• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Connect With Me
    • Request An Honest Review
    • Beta Reading Requests
    • Testimonials
  • Review Archive
    • Review Archive
    • Audiobook Review Archive
    • Spooky Children’s Book Review Archive
  • Referral Links
  • Podcast Recs
  • Policies
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

[Novella Review] The Tale of Sawney Bean by Kevin J Kennedy

November 25, 2019      Erica Robyn      16 Comments

The Tale of Sawney Bean by Kevin J Kennedy book photo

The Tale of Sawney Bean is a disturbing tale about family and doing what needs to be done, no matter what, in order to survive.

I had never heard about Sawney Bean before. After reading this tale I googled him… boy oh boy. When reading this, before you jump to calling this tale “vulgar,” you may want to read up on the lore that this story was based on!

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on The Tale of Sawney Bean by Kevin J. Kennedy

This tale was wonderfully written! Once I picked it up, I didn’t stop reading until I had reached the end.

The story begins in the woods, where we meet our two main characters, Sawney Bean and Sarah. Sarah eventually tells Sawney bits and pieces about her life. It’s clear that she is not in a good situation, and neither is Sawney. One day, the girl announces something that changes everything.

The two end up running away from society and their troubles, and they hide out in a cave. They both seem very happy for a time, but then something else happens that changes things yet again…

From there, we’re off on a slippery slope of events that even though Sawney knows it’s wrong, he just can’t rise above it to change anything because of his love for Sarah and their family.

This tale had a strong element of suspense for me. At each stage, I couldn’t believe what happened and I was so nervous to see what would happen next!

Such a disturbing tale, but wonderfully portrayed in this novella!

My Favorite Passages from The Tale of Sawney Bean

People who have an easier route in life often think everything is straightforward for everyone else, but I knew better.

She had actually lived through all the horror that lead her to commit murder and here she was only a few hours later, her whole life changed forever and she was now finally getting a chance to rest and take a breath.

I wasn’t sure what life had in store for us or how long we even had left but I knew right then that I would do my utmost to spend as much of that time with her as possible.

My Final Thoughts on The Tale of Sawney Bean

If you enjoyed the 1977 film, The Hills Have Eyes, you’ll love this quick novella! I know I sure did!


Related Reading:

  • Interview with Kevin J Kennedy
  • 100 Word Horrors
  • 100 Word Horrors, Part Two
  • 100 Word Horrors, Part Three
  • Carnival of Horror
  • Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 2
  • Collected Easter Horror Shorts
  • Collected Halloween Horror Shorts: Trick ‘r Treat
  • Dark Thoughts
  • The Gatekeeper
  • The Horror Collection: Black Edition
  • The Horror Collection: White Edition
  • Screechers by Kevin J. Kennedy and Christina Bergling
  • You Only Get One Shot by Kevin J. Kennedy & J.C. Michael
  • Vampiro and Other Strange Tales of the Macabre

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Angela says

    November 26, 2019 at 7:36 am

    This sounds intriguing!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      November 26, 2019 at 4:33 pm

      😀 If you enjoy tales that will give you a knot in your stomach, this is a great pick! 🙂

      Reply
  2. ShootingStarsMag says

    November 26, 2019 at 8:22 am

    I don’t know Sawney Bean…I’m curious now. Glad this was a good one!

    -Lauren

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      November 26, 2019 at 4:33 pm

      He’s a very interesting character, that’s for sure!!

      Reply
  3. Esther @ BiteIntoBooks says

    November 29, 2019 at 10:33 am

    Looks like you had a great KJK reading-spree. Can’t wait to get to the Christmas book!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      November 29, 2019 at 10:48 pm

      <3 Enjoy!!

      Reply
  4. Olivia Roach says

    December 3, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    Lately I have been loving stories with a lot of nature descriptions or forests in them, so I am going to have to look into this one!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      December 4, 2019 at 8:25 am

      It’s very disturbing!! haha Just a heads up there 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
I run on hot tea, good books, and loud music. She/Her.
 

Search This Blog

Sign Up For Post Notifications


Loading

Recent Popular Posts

  • [Book Review] Home & Other Stories by P.J. Blakey-Novis
  • [Book Review] Four by P.J. Blakey-Novis
  • [Book Review] Ten Years Gone by H.P. Newquist
  • [Book Review] Corpsing by Kayleigh Marie Edwards
  • [Book Review] The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge

An Easy Guide to Locating Horror Reviews Without Losing Your Mind created by Lori of Barks At The Ghouls
Shirley's Book Blogger List

Categories

ericarobynreads

Sickness Is In Season by Aiden Merchant has everyt Sickness Is In Season by Aiden Merchant has everything a horror fan craves! From light and spooky, to full-blown spine-chilling terror, this collection of short stories is a killer mix.

No matter what your personal favorite sub-genre of horror is, you’ll be sure to find something that sinks its teeth into you within this collection!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #sicknessisinseason #aidenmerchant #crossroadspresss #horrorbookrecs #horrorshortstories #horrorbookstagram
My April book haul 😍🖤🙌 My April book haul 😍🖤🙌
NH friends! Don’t miss the book event with @greg NH friends! Don’t miss the book event with @gregorybastianelli.author tonight in Exeter at @waterstreetbooks! 

I’m SO peeved my back pain flared up and I can’t drive out… but I am so excited that Waterstreet Books sent a signed copy my way! 😍

I can’t wait to see photos from the event!!
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a totally The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a totally captivating but nerve-wracking tale that is certainly not for those that fear tight spaces… While reading this tale, I felt so horribly claustrophobic. But I couldn’t stop. I had to find out what happened next!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #ladiesofhorrorfiction #horrorbookstagram #horrorbookrecs #theluminousdead #caitlinstarling
The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is a chilling gothic horror story about what it means to be human. In these pages, you will see plenty of the darkness that humanity can create, but you will also see the light!

Ready to dive into a dark and dreary tale about gruesome medical practices set in Victorian London? Go pick up The Workshop of Filthy Creation today! I can’t wait for you all to meet Maria!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #gothichorrorreads #horrorbookrecs #theworkshopoffilthycreation #richardgadz #horrorbookstagram
Max is one of the most hilarious people that I fol Max is one of the most hilarious people that I follow on Twitter! I originally learned who he was after seeing him participate in the KillerCon 2020 Virtual Event. I went to follow him and his publishing house, Perpetual Motion Machine (that he runs with Lori Michelle), immediately after his reading.

Within the PMM publishing house, they also have the imprint, Ghoulish Books, which launched in January of 2022. Max’s latest book, Maggots Screaming!, launched today April 12th, 2022 from that imprint. In celebration, I’m so excited to be sharing this interview with Max!

Check out the full interview on my blog today! 

#horrorauthor #horrorauthorinterview #maxboothiii #supporthorror #promotehorror
Diaries of the Damned by Ivan Radev is a collectio Diaries of the Damned by Ivan Radev is a collection of tales that span numerous dark fears. But as always, even in the darkness, there’s a bit of light.

In the foreword, the author warns that this is a book of fears, and boy does he play on fears wonderfully! Each tale is presented to readers in the first person to really get readers in the characters shoes. Please use caution here when you dive in. The author does not shy away from the darkness.

Phew, this read will take readers on quite the journey! It was the perfect read for a dark and rainy spring weekend.

#bookreview #horrorbookreview #horrorbookstagram #diariesofthedamned #IvanRadev #horrorbooks
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 Erica Robyn Reads