Omorphi

Omorphi is the first book in an incredible series that continues with Tharros and concludes with Elpida, all excellent reads in a pioneering, truly new kind of writing, that being the telling of the stories of boys, children, who suffer horrific abuse and of the people in their lives who either continue the hell or help them to a peaceful and fully alive, heavenly place on earth. There is also an near-ethereal glimpse at the beginning of the book of what true intimacy can mean between two people experiencing their firsts: a first kiss and the first time to reach out to someone on their own.

The depth of Kennedy's writing will prove the absolute validity and utterly clear details of the world created in these books. The emotional, psychological and frank, necessarily graphic details of the lives of the abused, especially one of the most amazing literary heroes, Christy, makes this book (and the following two) a fabulously compelling read. The heroes Christy and Michael are fully formed and totally believable while the "bad guys" have explainable if not somewhat redeeming flaws that flesh them out as real as they can be. One can cheer and boo as if they are right in front of you.

Of all the characters, Christy (he whose portrait graces the first two books) may be singular in literature. He is at once as fragile as crystal, strong as titanium, sharp as a blue diamond, and is written with a depth that allows the reader to really experience what all his life was like before he was rescued and later as he heals, grows, and loves. After observing him from afar for some time, he Michael and the reader is graced with witnessing the start of an unbreakable, intelligent, heartfelt bond rarely encountered in any literature. From an LGBTQ+ standpoint, he is so refreshingly unique it is hard to put into words.

There are characters one occasionally remembers from a good book and then there are characters from excellent books that you not only cannot forget but stay with you in your heart forever. Christy is one of those latter characters, perhaps one of the highest compliments this reader can make.

When you start thinking of reading a book you could never imagine that since the foreword you are going to be impacted by the story.
I will confess that due to personal reasons I had to prepare myself to read this book even though I have pointedly ask author Cody Kennedy about the story and in his infinite graciousness he answer them ... I took me a little more time to start.
This is a brilliant story and Cody is a brilliant author. The research and the delicate but straight to the point way he deals with abuse is comforting. The way he describes everything is clear but it doesn't detract from the desire to keep reading.
Michael and Christy's story is unique... Yes I say their story because even though Christy is the one that suffered the abuse, you can have one without the other. Also let me be blunt ... You can have the story without Jake ... Michael's best friend ...
Michael and Christy's relationship is unique. The bond formed between them is immediate. Michael has the uncanny ability of knowing what Christy needs and how to be there. Christy's power of observation and extremely photographic memory is important too.
Christy suffered a horrible abuse, he has multiple issues that stem from it. Who wouldn't ... But with Michael's reassuring hand ... He starts to believe in himself.
There are still enemies lurking at the scene. Ignorant people who doesn't accept homosexuality and it is sad they suffered the consequences of their ignorance.
But still the worst of all ... One of obsessed abusers is trying to get to Christy.
The intrigue, the mystery, the angst and the results make this a worth read.
Michael is an extremely mature young adult ... It will touch your heart the complete surrendering of himself to Christy's well being.
Christy learned multiple things ... He learned how to start knowing he is better than the abuse. The power of freely making decisions and the power of words that will uplift you.
And let's not forget about Jake ... His acceptance , listening ears and open way he is there for Michael. Not only that ... He takes on Christy's friendship like he has known him in forever.
Each secondary character is also well develop and will leave a lasting impression on the story.
For Michael the support of his parents Mac and Bobbie.
For Christy the support of his cousin Sophia and therapist Rob.
For Jake the support of his parents Nero and Anna .
Along with some schoolmates and friends.
If you have been a victim of abuse you will understand that seeking help is not something to be afraid of .... The sad thing is lots of people doesn't seek help. Lots of abused children can't speak for themselves.
Maybe reading this book will empower you to do it. Like brilliantly the foreword said ... And I quote ...
For those who, like me, live with the monster in their heads every minute of every day, I remind you that you are never alone. There are legions of children, no matter their ages, who stand beside you each day and tell their monster: “You will not break me.”
I tell you this ... Consider yourself a survivor.... Because I am a SURVIVOR.

Since I review both adult and YA content, I think it is important to point out that I use different standards for the two very different genres. When reading YA, I look for a couple of very key points:
(1) The appropriateness of the material for the target audience. Although online sources have differing definitions for the YA audience, I tend to place the audience at the 14-to-21-age range. So it’s important (to me) that the sexual content is realistic yet not graphic, gratuitous, in-your-face and the violence is also realistic yet not traumatizing to the younger ones in the age group.
(2) Secondly, the characters must seem realistic for their age as viewed by the target audience. Notice the distinction. I am always amused when I see someone write “A sixteen-year-old would never act like that/talk like that.” Really? All sixteen-year-olds act and talk the same? I’ve seen sixteen-year-olds who act like they’re ten and I’ve seen sixteen-year-olds that act like they’re 35. So never say never. We all walk different roads and our experiences shape us.
(3) And thirdly, the message and this is just a personal preference. I like YA that delivers a positive, uplifting message. So on this point I am looking to see that the message was a clear, integral part of the story yet not preachy or obviously instructive. I love the messages that sneak up on you and hit you with an “OMG-now-I-see” moment.
The two books I have read by Cody Kennedy have both centered on child abuse, both physical and sexual. And his books are geared toward the YA audience as a missive to both young people who have experienced the horrors of child abuse and the ones who have not. To the ones who have the message is always one of hope that people care and are there to help and that what has happened to you is not your fault and does not define you as a person. To the ones who have not experienced these horrors, the message is to be vigilant and to reach out, be a friend, listen and support. Where Mr. Kennedy blows me away is with his ability to convey the horrors that his characters experience without traumatizing his readers. The readers who have been victims of abuse surely do not need to relive their own hell in his pages. And those who have not been victims do not need to be crushed with such overwhelming grief and helplessness that they put the book down and walk away because they just can’t bear it. It is a fine line to walk and I have found that Cody Kennedy walks that line with skill, grace and empathy. He delivers a very powerful message, but is always gentle with his readers. He hits you with the atrocities that his characters have lived, but in such a way that rather than turn away, you want to stay with them and see them through it.
Omorphi is a captivating story from page one. Christy is this beautiful, scarred, fragile, vulnerable creature with the tensile strength of steel. He has experienced unimaginable atrocities, things that would break most people, and he is a survivor. He struggles daily with his horrific past, but have no doubt, he IS a survivor. At his side is Michael, a wonderful, down-to-earth, average teenage jock who is hopelessly in love with the beautiful Christy. Michael is loyal, protective, and so very supportive and understanding of Christy’s, at times, precarious emotional state. Then there is Jake, Michael’s best friend, who is as loyal and protective to Michael as Michael is to Christy. The book has an entire cast of characters that all, each and every one of them, add so much to the richness of the story. Michael’s and Jake’s parents also add such a positive message to the story; a message that not all parents reject their gay children. A much more subtle message, one you might miss if you’re not paying attention, is that being attracted to the same sex is not a new phenomenon… nope, not spilling on that one; you have to find it yourself within the pages of the story.
I don’t want to leave you with the impression that Mr. Kennedy downplays or whitewashes the abuse in his story. You very clearly understand what Christy went through and at times it is shattering. When Michael sees Christy’s paintings for the first time and starts to realize the full extent of his abuse, his anguish is palpable. At this point, I had to put the book down and walk away for a moment… I cried and screamed in my head right along with Michael. But, in the end, the story is one of survival, love, hope and healing (not being healed, but healing as an ongoing process).
I highly recommend this book because it really does have all the elements of a great story. It is beautifully written and very well-told. There is action and suspense, warmth and human kindness, a beautiful love story, and an emotional rollercoaster ride that you will not soon forget. It’s a story that stays with you long after you have turned the last page. Five stars? Not enough, this one’s going on “my OMG shelf”. Bravo, Mr. Kennedy, very well done. It truly is a beautiful work of art.

Elève de terminale, Michael Sattler mène une vie facile. Il est l'un des athlètes vedettes de son école, a de très bons amis et des parents qui l'aiment juste pour celui qu'il est. Ce qui manque à sa vie est un petit-ami. C'est un problème parce qu'il n'a avoué son homosexualité qu'à ses parents et à son meilleur ami. Quand Michael rencontre accidentellement Christy Castle à l'école, sa vie change d'une façon qu'il n'aurait jamais pu imaginer. Christy incarne le l'homme idéal pour Michael: intelligent, beau, et sexy. Mais rien n'aurait pu préparer Michael jusqu'où le fait de devenir le petit ami de Christy allait l'entraîner.
Christy a besoin de guérir d'années de violences et d'abus et sait qu'il a besoin d'aide pour le faire. Après la mort de son père célèbre, il quitte sa Grèce natale et s'installe dans l'État de New York. Seul, apeuré, et pratiquement aphone, Christy cache les myriades cicatrices de ses abus. Il cherche désespérément à être aimé et quand il rencontre Michael, il ose espérer que ce jour est arrivé. Lorsque l'un des équipiers de Michael devient un ennemi et que l'un des agresseurs du passé de Christy cherche à le faire retourner à une vie d'esclavage, est-ce que la force combinée de Michael et de Christy et leur détermination inébranlable pourront les sauver de la violence qui menace de détruire leur avenir ensemble ?
DOMMAGE QUE JE NE PUISSE PAS METTRE 10 *
CE LIVRE EST A LIRE ABSOLUMENT.
C'est un véritable plaidoyer pour la reconstruction d'enfants abusés, martyrisés, enfermés, retenus, réduits en esclavage par la folie de quelques hommes. C'est un appel à la vie et à l'estime de soi.
Ce qu'a vécu Christy va au-delà de l'imagination de ce qu'un tortionnaire peut faire subir à un enfant et tout au long du livre on a littéralement envie de leur sauter dessus et de leur faire payer ce que ces tortionnaires ont osé lui faire. Malgré tout, Christy ne se laisse pas abattre par son lourd passé et cherche au contraire à s'en sortir. La chose qu'il a comprise c'était qu'il ne pouvait pas le faire seul. Il s'entoure donc de professionnels tout à fait à même de l'aider.
Ce livre foisonne d'une multitude de personnages secondaires qui ont tous un rôle important à jouer dans sa lutte pour la survie et qui vont soit l'aider, soit chercher à l'enfoncer davantage. Au fil des pages on se laisse prendre par l'histoire et on en vient à vouloir aider Christy, tout en comprenant ses peurs et ses limites. L'auteur sait parfaitement nous faire enfiler ses chaussures et on ne peut qu'être stupéfaits devant sa force de caractère malgré tout.
Quant à Michael, il est une véritable bouffée d'air frais et je dirais même un vrai ange de miséricorde qui ne chercher à tirer profit de rien ni de personne aussi bien dans sa vie de tous les jours, auprès de ses parents que dans l'enceinte du lycée où il est le capitaine de son équipe d'athlétisme. La seule personne qui lui importe est Christy et il n'a de cesse que de le pousser à s'en sortir afin de retrouver la lumière.
C'est un livre fort, puissant, retraçant le parcours de Christy avec ses faiblesses, ses attentes et ses espoirs, qu'il trouve dans l'amour et le soutien inconditionnel de Michael. Au fil des pages (presque 500) on s'accroche, on lutte, on se débat, puis on espère et on a envie de porter Christy et Michael jusqu'au bout afin de les aider à se reconstruire dans leur amour.
On sent également que l'auteur s'est beaucoup documenté pour appuyer ses dires et étoffer les évènements et le sujet de son livre (c'est le seul petit bémol que je ferai, car par moment cela fait rend certains passages un peu trop froids et clinique) mais permet de renforcer notre horreur devant les évènements. Et lorsqu'on sait que cette histoire est tirée de faits réels... Il y a de quoi nous laisser pantois.
Bref, malgré le fait qu'il soit publié dans la collection Harmony Ink Press de DSP, ce livre n'est pas à mettre entre toutes les mains, non pas pour des raisons sexuelles, mais pour le calvaire de Christy qui est révélé.
Cependant, ce livre ne peut laisser personne indemne par sa force et sa puissance et c'est en ça que l'auteur a bien fait son travail.
DAMAGES THAT I CAN NOT TURN 10 *
THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ .
This is a plea for the reconstruction of children abused, tortured , imprisoned , restrained , enslaved by the madness of a few men. It is a call to life and self-esteem .
Christy lived what goes beyond the imagination of what a torturer may subject a child and throughout the book was literally wanted to jump on them and make them pay for what these torturers dared him . Nevertheless, Christy did not let down by its long history and seeks instead to get by. The thing he understood was that he could not do it alone. It is therefore surrounded by professionals quite able to help .
This book is full of a multitude of secondary characters who all play an important role in the struggle for survival and role that will either help or try to push it further. Throughout the pages are allowed to take the story and it comes to wanting to help Christy, while understanding their fears and limitations. The author knows us put on his shoes and one can only be amazed at his strength of character anyway.
As for Michael, he is a breath of fresh air and I would say a true angel of mercy who seek to take advantage of anything or anyone as much in his life every day , with his parents in the enclosure of the high school where he is the captain of the track team . The only person who matters to him is Christy and he never ceases to push that to get out to find the light .
This book is a strong , powerful, recounting Christy with its weaknesses , its expectations and hopes, he is in love and unconditional support of Michael . Throughout the pages (almost 500) we cling , we fight , we struggle , and we hope and we want to bring Christy and Michael through to help them rebuild their love.
We also feel that the author has many documented to support his claims and expand events and the subject of his book (the only downside that I do, because by the time this fact makes some passages too cold and clinical) but strengthens our horror at the events . And when you know that this story is based on true events ... There was enough to leave us speechless .
In short, despite the fact that it is published in the Harmony collection Ink Press DSP , this book is not to put all hands , not for sexual reasons , but the plight of Christy is revealed .
However, this book can not leave anyone unscathed by his strength and power and this is why the author has done his job well .

Please heed the trigger warnings. The abuse in this book gave me nightmares. Still, I'm a better person for having read this.
I raged, I cried hot tears. But I also smiled and laughed and cheered.
I know it's going to be quite difficult to review a book of this magnitude, but I'll give it my best shot.
The book opens with a prologue of sorts (which it needs, to set the tone), in which a Greek police general more or less rescues a young male on the verge of death. Phone calls are made, hints are given, and the young male, suffering from the effects of prolonged abuse, is sent to a facility in New York State to start a new life.
My fists clenched in helpless fury, my heart already bleeding for this young man without even knowing the entire back story.
I know it now, even though after reading the book's 500+ pages, I still have questions and some things remained unanswered.
After the prologue, the book's POV switches to that of Michael Sattler, a high school senior, captain of the track team. From the moment he meets Christy Castle, he's fascinates and enamored by the beautiful young man with the gorgeous eyes and long, blonde curls who's been watching him train, every day, without ever saying a word to him.
The budding relationship between Michael and Christy takes center stage in this novel, but it goes far beyond that. At its heart, it's the story of a determined young man in love for the first time (Michael), and a broken, abused and suffering Christy, who's equally as determined to move past the horrific sufferings of his childhood.
There are so many poignant moments in this book, it would be difficult to list them all, but here's a sampling:
- Christy asking Michael why he chose to be gay, thinking that the abuse suffered caused his sexuality and not understanding why Michael, with a great home, wonderful parents and friends, would also be gay. I cried.
- Christy asking about Michael eating three meals a day. I cried some more just thinking about what that had to mean, before Christy even spelled it out.
- Christy learning to run. I cried again, just overwhelmed with the tenderness of Michael's actions, and his coach's intuitive measures to make Christy feel safe.
- Michael calling himself 'unaware'. Dude doesn't get that he's more aware than anyone else in Christy's world, when it comes to his boyfriend's safety and care.
I have never known abuse, and I am grateful. I have known people who were abused, not only sexually, and the road to recovery is a very, very long one. Thus, I was able to empathize with Christy, as well as with Michael, and understand the difficulties inherent to such a situation.
I had a very hard time with the depiction of the abuse, even though it is thankfully fed to us in small pieces. Never have I shed so many tears while reading a book or shaken my fists in such helpless rage. Never will I understand how anyone can treat another human being like garbage. Still with each step forward Christy takes, with each moment he finds strength and perseveres - I was cheering him on.
The author created an amazing cast of characters beyond the two MCs. There is Jake (Jacob), who is Michael's amazing best friend, with a closeness like brothers; there are Michael's mom and dad, Bobbie and Mac, who are an exemplary set of parents; Jake's parents, specifically his father, who plays a huge role that the reader doesn't understand until further into the book; Rob, the counselor trying to help Christy; Sophia, Christy cousin; Stephen, Jesse, Lisa, Smitty, even Jason - they all have a role, but with perhaps the exception of Jason and Yosef (the villain throughout), all of them are multi-faceted and do things that kept me surprised.
I fell in love with Michael and Christy, especially the honesty and devotion they both display toward the other. The depth of their connection is evident from the start, and despite a few hiccups, it was beautiful to watch unfold. Michael has faults, of course, but they never detracted from the beauty that shines from within him. The things he said to and did for Christy, all because he loves this boy, were a privilege to read.
While there are some sexual situations in this book, it is important to know that they are initiated by Christy, that they are tastefully done without getting explicit, and that the all further and strengthen the relationship. There is nothing in any of them that made me question either Christy's or Michael's good judgment, nor did they give me the impression that they were for entertainment purposes. The delicate and tactful way with which the author describes their intimate relationship (including the humorous exchanges between Michael and his mom) are a testament to C. Kennedy's craft and foresight while writing this book. Even knowing that Christy had been severely abused over a long period of time, I did not at any time feel as if Michael was forcing him to do anything Christy did not want to do. He gave all control and all the power to Christy, without making himself powerless.
The last 50 or so pages had my heart beating in my throat with a nail-biting climax and one more heroic act and utterly heart-melting moment. And then a gentle letdown with the epilogue. I closed the file on my Nook with a heavy sigh and a smile on my face. I'm still smiling, still thinking of this story two days later, and I don't foresee ever forgetting about Christy and Michael. This is the kind of book that stays with you for a very long time.
The only thing that had me slightly baffled as the ineptitude of the security team, but I assumed that this was an intended plot device.
While this was a fictional story, the kind of abuse depicted within (and worse) does happen in the real world. It can happen to anyone, and it could be your neighbor or that kid you see at the grocery store. Open your eyes, watch out for it, step in when you can.
If you are a survivor of abuse, please keep fighting, keep persevering, keep getting stronger. Reach out for help. Don't suffer in silence. The abuse is not your fault. You didn't deserve it. And you are not alone.
Let me leave you with this: any book that can take as horrific a subject as child sexual abuse, treat the topic with reverence and care without ever delving into exploiting it for entertainment, and still give the reader reason to smile and laugh and cheer... Such a book is well deserving of much more than the five stars I can give. And it is well deserving of your time. Please, I beg you, give this a go.
I received a free ARC from Dreamspinner Press. It was an utter privilege to have been thus trusted with this amazing book.