Reviews

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.

Content Warnings

choptopapologist's review against another edition

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4.0

what i imagine would have happened if amy carlson had lived longer

abeavs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Slow burn but I’m glad I stuck it out. The writing and how the scenes are set is really incredible but it could have been 100 pages shorter. Some LONGGGG chapters.

elle622's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

jackiesspookyshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

qinnatmyun's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.5

samuelbaldry's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Pretty sweet ending, and the tension/worldbuilding is amazing - but seriously if you don't like documentaries you might not like this, as it reads like one for most of the book. SO much exposition dump.

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