I so SO wanted to like this. I mean, come on, it’s Norman freaking Reedus, but right off the bat I was rolling my eyes. It was shallow from the rip and I couldn’t do it. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Unfortunately, as it is with many celebrity books (this one written with Frank Bill), it fell very short. At first I thought I just wasn't the right audience for this story, but all in all, I feel like my grievances with this book are rather universal, and not so much rooted in the plot line or the characters themselves, as they are in writing style and execution.

We are following 3 completely unconnected people. The plot focuses on the general idea of people being down on their luck and having to pivot in their lives, in order to keep going. Hunter is a biker who has just learnt about his father's passing and is making his way across the country to say his final goodbyes. Jack is an older guy (in his 60s), who lost his wife to cancer and sets off an a journey through South America in order to find what’s missing in his life. 17-year old Anne finds herself on the run after being attacked by her older brother.

Now, my issue with this book is that the writing felt very disjointed and choppy, and really unbearably repetitive. For example, throughout his journey Hunter stops at multiple locations (usually bars) and has chats with random strangers. He tells everyone the same exact story: I had a job, this guys was abusive to the dog, I punched him, took the dog and took off. Every. Single. Time. Without fail. Hunter does the same thing with the dreams he recounts. First, we would read about the dream he is having, then he would wake up and recount that dream word for word to the random person currently by his side.

Then, there's the fact that these characters meet various strangers throughout (that is fine) who without fail offer them some profound bit of insight into their lives or character (that is weird).

All in all, this book had some potential for sure, but it could use some heavy rewriting and editing. Then again, the storyline was served in a way that was super easy to follow, and if you like stories dealing with pivotal life moments, soul-searching and testosterone, this might be something you'll enjoy!

This debut novel by Actor Norman Reedus follows 3 people going through the trials and tribulations of life.. The writing is gripping, gritty and realistic. Good book, 3 stars!

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.

I had high hopes for this one. I love Norman Reedus and the book sounded promising but it did not hit the mark for me.

I love multiple narratives that echo and reflect each other in subtle ways, and Reedus/Frank thread that needle ably here. Well fleshed out characters who have experienced loss and solitude on personal missions make this story propulsive and hard to put down. Very enjoyable!

Always so fun to read a novel written by one of your favorite actors. This is a fun and rowdy book! .............

started this one by actor Norman Reedus expecting something a little different. i did have an ARC, so perhaps the choppiness was in part due to that. seemed to be such an abrupt ending with no resolution. the three separate stories held a lot of promise and intrigued me, but for some reason i thought the three stories would merge together or be related somehow. would have worked much better as three separate short stories rather than flipping back and forth when there was nothing to connect the stories. i would definitely read a revamped version of this book and figure out what happened to these characters!

So I went into this one thinking it was a memoir for Norman Reedus, it is not, my bad.

Once I got over the fact that was in fact a fictional novel written by Reedus, I was able to finish up pretty quickly.

It’s a quick read, and follows 3 different people, I was surprised as the characters and overall it’s a decent read. Not something I would normally pick up, but a fair job for the work of fiction that it is.

Not gonna lie…I was intrigued to read the debut of Norman Reedus, author. While some readers seem to find the writing amateurish, I thought the gritty style was in perfect keeping with the stories being told. Sequel, please….we need more of at least 2 of the 3 storylines.

First off, thank you to netgalley, the auhtor and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had every intention of finishing this book before publication date, but I had to DNF at 30%. My heart was not invested into the story. I am a mood reader so im hoping it was just my mood. I plan to pick "The Ravaged" up again soon to try and finish.

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.

I will not be reviewing the book. I will instead give my opinion on the audiobook. From what I've heard so far, it's a good read. Thanks!

This was exactly the book I would expect from Norman Reedus. I have never read anything from Frank Bill, so I can't speak on his writing or contribution. We follow three different people who have been through the toughest of times lately. Hunter, Jack, and Anne have very different stories to tell and I felt connected to each on in different ways. Hunter and Anne's stories were easier to follow and relate too. Jack's story was a little quirky at times, but still enjoyable. This book is descaled as gritty realism, and agree with that 100%. It is filled with overly-descriptive word choices that help the reader feel immersed in these characters' lives. This is not the type of story normally read, but I was still able to connect with these characters and the quests they went one.

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. Anne was my favorite character to read about. Jack’s character was so boring. And Hunter was alright. 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.

The Ravaged
by Norman Reedus with Frank Bill
Pub Date: May 10, 2022
Blackstone Publishing
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
The highly anticipated debut novel from Norman Reedus, acclaimed star of The Walking Dead.
* Fiction *Contemporary *Adult
"This country wasn't built on good--only fought for with good intentions."
The writing was impressive and left me with a feeling of acceptance. The story follows three separate individuals who are going through the ups and downs of life. They all come from different backgrounds and are all facing some tough situations. The writing is so realistic which makes it easy to understand and feel for each character. The author gets down to the nitty-gritty and it works for this story!
Good Book! 4 stars

Each set of characters, Hunter, Anne, and Jack are basically in their own novella combined into one book. Being a fan of both Reedus and Bill I was very excited and anxious to get my hands on this one. Sometimes the expectations don’t match the reality, and this is one of those times. Each chapter is one of the mentioned characters progress through their life, unfortunately we revisit their back story in every one. Why Hunter is traveling across country, why Anne is running away, and all the missed opportunities and tragedy’s Jack has had in his life. Regardless, the story held my interest but the redundancies were tiresome.

I read this because of Norman Reedus and I feel like many people will pick it up because of his name. It follows 3 different people, Hunter, Jack and Anne. Hunter is basically Norman Reedus, his father passes away under suspicious circumstances and he must travel to California as he is the beneficiary. Jack is a right white guy with loads of money but has had everyone close to him pass away. He travels to South America trying to find out whats missing from his life. Then we have Anne, who lives in an abusive household and finally has the courage to up and leave with her friend.

I couldn't really connect with any of the characters, the character Jack really annoyed me and I just couldn't get in to the chapters about him, Anne was the most interesting but I felt we were just getting to know these characters when the book ended. I feel like he could have shortened some side stories so we could really learn more about these characters and their stories. I didn't feel it was character driven rather just learning sib-its of who these people are. It's more surface level than anything else

I know people will read this because the author but I feel there are so many other great reads

Gritty and immersive - exactly what you'd expect from Reedus. A recommended purchase for most collections as the author's name alone will keep it in steady circulation.

“The Ravaged” by debut novelist Norman Reedus with Frank Bill is a raw, gritty, emotionally intense novel about three characters who experience the darker side of human nature while learning what it means to have hope, to grow up, and to become more self-aware. This addictive read is engaging: from the relatable characters to the intensely thrilling plot that will have people hanging on white-knuckled until the end.

This wild and unpredictable story follows three characters who hit the road for different reasons and run into life-threatening situations and try their hardest to overcome them by doing the right thing. Despite their heroic attributes, these characters still have flaws they need to accept, making them feel incredibly human and relatable.

Out of all of the characters, Jack isn't extremely likable. He admits to having dedicated most of his time to his career and becoming wealthy instead of his family. When Jack is older and tragically loses his wife and kids, he begins to regret the time he never spent with them. While Jack has his flaws, and it’s hard to forgive him for his past mistakes, it becomes clear throughout the story that he’s genuinely trying to do better and to learn from his past mistakes.

Anne is a feisty, intelligent, determined character who is full of grit right from the start. She hops trains with her best friend after running away from a bad situation at home and meets incredible people and some not-so-good ones. Despite being homeless and having to meet the toughness of the streets head-on, Anne finds the positives and uses them to give herself strength and courage.

When news from California about his father’s sudden death reaches him, Hunter and his biker buddies hit the road, and it’s no surprise when they find themselves in several sticky situations due to Hunter’s altruistic nature. During their trip, Hunter begins to uncover family secrets he’d never suspected, adding a hint of mystery to this fast-paced story.

One thing of notice with Hunter’s perspective was his friends’ lack of reaction to some of the tense, confrontational moments of the story. This could be due to Hunter’s personality. He’s good at diffusing tension and keeping people relatively calm in unnerving situations. It’s possible Hunter’s buddies know this and let him take the lead when there’s trouble, but are willing to step in when things go too far. Yet, their lack of voice and action in these hostile moments is quite noticeable. Otherwise, these characters are incredibly well-written, they just need a stronger role in these tense situations rather than a “lackey” position.

“The Ravaged” is a fantastic novel that readers must be on the lookout for when it hits the shelves on May 10th, 2022! Do not miss out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.