Scan barcode
jane_moriarty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I found rhis book in a reel titled "books that actually scared me". When I found out that it is about a murderous cult AND my local library had the ebook, it seemed like fate. I expected to eat this up. I am obsessed with cults, it's the only true crime topic I enjoy.
But then... it took me about two months to even finish the book. I had to force myself to finish the second half. The premise is really good and the plot and explanations were interesting, and there were some creepy scenes in the beginning (though not THAT scary tbh). I could have dealt with the unlikeable characters and the fact that this doesn't even come close to passing the bechdel test, but it just dragged on and on, the pacing is terrible, the chapters endlessly long and there is a lot of tell instead of show.
Maybe I would give a much shorter book by the author another try.
But then... it took me about two months to even finish the book. I had to force myself to finish the second half. The premise is really good and the plot and explanations were interesting, and there were some creepy scenes in the beginning (though not THAT scary tbh). I could have dealt with the unlikeable characters and the fact that this doesn't even come close to passing the bechdel test, but it just dragged on and on, the pacing is terrible, the chapters endlessly long and there is a lot of tell instead of show.
Maybe I would give a much shorter book by the author another try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture and Rape
Child abuse not sexual Rape mentioned but not described in detailohhthehorrors's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Rape, Death, Murder, Gore, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
literatehazard's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
3.75
a slow, tense read. definitely builds up in tone and suspense; and being written as a pseudo-film/documentary about a defunct cult that's still haunting its 'apostate' members in more ways than one was unique and helped to break up the main mystery being explored into digestible pieces. the tone really shifts in the last 100 or so pages, and a lot of plot points are kind of crammed together at once, but everything before that is solid enough to carry the chaos that was the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Incest, Cannibalism, Misogyny, and Gun violence
bookish_cat_mom's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, and Murder
More...