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A Cathedral of Death
114 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2025
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 7, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book two in the Violence & Death series picks up right where A Symphony of Violence left off, this time following Sandra, sister to the first book’s MC, as she’s pulled deeper into the Draugr underworld alongside the mysterious and terrifying Skoll (who I am officially swooning over). If Lawler ever decides to write a full-blown Skoll dark romance, just know I will be first in line.
This book is brutal, visceral, and fast-paced in all the best ways. Lawler’s fight scenes are next-level. Every moment of body horror, every brutal takedown, every desperate grab for survival feels sharp and cinematic. It’s clear he loves choreographing carnage.
But what really impressed me this time was Sandra. Lawler makes a clear, conscious choice not to sexualize her, even when the world around her tries to. And thank god for that. She’s offered the chance to sell her body for protection, for power and refuses. Instead, she fights,claws her way to every inch of ground she gains. It’s refreshing to see a female character in horror written with such respect and complexity, especially in a story that tackles such grim territory.
The themes here are heavy: abuse, addiction, trauma, religious corruption, gang violence, but if you made it through A Symphony of Violence, you already know what you’re signing up for. And somehow, amidst all that darkness, Lawler still manages to sneak in characters you root for and relationships that matter. Gertraud? An absolute badass. 😈 I would love to see more of her. (Lawler. I’m starting a list. A Skoll dark romance. More Gertraud. Just not together. Please. For the love of God.)
A Cathedral of Death is a gripping descent into violence, power, and revenge with just enough heart to make it hurt. I devoured it.
Book two in the Violence & Death series picks up right where A Symphony of Violence left off, this time following Sandra, sister to the first book’s MC, as she’s pulled deeper into the Draugr underworld alongside the mysterious and terrifying Skoll (who I am officially swooning over). If Lawler ever decides to write a full-blown Skoll dark romance, just know I will be first in line.
This book is brutal, visceral, and fast-paced in all the best ways. Lawler’s fight scenes are next-level. Every moment of body horror, every brutal takedown, every desperate grab for survival feels sharp and cinematic. It’s clear he loves choreographing carnage.
But what really impressed me this time was Sandra. Lawler makes a clear, conscious choice not to sexualize her, even when the world around her tries to. And thank god for that. She’s offered the chance to sell her body for protection, for power and refuses. Instead, she fights,claws her way to every inch of ground she gains. It’s refreshing to see a female character in horror written with such respect and complexity, especially in a story that tackles such grim territory.
The themes here are heavy: abuse, addiction, trauma, religious corruption, gang violence, but if you made it through A Symphony of Violence, you already know what you’re signing up for. And somehow, amidst all that darkness, Lawler still manages to sneak in characters you root for and relationships that matter. Gertraud? An absolute badass. 😈 I would love to see more of her. (Lawler. I’m starting a list. A Skoll dark romance. More Gertraud. Just not together. Please. For the love of God.)
A Cathedral of Death is a gripping descent into violence, power, and revenge with just enough heart to make it hurt. I devoured it.
September 20, 2025
Sandra has been through a lot since the foster care system. She became enveloped in the drug world, specifically the gang Draugr and the distribution of the unique drug Galdur. She was a trusted employee and mercenary for the gang but then was part of a giant battle at the main drug house where she was the only survivor. She awakes in a strange place and realizes that a man named Skroll had helped her escape. Now, they team up to take out the head hancho drug lord Anders before he gets to Sandra first.
A cathedral used as a cover for an underground drug lab. How quaint.
Sandra harbors hatred and resentment in her heart for her brother but that soon changes after she meets up with Skroll.
I dig Skroll as a character and would love to hear more about him. He’s quiet, curt, innovative, ruthless and a very good killer.
Less violent but still a great story. A solid sequel! Plus we get to hear a different POV from events that took place in A Symphony of Violence. A well rounded story about survival, perseverance and some revenge. I wonder if there will be a book 3 🤔
A cathedral used as a cover for an underground drug lab. How quaint.
Sandra harbors hatred and resentment in her heart for her brother but that soon changes after she meets up with Skroll.
I dig Skroll as a character and would love to hear more about him. He’s quiet, curt, innovative, ruthless and a very good killer.
Less violent but still a great story. A solid sequel! Plus we get to hear a different POV from events that took place in A Symphony of Violence. A well rounded story about survival, perseverance and some revenge. I wonder if there will be a book 3 🤔
December 19, 2025
TD Lawler is back with another brutal psychological thriller that will leave your stomach heaving and the most vividly described violent scenes etched into your brain long after you’ve finished reading it.
A Cathedral of Death is the sequel to A Symphony of Violence which is one of my favourite reads so far this year and yes Travis has pushed his new short story to new limits so it’s now my favourite.
So I don’t want to spoil a single aspect for this story so how can I describe it for you without giving anything away? Well as violent and wild as the actions of the protagonists were in Symphony, Travis has ramped it up to a whole other terrifying level. I was lucky enough to get snippets from Cathedral while Travis was writing it, but nothing prepared me for the inventiveness of the killing carried out by my favourite deranged and unhinged character (you meet him in Symphony but he evolves to an even more sadistic and sinister killer in this story!)
Travis’ creativity always amazes me, his ability to get you completely invested in the morally grey characters (who am I kidding, these characters are some messed up, sadistic people) is a testament to his writing skills which are going from strength to strength with each story he publishes. Go check out his other work because he’s one to watch!
Travis also tried to break my heart with the final scenes of Cathedral but man is it one hell of an ending.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller that hits hard and leaves you questioning why the hell you enjoy these kind of stories so much, check out A Cathedral of Death.
Thanks Travis for trusting me with another of your Skoll-shaped babies.
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Cathedral of Death is the sequel to A Symphony of Violence which is one of my favourite reads so far this year and yes Travis has pushed his new short story to new limits so it’s now my favourite.
So I don’t want to spoil a single aspect for this story so how can I describe it for you without giving anything away? Well as violent and wild as the actions of the protagonists were in Symphony, Travis has ramped it up to a whole other terrifying level. I was lucky enough to get snippets from Cathedral while Travis was writing it, but nothing prepared me for the inventiveness of the killing carried out by my favourite deranged and unhinged character (you meet him in Symphony but he evolves to an even more sadistic and sinister killer in this story!)
Travis’ creativity always amazes me, his ability to get you completely invested in the morally grey characters (who am I kidding, these characters are some messed up, sadistic people) is a testament to his writing skills which are going from strength to strength with each story he publishes. Go check out his other work because he’s one to watch!
Travis also tried to break my heart with the final scenes of Cathedral but man is it one hell of an ending.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller that hits hard and leaves you questioning why the hell you enjoy these kind of stories so much, check out A Cathedral of Death.
Thanks Travis for trusting me with another of your Skoll-shaped babies.
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 10, 2025
Love the full circle of Sandra and Skoll, showing the other perspective of the story set in Symphony of Violence.
Much less violent than its predecessor but still contains some raw emotion, and the power of chosen family. And you get a little bit of humanity in the brick vigilante. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s still dark, bloody and will have you checking all the shadows.
Much less violent than its predecessor but still contains some raw emotion, and the power of chosen family. And you get a little bit of humanity in the brick vigilante. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s still dark, bloody and will have you checking all the shadows.
June 11, 2025
Absolutely amazing sequel to the first book A symphony of violence! I've read all but one of Travis's books, and this definitely bumps him up to one of my favorite authors.
The writing is suspenseful, and the plot completely keeps the fun gory twists coming.
The writing is suspenseful, and the plot completely keeps the fun gory twists coming.
June 2, 2025
This follow up to "A Symphony of Violence" was every bit as gory, heartbreaking, terrifying, and jaw-dropping as the first book. Only Mr. Lawler can create characters that you simultaneously are rooting for and horrified by. This isn't for the faint of heart, but it's definitely a bloody good time!
June 2, 2025
This is part 2. Please read Part 1, A Symphony of Destruction (it’s free if anyone is on a budget, and it’s really good).
Both on indireads so checl it out [PS this is not spondsored or anything; I love the site and spend my own money]
We follow Sister (yes, that’s what I call her lol) and Skoll again, and I mean it when I say, if you’re someone who’s deeply religious (especially Catholic) and doesn’t take well to jokes or critiques, maybe skip this one. But if you can handle dark humor and straight-up blasphemy, READ IT.
We get her POV now. We see what she’s been through, how she’s changed, and what shaped her before and after book one. And Skoll? We get more of him too, but make no mistake, he’s not the star here and just as mysterious. They both are. The relationship they build in this book is entirely their own; connected to book one, yes, but also different. It’s layered, messy, and deeply human.
I especially loved watching her grow into herself—finding her voice, her strength, and her ability to assert what she wants and who she is. Sometimes life circles us back to the things we thought we’d lost or didn’t deserve, and this book touches that nerve. Forgiveness, grief, survival, hope, renewal. Mind you, this looks different for everyone, and for our characters? That’s murder and chaos.
And this book? This is Lawler stepping confidently into his voice. You can tell he’s more comfortable, more playful, and more brutal in the best ways. The balance of grief, humor, pain, and survival—it’s all here. That human heartbeat behind every page.
And yeah, if you’ve read this far and you’re thinking, “Okay, girl, relax, it’s not that deep.” I’m going to need you to go read Lawler’s books. Then come back.
P.S. READ THIS NEXT PART ONLY AFTER BOTH BOOKS. TRUST ME.
.
.
.
.
For my dark romance friends: Okay, but we need to convince Lawler to write a full dark romance with new characters. Skoll, right?! You see it too?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU SEE IT.
Both on indireads so checl it out [PS this is not spondsored or anything; I love the site and spend my own money]
We follow Sister (yes, that’s what I call her lol) and Skoll again, and I mean it when I say, if you’re someone who’s deeply religious (especially Catholic) and doesn’t take well to jokes or critiques, maybe skip this one. But if you can handle dark humor and straight-up blasphemy, READ IT.
We get her POV now. We see what she’s been through, how she’s changed, and what shaped her before and after book one. And Skoll? We get more of him too, but make no mistake, he’s not the star here and just as mysterious. They both are. The relationship they build in this book is entirely their own; connected to book one, yes, but also different. It’s layered, messy, and deeply human.
I especially loved watching her grow into herself—finding her voice, her strength, and her ability to assert what she wants and who she is. Sometimes life circles us back to the things we thought we’d lost or didn’t deserve, and this book touches that nerve. Forgiveness, grief, survival, hope, renewal. Mind you, this looks different for everyone, and for our characters? That’s murder and chaos.
And this book? This is Lawler stepping confidently into his voice. You can tell he’s more comfortable, more playful, and more brutal in the best ways. The balance of grief, humor, pain, and survival—it’s all here. That human heartbeat behind every page.
And yeah, if you’ve read this far and you’re thinking, “Okay, girl, relax, it’s not that deep.” I’m going to need you to go read Lawler’s books. Then come back.
P.S. READ THIS NEXT PART ONLY AFTER BOTH BOOKS. TRUST ME.
.
.
.
.
For my dark romance friends: Okay, but we need to convince Lawler to write a full dark romance with new characters. Skoll, right?! You see it too?! PLEASE TELL ME YOU SEE IT.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews