What do you think?
Rate this book
Hymnfire
"It's never easy doing the right thing. Never. Faith, child. New Babylon must be destroyed."
Five people drive east in an old van, incinerated cities and burnt corpses in their wake. Megan Walker’s exceptional gift has made her a household name, and a nationwide hunt chases her group as they near their ultimate goal – change the world.
But Sam Croix, Megan’s boyfriend, isn’t so sure. His doubts surge as Megan's personality inverts – from a scared girl to a savage leader – thanks to a magic hymnbook. The new version of her refuses to let anything get in their way and spreads horror with a snap of her fingers.
Their terrible purpose looms ahead of them, and time is running out. Sam faces a heartbreaking save himself, save the world, or save the girl he loves.
Five people drive east in an old van, incinerated cities and burnt corpses in their wake. Megan Walker’s exceptional gift has made her a household name, and a nationwide hunt chases her group as they near their ultimate goal – change the world.
But Sam Croix, Megan’s boyfriend, isn’t so sure. His doubts surge as Megan's personality inverts – from a scared girl to a savage leader – thanks to a magic hymnbook. The new version of her refuses to let anything get in their way and spreads horror with a snap of her fingers.
Their terrible purpose looms ahead of them, and time is running out. Sam faces a heartbreaking save himself, save the world, or save the girl he loves.
114 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 2, 2025
About a third of the way through, I was sure I'd figured out how this story would end.
I was wrong.
This is a white-knuckled ride through the culminating days of a supernaturally-gifted cult leader's capstone mission, told through the lens of a committed follower who has begun to question the faith.
Those who have known gaslighting and emotional manipulation will identify with the protagonist's sense of helplessness as he trudges ahead, enabling horrific behavior, all the while knowing that none of this can be right.
The action scenes are well written, with excellent pacing. The events move steadily forward while the suspense builds. Terror and violence are expertly conveyed. The characters are memorable, and some of them are downright terrifying. Everyone around the protagonist is fully committed to the leader's mission, compounding the challenge he faces in opposing it.
The timeline flashes back to the past, noting the date in the chapter heading. I admit I found this mildly disorienting at first (I had to flip back to remember which day was the "present"), but I quickly adjusted and it did not detract from the story at all.
I chose four stars because it might have benefited from a round of professional editing, but that is a hurdle for all self-published titles. And even so, the quality of writing stands head and shoulders above its peers.
I was wrong.
This is a white-knuckled ride through the culminating days of a supernaturally-gifted cult leader's capstone mission, told through the lens of a committed follower who has begun to question the faith.
Those who have known gaslighting and emotional manipulation will identify with the protagonist's sense of helplessness as he trudges ahead, enabling horrific behavior, all the while knowing that none of this can be right.
The action scenes are well written, with excellent pacing. The events move steadily forward while the suspense builds. Terror and violence are expertly conveyed. The characters are memorable, and some of them are downright terrifying. Everyone around the protagonist is fully committed to the leader's mission, compounding the challenge he faces in opposing it.
The timeline flashes back to the past, noting the date in the chapter heading. I admit I found this mildly disorienting at first (I had to flip back to remember which day was the "present"), but I quickly adjusted and it did not detract from the story at all.
I chose four stars because it might have benefited from a round of professional editing, but that is a hurdle for all self-published titles. And even so, the quality of writing stands head and shoulders above its peers.
March 22, 2025
I don't have problems with the prose of this book. There were a few sentences that sounded off, but that's all.
The rest of this book, I do have problems with.
The character work is lackluster. For two-thirds of the book, I couldn't tell Patrick or Jiya from a cookie. They had no memorable quirks, no given information, nothing. Megan's motivation for this whole thing is either nonsensical or a lie. Sam at least experiences a nice arc.
The mechanics of the 'magic system' are not explained, and not in a good way. How does Megan get her powers? How are they related to the hymnbook? Who or what is the general? All these questions have no resolution at all.
Speaking of lack of resolution, the ending of the book is pretty bad. Not only do they all die in the end, there's also little satisfaction in the exact circumstances. Given the ending, the book just ends up being 'week in the life of a terrorist gang', and even as that the book doesn't do well.
Thanks to Booksprout for the ARC.
The rest of this book, I do have problems with.
The character work is lackluster. For two-thirds of the book, I couldn't tell Patrick or Jiya from a cookie. They had no memorable quirks, no given information, nothing. Megan's motivation for this whole thing is either nonsensical or a lie. Sam at least experiences a nice arc.
The mechanics of the 'magic system' are not explained, and not in a good way. How does Megan get her powers? How are they related to the hymnbook? Who or what is the general? All these questions have no resolution at all.
Speaking of lack of resolution, the ending of the book is pretty bad. Not only do they all die in the end, there's also little satisfaction in the exact circumstances. Given the ending, the book just ends up being 'week in the life of a terrorist gang', and even as that the book doesn't do well.
Thanks to Booksprout for the ARC.
March 9, 2025
Hymnfire lets us follow the journey of several characters, bent on bringing destruction to the world. Their relationships and origins held surprises until the end!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who like deliberate, steady character development and mysterious magic or abilities. The steady pace of character development kept me page turning until the end!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who like deliberate, steady character development and mysterious magic or abilities. The steady pace of character development kept me page turning until the end!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews