The Cult of Eden by Bill Halpin – Review | Blog Tour

A spine-chilling novel.

WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT

Newlywed Will Battese finds himself homesick and overwhelmed after following his ambitious wife, Shannon, to New York City. When a surprise pregnancy shreds their already meager budget, Will drops out of college and settles for work at a low-end diner. There, a small act of kindness draws the attention of Victor Degas, a man with an unsettling presence and deformed eyes.

Unbeknownst to Will, Degas belongs to an ancient, sophisticated cult known as the Edens and believes Will to be the key to gaining otherworldly power. As the sun sets on Good Friday, Degas orchestrates a home invasion in which Will and his baby boy, Gideon, are kidnapped, leaving Shannon to join forces with an unreliable agent from the Roman Catholic Church. While Will struggles to save other innocents from the Eden parish below the city, Shannon discovers that the cult plans to use her family for an unimaginable demonic ritual, and that the Vatican may let it happen. With no one to trust but themselves, Shannon and Will must fight not only to survive, but to keep their humanity intact. THE CULT OF EDEN is the first volume in The Unrisen saga.

The Cult of Eden by Bill Halpin – Review | Blog Tour

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

The Cult of Eden is a dark, disturbing, and spine-chilling novel.

Will and Shannon, newlywed couple and parents to an infant, have no idea what crude fate awaits them. They have attracted the attention of Victor Degas who belongs to an ancient, sophisticated cult known as the Edens and believes Will to be the key to gaining otherworldly power. And Victor is willing to go to any length to achieve that.

The Cult of Eden is a smoothly flowing story. Vivid descriptions of scenes that made me feel as if I am there with the characters watching them go through the motions of life and death further bolster the book’s strength.

Further, it evoked strong feelings in me, primarily those of fear. There are plenty of gruesome scenes here. So, the book is not at all for the faint-hearted.

The Cult of Eden is three things in one – occult, the classic good versus evil fight, and a nail-biting thriller. Things go awry quickly for Will and his family. There is no warning. Consequently, the plot is thick with tension. I was at the edge of my seat trying to find out if Will’s family will survive or not.

However, I do have some quibbles with the book. For instance, I did not understand the correlation between the two stories of what was happening to Will and the events unfolding at Amazonas, Brazil. But since this is only the first book in the series, I am sure it will be explored further.

I can read pretty dark fiction, but I was unprepared for the level of gore present in this book. As a result, I sometimes struggled to identify with the characters.

To conclude, The Cult of Eden is a fast-paced, religious fiction, but more importantly, it is the fight between good and evil.

The Cult of Eden by Bill Halpin

BOOK DETAILS

Genre: Occult horror, Thriller || Pages: 336

Trigger warnings: Some intense and violent scenes. Demonic cult and religious themes.

Buy on Amazon.com

Many thanks to Blackthorn Book Tours for organizing this blog tour. Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book. This does not affect my opinion on the book. I opted to provide an honest review on my blog.

AUTHOR BIO

Bill Halpin

Bill Halpin was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, where he grew up on the horror genre. After graduating from the University of Central Florida, Bill moved on to New York City and earned a degree in Optometry from SUNY. Now, he lives and practices in Saratoga Springs, NY and writes in between his appointments. The Cult of Eden is his debut novel.

Author Link(s): Website || Facebook || Instagram

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