I had the pleasure of reading this as an ARC and let me tell you, I devoured it. There is something about a cult and an abandoned amusement park that's just so exciting. My favourite thing about this book is the absolutely incredible lure within this theme park. As the story progresses, you get more and more details about this cult and as each layer is peeled back, it gets crazier and crazier. Pesavento does such a fabulous job at merging many themes here in 90 pages. The character development is rich and the lure within the story will have you begging for more.
There are some more difficult themes that are tackled in this read but I think Joseph does a good job with them. The characters have a lot of depth and he does a good job at creating a realistic character arc for teenagers struggling with their sexual identity coupled with the societal pressures they feel they need to meet. If you think at any point while reading this that you know where it's going, let me tell you, you don't. This will take you for a loop by the end but kind of in the best way. I think there's a lot of really great stuff in this book and I hope Joseph explores it more in future books because I am SO obsessed with this cult. I want to know more, I want more details. This is definitely something really special and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks!
This might be one of the worst things I’ve ever read.
You’re telling me that after being splattered in blood by a murderous HP Lovecraft style creature, you’re worried about going back to the car to suck some dick or discuss your relationship problems??
It’s horribly written, as in technically bad, and none of these characters are likable cuz where are their priorities????
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In this story we follow Dylan, Clyde, Ariel, Leah. When Dylan and Clyde decide they want to visit the abandoned theme park that they grew up going to, Dylan decides to invite his girlfriend, and his girlfriend’s best friend Ariel. Palisades Playland was a theme park for years, when a giant sinkhole took a good amount of the rides with it, the park was forced to shut down. The park is set to be demolished, but before it is Dylan wants to go one more time and enjoy it. When Dylan and his friends get there there’s a bunch of “homeless” people talking about making Dylan and Leah the king and Queen, and that the end is near. They must try and get out before the members of the cult take them to the cathedral.
This was such a phenomenal story, I absolutely loved the characters, I loved to hate others lol. The story was such a fun ride, I have such a good time with anything lovecraftian . The setting for this story was absolutely gorgeous and minus the cult and monster, I would be elated to be joining them to explore the abandoned theme park. The author included some sensitive subjects and dealt with them in a really great way that feels accurate to young adults trying to figure out themselves and the social cues around what it means to be them and I think it was portrayed with care and grace that didn’t feel mocking, which is a hard thing to do in my opinion! Such a great story first read by this author, definitely excited to try more from him!!!
Perfect dose of Lovecraftian horror to follow up The Fisherman. Combines the playground creepiness of Something Wicked This Way Comes with the cosmic, cult horror of the Cthulhu Mythos.
I appreciate a Lovecraftian story that includes characters the author himself would hate. As even the most avid fan knows, he was not the most progressive guy. Which is why today we can take his ideas and update them for a modern audience and world. From TV shows like Lovecraft Country (based on the novel) to the Call of Cthulhu video games and TTRPG of the same title. The Cathedral Dimension and all of these projects have the same fears of the unknown and sanity-breaking effects that the source material has but also reflect a world that looks and feels more like ours.
An abandoned amusement park, queer characters, creepy cult folks, and secrets? Yes please!
I really enjoyed the characters in this, I could see them clearly. Plot was quite straightforward and I was looking for something a bit twistier(which is on me).
Overall, I enjoyed this. I really loved the first half but got lost in the second half(particularly the end). I'm still looking forward to whatever is next for this author.
I will note that the kindle edition I purchased did have several spelling issues, which does happen in the indie realm. It did not detract from my reading/ rating, but I know it does for some.
This was another great read by the amazing Joseph Pesavento. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I couldn’t put this book down. It was a very creepy but fun read.
I absolutely loved that Joseph included the pressures teenagers face with their sexual identity. The fact that they feel they need to hide their sexual identity from family and friends. This is a very touchy subject but Joseph did a great job with it.
The Cult kept me engaged and interested in knowing more about it. Hopefully Joseph will give us another book where we can find out more about the cult’s background like its origin and the people in it.