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dembury's review
3.0
A VERY slow-burn of a cult YA quasi-thriller that has a strong beginning but kind of loses itself from after the first third. I found the narrative on manipulation and hiding ill-intent behind a religious mask to be the most well done parts of this book; seeing Emily fall victim to the Kingdom was creepy to say the least. Other than that, I think the chill factor is pretty lacking. There are a lot of religious rants, deception, some double-crossing, but nothing that ever shocked me. Many people are comparing this to "Sadie" by Courtney Summers, but I'm gonna disagree and say this is more like "With Malice" by Eileen Cook with teeny little hints of the Amanda Knox case sprinkled in à la cult. The pretty prose doesn't make up for the dragging narrative, so all in all this was a bit lackluster for me.
notmaiareading's review
3.0
As someone who reads a lot of books on cults, I was excited when I came across Those who prey as in the non-fiction cult genre. There are not many novels where the main character joins a cult. I found Emily to be written as an extremely naive character who I was constantly frustrated by as their were a lot of red flags that she missed, as they were extremely extremely obvious, I feel like anyone would have been able to pick up on it. I think the boot would have benefitted from setting up Emilys life Pre cult a bit more, as the author makes sure to tell the reader Emily is lonely but does little to show it, which makes it seem like she only joined to get with Josh (however, the author likes to constantly remind as thats not the case, but heavily implying it). I think this book would have been better as a trilogy as she fits a lot of plot into 262 pages with Emily Joining the cult, going on a mission/ escaping, and then the aftermath. Elements of the plot needed to be written in more depth (a key element being the whole mission trip), as well as the book ending with so many unanswered questions. Definitely felt like 3 books in one. Overall, I loved the first half of the book and would recommend it.
ekarcha's review against another edition
3.0
I felt uncomfortable shelving a book set in 1994 as historical fiction… I now feel ancient.
3 stars bc I felt the writing could’ve been stronger and better structured, but I enjoyed the story and a lot of the evangelical themes resonated with me and my adolescence in the church, though thankfully it was never even close to these extremes.
3 stars bc I felt the writing could’ve been stronger and better structured, but I enjoyed the story and a lot of the evangelical themes resonated with me and my adolescence in the church, though thankfully it was never even close to these extremes.
pinkypromis3s's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
it was an enjoyable book but something that really irritated me was how nothing was revealed about sadie whatsoever and in the beginning of the book it seemed like it would be a important part. other than that, i liked it. cult and religious stuff is always interesting to read about
madelinesedai's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
atriasbookshelf's review
5.0
Jennifer Moffett's writing is amazing. This novel was like a virus that spread through my mind and left me feeling lost a bit. I had the chance to observe the mind of a girl that had been brainwashed and how she perceived things and it shocks you at multiple moments. I have annotated the heck out of this book because I couldn't hold in all the thoughts brewing in my head any longer.
Its been a while since I have read a 5 star book but this one truly deserves it. I am looking forward to reading more books by her.
Its been a while since I have read a 5 star book but this one truly deserves it. I am looking forward to reading more books by her.
lucroo's review against another edition
3.0
Il libro, al momento edito solo in inglese, narra la storia di Emily e della sua solitudine a Boston, lontana da casa e dai suoi affetti.
Quando verrà notata da Josh e dai suoi amici, farà davvero di tutto per sentirsi accettata e parte di qualcosa che la allontani dal suo triste passato.
La prima metà del libro è davvero meravigliosa, ma nel finale non mi ha convinta tantissimo.
Vi riporto alcuni passi che mi hanno lasciata con un forte senso di inquietudine.
Quando verrà notata da Josh e dai suoi amici, farà davvero di tutto per sentirsi accettata e parte di qualcosa che la allontani dal suo triste passato.
La prima metà del libro è davvero meravigliosa, ma nel finale non mi ha convinta tantissimo.
Vi riporto alcuni passi che mi hanno lasciata con un forte senso di inquietudine.
hollye6's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Body shaming
hobiflowery's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75