2016

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About the author

Evelyn Sun

1 book20 followers
Evelyn Sun is the author of the gothic horror novel, Sorrel and Myriana. Although she lives in the small, quaint city of Richmond, she works in the hustle and bustle of the big city, Vancouver. Evelyn had always had a fascination with science especially infectious diseases. After graduating from UBC, she decided to pursue her PhD in microbiology. Although she loves what she does, she isn’t too thrilled with how writing is done in her field. “It’s really formulaic and boring,” said Evelyn, “and I have so much creativity in me. I felt like it was wasted so I wanted an outlet for my creativity.” With that in mind, Evelyn began writing her newly acclaimed novel during her undergraduate years and finished after many long years. “I didn’t want to publish it at first, but I sat back and looked at the work as a whole and thought, maybe I do want to publish this after all.” Having made the decision to publish her manuscript in 2015, she wanted to put out a novel that would bring meaning to her readers. Evelyn claims that she has the same goal whether as a scientist or a writer and that is to make an impact in someone’s life.

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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Dianne.
6,790 reviews586 followers
October 10, 2016
You say you like horror? Unspeakable acts of cruelty and bloodshed? Have you ever wondered what holding a dying heart in your hands would feel like? NOT for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, the love story between Evelyn Sun’s Sorrel and Myriana is like no other love story you have ever read, and but they say there is someone for everyone…

Dark, horrific and so very twisted, Myriana and Sorrel’s tale is one of escape, dehumanization, control and a twisted love/hate relationship where one woman becomes the property of a powerful and deadly man who has promised to never let her go. Will Sorrel’s mental games finally push Myriana into submission or will the student surpass the master?

Prepare to be transported through the gates of hell and to come out in a dark and almost lawless mob-ruled time where a mere slight could cost someone their life and the quest for power is absolute and terrifying. Graphic gore, harsh mental depravity, terror and despair color the dark world created by Evelyn Sun.

Follow the timeline laid out and feel this world close in around you just a little more with every page turned in an era that was filled with strife, mobs and Sorrel and Myriana.
Ms. Sun’s ability to make one’s skin crawl, one’s brain freeze at the chilling world she has created. This is a fabulous example of an author putting their all into their work without holding anything back!

I received this copy from Evelyn Sun in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Publisher: FriesenPress; 1 edition (July 21, 2016)
Publication Date: July 21, 2016
Genre: Dark Fiction | Horror
Print Length: 546 pages
Available from: Amazon Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com


Profile Image for Anastasia.
134 reviews69 followers
November 13, 2016
3/5 stars


Trigger Warning: mental-illness, abuse, death, gore


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Pain begets insanity.

Insanity begets love.

Love begets pain.

It is 1932, and the City of Dalltop is teeming with corruption. In the dead of night, a woman cries for help, but none turn an ear to her pleas. She scuttles through the lost buildings under their leaky roofs for shelter, but they always come. They dress as dark as the night and hide in the shadows. She pierces her feet in mileage and tears her clothes in desperation, but they always find her.

Myriana was a rich young lady with no ambitions, no voice of her own that is until she became the wife of the handsome tycoon, Sorrel Borchardt. She soon learns that nothing is as it superficially appears. The streets that shine during the day actually stand upon the rotten foundations of a mafia organization known as Idon. What hand does Sorrel Borchardt have in Idon? Will Myriana learn to adapt to her new violent lifestyle or will she be consumed by it? Embark on a journey rout in spine-chilling bloodshed as you thread upon the fine line that divides infatuation from insanity.
"I live my life idling about, waiting in fear for what is to come. Death could not come sooner."
I was contacted by the amazing and super sweet author, Evelyn Sun, to read and review her new book, Sorrel and Myriana. Can we take a moment to just gawk at this cover? Because it is stunning. After reading the synopsis of Sorrel and Myriana I was extremely happy that Ms. Sun contacted me. It seemed fast paced, chilling, thrilling, and intense.
"A poor man may have nothing material, but have all that he requires to sustain emotional happiness. A rich man may have all he can touch, but nothing that he cannot."
Sorrel Borchardt. The bane of my existence. I can not express how much I hate Sorrel. If I had to kill off a character from any book...it would be him. The way I pictured him was like the teen version of "the most interesting man in the world". I can see him just sitting in his office going "I don't always kill but when I do I kill everyone ." The way he treats everyone in his life, especially Myriana, is sickening. Don't even get me started on the abusive relationship. I know it was in the description, and you should expect it going into this book, but it doesn't make it any easier to stomach. Some of the things he did to her...I wanted to throw up. He doesn't care about anyone or anything that's in his way. And it hurts me to say that I became creepily interested in his character about half way through the first part of this book. I kept telling myself that everything he was doing was an act but I couldn't help but be fascinated with this multi-faced creature. It's like he puts on a new suit and becomes a new person. Needless to say by the end of the first part I hated him again. Sorrel Borchardt is a character you will love to hate.
"How ironic is it that I have finally acquired freedom only to want to return to my cage"
Now that I have vented about Sorrel lets talk about his complete opposite, Myriana. Even though Myriana was written to be that innocent person that was trapped by Sorrel, she has a little edge to her. She doesn't just sit around and let Sorrel go on his killing sprees. She stands up for what she believes in and tries to run away from Sorrel on multiple occasions not even taking into consideration the consequences. On the other hand, I wanted to shake some sense in Myriana so many times I just got tired of her character. Certain opportunities get placed in front of her, on a gold platter , and what does she do? She shoves it off the table and beats it with a baseball bat. She demolishes it. "It" being her freedom. "It" being my patience.
"This is where he cages me to ensure that his canary never escapes."
The plot was thrilling and intense. There were always new twists and turns added out of nowhere. There wasn't just one problem. There were multiple little plot points woven together to form an overall plot arc. The beginning of the book started out very strong, but after a couple chapters a lot of the information was repeated, sometimes more than once or twice. Which, at times, was a little irritating since all you wanted was to move on with the plot and solve the problems. Overall the plot was good, well thought out, but a little slow.
"Between Sorrel's fingers, I could not breathe, but they were warm."
If I had to pick my favorite part about Sorrel and Myriana it would be the secondary characters. The secondary characters made this book shine. They made the story move along, gave you a character with a personality wasn't extreme, and at times gave you a couple laughs. This book is practically dripping blood from all of the characters Evelyn Sun killed off so the only advice I have for you is: don't. get. attached. to. anyone.
"Home. It seems like a distant dream."

I have to say the writing style wasn't my favorite thing about the book. I usually aim for the books that have a 1:1 ratio of dialogue to description...sometimes I even enjoy a 1:2 ratio. But this book was borderline 1:10. The descriptions were very dense, I could literally picture everything in the scene from the color of the sky down to the rocks. Every once in a while it was nice but after a while my mind was so cluttered with unimportant details that I couldn't focus on the plot. The dialogue on the other hand was really good. It fit the time period of the 1930s. Their conversations were very formal and I think Evelyn Sun hit the shifts and details of the language perfectly.
"My vision is blurred as tears swell up. I want to go home."
All in all Sorrel and Myriana was a extremely detailed book that will keep you on your toes. You wont see half the things coming and the other half you pray your wrong. Sorrel is the person that you hope you never have to meet in your lifetime and Myriana is the person, with some adjustments, you strive to become. All in all I enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to see how Evelyn Sun grows as an author in the coming years.
Profile Image for Liis.
609 reviews125 followers
October 2, 2016
‘Sorrel and Myriana’ is a book of many extremes, of violence, family, loyalties and twisted realities. 500 something pages of conflicting feelings. Madness, cruelty and love… I’m telling you, a whole lot of crazy mixed with a whole lot of crazy! If you don’t like horror, gothic nor violence, then you probably shouldn’t read this book. Blood will be spilled and piss will flow in this world that is quite realistic yet unreal. A world that is pushed to it’s very limits. While the rules of Dalltop City, as dictated by Sorrel, are truly quite fugly, his relationship with Myriana tops it tenfold as it ranges from paralyzing fear to agonizing pain, from bone chilling hate to consuming love and loyalty. Quite enigmatic and not for the faint of heart. Pain, insanity and love- delivered covered in style.

Myriana. She remembers her childhood to be truly happy and calm if somewhat sheltered. Her mother died during childbirth and her father passed away when she was a teenager. She was taken into another family and when the head of this family also dies, Myriana is left with nothing. Broke, alone and nowhere to go her situation seemed quite dire indeed… Until a hand reached out to her… Sorrel. The confident, rich, uber handsome Sorrel. Heartless Sorrel… Heartless yet loving… See? I can’t make up my mind about him… It’s one of those books where you either hold on to the reality and despise your MC(s) or where you let go of the reality, run with the idea and simply accept who he is, who his family is… what they do…

Anyway, Sorrel takes Myriana home and very soon they are wed. This is were things start to change. This is when Sorrel reveals his true nature. His true, very possessive, very cruel and conflicting nature. He is a violent man, his temper tiptoeing constantly on the edge between loving and brutal punishment. Myriana tries to escape. Once, twice… And every time she is caught, tortured and taught a lesson. She shall not leave! ‘Sorrel and Myriana’ is an account of Myriana’s life, how her personality morphs and the limits she is willing to push herself to survive.

I found myself wondering if this story had a paranormal aspect to it… I kept thinking Sorrel will be revealed to truly be the Devil. Every event made me imagine different scenarios as to what directions the story would take next and I was wrong every single time. This novel thrives on character development.

Even though the whole novel is wordy and full of descriptions, I enjoyed reading it. When I have to describe what feelings the writing conveyed, I would say- black&white image of wet asphalt reflecting the streetlights. Dark, yet sparkling. It does have that gothic feeling, it definitely has the horror. It has the strong contrasts of pretty versus ugly, life versus death, giving up versus surviving.

Overall: One of the unique novels I’ve ever read. It can be ‘translated’ in so many ways depending on reader’s personal viewpoints. I don’t mean the violence aspect, there’s a whole lot more to the story. One could analyze the psychological aspects, the moral grounds. It’s truly fascinating if you have the stomach for brutality. 4 ****, while Myriana’s character went through a strong, solid development, I feel Sorrel’s character suffered towards the end a bit by falling into the background. The ending was conclusive and satisfying.
Profile Image for Linda Strong.
3,880 reviews1,674 followers
July 29, 2016
Myriana is a rich woman married to Sorrel Borchardt. Until her marriage, she had no direction, no ambition. They live in the city of Daltop …. A place that is noted for all its corruption, most notably the mafia organization known as Idon.

Is Sorrel keeping secrets from her? He is known to be quite violent, even with those he loves. Myriana will have to adapt to her new lifestyle … or die.

The genre listed is gothic horror …. A genre I rarely, if ever, had read. This book is teeming with violence, lots of bloodshed in Myriana’s life of a woman held captive under her abusive husband’s hand.

The characters are compelling. I’m still trying to decide whether I loved them or hated them. In reality, it’s probably a little of both. Details of this world that I am not familiar with are richly drawn. The author has put together a story that the reader won’t soon forget. There are twists and turns and surprises at every corner.

An intriguing read all the way!

Many thanks to the author who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Profile Image for Emmie.
1,278 reviews3 followers
June 9, 2018
This was a very complex book to read. Ideally I think it should have been published in two volumes.

Why do I say it's complex? Well, the atmosphere is very dark and Gothic. while reading it, I kept picturing dark scenes, shadowy figures and tense scenes.

The cast of characters are worthy of the Godfather. Psychotic men, without an ounce of empathy finding enjoyment in the pain and humiliation of others. Unpredictable main characters. Sorrel and Myriana have a very complex relationship. Sorrel obsessed with her and Myriana living in fear of him. In the beginning of this book I kept thinking a psychiatrist will have a field day with them. But then things change, and that's when this book truly hooked me. When the hunted became the hunter. When prey changed into predator. It was fascinating to observe that change. How the prey played and taunted the hunter.

I have to say, this book might not be classified as horror, but I feel that it straddles the line between psychological thriller and horror. I cannot say it is either one or the other. It portrays the monsters that people can become and allow themselves to become very convincingly.

I take my hat off to Evelyn Sun. I am in awe of her character portrayal. I feel this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I hope there are many more books of the same caliber to come. It was well written and extremeley realistic, dark and gritty.

I would recommend this book to everyone who loves mob books, dark Gothic type of books and books about human monsters.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an opportunity to read and review this book. I provide a voluntary review.
71 reviews1 follower
August 1, 2016
Written in a style that crosses borderline gothic with at times a touch of etherealism, this is a chilling tale that accomplishes what a good horror story should: chart a descent into terror and despair while keeping the reader on edge as they wonder what will happen next in an alternate world such as this one. To complement the main horror theme there are good mafia large-scale battle scenes, brutal take downs in every possible manner, corruption, wickedness, and greed aplenty, yet these are presented not in a gratuitous manner but rather in a way to further the action and plot development. Not for the faint of heart, but those who like horror and gothic novels with a twist certainly will enjoy this book.
Profile Image for Tony Parsons.
4,156 reviews86 followers
August 9, 2016
Ending timeline: 4/16/1961.

12/30/1932, Dalltop City, Goust (country). Sorrel Borchardt (tycoon, Borchardt Industry & Lihyng Apparels (illegal arms distributer) & Myriana Borchardt (Sorrel’s wife, nee Messier) appear to be quite happily married.
3/6/1933, Myriana was at the Avendale General Hospital. The Dr. told her Sorrel’s office help said he was not married.
3/7/1933, Gario’s (boy) Ma works in a bake shop. He had found Myriana somewhat lost in a back alley. Flynn (boy) took her to the train station.
3/8/1933, Myriana arrived at the manor with 2 welded/metal gates & the emblem B on them. The 2 guards did not believe who she was.
Lost & hopeless some man takes her to the Devil’s Nest (criminal underground business).
Myriana is greeted by Ana (escort) & Suzanny (escort).
Guess who shows up; Sorrel.

11/23/1933, Bertha (daily housekeeping/cooking) puts Myriana to work (bar hostess).
Myriana meets the other escorts (wench): Dary, Vel, & Tatiny.
11/26/1933, Things back to somewhat normal Sorell takes Myriana Borchardt to the Dalltop Grand Gallery (Art) where she meets Arrenol Gintust (artist/painter).
12/31/1933, Sorell was insanely jealous & thought Lady Myriana was having an affait with Arrenol. He had her in solitary confinement for 3 weeks.
1/2/1944, Lady Myriana Borchardt met with Remier (20, m), Uwoin (20, m), & Hoard (m), about a particular Borchardt Industry product line.
10/6/1944, Sorell & Myriana have been put in Trudax Prison. Charges are: related to Idon, illegal weapons trade, drug cartels, human trafficking, & murder. Inspector Repely was behind it all.
Sorrel & Myriana miraculously escape. Segal, Allger, & Heran are also helping them. Yuger & Seon didn’t make it.

12/25/1944, Dalltop City, Goust (country). The citizens have dwindled in half. The disease has ran rampant in the rest of the country.
Sorrel, Myriana, & Erlin have stockpiled the antidote within the Borchardt manor. 23 itruders have tried to infiltrate & have been shot/killed.
Grunt & Irgel guard the front gate.
Commodities & perishables within the household are running very low.
What does Sorrel do now?
2/1/1945, Heran & Sorrel are scouring Dalltop for goods, & who is still alive or dead.

2/5/1945, Various items, vehicles & PPL are taken back to the manor. The Borchardt family’s (Sorrel, Myriana, Segal) bags are packed, they have no choice but to leave everything behind. Coradon (country) is hopefully willing to welcome them.
Heran, Erlin, Hulger, Fetch, Jiden, Allger, Vel Flos, & Senie, are not left behind.
2/6/1945, They find a diner/cafe & a motel to stay at along the way. Cheridat, Angulate, Mauve, Cowrie are the next towns along the way. The group comes upon memories & artifacts of Lord Segal Borchardt (father/grandfather).

8/26/1945, In Cowrie Signur Borchardt (aka Sorrell Borchardt) & Myriana Messier (Sorrell’s assistant aka Myriana Borchardt), have taken control of the Lihyng Apparels (illegal weapons distributor).
Heran manages the whore houses. Allger manages the production/distribution of all illegal goods. Fetch runs the casinos.
12/26/1945, Urb (Nervoni leader) has taken the Borchardt family hostage.
Is there seriel killer families here on earth?

Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive to some readers.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written, fascinating & complicated Psychological thriller (Gothic Horror) book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Psychopathic horror movie, animated cartoon, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued? A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Author; Friesen Press; Ingram Book Co.; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Profile Image for Crystal Holdefer.
12 reviews1 follower
August 4, 2016
I've read many horror books over the years, but Evelyn's book is a refreshing spin on this genre. With compelling characters, eloquent descriptions, and a forward narrative, you'll be swept up by this twisted tale of a woman trapped by her sadistic husband and the lengths she goes to survive.
Profile Image for thatgrimlife.
131 reviews8 followers
May 10, 2017
Sorrel and Myriana first crossed my radar sometime last year but failed to find its way into my TBR pile. Recently, the title surfaced again so I gave it a shot and I am not disappointed. For those that are sensitive, it does contain topics that are not for the feint of heart, such as severe abuse and mental illness.

The world that Sun creates in Sorrel and Myriana is dark and beautiful. Dalltop appears as any city: alive and bustling against a backdrop of the grit and gore that accompanies a world ruled by a crime syndicate. The sheer wealth and abundance that plagues the characters of this book alone is enough to leave a sour taste in my mouth. They do not know the suffering of ordinary folk and they operate on their own set of rules. Sorrel, Myriana, and their family live above the the law of Dalltop.

In Sorrel and Myriana, Sun breathes life into characters that are extremely unpleasant. Unlike Gillian Flynn in Gone Girl, Sun’s despicable characters have a unique and unsettling charm that make it possible to feel an unusually abundant amount of sympathy for them, despite the brevity of their crimes. Sorrel and Myriana share a love for one another that is abusive, dangerous, and destructive in nature. This love appears so deeply encoded in their hearts and minds that the two exist as a hateful magnet to one another.

There are two things that keep me from giving this book a five star rating. First, Sun employs a lot of purple prose, a term that refers to unnecessary descriptions and excessively difficult words. Second, Sun’s use of first-person perspective is stronger than third-person. Because of this, the final third of the book loses a lot of its momentum and, quite honestly, takes a rather boring turn.

Despite its flaws, Sorrel and Myriana is undoubtedly one of my favorite books. The depth of the horrid love shared between these two is disturbingly powerful. Unhealthy and appalling, but powerful. I hope to read more stories with this degree of complexity from Evelyn Sun in the future.
Profile Image for Cathy Matthews Goldshot.
84 reviews1 follower
September 1, 2016
When I started, I thought it was a typical abused woman trying to escape her tormentor - That changed quickly!! Just when you think the characters are as depraved as they can be, they come up with a whole new level. Very suspenseful, great character development. I like this one much more than I thought I would! It was a sick and twisted story line, and I really enjoyed it.
Profile Image for A. White.
Author 12 books139 followers
January 12, 2017
Normally I finish a book much sooner. But I started reading it before the holidays and picked it back again after ward. Not because it is a bad book. The book is spell-binding. Dark, twisted and the characters are just plain mentally messed up. Sorrel is a very twisted man. The kind of person who needs to be put before a firing squad and executed. He enjoys the torture and then kindness. He enjoys having control over people's lives. I saw elements of where the author may had been trying tell us that this is what it is like for women living with their own version of Sorrel. I don't mean the violence to this degree, you would end up in jail nowadays but some of the things make you wonder....The realism is so vivid that makes it into a horror story.
Profile Image for gj indieBRAG.
1,596 reviews76 followers
January 5, 2017
We are proud to announce that SORREL AND MYRIANA by Evelyn Sun is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!

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