itputsthebookupontheshelf's reviews
622 reviews

The Eleven by Kyle Rutkin

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5.0

A mysterious symbol, Hollywood elite, a deal with the devil... The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets Eyes Wide Shut. 👀

This book had me in a chokehold from page one. I knew it would, Rutkin is a phenomenal writer. It seems that no matter what he writes, the story brings you deep into the belly of the beast and eats at your soul before spitting you back out. In the best way possible.

It's not only the mystery of what happened to Savannah and the story Kohl has to tell. There is so much mental anguish and turmoil that you feel as you read the book. It's like you are in a fever-dream. Your psyche is right there in the thick of it. Your heart is pounding. Your mind is racing. What the f is going to happen next...

The characterizations are phenomenal! Kohl was so gritty and real. While at times terrible, my heart also broke for him. The twists and turns are flawlessly executed. I audibly gasped many times as secret after secret was revealed.

The Eleven, though about Hollywood and selling your soul for that greatness, is so much more!

This story is soul-suckingly dark, twisted, and heart-wrenching. There is also rebirth and reawakening. As the story unwinds, there is a great takeaway. It is the journey of finding yourself in spite of the darkness and trauma. The freedom of realizing that you are the true hero of your own story. It's the tiniest bit of light you snatch at, giving you hope that you can overcome the worst parts of life. It's about breaking the curse that was placed upon you by outside forces, knowing you have the power to break the chain instead of spreading the darkness.

It is amazing the way the mind works, both within the story and as the writer relaying it. Bravo, Kyle. For everything!

 𝑿𝑰𝑰𝑿

I highly recommend checking out Kyle's other books, 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒔, 𝑰𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 & 𝑻𝒊𝒌 𝑻𝒊𝒌 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆
The Clinic by Cate Quinn

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4.0

Review coming soon

*thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the gifted copy