Reviews with content warning for Dementia - The Book of the Most Precious Substance

I enjoyed the last 20 pages of the book but the rest was hard to get through since I don't condone cheating in any way.

I didn't like the writing style and everything just felt a bit icky?
Also this book is not a horror or thriller at all, I genuinely don't know why it's marketed like that. It's quite misleading

I only kept reading cus I hated the main characters and wanted them to not get their happy ending.
This book is not what I expected and maybe just wasn't for me but the last 20 pages added an extra star to my rating

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ramalam98's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

I love books about books, and the plot for this one is definitely fascinating. The Book of The Most Precious Substance (in-book) is "the rarest, most sought after book in the entire bibliography of the occult", and we follow Lily and Lucas' journey across the Western world as they try to find a copy of this book to sell to a mysterious, very rich, buyer.

Goodreads has this book categorised as Horror which feels wrong? but the description of this being an 'erotic thriller' is technically correct, though still feels not quite right. There is a lot of sex in this book but it's not there for reader-enjoyment purposes.

The writing is simplistic but easy to read, and I devoured this book in just over a day. The plot is super original and I also loved the exploration of the shady underground world of rich book collectors. The characters are compelling and I was completely blindsided by Lily's backstory and motivation which quickly had me nearly in tears.

I also found the ending really satisfying!

Unfortunately the book falls down for me a bit when it comes to the meat of the story, which gets very repetitive with endless descriptions of fancy rich people living in fancy houses and how fancy the hotels and restaurants are. Lily and Lucas are walked from one step of the plot to the next in a way that provides no tension and conflict, as it's implied that this magic book is simply leading them to it. By the time I finished the 330 page book it felt like not a lot of plot had actually happened, and I think this could have been shortened to a novella, or short story in a collection of "weird short stories".

Overall a fantastic concept with a slightly disappointing execution.

I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher. This is my honest review.

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ellenigrace's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.75

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amberghinii's review against another edition

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Wasn't in right headspace.

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bookzombiee19's review against another edition

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medium-paced

1.0

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daithra's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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archaicrobin's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Lily is a depressed book dealer living solely to care for her husband with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She used to be a famous writer, living luxuriously with the love of her life but now she’s sold everything and struggles to make ends meet for her severely ill husband. Gran does an amazing job of setting the scene for Lily and honestly it was hard to read, her sadness and struggles are too real and I couldn’t even imagine having to live with that tragedy everyday.

Despite her hardships Lily is devoted to her husband and finding a way to help him. So when she’s offered over a million dollars for a rare occult book on sex magic, she teams up with a colleague and friend, Lucas, to find the book. What unfolds is a journey across the country to locate the book and find herself.

This book is very slow paced so if you start it, know it’s a crawl and it’s also very disturbing at times. As Lily continues searching for the book her and Lucas begin attempting it’s magic as well, which leads them to many dark and weird places. Hedonist mansions, sec magic, disgustingly rich men, it’s all pretty out there and unsettling but I loved it.

This book is not for everyone, it’s not fast paced or super exciting, it’s an atmospheric and tragic love story with elements of horror that weave together themes of loss, grief, devotion, and finding a reason to live once yours is gone. If you’re up for that, I highly recommend!

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davidamarion's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.5

Lily had been a promising author with a life close to perfection when her partner's mysterious early on-set dementia narrowed it to eking out a living as a rare bookseller to help pay for his round-the-clock care. A search to find a mysterious book that promises unlimited power to the owner breathes life back into her. As she follows the thread, we wonder along with Lily if she's willing to pay the ultimate cost for that power, and if she does, what that might do to her.

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