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The Babylon Project #3

Shores of the Lethe

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What if you discovered your very existence was a lie?

Maela Driscoll, expat, postdoc, and lover of wine and English Romantic poetry, wakes up one morning to be told that she’s been in a coma, after suffering a traumatic brain injury in a violent mugging. Her memories of the past four months – everything she’s done; everyone she’s met – are false, innocent stories told to her as she slept by Kailani Reed, a fellow patient at the Mount Ida sanatorium. A resident of the facility for sixteen years, Kailani suffers from delusions, helplessly cycling between the roles of patient, empath, and secret agent. Her particular nemesis is the Matron, Elizabeth Cole, who favors unorthodox methods of treatment.

Struggling to accept the harsh reality of the sanatorium, Maela and Kai begin to plot together to escape. If the Babylon Project and its fight against Kronos were a fantasy, then they can still try to find a refuge, far from Elizabeth Cole and her helpers. And if everyone the women knew was a fiction, then surely they can at least trust each other?

690 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2023

3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read

About the author

Kate Fry

3 books17 followers

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5 stars
32 (61%)
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15 (28%)
3 stars
4 (7%)
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1 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Cara McInnis.
17 reviews7 followers
November 15, 2023
We’ve been waiting on this one for a bit, and it was worth it.

A paranormal thriller, RH, slow burn, slow build, who chooses. The Fry sisters do a wonderful job bringing together a captivating plot (based on real life government experiments), characters you get emotionally attached to, and touches of the supernatural.

What I loved:
- watching Kai and Mae fight for themselves, for each other, while they trapped in Mount Ida was heartbreaking. They did a soul crushing job of the characters slipping away, fighting to come back, and losing touch with what was real and what was a lie
- Mount Ida was a TRIP. Obviously there were characters we knew were bad from the start, but not all of them. How many were faking? How many were legitimate health care professionals? How many knew what was actually happening and were willing to go with it? I was SO creeped out every time I thought too much about it.
- The subtle hints of supernatural weaved into the story that could otherwise be this reality
- So many well planted pop culture hints and Easter eggs
- I love how the American and European teams held each other together while Kai and Mae were missing

Things I hope to see in the next book!
- More Gemma. And maybe Hook too, just a mention
- More reality checks for the guys that it was Kai and Mae that helped each other survive. I’m glad they tried so hard to get the ladies back, but if the last chapters are any indication, the future might be rough for a while
- WHO ARE ALL THE OLYMPIANS???

None of my predictions for this book were correct. It was crazy how simple things like clocks, colours, and bed sheets, things so ordinary, could become something so horrific and i believe every second of it.

I can’t wait to see how the next book is going to play out!
Profile Image for Brittany Caraballo.
120 reviews
November 11, 2023
I want to write this while I’m still reeling.

And reeling is quite appropriate.

I. AM. CRUSHED.

My heart physically hurts for my girls. My guys. My Jonah. My Lachy. My Jorge. I am just WRECKED.

This is pure perfection prose and I am absolutely HERE FOR IT.

Excellent writing, twisting and well-crafted plot, those little hints and teasers of the Kronos gang just absolutely wrecks you like a fine sangria.

I am so emotionally invested, and I am hurting for them all right now. #Iamnotokay
492 reviews23 followers
November 15, 2023
Down the Rabbit Hole We Go

Book three of the Babylon Project series is the "Alice in Wonderland" installment. The opening quote by Lewis Carroll was a foreglimpse into the future of what we would encounter as we read.

First, I have to say...damn! These ladies can write. They quickly pulled me into a state where I legit felt the madness, anxiety, deep despair, followed by moments of chaotic humor. It wasn't comfortable but it was alluring in a dark way. My heart was breaking by the last few chapters, but I still feel hope. Not all is lost.

Some might say this book lacked the expected romance and heat for this genre, but as I think on that I think of all the moments where these characters are fighting for each other, fighting to get back to each other, living only during their dreams of each other. That's romance at a deep and visceral level, and I soaked up all of those moments of love through the lens of despair. I gorged myself on it. I honestly can't see how they could have encompassed more of the traditional heat and steam without missing the mark on how they moved the plot forward. I absolutely feel the path they took was the best path for this story.

I can't wait to devour book four and then own the complete series and start it anew.
Profile Image for Abbigail (Abbie) Townsend.
43 reviews10 followers
January 21, 2024
Where to start?!?! This book takes you on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. There were times I wanted to cry right along with Kai and Maela or laugh right along with the funny parts. I will say this book will wreck you emotionally if you’re not ready for it, lots of mental health issues brought up as the girls work through things at Mount Ida.

The girls are finally together in book three! (And not in a relationship way, just in proximity). But, before they can reap the benefits of working together as a team they have to figure out what’s real and what’s fake at a mental health facility in Mountain Ida. We watch the girls struggle to face reality and what they remember to be true and what the doctors are telling them to be true. It was great to see the sisterhood bond the girls grew together in this book- heck the end made me cry when they embraced each other over their guys.

We watch the girls guys struggle as they try to find where the girls have been taken. The UK team doing their work in the UK and the US team doing theirs from outside of Seattle Washington in the US. We get to see deeper into the guys and who they are without the girls around. We see them struggle just as much as the girls at certain points- poor Jonah. And we also get some new stories about the girls from the guys povs- Kai’s Easter eggs. And when the US team got their matching tattoos I was ready to go out and get one as well with how emotionally invested I’ve been in this series.

With Mount Ida being almost a playground for the Kronos crew, we get an inside look from Kai and Maela as to who some of the major players are, though by the end of the book I definitely have more questions as to who’s who when it comes to the Olympians.

While this isn’t a normal romance book for your typical rh/why choose genre. In fact some might argue that there is no romance in this book. But I’d say we get a different type of romance in this book, it’s not the normal romance but we get to see how deeply the guys care for the girls and the faith the girls have in their guys. And yes the girls are away from the guys for the majority of the book, but I can tell that Kate and Elise have major reasons for this, and the character building that needed to happen while they were all separated will come into play.

Elise and Kate really embraced the Alice in Wonderland/ We’re all mad here for this book, the book started off with an Alice and Wonderland quote, and continued the theme throughout the book.

Like I said this book was harder to read as someone who struggles with mental health as well it was a bit difficult at times. I found myself impatient at times waiting for the girls and guys to reunite, but the ending made it all worthwhile.

I can’t wait to see where Elise and Kate take us in book 4 Olympus Burning!
Profile Image for Lynnzie (lynnziebooks).
437 reviews46 followers
November 13, 2023
I have lots of thoughts but I will keep it spoiler free and then the last section after the asterisks will have some potential spoilers but anything above is safe!

I may have started to sob at one point. This book has some darker harder content and so many different emotions. If you’ve read the last book, you’ll have an idea as to what to expect from this book. I really wanted to do anything to help the girls. I really adored the friendship the girls have built. Their bond is next level and it was heartbreaking yet wholesome at the same time. They are everything to me.

I was not ready for the book to end. I love these girls and their journey going forward is going to be rough but I know they will see the other side and these authors will do it justice. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

*******************Spoilers*******************

I saw someone else say they hope the guys get more of a reality check in the next book and I fully agree. No lie they annoyed me near the end, they have no idea what they’ve been through.

My main issue with the book was the pacing, it was a bit too slow for me and the reunion took a little too long. After finishing, I totally get the point of the long wait but while reading it was a bit harder. I really got into it once they finally escaped, the entire story transformed for me and I was sad for it to end so soon.

Also I’m case you’re curious, the moment I sobbed was when the girls saw each other for the first time since the river. That and them interacting around the guys outside with Gemma just had me breaking down. I love their bond and can’t wait to see more of those moments.
Profile Image for Ines.
1,325 reviews47 followers
November 7, 2023
* 6 stars!

Wow… Seriously; wow…!
This book left me with so many feelings, I don’t know how to sort through them all. I’m having one of those “what am I supposed to do with my life right now?” - moments… I’m feeling too much at the moment.

To be honest, I didn’t devour this book the same way I did book one and two. There were even times I had to put it down for 30 minutes or an hour. Never because I didn’t like it, but because the emotions became so overwhelming I was losing myself in the hurt, the despair, the anger and so much more. The things that happen in this book are heartbreaking, with a touch of unexpected beauty and resilience, but the emotional damage is real. Maybe it hit me even stronger being close to people suffering from mental health issues, but I’m pretty sure this story will move everyone.

I love this series, I absolutely do. It’s so original, with massive plot development, and I feel connected to these characters in a way only few authors ever manage to do. This third book takes a psychologically dark tour, and I was happy to have some of the men’s POV’s in between to take me away from everything happening to Kailani and Maela. The ending isn’t as big of a cliffhanger compared to book two, but somehow it still hit me just as hard. There are always characters who you’re almost desperate to see them reach their happy ever after, and some of these are at the top of my list. I’ll count the days until book four arrives, but masterpieces like this can’t be rushed…
Profile Image for 4foxsake.
892 reviews14 followers
November 27, 2023
this was a long book.

So this series is pretty crazy no pun intended and while I appreciate the authors’ attempts for a slow reveal and to immerse ourselves in the psychological mystery of it all, we did not need a whole book on psychological torture. The back and forth about the leads and every team member was good. The bonding, the challenges and small triumphs kept me going. The kidnapping, drugging and mental torture were not so great and honestly, were way too much.

***spoilers****









I ended up skimming many of them/Maela chapters after about 30-50% because it was literally the same over and over again. They don’t know what’s real, they are being tortured. It really didn’t seem to add a lot of value to the storyline tbh. And the way they *got out* was so freaking far fetched. I don’t know, they committed to it but I don’t think the story is better for it unfortunately.

Hopefully in the next book we will actually get somewhere and not half a book about torture and bromance. Don’t get me wrong the authors are great storytellers, but this book could have seriously been condensed and moved the plot ahead IMO.
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
20 reviews
November 15, 2023
The things I love most about Kate and Elise Fry's books is the incredible writing, amazing world building and the in depth character and relationship development. And Shores of Lethe lived up to my expectations on all these fronts. I loved getting to know all the MMCs better and watching how they handled the challenges they faced in this book. Each of their chapters really showed their unique personalities and voices. The FMC chapters were difficult to read at times because of the trials and tribulations the ladies were facing, but again the writing shone and I felt like I was living their experiences with them. I would definitely heed the trigger warnings listed in the first few pages because the mental health related content can be very intense. I loved how the sisters built suspense throughout this book and I cannot wait to see how all the breadcrumbs they have been dropping along the way come together in the final installment.
Profile Image for Booksfordays40.
291 reviews4 followers
November 21, 2023
In book 3 we have a collision of the 2 groups as the girls forge their friendship in a dark and messed up attempt to control them. The writing is brilliant. The research that is put into this series is amazing. You’re immersed in the story. And it made me extremely uncomfortable and on edge to read through what the girls (ladies, they aren’t kids) were enduring. This book was filled with frustration and desperation. Like another review said, they had to put it down several times to come to terms with their emotions. I felt similarly. But I wanted to get to the end… just to get them to a different spot… just to get a glimmer of hope. This book is very different from the typical books in this genre. It’s thought provoking, it’s a necessary journey and you have to wait for the steam. I’m invested in these characters, and I just hope that the HEA is worth the gut wrenching journey that this third book was.
Profile Image for Jazzy N.
30 reviews
September 8, 2025
I love the exploration of mental health and that you can see the 2 fmcs slowly losing their minds. but I do think the beginning of the book was dragged on and on. it become very repetitive at some points and that was a hard to read. I like how fully fleshout it is but its very drawn out. I had a simulator problem in the 2nd book where the plot would reach a stand still and nothing is progressing. also since there was so much time spent in one plot point, the ending was so rushed, but honestly i was relieved it was over. I like the writing style and the content and how love is written about in this book. Definitely one of my favorites but I wonder if or when the 4th book comes out bc this book was released in late 2023. Something that took me out of the story consistently was not nothing now the story was going to resolved with that much of the content being focused on one thing but hopefully book 4 is good. im excited to see Maela and Kai healed in that book.
Profile Image for Melissa Hickman.
1,042 reviews14 followers
November 15, 2023
Completely Heartbreakingly Amazing

This book was so hard to read but so necessary. Our precious Kai, and Maela are put through some very trauma inducing things. The true evil of Kronos is revealed and it’s horrific. As terrible as it is, I believe it’s a blessing in disguise because our wonderful MMC’s strengthen their bond to each other and we learn just how strong Maela and Kai are. Kronos and the people involved need to be taken down and our girls and the men that love them are just the force to do it!

The writing as usual is absolutely brilliant and the research these authors must do is evident. I’m completely in love with these characters and so invested in this epic story! I’m just going to continually reread these books until the fourth book comes out!!!!!!! I CANNOT recommend these books enough!!!
Profile Image for kjbooknerd.
13 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2023
Ughsmwndbw, yeah that’s all I can say!!!

Dang you Kate and Elise! So many damn feelings in this book and it was just prefect, absolutely perfect.

Mae and Kai hold such a special place in my heart! I felt like I was there with them through everything. Book 4…. Need…now!I stumbled around my house tablet in hand while reading because I didn’t want to put it down. This book will tear your heart out, stomp on it and then hand it back to you.
Kai and Mae grow so much in this book and go through absolute torment.
The simplest things may not always be what they seem.
Truly excited for book 4 and ready for these girls to get justice!
1 review
November 15, 2023
The third instalment in The Babylon Project delivered such an incredibly well written diabolical evil plot that you can’t help but want to follow the plot to its conclusion.

The book is so different from the regular expectations that often follow an RH book. But honestly I think that makes this series stand out from the pack. Honestly these authors are so good at drawing you into the story and making it relatable... that at times I felt like I was going crazy alongside the FMCs.

This book is at times hard to read, but merely because of how well the authors describe the predicament that Kai and Mae have fallen into. I truly am amazed by this story and cannot recommend it highly enough.
Profile Image for Lisa.
46 reviews7 followers
November 15, 2023
Loved this third instalment of this series. I especially loved getting to know the guys some more in this and especially seeing Kai’s guys bond more.

This was was dealt with so many heavy things too and from such a unique viewpoint. If you read Gates of Tartarus then you know what I mean🤯🤯🤯🤯.

I also loved seeing our FMCs get to know each other more even though the situation was incredibly stressful. Which brings me to for real CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS with this one. While the other two definitely dealt with some heavy topics this one does to in a new way.

I can not wait to see where this goes next!!!!
158 reviews1 follower
November 30, 2025
4.25 ⭐️- this wasn’t my favorite of the series but I also don’t know how to rate this book. This book is thick and full of gaslighting and brainwashing. I think everything was intentional by the authors. Weird, disturbing things happen. I felt like I was right there with Kai and Maela… slowly losing touch with reality. It all served a purpose and that’s what I have to tell myself as I await the fourth book. It’s also why I am torn between rounding up to five ⭐️ or keeping 4.

Anxiously awaiting closure to Kai’s and Maela’s horrific experiences.
Profile Image for Tannith.
323 reviews2 followers
November 19, 2023
I love this series, and did really enjoy this book, all though I found it a bit hard going due to my own triggers require mental hospitals. Poor Kai and Meela! And poor guys, being without them, and all they are going through. Great writing and great twists. Excited to see what comes next
12 reviews2 followers
June 23, 2024
I need the 4th book literally immediately I’m so bamboozled by this book and need to know what happens next
Profile Image for Lee.
125 reviews
November 28, 2023
i don't know how to feel. this was just brutal - mentally i mean
this was like 650 pages of torture and basically no fluff at all
Profile Image for DBR Editing.
376 reviews10 followers
November 20, 2023
Elise Fry and Kate are instant 5 star writers for me. This 3rd book was amazing. To read all the main characters, go through trials, and fight to get stronger was amazing. I can't wait to see how they round out the series.
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