Disciple by A.G. Mock, Book Two of the New Apocrypha.
5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After reading, and loving, The Little Woods last Spring, this was an easy buy. The story follows the devastating events of the first book.
Young Dianne, has discovered her mental abilities, and some disheartening memories that have been suppressed. Her uncle Ian warps her mind with darkness. We also learn that she has a new brother, a miracle baby named Simon Peter. This new addition to the family has an aura, a spiritual quality that Dianne can feel. He is engrossing, hypnotizing, and a natural influencer; or deceiter.
Dianne is institutionalized after a family tragedy, which she is blamed for. estrangement follows. After breaking free, she discovers Simon is the phenomenon her intuitions hinted at. A viral video of the boy’s gifts blind the world. A cult following flocks to Simon, following his lead, lusting for the redemption and salvation only he can deliver. Is he the new messiah?
Simon knows that Dianne is special, too; possibly an imposing threat to his arching plan. He hunts her down, snuffing out hope, plunging the reader into the abyss of desperation and agony. All is lost until the miraculous happens; which I will not spoil.
As in his prequel, The Little Woods, there are moments of wordiness throughout the book; excessive use of adjectives and adverbs, which slow the story’s rhythm and pace. I had to look up a few words, find their meaning before continuing. 😀 But, overall, the writing is poetic, infused with vivid imagery and senses.
What a heart wrenching, tormenting ride. Mock delivers again, escorting us through the depravity of envy, and our natural instinct to believe with our eyes instead of our hearts. He buries you, nose deep in quicksand, sucking the life and breath from your withered chest, before reaching out and pulling you free from hopelessness. The writing is poetic, infused with vivid imagery and senses.
The subject matter is thick, and terrifying. If the eternal battle of darkness and light, demons and angels, catholic dogma, aren’t triggers, read it. Highly recommended.