ARC Review
Thank you to Book Sirens and the author for giving me this advanced reader copy. Here are my thoughts...
I might be a dumb-dumb but I didn't get this book.
Or maybe you're supposed to be high to read this book?
I don't know.
There were so many parts that I had absolutely no idea what was happening and I kept thinking, ok... it will all come together at the end.
Again, maybe I'm dumb, but I just don't get it.
SPOILER ALERT
I don't know how else to review this book without talking about the plot. So if you don't want spoilers, stop reading here.
The story follows Jesly Allsbrook, an attorney who is trying to throw herself off a building. Before she can do this, she's shot in the stomach and then falls off a 50 story building.
The plot resumes with Jesly waking in a hospital to find she survived the fall and attempted homicide. Then we find out that she and her ex, killed a girl in a car accident and he was in the process of pinning it on her. He's there and he starts manipulating the doctors to keep her locked up in an inpatient facility called Calgary. Which we find out is not a good place and no one makes it out alive. Her other doctor, Dr. Caspar goes along with it and tells her how sorry he is but she's lost her marbles so alas, she must go inpatient. She's assigned a handler named Kane.
Oh and the girl that she and her ex killed? Yeah, her brother, Dax, shows up and wants Jesly's help to find Dagny (the girl that she and her ex killed).
Kane then somehow astral projects her outside of the hospital and she finds out Kane isn't all he seems to be. But then when they return to their bodies they find that Jesly attacked two hospital technicians.
Wait... that might have been before she was told she was going to Calgary. 🤔 It doesn't matter.
So, Kane takes her to Calgary and they have weird cryptic conversations and then stop at a diner to eat with a dude named Zaire. Zaire is weird and creepy and says he needs her to find the love of his life Dagny. Who Dax also wants her to find.
Dr. Kennedy, who is Dr. Caspar's wife, is at Calgary and then Jesly finds Dagny but Dagny hangs herself so then Jesly escapes the institution and is chased by Kane and brought back. Dr. Caspar is killed and Kane is beaten by Dr. Hiribaldi, who we find out is working with Zaire.
Now Dr. Kennedy, Jesly, Kane and somehow Dax are all running from Zaire and Hiribaldi. We find out Zaire is like some wannabe god of the underworld. I think. I don't really know. And he needs Dagny to complete something? Or maybe he just really loves her? Who the f*** knows. Not me.
Meanwhile throughout this entire story, Jesly's ex (Jackson) is showing up in and out of the story. But they all tell her he's dead because they actually died in that car accident that killed Dagny and Jesly and Jackson are stuck in purgatory. Hiribaldi lets Jesly kill Jackson for good this time but he still shows up again before being killed for like the 12th time.
Then Dr. Kennedy tells Jesly that she fudged the medical records to help Jackson frame Jesly for the death of Dagny. But we also know that Jackson and Jesly died in the car accident.
Then Dagny tells Jesly that she purposely made sure Jackson and Jesly were there to take her out that night because she was involved in some weird mythological shit.
Dax turns on Jesly. She kills him. Then I think Zaire kills Dagny or maybe he tries to take her to hell with him but either way, she's gone. Dr. Kennedy is killed in here somewhere by hell hounds. I think Hiribaldi dies but I don't really know.
There are some grim reaper dudes in here too. Birdface and Skullface or something like that. I was so confused. Jesly makes a deal with them to take Kane's place.
And then.... THEN... we find out Kane is THEE Cain. Like from the Bible, Cain. So, you know. He can't die.
After running from Zaire the whole entire time, Jesly takes him out with a shotgun blast. Poof. He's dead. They carried this shotgun around the entire story and it took us until the last 6 pages to think about shooting the dude.
In the end, Kane and Jesly are Watchers together. We don't really know what that means but it's fine. At this point, whatevs, it's cool.
This book started off as a psychological thriller. Then added paranormal and supernatural themes with hell hounds and Zane and his astral projection. Then we got mythology that wasn't ever explained. Then some religion with good 'ol Kane.
This is a pet peeve of mine but the author used psychopath and sociopath interchangeably. They are not the same thing. This is a product of being in the profession that I am but, either way... it was frustrating.
I think this book would have been a good psychological thriller if it had stayed as an ex trying to convince Jesly that she was crazy. This was over the top too many things in one. Like 3 different genres in one trying to be something jaw dropping but instead it left me suuuppper confused.
I'm giving this a 2 🌮🌮 rating here but on review platforms I'll give it a 3 because I feel bad. It's clear the author really went out there and tried something and they should be applauded for me but it fell flat for me. And again, maybe I'm a dumb-dumb but ... this was a lot.
If you're high as a kite, maybe this is your jam.
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