Calling this book a wild ride doesn't quite do it justice. It kicks off in a psychiatric unit, where a woman who looks uncannily like Thea, a social worker, is admitted with no memory of who she is. From there, things escalate from strange to utterly unhinged as Thea sets out to find her now missing patient. Her search leads her deep into the heart of a cult riddled with religious symbolism and manipulation, preying on the vulnerable and lost.

If you're fascinated by the psychological twists of cults and the mental and emotional manipulation they inflict, then this book will draw you in. While it reminded me of Midsommar, it eventually veered more into Twin Flame or Mother of God territory with less atmospheric horror and more of a chaotic spiritual delusion.

I’m torn about how to rate this one. There were moments I genuinely loved, especially the intense and unsettling situations Thea finds herself in. However, I struggled with her character development. She’s introduced as a strong, capable woman who recognizes the cult for what it is and yet somehow still ends up utterly consumed by it. That disconnect ultimately frustrated me. And while the cult’s madness had potential, it felt too scattered and overly obsessed with sex to fully land.

*Thank you to Julia Bartz, Atria Books  and Netgalley for the digital copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.