4 crazy cult stars

So, Brandon Massey has me captivated. I just finished a book by him and I needed more. So I immediately jumped into another. And it, too, did not disappoint.

I read this story as quickly as my schedule would allow. I kept picking it up whenever I had a free moment. I needed to know what happened next. This story had perfect pacing. Everything tumbled so naturally into the next ‘omg’.

I loved main characters, Mallory and Ben. They were a perfectly written, slightly flawed, but ultimately strong couple. And Mallory’s tenacity in looking for her sister and cracking the mystery of the cult she uncovers was gripping.

Mr. Massey never fails to entrap me and keep me guessing til the end. The twist in this story, I NEVER saw coming! It was slightly out there, but I said, ‘ok, I’ll roll with it!’

Never has a plot twist made me so angry.

I'm not 100% sure how I felt about this. For now, I'd give it a 3.5 rating. I definitely enjoyed the book, the story was engrossing, consistent eerie tone throughout, efficient writing and overall well paced. As someone with a particular interest in the topic of cults, I felt this piece was well researched and for the most part, well executed.

That said, I have two criticisms -
1) I feel the book could have benefitted from better editing. I hate to nit-pick, but there were a few of moments throughout that word choice seemed off and possibly could have done with an adjustment.
2) **Kind of spoiler** The "twist" felt a bit heavy handed/absurd for me. I see from other reviews that many people seemed to enjoy it, so it's quite possibly just not my taste. But for an otherwise well put together piece on the horrors of cults, it felt jarringly "scooby doo". Definitely didn't expect it though, so job kind of well done?

I wouldn't let these criticism's deter me from recommending this book to others however. It was truly enjoyable and engaging, and I would definitely be eager to read more from Brandon Massey in the future!

Have you ever watched a movie where everything went right in the first half and then the director threw a wrench in the plans and messed everything up? That’s this book. A lifetime movie, if you will, and not a really good one. Just the OK one with ridiculous shit happening to make it pop.

I am a sucker for stories about the foster system, especially when siblings get separated. It is always a question of what will happen to them now. For Mallory, she excelled, while for Liz, life was haphazard. These two found their way back to each other in one of the most unexpected ways.

To start, the cult situation had me intrigued. It was suspenseful and left me wanting more. When it came time for the big reveal, all I kept thinking was, What the hell is really going on here and why? I would’ve loved to see the author go another way with the twist at the end. It felt random and written without complete thought, almost. It immediately soured the book for me. It did not feel believable, but after further research on the author, I see this is a common theme for him. In terms of throwing shit in there just for kicks.

Although the book wasn’t for me, I think the author did a great job of keeping me engaged, and there were even supporting characters I loved. It just didn’t come together well in the end.

3.5/5⭐️

Recommended for people who love thrillers, simple mysteries, and quick reads.

Other questions I had were:

- Mallory and Ben—are they together or friends?— because the line was very thin. She didn’t seem to like him throughout most of the book, but at the end, they have sex. I recognize that she was caught up in the search for her sister, but damn.

- Are these people black? The author makes it a point to let us know that they are, but for some reason, I still don’t feel like they were.

- Could we get more background on how Liz became Father?