Within

By: Edmund Stone

Narrated by: Candace Fitzgerald

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Three unique stories—all with a common theme Within brings together the plight of three women, all broken, but strong. Each story shows a unique situation they are up against, and how they can cope with the terror they are faced with.

Part one, "Within You": A housewife waits for her husband on a stormy night. She gets stuck outside of her house with her baby inside. Someone is lurking in the darkness. She desperately wants to protect her baby from what’s outside, but fails to realize the horror is within.

Part two: "Within Me": A young girl discovers she has a secret power. She confides in her mother and finds her family is full of secrets as well. One half is trying to kill the other. Her battle begins when the wrong part of the family finds out about her. She must hurt them and achieve the ultimate revenge before her time runs out.

Part three: "Within Us": A girl is given a machete when she comes of age. Her Daddy teaches her how to wield it in a fight. She finds the blade gives her power, turning her into something vicious when she uses it. She’ll need the help of her blade as her world is turned upside down by someone she least expected.

©2023 Edmund Stone (P)2023 Fright Night Audio

absolutely LOVED this book

within: preposition
Inside (something)
inside the bounds set by (a concept, argument, etc.).
Within:adverb
internally or inwardly

Don't you just love it when a single word can mean so many things? For each of these women, the term "within" will resonate for a differing reason.

Are you looking for a short story collection about some seriously badass women? In each story, the women are forced to look within, to find the strength they need to overcome their own unique struggles and to truly discover who they are.

Now, before we get too far into this, yes, these female MCs are written by a man. We have heard multiple times that men usually lack when it comes to writing female characters. But it is my opinion that he did a solid job, especially considering all three stories are told from a woman's point of view.


I suppose the best way to review it might be to take a look into each story. While I enjoyed them all, I didn't love them equally.

Book 1: Within Me....Within

Becca is alone at home with her very small child while her husband is away for work. The encroaching storm has her reminiscing on her childhood with her brother. While her brother was, in many ways, her protector, he was far from a good man. As youths both were hospitalized for mental instabilities, she got out, but he did not....until now that is.

Christopher shows up harboring resentment for her abandoning him, and he is ready to spill blood.

This particular story was brutal and bloody. It also has a great pace and overall unsettling vibe that had me listening in utter terror. This was my second favorite of the three stories.


Book 2 Within me....hurt

Harper is a teenager who, like many, is struggling to fit in and cope with the everyday drama of simply being a teenage girl. But she isn't anything like the other girls, and she doesn't quite understand why. The truth is, Harper is a descendant of Lansing Witches. Initially, she uses her recently discovered powers as a way to get revenge on a bully. Her mother gets wind of what is happening and finally devulges the dark family secret. The simple fact is that by using her powers, she has been exposed, and things are about to become deadly.

This was honestly my favorite of the 3 stories, although I wish it was made into a full-length novel instead of just a short story. It left me wanting more! I am a sucker for a good witch story!


And lastly, book 3 Within Us....The Devils Concubine


This story is about Katy and her side-kick Delilah. Katy is arrested while helping transport "items" for her family. While incarcerated, she suffers physical, mental, and sexual abuse from her bunk mate. But this won't break her. If anything, it fuels her more.

Upon release, she is reunited with her brother, but things are stranger than usual. Something is up, and Katy urgently wants to see their father. She is warned that he is unwell, if only it were that simple. Sometimes, when dabbling in the dark arts, it takes away in order to give....and there is one hell of a price to pay

This story was solid, and I didn't hate it. Although the prison scenes were cringey and I am fairly certain my lady bits made the old windows shut down noise a few times ( yall know the noise I'm talking about). Greta was absolutely vile and got what she deserved. But overall, this was a solid supernatural story with a nasty yet satisfying end.

I hate to admit that I haven't read anything by Edmund previously, and that is a travesty that I must remedy soon. He is a phenomenal storyteller who writes an array of horror tropes and does so well. This collection proves that!


I listened to these on audible and enjoyed them all. The narrator did a fabulous job breathing life into these women. And I would, without a doubt, be interested to hear her future narrations.