hrenault's review against another edition
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
3.5
ohkaykayreads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
Could be a bit of a spoiler if you like to go in blind.....
This one was okay but I was wanting a little bit more relationship building between characters, seemed a little unbelievable that someone would be so invested on joining a cult or group just based on the few small and surface level encounters she had with these people before joining. I get that manipulation, vulnerability and feeling a sense of belonging are key but I keep hanging on how short of a time it took in this story and searching for meaningful, clear cut examples of the kingdom making Emily feel this way before her joining that would result in such loyalty and devotion from her...
This one was okay but I was wanting a little bit more relationship building between characters, seemed a little unbelievable that someone would be so invested on joining a cult or group just based on the few small and surface level encounters she had with these people before joining. I get that manipulation, vulnerability and feeling a sense of belonging are key but I keep hanging on how short of a time it took in this story and searching for meaningful, clear cut examples of the kingdom making Emily feel this way before her joining that would result in such loyalty and devotion from her...
readbycoco_yt's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐ Nobody just joins a cult, and this book does a great job of showing how cults gain traction and use subtle manipulation to gain members. It explores the culture of campus-cults that's were popular and successful in the 90s. This is a subject I am SUUUUPER fascinated by, so this book was something I immediately put on my tbr. The pacing and format of this read was fantastic, and I really liked the additional 'steps' or facts at the top of the chapter, and the interview format. I felt the characters were a little one dimensional apart from our MC. I think if you're fascinated by cults and want an easy read on that topic, you'll enjoy this read.
bkishmdstgal's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
olivia_balderstone's review against another edition
4.0
i truly loved this book, i loved the pacing up until the last 100 or so pages, it made me feel better about my own upbringing in a church and how being able to get out is just so freeing
birdgenders's review against another edition
3.0
My actual rating is 2.5 stars, I think, rounding up.
The first section of this book—the one that deals with Emily's indoctrination into the Kingdom—was really interesting to me. Seeing her willingly embrace what I recognized as cult tactics was equal parts fascinating and harrowing, and I read feverishly on to the Italy trip, full of anticipation. I'm rounding up instead of down for this first 40% of the book alone—it was that good.
However, I found the rest of the story sort of meandering, especially the last third or so. The climax was underwhelming and even confusing at times (maybe that's just me, though), and I found the unraveling of everything to be really quite lacking. It may reflect life more realistically that way, and I do understand the author's decision if that's what she was going for, but in a book conclusion, I was just left a little unsatisfied.
Regardless, I feel like I learned a lot about how cults can infect the minds of their victims, and the story itself was well-written and relatively fast-paced. I definitely think this one's worth checking out if you have any interest in the subject matter, even if it didn't entirely do it for me.
The first section of this book—the one that deals with Emily's indoctrination into the Kingdom—was really interesting to me. Seeing her willingly embrace what I recognized as cult tactics was equal parts fascinating and harrowing, and I read feverishly on to the Italy trip, full of anticipation. I'm rounding up instead of down for this first 40% of the book alone—it was that good.
However, I found the rest of the story sort of meandering, especially the last third or so. The climax was underwhelming and even confusing at times (maybe that's just me, though), and I found the unraveling of everything to be really quite lacking. It may reflect life more realistically that way, and I do understand the author's decision if that's what she was going for, but in a book conclusion, I was just left a little unsatisfied.
Regardless, I feel like I learned a lot about how cults can infect the minds of their victims, and the story itself was well-written and relatively fast-paced. I definitely think this one's worth checking out if you have any interest in the subject matter, even if it didn't entirely do it for me.
daen88's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
pretty solid debut, at times a little too straightforward. I wanted to punch almost every single character that was in the cult with her, so I guess it means the book did a lot of its job right.
pretty solid debut, at times a little too straightforward. I wanted to punch almost every single character that was in the cult with her, so I guess it means the book did a lot of its job right.
holls_marie28's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love reading books about cults and this one was so bingeable I couldn't put it down. It was so fascinating to see how a lonely college student could get sucked in by promises of love/friendship/belonging/happiness into something so dark and opposite of what they were promised. I will say the ending felt a bit rushed and I would have loved a bit more explanation on what happened after Will's death and after the article comes out exposing what happened.
emily_t123's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0