This story is unusual in that it is told from the point of view of each main character.
Zach who is taking care of his elderly mother, as best as her monthly checks allow, Latrice his girlfriend who finds herself pregnant after a strange encounter with Jervis.. the squatter in a burned out hovel, and Lilly the product born of that encounter.

This was a very unique story. A tale of poverty, child neglect, drug abuse, and sprits that do not rest in peace. The real star of this show would be Lilly, who is uncomfortable at her best and suffering pain at her worst. Often left alone and hungry and friendless. It was a dark and disturbing read.

I received a complimentary copy for review ( )

Very disturbing and not typically the genre I read. I was hooked from the start though. ( )

This is a serious as shit, no holds barred, urban horror story. It was difficult to read at times and I've read a lot of horror books. Trust me on this.

Being an addiction counselor, Mark Matthews knows what he is talking about when it comes to drug addictions. There are scenes here where characters are using drugs and the things they do-the things they put their bodies through- they're hard to stomach. Really hard.

When these scenes involve children, it's even worse. Somehow though, he reels the reader in-and with no soft promises that everything is going to be okay- either. Everything is definitely NOT okay. In fact, there is one scene from this story that I will never forget and even now, (I read this some months back before it was released), it sends chills up my spine.

It sounds like a brutal book, and it was, but in a way, I still found hope in it. Maybe just in the fact that someone noticed Lilly or thought about Lilly and her life. Or maybe I have to feel that way, so I don't have to admit that lives like this actually exist.

Highly recommended for fans of urban horror! ( )

Sigh. Another book with fluffed ratings. I paid money for this...

This is not a story with a plot and action, it is sort of an expose of how a social worker understands heroin addiction, poverty and physical disability. I would be very surprised if it represented how the victims of heroin addiction, poverty and physical disability understand themselves. Too much effort is spent trying to shock the reader with word choices and descriptions, when, really, it just felt like a creative lecture coming from someone who has studied the subject and wants to help, but really is just guessing at what is inside people's drug addled minds.

The author inserts himself directly into the story, with little prefaces for some chapters (but not all), to identify the point of view and who/what the chapter is about - normally I would expect the author to show me the point of view and what the chapter is about by, I dunno, writing well, not by adding in an explanatory paragraph as a lead in for a chapter.

Anyway, you won't be left wondering whether or not it was self-published, which is kind of a shame - the author isn't a bad writer but it just isn't tight enough, plotted enough, or meaningful enough - we want there to be a point/purpose to a story, not just 14 chapters describing a horrible existence then... nothing... it isn't even pop-bang-fizzle, because there is no pop-bang. Someone reviewing/editing this and suggesting a framework to prop the story against would have made this a much better book. ( )

ABR's full Milk-Blood audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

If there is one thing that I have come to expect from Mark Matthews, it is extreme horror. But not from the likes of paranormal monsters or zombies or anything like that. It comes from the realistic drug addict monsters that actually exist. I expect nothing less than that here.

Not having any idea what milk-blood was, I was horrified as Matthews layed out the definition. Full of intense, fully conceptualized characters. A story line that gives me goosebumps every time I think about the story. There are some many different things that subtly happen that I am not going into a summary. Just know this, reality horror at its finest.

There were times that I had to stop listening and wasn't sure if I could finish. Not because of a bad story but by disgust. I didn't know if I could stomach it. Matthews takes it to level that I haven't encountered anywhere else.

If you are looking for a short listen that will make you sweat with anticipation, nauseous with disgust, uncomfortable with uneasiness and horrified with real life monsters. Look no further. If you can stomach listening to the entire book, like I did, you will wonder what is wrong with you for doing so.

Jay Wohlert did a great job bringing the madness of the secret lives of addicts to light. He was able to successfully create believable voices for the characters. Even thought there were a few times when he sounded a bit stiff and uncomfortable himself. I can only imagine what is was like to create this performance.

Audiobook provided for review by the author. ( )