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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual violence
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Cannibalism
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Rape
Documentary filmmaker Kyle Freeman has been given the opportunity of a lifetime to shoot a film on the infamous cult of the Last Days. The Last Days cult became a worldwide sensation after the death of its leader in 1975 and since then filmmakers have been trying to uncover all the hidden secrets left in the wake of the cults tragic end. Kyle’s shoot locations range for a Temple in London to a run down copper mine in Arizona. The deeper his interviews and shoots begin to go the more bizarre occurrences begin to unfold all around him. Along with strange artifacts Kyle has uncovered he begins to wonder what exactly this cult was up to and if they may have awakened something sinister.
As an avid documentary, found film, ghost hunting, and paranormal show fanatic this book was everything I had hoped for and more! Last Days wastes no time at all with the beginning of the novel truly sucking you in with its beyond atmospheric creepy vibes and terrifying dread. This book definitely doesn’t shy away from the horror or gory elements as well and will most definitely have you sleeping with the lights on. It becomes clear early on in the story that our MC Kyle has stumbling upon something much more dark and sinister than your average cult. Reading this was like watching a horror film where you know that something awful lies around the corner but all you can do is hold your breath as each new revelation begins to reveal itself. What really sold me on this read along with my fascination with cults was the fantastic character and world building that Neville presents in this book. The writing style had a way of making the reader truly feel as if they were seeing all these events unfold thru the characters own eyes making it even scarier in my opinion. Along with this writing choice I also truly enjoyed seeing the hauntingly awful inner workings of this cult that Neville created, which was written in a way that you can tell that a large amount of research was put into this to ensure an authentic feel that a true documentary would have. Simply put this book was a wildly scary read that is an absolute must read for spooky season especially if you are a fan of creepy cults with evil agendas.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
dnf 82 pages in i fear… the writing had the feeling that it was trying to be too intellectual to a point where I couldn’t even follow…. just like stephen king books. also i think i realized i like reading about women, men just are on a different plane
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't really want to put a rating on this because everyone's tastes vary. This is my second Adam Nevill book that I've read that I wasn't terribly impressed with. I think the concept is awesome, and I was really intrigued by it. However, the 500+ page count could have used significant fat-trimming to make it a more reasonable 300-ish page horror book.
I say this because while I appreciate the prose immensely, I felt that there was so much fluff regarding descriptions of rooms, people, and things. It would make sense if the descriptions enhanced the plot, but they really don't. By the time I got to the climax, I was actually kind of bored, and everything before that didn't have much of a payoff. The ending was an incredible let-down. Open the spoiler if you want to know more, but ye have been warned...
And the child? Kyle just walked out of the room and didn't speak a word to the child he wanted to save? I'm so confused. He was more worried about whether he'd get arrested. I kinda understand why he'd be afraid of being arrested, but there are literal witnesses to the whole reason he was there. And the child! You know what would have been cool? Leaving it up to the reader whether Katherine's exchange happened before he killed Chet.
All of this comes after an incredibly LONG info dump from Max when Kyle is at his house and after Kyle's visit to Antwerp to view these cursed paintings. Honestly? I have NO idea what transpired either with Max's monologue, or the dull painting reveal. I was excited to read the part with the paintings because of the way it was described as shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Ultimately, the scene was severely lacking and wasn't scary in the slightest.
I do think the concept was a good one, it was just not executed well in my opinion.
I say this because while I appreciate the prose immensely, I felt that there was so much fluff regarding descriptions of rooms, people, and things. It would make sense if the descriptions enhanced the plot, but they really don't. By the time I got to the climax, I was actually kind of bored, and everything before that didn't have much of a payoff. The ending was an incredible let-down. Open the spoiler if you want to know more, but ye have been warned...
Spoiler
So, the ending was abrupt. My eyes skipped over a key sentence that literally killed Jed. Later on, there was a heavily cloaked sentence that killed Max. MAX. The main person behind the whole charade. He was gone in subtext.And the child? Kyle just walked out of the room and didn't speak a word to the child he wanted to save? I'm so confused. He was more worried about whether he'd get arrested. I kinda understand why he'd be afraid of being arrested, but there are literal witnesses to the whole reason he was there. And the child! You know what would have been cool? Leaving it up to the reader whether Katherine's exchange happened before he killed Chet.
All of this comes after an incredibly LONG info dump from Max when Kyle is at his house and after Kyle's visit to Antwerp to view these cursed paintings. Honestly? I have NO idea what transpired either with Max's monologue, or the dull painting reveal. I was excited to read the part with the paintings because of the way it was described as shrouded in mystery and intrigue. Ultimately, the scene was severely lacking and wasn't scary in the slightest.
I do think the concept was a good one, it was just not executed well in my opinion.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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