Felix Blackwell

I wanted to stab this book with pointy claws. Very poorly written. This book desperately needed an editor and someone to rein in the main character.

There were unrealistic situations in the “normal” worlds of the character's lives. No, not the supernatural ones – Those were actually (marginally) fine. I'm talking about: beyond super-understanding co-workers and bosses; neighbors that would have been calling the police on a daily basis; strangers willing to step in and let the main show more character walk all over them; a crazy number of side characters keeping secrets to absolutely no purpose; relatives that bowed and scraped to the main character once he got “tough” with them … God, what a douche.

The main character was one of the worst Gary Stus I've read in a good long while. There were pages upon pages of the main character spelling out what a wonderful and virtuous person he was.

Then there was the Magical Indian trope. I'm so sick of it. Either create a person who has a Native American background and who is well-rounded and has seen some shit in their lives, or stop using the trope. I'm just so done with it across the board for everything. It's just shorthand for lazy writers.

And the author killed them off for absolutely no reason. They are supposed to be the smart ones. Felix is just a dumb jerk to everyone (including Faye), yet the two older, wiser native people sacrifice themselves. WHY? They knew the history. Why would they do this for either Faye or Felix? They had known them for like, what, a week?

I nearly threw in the towel at the point where some magic herbs vaguely solved the problem of the huge, scary dream monster. Our tough little Felix Stu almost defeats him by loud words, but is defeated by puke. Hating to puke is his character flaw that proves he's not a Gary Stu! OH, NOES!

I managed to finish it, but this was a huge disappointment. Maybe it would have been better on audiobook or better as a drastically reduced creepypasta. I don't know. But, yeah. Felix Stu. Awful person. show less

Overall, I quite enjoyed this novel. It has its flaws, but on the whole, it's absolutely worth the read.

There's a lot to love here, and I thing the thing I loved the most was the very real relationship between Felix and Faye. Their sarcastic dialogue back and forth and just the overall interaction between the two, for me, was spot on, and it did much of the heavy lifting to invest me in this novel. You don't necessarily have to like the characters in a novel, but you have to care for them in show more some way. I really cared for Faye and Felix.

Side note: I have no idea why Felix Blackwell the author chose to write a book starring Felix Blackwell the main character, but it's a bold choice, and I have to say, I kind of dug it.

Almost every one of the horrific scenes did exactly what they were supposed to do. They were dark, they were unsettling, they grabbed me by the throat and didn't release me. Exactly what a horror novel should do.

If I had to point to anything that I found a touch off-putting, it might be the length of the novel, as we were treated to fairly similar scenes with Faye on multiple occasions. In my humble opinion, had Blackwell (the author, not the character) chosen two or three "set-piece" scenes of horror, and packed all the scary goodness into them, it would have cut down on the repetitions and made this a bit more fast-paced compelling read. But having said that, I will say I never truly felt the story dragged at all.

I will say, I caught some The Manitou vibes off the book. Story-wise, the two books are utterly different, but both utilize similar tropes...an ancient evil that comes back and fixates on white people, indigenous sources are called upon and offer up just enough information to understand what's happening, but not enough to outright defeat it easily, and the indigenous sources are also ultimately claimed by the ancient evil, leaving the whites to sort out the mess on their own.

But Blackwell does handle it far better than Masterton does.

The only other two sticking points I have are Faye's parents, and the wrap up at the end of the book. Minor spoilers ahead...


Faye's parents first. In the novel, Faye's going through hell. The parents hold the secret, but really don't want to give it up, even in the case of Faye severely suffering. Blackwell really didn't give a lot of motivation behind why they'd hold back for so long, other than the mom was a pain in the butt. Even less touched upon was why a family holds a cabin on a mountain that they never visit, but never try to unload, despite their reluctance to ever go there. If they don't like the place...why keep it for decades? Even if we'd been given some sign of, "well, we tried, but every damn time someone looked at it, they seemed to get the creeps and we never got an offer on the place." Even that one sentence would have gone a long way to explaining.

And then there's the wrap up at the end, when all is said and done. It's my opinion that, if you need to have an info dump at the end to explain why everything happened the way it did—in this case, why the ancient evil glommed on to Faye so hard, and how she was able to defeat it so easily in the end...perhaps too easily, to be honest, but we'll let that one go...then the author didn't necessarily do a good enough job of working that into the narrative throughout the book. And that's all I'll say about that.


So, as I said at the beginning, the book is not without it's flaws—and really, what novel isn't, in some way? —but overall, it's a good, creepy read. Worth the time. show less

Originally gaining popularity on the r/nosleep subreddit, Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell makes the leap from internet lore to fully fleshed-out horror novel with striking success. What begins as a romantic getaway quickly devolves into an atmospheric nightmare, deeply rooted in Native American-inspired folklore, and designed to linger long after the final page is turned.
Set in the isolated and eerie Colorado mountains—already infamous for unsettling stories—the book masterfully show more leverages its setting to keep readers on edge. The creeping dread is constant. Through vivid and immersive prose, Blackwell makes readers question what lurks in the shadows or whether that faint voice calling your name was ever real. The supernatural entity at the heart of this story, inspired by myths like the wendigo or skinwalker, is reimagined as something entirely its own: a creature that chills the spine and stirs the imagination.
The strength of Stolen Tongues lies in how subtly and steadily it ramps up fear. Blackwell doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares—instead, he cultivates an intense psychological horror rooted in primal fears: isolation, mimicry, and the unknown. It's the kind of story that makes you glance over your shoulder or question a whisper in the night.
While the book is fiction, it’s written with such realism that it blurs the lines between fact and nightmare, prompting you to wonder: What’s really out there?
Stolen Tongues is a chilling read that satisfies horror lovers and lingers disturbingly in the mind. It’s a must-read for fans of folklore-based horror, psychological dread, and unsettling realism. Just… maybe don’t read it alone at night. show less

Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell is a creepy horror story with an eerie vibe. The story is so atmospheric that you can feel the goosebumps while reading. A secluded cabin, mysterious creatures, and horrifying dreams all seem like a plot straight out of a Stephen King novel. The slow build-up of tension, coupled with the unsettling whispers in the dark, creates a chilling experience that lingers long after turning the last page.
The main characters were too good in their portrayal, and I show more loved how the MMC stuck with his partner till the end, making their bond feel authentic and emotionally gripping. The sense of isolation and paranoia was so well crafted that I found myself completely immersed in their terror. The only thing off was that I needed more explanation about the happenings—it could have given a finality to the story and tied up some lingering questions. Still, the novel’s ambiguity adds to its haunting nature, leaving readers to piece together the horrors themselves. This is the kind of story that seeps into your mind and makes you afraid to fall asleep. show less