When the Dadan Indians discovered what grew in the underground caves, they made it a sacrament. When the Ashton family re-discovered it a century later, they used it as a doorway. Now something waits on the other side of that doorway, a vast and malefic intelligence that feeds on human potential and threatens all existence. Can seven college students on summer break stop this primal force from reshaping reality in its own image, or will they be the first to fall before its limitless power?

The cover art is very striking here, with what appears to be a bleeding bird in a scene which does fit into the novel. That's the type of cover that would certainly grab my attention at a bookstore.


The quality of writing in The Cult is very strong overall, with great characterization and some very detailed descriptive language. The first part of the book promises a mystery which draws the reader in, a mystery which is not entirely solved until near the end of the book. As the book focuses on the seven in one location (the summer house) for roughly two thirds of the book there is plenty of time spent on the development of most the characters. I say 'most' because while there is a lot of attention on the protagonists, the backstories of some of the antagonists seem to be curiously absent. While this works as a mystery in some cases, it would have been nice to see some things fleshed out a tad more, such as the relationship between Chloe and Ashton. It's a minor complaint, however, and I did find all of the seven were portrayed in a very believable way considering what they do.

From a technical side, I did find a few grammar errors here and there, but not enough to take away your enjoyment of the book. The Cult might have been stronger with an additional editor going through it with a fine-tooth comb, but only very slightly.

FINAL GRADE: 4 out of 5. Overall this has an interesting mystery in the first half and strong characterization carries it through to the end

The Cult can be found here.