The Gods Who Want To Die by Luke McCamley
A devoted mother is torn between love of family, and loyalty to a religious cult leader whose demands become increasingly bizarre-and deadly.
To all appearances, Shelly Grinstead is a happily married woman with three children. But appearances can be deceiving. There’s a dark past behind her, and a greater darkness looms ahead. Shelly is a firm believer in Necrotheism, a religious cult that helps immortal gods end their lives through the ceremonial mock-deaths of cult members. The only problem is, the latest deaths aren’t just ceremonial; they’re real. Someone is killing those who kill the gods, and no one knows who, or what, or how to stop it.
Shelly is also in love with cult leader Magnolia Blanchot, whose increasingly bizarre demands threaten to rip Shelly’s family apart. The police are just as bad in their own way, blackmailing Shelly’s son into playing bait for the killer. Whether that killer be god or man, Shelly’s not sure.
When tragedy strikes close to home, Shelly is forced to choose between loyalty and betrayal, faith and disbelief, life and death-before her tenuous grip on reality slips away….
The Gods Who Want To Die Review
I was compensated with a small amount for my time and effort in reading the book and writing this review. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and are based on my honest personal experience reading the book. Nor did the publisher in any way shape or form ever pressure me to give a positive review.
Shelly Grinstead in The Gods Who Want To Die encounters a terrifying predicament while attempting to make her way through the complex network of a religious cult headed by Magnolia Blanchot. Necrotheism is a religion that promotes the ceremonial death of immortal gods by having its adherents die in a fake way.
However, Shelly finds herself caught up in a dangerous game of allegiance and treachery as these rites turn deadly. As a result of the police manipulating her son and escalating the mayhem, Shelly is forced to face her greatest fears and make difficult decisions. Readers are captivated by McCamley’s story from the beginning, which skillfully combines sacrifice and suspense as Shelly fights to separate fact from fiction and defend those she loves in the face of peril and uncertainty.
Entering the book, I anticipated encountering problematic issues, given Shelly’s romantic involvement with a cult leader. However, the reality proved to be far more distressing than I had imagined. The author fearlessly delves into the depths of cult indoctrination, unflinchingly portraying the horrifying nature of a brainwashed follower. While this unfiltered portrayal is commendable, it also exposes the reader to a myriad of gruesome and unforgivable behaviors that left me utterly shocked and unprepared. Moving forward, it’s imperative for this book to include comprehensive content warnings in its synopsis to better prepare readers for the disturbing content within.
One of my biggest issues is with the ending. While I appreciate the author’s attempt at Shelly’s holistic character development, I find several issues with its execution. Firstly, Shelly commits abhorrent, unforgivable acts that demand consequences, irrespective of her protagonist status. However, I felt these consequences were insufficiently addressed, leaving a sense of unresolved justice. Secondly, I found Shelly’s ambiguous statement, “I want what I believed we were giving the gods all those years ago,” perplexing. It suggests a lingering nostalgia for the cult’s beliefs, which contradicts her supposed transformation.
I am very well aware I, despite being a reviewer myself, am a human and am not without faults. Therefore I want to make it very clear I’m open to corrections in case I misinterpreted anything. But the truth of the matter is this aspect definitely left me confused and uncertain of the author’s intentions.
The writing style also turned out to be yet another major issue for me as well. It alternated between grating eccentricities, like a lot of italics, and an oddly poetic tone that seemed more appropriate for historical literature than a contemporary one. In the end, this contradiction made the novel less enjoyable for me overall.
For the reasons mentioned above, I can’t say that my experience with this book lived up to my expectations. To be clear, I have no problem with challenging themes or flawed protagonists. On the other hand, they must be carried out skillfully. It can be disheartening and leave readers feeling unfulfilled when it falls short, as it did in this instance.
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Rating: 5/5