Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Saint by Sierra Simone

5 reviews

galleytrot's review against another edition

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

4.5

READ: Sep 2023 
FORMAT: Audio 

BRIEF SUMMARY: 
In this contemporary romance, Brother Patrick left behind a life of sex, drugs, money, and love in order to live a monastic existence of devotion and austerity, after one devastating night left him feeling out of control and in search of answers. Despite years of connection to God, he’s still having trouble shaking off his all-consuming love for and connection to Elijah. A stricter order might be just what he needs give himself completely over to God, so when his Abbot decides to send him off to tour three Trappist Abbeys he might be willing to serve at, he is excited by the opportunity – right up until Elijah shows up to check in on him with some distressing news, looking for answers of his own, and messing with the years of progress he hasn’t exactly made. 

THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 4.5 / 5⭐ 
I won’t be able to give this book a thorough review as per usual, because I threw this one on as background noise while I accomplished some work around the house. I was not taking technical notes, highlighting content, or consuming the work with undivided attention. As such, there was likely much that I missed, and it wouldn’t be fair to offer a truly critical analysis of the work. 

I can, however, say that I found this book to be emotionally compelling, wonderfully reverent, and filled with vibrant imagery. Religious stories aren’t especially my cup of tea, though they’re always made immediately more interesting when characters explore their own faith within a doctrine that is typically exclusionary to their like. It’s faith itself that I am attracted to; even as a non-religious apatheist, I find faith in itself to be a wonderfully useful tool for people to access when they need a little bit of hope, beauty, and purpose in their life. 

This story is a very compelling example of faith making a significant impact on someone’s life for the better. As is likely clear from the book’s synopsis, Adrian is going to face a life-altering choice between devotion to God and devotion to Elijah, and the question of whether there is any scenario where he could possibly have both. I honestly felt myself rooting for him to stick with his vows and live the life that has been so healing and restorative for him, even though the obvious “dude, you can absolutely have both” was always the correct mindset. 
 
This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. One of the main characters/love interests is black. 

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail. This list may not be fully comprehensive or complete, as I was not taking notes at the time.
This book contains: mentions of bi/homophobia, religious bigotry; alcohol use; infidelity; mentions of racism; mention of drugs and past drug use; mentions of past sexual abuse of a minor by a religious figure leading to a suicide; and, past suicidal thoughts and struggles with depression.
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hazelgirl21's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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sdupont's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Saint is a solid read in the Priest series. Sinner was my favorite of the trilogy but I did enjoy Saint. I feel like this book would’ve benefitted from more of Elijah’s POV, I felt like we didn’t get enough from his side out of the article/journal excerpts. The romance fell flat by only getting one characters true perspective, especially one that spends much time alone, in silence, or in prayer. 
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jamesflint's review against another edition

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4.0

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bbygirl21's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

So I think this book may have be my favorite book out of the three in this series. And it’s definitely the heaviest and most emotional book for me out of the three.

The way that mental illness was tackled and discussed in this book is so truly beautiful and raw that I felt like I was in Aiden’s mind myself. Within just the first 20 percent of the book I was already in near tears from how well Aiden’s feelings are portrayed. Especially after seeing Elijah for the first time after so long.

I also loved the glimpses of Elijah’s thoughts as well. Seeing a little bit of his struggles too as he tries to find closure so he can truly move on with his life only to get more and more questions. 

This book made me think more about the power of faith and the impact it can have on someone in the darkest times of their life. And the monks in this book were some of the most amazing characters. I absolutely adored them.
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