Blinded by the Lies Lets You See the Darker Side of Pain

 4/27/2025 1:49 PM CST

Dear Reader,

I have a review of a great story for you today. Blinded by the Lies by Amanda Ruzsa, which was a tasty little surprise.

But first. I must do shameless self-promotion. I am excited about this! I can officially say that Killer Mike and the Blood Slugs is a series, because I am announcing today…

Book #2 of The Blood Slugs series,
“Killer Mike and the Blood Slugs—Grandma Got Run Over by a Psycho” is releasing 5/4, one week from the date on this blog.

With this in mind, Dear Reader, you should know some things.

1.       You can pre-order Grandma Got Run Over by a Psycho now at the ‘zon. More outlets are coming soon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F5SYR5CY

2.       On Tuesday, 4/29, Book #3, “Killer Mike and the Blood Slugs—A Night on the Town,” will be free on the ‘zon for the 5 days leading up to Grandma’s release. It would be a shame if you let everyone you know that they can get a rad free book and A Night on the Town climbed the charts. Terrible, really.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DYZJZYKF

3.       Grandma is the prequel to Night. They are the second and third books, respectively. Book #1, “Killer Mike and the Blood Slugs—The Dog Days of Youth,” will be coming to you on 7/6. We will finally see how this all began.
(The fourth book, A Leap of Faith, is slated for release 9/8, but shhhhhh.)

This is the secret announcement for you diehards that actually read this. You’re a hero. Yeah. You.

(For reasons I am not yet absolutely positive about, I don’t think I should be repping any Blood Slugs links that are not the ‘zon. There may have been temporary consequences to checking certain boxes.)

 

Now, without further ado, I give you Blinded by the Lies by Amanda Ruzsa

 

 

Blinded by the Lies Lets You See the Darker Side of Pain

Book Review: Blinded by the Lies  - Amanda Ruzsa

My Verdict: Intense. Mysterious. A hell of a read.

 

 I had no idea what to expect.

I am not exactly sure where or how I found out about Ruzsa, but on a whim I know I recently picked up We Should Leave, and I enjoyed that one, so I was thinking about writing up a review for it. That is not going to happen today, though, because I found something in my inbox.

 

See, I have this habit of biting off more than I can chew, and what I found in my inbox, an ARC copy of Blinded by the Lies that the author had sent me, only proves my point. My fried brain had forgotten that I even asked for it. (Sorry, Ruzsa.) So now, Blinded is the one we are going to talk about first. I liked both stories, but Blinded by the Lies was more intense, whereas We Should Leave felt like an interpretation of a real story that likely happened with real friends. I liked both for different reasons, but maybe Blinded is a little more my speed. Maybe.

 

In Blinded by the Lies, Ruzsa opens fast by establishing a nightmare scenario for our… Let’s call him a protagonist for now… Joe, where he awakens to find that someone has restrained him and he is in the direst of circumstances. A strange woman, whom he has only met once, has him held captive. This femme fatale has an old-fashioned lie detector, a very specific set of questions, and an even more specific method of torture for liars.

 

This story moves quickly and pulls no punches. There are scenes of ample gore of a very specific variety, alternating with confessional-style vignettes where we learn the dark truth of Joe’s character. Having read We Should Leave first, which was more a spooky story, I was surprised at the way Ruzsa painted a very dark picture with the right amount of detail to let your imagination get away from you. By the time it is over, I don’t think there is anyone who won’t agree that Joe deserves his fate.

 

Ok. So, now I am going to do that thing where I tell you that if a dark confessional of a monster who is getting his just desserts sounds like your thing, I wouldn’t hesitate to give this a read. The cover looks pri-tee cool, and it isn’t pricey in paperback, is all I am saying. Heck, right now, Ruzsa has a handful of shorts, and if the two I have read are any indication, I’m assuming they are pretty good. I am sure you could snag them all at a steal.

 

Ok. So now. I really want to talk about a few major points. I think they count as spoilers. So, if you don’t like that, go away. This is for the people who can’t be spoiled or the people who already read it. Personally, I am one of those maniacs that loves a good spoiler, so you’re not safe here anyway. So, shoo now. Go away. Go read the story unspoiled. This is your last warning. Make your eyes stop reading now, or you won’t be happy. STOP. NO. FOR REAL.

 

 

I love how Ruzsa straight up tells you what you are getting yourself into with that title. Joe’s captor, the mysterious woman, mangles his eyes in any number of ways any time he lies. When it first happened, I thought, “In this grounded-in-reality story, we are getting to the eye mangling so soon? I figured that the blinding was the climax. Oh well, I am excited to see where we go next.” (I had missed a line that hinted the story wasn’t as grounded as I thought.)

Ruzsa did not disappoint. I love a story like this. A mystery? Not a murder mystery but, like, an existential one? Because, after the first time the mysterious woman destroys Joe’s eyes in spectacular fashion, Joe loses consciousness. Why are his eyes ok again?

 

I love that it immediately begs the question, “What is happening here?”

 

Did she drug Joe? He woke up in this situation; his captor probably drugged him to get him here. Does she also have access to insane deliriants and psychedelics? Is she messing with his mind through the hypnotic power of drugged-out suggestion? Is this cycle of violence the work of a very talented madwoman?

OR

Is there something even more sinister at play? Maybe sinister isn’t the right word. I have a very specific interpretation. (After a quick re-read, I feel like Ruzsa hints at it the whole time.) So, this is now the first time I am calling a second spoiler warning. The first spoiler was that this is about eye torture. Stop reading now. Ok. Bye.

 

 

FOR REAL. NOW. TOODLES.

 

 

I think, after realizing that the eye torture/confession thing is a cycle where Joe can be made to suffer endlessly, and the more Ruzsa describes the methods by which the captor is performing the act, an obvious and intended answer jumps out.

 

Our main character is in Hell. Not only is he in Hell, but I love it. When it comes to this larger mystery, I felt like Ruzsa did a great job at showing us the truth of Joe’s situation without outright hitting us on the nose with it. She gets you there, but I still felt like I figured it out for myself. I don’t know, I just love that.

 

Ok. The review is over. Even you can stop reading now. Bye. This isn’t Ferris Bueller or a Marvel movie.

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