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The King and the Pallid Mask
“Strange is the night where black stars rise. And strange moons circle through the skies. But stranger still is Lost Carcosa.”
Kyle Hawkes has made a career chasing ghosts on camera, exploring haunted ruins and unraveling old legends. But when an unaired episode of his paranormal series leaks online, it triggers a chain reaction that unearths a scandal the Vatican buried decades ago.
From the alleys of London to the catacombs beneath Rome, Kyle and his partner Ella are hunted by a ruthless cabal obsessed with summoning the King in Yellow. Their only hope lies in tracking down Father Zacharias, a long-missing exorcist who once stood before the Masked God—and lost his mind.
As myth bleeds into reality and reason yields to terror, they must confront an ancient power whose secrets offer unspeakable power… and utter madness.
“Night fell, and the hours dragged on, but still we murmured to each other of the King and the Pallid Mask.”
Kyle Hawkes has made a career chasing ghosts on camera, exploring haunted ruins and unraveling old legends. But when an unaired episode of his paranormal series leaks online, it triggers a chain reaction that unearths a scandal the Vatican buried decades ago.
From the alleys of London to the catacombs beneath Rome, Kyle and his partner Ella are hunted by a ruthless cabal obsessed with summoning the King in Yellow. Their only hope lies in tracking down Father Zacharias, a long-missing exorcist who once stood before the Masked God—and lost his mind.
As myth bleeds into reality and reason yields to terror, they must confront an ancient power whose secrets offer unspeakable power… and utter madness.
“Night fell, and the hours dragged on, but still we murmured to each other of the King and the Pallid Mask.”
279 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2025
20 people want to read
About the author
Frank Cavallo
15 books42 followersFrank Cavallo's dark fantasy "The Rites of Azathoth" has just been given a Second Edition from the Evil Cookie. His weird western "The Hand of Osiris" has also been re-released recently, keeping the dark and twisted legacy of David Barnett's Necro Publications alive and well.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 18, 2025
The King and the Pallid Mask by Frank Cavallo is a delightfully dark and twisted look into the sinister forces lurking just beyond our world, who use humanity as pawns in their sick machinations. Blending horror, mystery, and supernatural elements, the story relates what happens to those who investigate their world and the consequences of uncovering those secrets.
We follow Kyle Hawkes, a writer and popular paranormal investigator. His final story, before attempting to get into legitimate reporting, was on a young girl’s demonic possession in Italy in 1997 and the Vatican’s involvement in covering up what truly happened. Though Kyle and his fiancée, Ella, decided never to release the footage, a hacker leaked parts of it online.
This breach of secrecy draws the attention of an Italian Baron, whose family belongs to an ancient, secretive order known as the Venatores Maleficarum. The Baron offers Kyle’s producer, Alec, a significant deal to broadcast the full story and include footage from the Baron’s castle in Turin. Though hesitant and worried about betraying Ella’s trust, Kyle allows Alec to investigate the offer.
Spurred by the possibility of releasing the story, he pays a visit to a former Vatican Cardinal, seeking out information on one of the missing pieces from the original research, the priest who performed the exorcism. But the mysterious Father Zacharias Stilicho finds him, warning him that there are forces in the shadows that he has put into motion, and if he doesn’t join him, his life may be at risk.
First, to be completely transparent, I am a big fan of The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, which led me to select this book to see what Frank Cavallo would do with the original stories that even influenced H.P. Lovecraft’s The Whisperer in Darkness. I was not disappointed.
Reader be warned, this story is not for the squeamish. The opening scene is brutal, involving a detailed description of both physical and mental torture. But what follows is a story filled with tension, morally gray choices, and a creeping sense of doom with a healthy dose of absolute horror I haven’t seen in a while. Cavallo excels at building a tension-filled atmosphere with Kyle’s descent into the darkest corners of reality and his struggle between truth and obsession.
Fans of Lovecraftian horror, religious conspiracies, and layered mythologies will find plenty to savor here. The King and the Pallid Mask isn’t just about monsters in the dark. It’s about the terrifying cost of dragging those monsters into the light and the horrific realization of how insignificant humanity is to them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Many thanks to the publisher, Evil Cookie Publishing, the author, Frank Cavallo, and Book Sirens for allowing me to review this book.
We follow Kyle Hawkes, a writer and popular paranormal investigator. His final story, before attempting to get into legitimate reporting, was on a young girl’s demonic possession in Italy in 1997 and the Vatican’s involvement in covering up what truly happened. Though Kyle and his fiancée, Ella, decided never to release the footage, a hacker leaked parts of it online.
This breach of secrecy draws the attention of an Italian Baron, whose family belongs to an ancient, secretive order known as the Venatores Maleficarum. The Baron offers Kyle’s producer, Alec, a significant deal to broadcast the full story and include footage from the Baron’s castle in Turin. Though hesitant and worried about betraying Ella’s trust, Kyle allows Alec to investigate the offer.
Spurred by the possibility of releasing the story, he pays a visit to a former Vatican Cardinal, seeking out information on one of the missing pieces from the original research, the priest who performed the exorcism. But the mysterious Father Zacharias Stilicho finds him, warning him that there are forces in the shadows that he has put into motion, and if he doesn’t join him, his life may be at risk.
First, to be completely transparent, I am a big fan of The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, which led me to select this book to see what Frank Cavallo would do with the original stories that even influenced H.P. Lovecraft’s The Whisperer in Darkness. I was not disappointed.
Reader be warned, this story is not for the squeamish. The opening scene is brutal, involving a detailed description of both physical and mental torture. But what follows is a story filled with tension, morally gray choices, and a creeping sense of doom with a healthy dose of absolute horror I haven’t seen in a while. Cavallo excels at building a tension-filled atmosphere with Kyle’s descent into the darkest corners of reality and his struggle between truth and obsession.
Fans of Lovecraftian horror, religious conspiracies, and layered mythologies will find plenty to savor here. The King and the Pallid Mask isn’t just about monsters in the dark. It’s about the terrifying cost of dragging those monsters into the light and the horrific realization of how insignificant humanity is to them.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Many thanks to the publisher, Evil Cookie Publishing, the author, Frank Cavallo, and Book Sirens for allowing me to review this book.
July 18, 2025
Thank you Reedsy and Frank Cavallo for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I am beyond words - this novel is EXACTLY the Lovecraftian cosmic horror that I have been looking for. It is so cinematic and infused with enough intriguing mysteries along the way that leave you wanting more - and after that ending, I want more!
The story starts with a gruesome opening scene in medias res, where we see a character literally impaled from his anus all through his mouth, and it immediately sets the tone of the novel: No character is safe and the stakes are high. From then on, we double back to follow the story linearly through the eyes of our protagonists, Kyle and Ella, anchoring us in this world while reality comes undone around them and threatens to plunge all into madness in preparation for the coming of the King in Yellow.
Cavallo delves in the tradition of Lovecraft and borrows heavily from Chambers’ novel of the same name. While the latter is unfamiliar to me apart from the quick search in the wiki that is derived from the book, I think Cavallo has done Chambers’ work tremendously justice from what I’ve read. It expands on the lore rather than merely referencing it, and true to the premise, we see the entity show up in a very unexpected but welcome way at the end. The structure of the novel is so well paced and built on previous reveals that one is never lost in this lore-filled story. We are always in the safe guiding hands of the author, and it makes the story such an easy read.
Narratively, while seemingly a simple story of heroes fighting against acolytes to prevent an inter-dimensional big bad from crossing over to our own, Cavallo manages to weave enough mystery and intrigue into the it that makes you yearn for more. His writing style is perfectly suited for this genre that you’re always in suspense for the next moments, and the twists are always unexpected but satisfying.
Speaking about the twists, they are so good! Every set-up is paid off, every build-up is revealed at the perfect moment. Every moment that was revealed, I definitely did not see it coming, which makes for such a satisfying read. That name reveal and that relationship reveal - chef’s kiss. That’s how Cavallo keeps you hooked, because at certain points of the story, I wonder why a character behaves a certain way, and when the missing piece of the puzzle is revealed, their actions finally make sense.
I hope that this novel attracts as wide of a readership when it releases, because selfishly, I want a continuation of the story and fingers crossed, an adaptation into a limited series. There is a lot that can be done here, as I’m sure there is appetite out there for true Lovecraftian horror (see The Ritual by David Bruckner, Annihilation by Alex Garland and anything made by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead). I hope that I have done enough with this review to help this novel forward.
I am beyond words - this novel is EXACTLY the Lovecraftian cosmic horror that I have been looking for. It is so cinematic and infused with enough intriguing mysteries along the way that leave you wanting more - and after that ending, I want more!
The story starts with a gruesome opening scene in medias res, where we see a character literally impaled from his anus all through his mouth, and it immediately sets the tone of the novel: No character is safe and the stakes are high. From then on, we double back to follow the story linearly through the eyes of our protagonists, Kyle and Ella, anchoring us in this world while reality comes undone around them and threatens to plunge all into madness in preparation for the coming of the King in Yellow.
Cavallo delves in the tradition of Lovecraft and borrows heavily from Chambers’ novel of the same name. While the latter is unfamiliar to me apart from the quick search in the wiki that is derived from the book, I think Cavallo has done Chambers’ work tremendously justice from what I’ve read. It expands on the lore rather than merely referencing it, and true to the premise, we see the entity show up in a very unexpected but welcome way at the end. The structure of the novel is so well paced and built on previous reveals that one is never lost in this lore-filled story. We are always in the safe guiding hands of the author, and it makes the story such an easy read.
Narratively, while seemingly a simple story of heroes fighting against acolytes to prevent an inter-dimensional big bad from crossing over to our own, Cavallo manages to weave enough mystery and intrigue into the it that makes you yearn for more. His writing style is perfectly suited for this genre that you’re always in suspense for the next moments, and the twists are always unexpected but satisfying.
Speaking about the twists, they are so good! Every set-up is paid off, every build-up is revealed at the perfect moment. Every moment that was revealed, I definitely did not see it coming, which makes for such a satisfying read. That name reveal and that relationship reveal - chef’s kiss. That’s how Cavallo keeps you hooked, because at certain points of the story, I wonder why a character behaves a certain way, and when the missing piece of the puzzle is revealed, their actions finally make sense.
I hope that this novel attracts as wide of a readership when it releases, because selfishly, I want a continuation of the story and fingers crossed, an adaptation into a limited series. There is a lot that can be done here, as I’m sure there is appetite out there for true Lovecraftian horror (see The Ritual by David Bruckner, Annihilation by Alex Garland and anything made by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead). I hope that I have done enough with this review to help this novel forward.
August 2, 2025
Frank Cavallo’s The King and the Pallid Mask is a must-read for the morbid curious. Our hero, Kyle Hawkes, is drawn to the shocking and dangerous, building a career on investigating the unbelievable, from ghost hunting to exploring haunted ruins, and has developed a knack for uncovering the truth. But, fallout from a leak of a never-aired episode on Vatican secrets puts him on the radar of a sadistic cult fixated on summoning the King in Yellow, and the only hope lies in a missing exorcist branded to have lost his mind years ago.
A desired return to real world journalism propels Mr. Hawkes’s crusade from the alleys of London to the underbelly of Rome, accompanied by his partner, Ella. Together, they must face heart-stopping horrors unleashed by the followers of the Masked God, whose ancient power brings blood-curdling sacrifices as myth bleeds into reality.
Cavallo’s otherworldly horror grips readers with punchy dialogue, gritty descriptions, and authentic lore. Every crude detail haunts you in disturbingly similar fashion to the torture inflicted on victims in the Hellraiser franchise. From the first chapter to the last, the book offers a relentless series of twists, turns, and torments, expertly crafted to bring the nightmarish world of Carcosa into our own, promising a cosmic delight and descent into madness.
Not every story can deliver an intelligent, thrilling, and blood-soaked tale, but The King and the Pallid Mask showcases Cavallo’s masterful ability to do so. Many scenes feel tailor-made for a blockbuster movie. The genuine realism of damaged characters rising to the occasion, combined with the surrealism of grotesque monstrosities defiling humanity, fully immerses you in an undoubtedly fantastic page turner that you don’t want to see end.
I highly recommend you grab a copy.
*Disclaimer* Advance Review Copy
A desired return to real world journalism propels Mr. Hawkes’s crusade from the alleys of London to the underbelly of Rome, accompanied by his partner, Ella. Together, they must face heart-stopping horrors unleashed by the followers of the Masked God, whose ancient power brings blood-curdling sacrifices as myth bleeds into reality.
Cavallo’s otherworldly horror grips readers with punchy dialogue, gritty descriptions, and authentic lore. Every crude detail haunts you in disturbingly similar fashion to the torture inflicted on victims in the Hellraiser franchise. From the first chapter to the last, the book offers a relentless series of twists, turns, and torments, expertly crafted to bring the nightmarish world of Carcosa into our own, promising a cosmic delight and descent into madness.
Not every story can deliver an intelligent, thrilling, and blood-soaked tale, but The King and the Pallid Mask showcases Cavallo’s masterful ability to do so. Many scenes feel tailor-made for a blockbuster movie. The genuine realism of damaged characters rising to the occasion, combined with the surrealism of grotesque monstrosities defiling humanity, fully immerses you in an undoubtedly fantastic page turner that you don’t want to see end.
I highly recommend you grab a copy.
*Disclaimer* Advance Review Copy
August 25, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Wandering anywhere near the borders of Carcosa, and its denizens, never leads to anything good. Even so, maybe it's not the unspeakable horrors and waves of human suffering that matter, maybe it's the story that is told and the bonds that are forged along the way.
Author Frank Cavallo 's "The King and the Pallid Mask" is one of those stories that draws from the pulp and word fiction traditions of a century ago, bringing them into the present.
Well written cosmic horror, stories that deliver mystery and terror, are (like the king in tattered robes) timeless. In addition to succeeding in delivering such a story, Cavallo does something I have only come across with a few authors. That is successfully imbuing something inhuman, unknowable with personhood...at least the bit of it that has seeped into our reality. It most directly reminded me of Charles Stross and his Laundry Files series.
The King and The Pallid Mask is most certainly a worthy edition to the tradition of weird fiction inspired by the Works of Robert W. Chambers. A modern horror thriller sensibilities paired with Italian Horror mood. This was my first taste of this authors writing, but I will definitely watch for anything else he has written in this genre.
-
Wandering anywhere near the borders of Carcosa, and its denizens, never leads to anything good. Even so, maybe it's not the unspeakable horrors and waves of human suffering that matter, maybe it's the story that is told and the bonds that are forged along the way.
Author Frank Cavallo 's "The King and the Pallid Mask" is one of those stories that draws from the pulp and word fiction traditions of a century ago, bringing them into the present.
Well written cosmic horror, stories that deliver mystery and terror, are (like the king in tattered robes) timeless. In addition to succeeding in delivering such a story, Cavallo does something I have only come across with a few authors. That is successfully imbuing something inhuman, unknowable with personhood...at least the bit of it that has seeped into our reality. It most directly reminded me of Charles Stross and his Laundry Files series.
The King and The Pallid Mask is most certainly a worthy edition to the tradition of weird fiction inspired by the Works of Robert W. Chambers. A modern horror thriller sensibilities paired with Italian Horror mood. This was my first taste of this authors writing, but I will definitely watch for anything else he has written in this genre.
August 2, 2025
Frank Cavallo’s THE KING AND THE PALLID MASK is inspired by, and in many ways is a sort of love letter to, Robert W. Chambers’ short story collection THE KING IN YELLOW. If that sort of creepy, weird, supernatural horror appears to you, you can’t go wrong with this book. The novel opens in media res, with a scene of torture that is extremely cruel and mean-spirited and very, very stomach-churning. What follows is a blend of occult behavior and Lovecraftian horror as a paranormal investigator and his fiancée are unwillingly drawn into a plot by a group of… beings… who are attempting to harness the power of the fabled King in Yellow.
The allusions to Chambers’ original work are numerous, so if you’re not familiar with it, you might be a little lost. What the King in Yellow, the Yellow Sign, and Carcosa actually are is left deliberately hazy, as they are in the source material. Don’t expect everything wrapped up in a neat little package; a lot of your own imagination and interpretation is required to get full enjoyment out of this work. Still, this is a fun, quick, and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I typically don’t care for my horror on the supernatural side, and I’ll be looking for more of Cavallo’s works.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The allusions to Chambers’ original work are numerous, so if you’re not familiar with it, you might be a little lost. What the King in Yellow, the Yellow Sign, and Carcosa actually are is left deliberately hazy, as they are in the source material. Don’t expect everything wrapped up in a neat little package; a lot of your own imagination and interpretation is required to get full enjoyment out of this work. Still, this is a fun, quick, and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I typically don’t care for my horror on the supernatural side, and I’ll be looking for more of Cavallo’s works.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 12, 2025
Frank Cavallo once again proves himself a master at weaving horror, mythology, and thriller elements into a chillingly immersive tale. The King and the Pallid Mask takes readers on a relentless ride through haunted ruins, Vatican secrets, and forbidden rituals, pulling back the curtain on horrors that should never see the light of day.
Kyle Hawkes is a fascinating protagonist, a skeptic turned believer, whose paranormal investigations spiral far beyond staged scares into an authentic nightmare. Alongside Ella, he becomes entangled in a global conspiracy that blends ecclesiastical intrigue with cosmic terror. Their pursuit of the broken exorcist Father Zacharias is one of the book’s strongest threads, equal parts tragic, frightening, and thought-provoking.
Cavallo’s pacing is spot on: it starts with eerie unease, then escalates to a fever pitch of dread as the King in Yellow looms ever closer. The atmosphere is thick with gothic imagery, yet the action moves quickly from London’s backstreets to Rome’s catacombs, making it impossible to put down.
Fans of The King in Yellow mythos, Vatican thrillers, or cosmic horror will find themselves utterly captivated. It’s unsettling, cinematic, and layered with just enough mystery to keep you questioning what’s real until the final page.
A gripping, terrifying addition to Cavallo’s body of work, easily one of his best.
Kyle Hawkes is a fascinating protagonist, a skeptic turned believer, whose paranormal investigations spiral far beyond staged scares into an authentic nightmare. Alongside Ella, he becomes entangled in a global conspiracy that blends ecclesiastical intrigue with cosmic terror. Their pursuit of the broken exorcist Father Zacharias is one of the book’s strongest threads, equal parts tragic, frightening, and thought-provoking.
Cavallo’s pacing is spot on: it starts with eerie unease, then escalates to a fever pitch of dread as the King in Yellow looms ever closer. The atmosphere is thick with gothic imagery, yet the action moves quickly from London’s backstreets to Rome’s catacombs, making it impossible to put down.
Fans of The King in Yellow mythos, Vatican thrillers, or cosmic horror will find themselves utterly captivated. It’s unsettling, cinematic, and layered with just enough mystery to keep you questioning what’s real until the final page.
A gripping, terrifying addition to Cavallo’s body of work, easily one of his best.
August 5, 2025
Overall this was a good read. I like stories with a core group of well defined characters where I don't need a notepad to keep track of convoluted nonsense. Another key piece I enjoyed was this book having just the right amount of horror story gore. Not too over the top but enough to makes things spicy. I would probably call this a man vs human nature story set within a supernatural horror setting, which turned out to be a nice combo.
There were a couple of twists in the story where you probably knew the twist was coming but you didn't necessarily know what it would be.
To be fair and balanced I'll include a couple of things I thought could have been developed a bit better. One of the characters that helps our main protagonist had a lot of interesting potential and probably could have been written to be more exciting with better explanations of his powers and examples of what he could do.
The biggest nitpick of mine was the ending. The ending of this book had some serious implications that were never touched on. I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but you'll see what I mean.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
There were a couple of twists in the story where you probably knew the twist was coming but you didn't necessarily know what it would be.
To be fair and balanced I'll include a couple of things I thought could have been developed a bit better. One of the characters that helps our main protagonist had a lot of interesting potential and probably could have been written to be more exciting with better explanations of his powers and examples of what he could do.
The biggest nitpick of mine was the ending. The ending of this book had some serious implications that were never touched on. I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but you'll see what I mean.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 17, 2025
I would like to thank BookSirens and Frank Cavallo for this ARC of The King and the Pallid Mask and I will always appreciate an opportunity to review a book before it actually releases to the public.
I'm vaguely familiar with Robert Chambers King in Yellow collection and have always considered myself a fan of cosmic horror yet I was not mentally prepared for the visceral reaction I would have to the first chapter of this book. It was tough to get though and through the rest of the book I wasn't able to shake the feelings the first chapter left with me. I went back and forth on it, where I think the chapter didn't properly act as a hook because it wasn't really a good representation of the "action" to come so people looking for that splatter-punk vibe might become disappointed and the people who don't like that type of story telling might be turned off of the book before giving it a chance. Once you got beyond that this became a great little dark story of memorable characters.
I'm vaguely familiar with Robert Chambers King in Yellow collection and have always considered myself a fan of cosmic horror yet I was not mentally prepared for the visceral reaction I would have to the first chapter of this book. It was tough to get though and through the rest of the book I wasn't able to shake the feelings the first chapter left with me. I went back and forth on it, where I think the chapter didn't properly act as a hook because it wasn't really a good representation of the "action" to come so people looking for that splatter-punk vibe might become disappointed and the people who don't like that type of story telling might be turned off of the book before giving it a chance. Once you got beyond that this became a great little dark story of memorable characters.
September 4, 2025
This is an excellent, fast paced horrifying novel about The King In Yellow and an occult group attempting to bring him into our world to destroy it.
Kyle is the host of a TV show exploring the paranormal. A series on Vatican Secrets was scrapped because his wife, Ella, was against it. But when part of the show gets leaked online, this book takes a turn into dizzying horrific encounters.
In Italy for a prospective interview, Kyle and his producer are lured into a world of madness, cannibalism, torture, and bloodshed. An occult group who wants to perform a ritual to bring the King In Yellow from his world into ours. And they will stop at nothing to accomplish it.
The narrative is compulsively engaging as the stories characters and locations reveal dreadful secret after dreadful secret. There's one character arcs that will change things drastically as some loose ends are tied together with blood and savagery. I highly recommend this one.
Kyle is the host of a TV show exploring the paranormal. A series on Vatican Secrets was scrapped because his wife, Ella, was against it. But when part of the show gets leaked online, this book takes a turn into dizzying horrific encounters.
In Italy for a prospective interview, Kyle and his producer are lured into a world of madness, cannibalism, torture, and bloodshed. An occult group who wants to perform a ritual to bring the King In Yellow from his world into ours. And they will stop at nothing to accomplish it.
The narrative is compulsively engaging as the stories characters and locations reveal dreadful secret after dreadful secret. There's one character arcs that will change things drastically as some loose ends are tied together with blood and savagery. I highly recommend this one.
September 7, 2025
This is my review of The King and the Pallid Mask.
I liked this book very much. It's about one of the lesser known Lovecraftian Mythos entities. The time frame is the current world, so even though some of it happens in an old European castle it's not an old-timey historical novel.
The story is a fast paced horror/thriller that starts with a bang and ends with a possible set-up for a continuation story (which I would go out of my way to read if the author will please write it).
The villains are truly horrible, the writing is good, the dialog is natural and flows well. I'll be looking for other titles by this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I liked this book very much. It's about one of the lesser known Lovecraftian Mythos entities. The time frame is the current world, so even though some of it happens in an old European castle it's not an old-timey historical novel.
The story is a fast paced horror/thriller that starts with a bang and ends with a possible set-up for a continuation story (which I would go out of my way to read if the author will please write it).
The villains are truly horrible, the writing is good, the dialog is natural and flows well. I'll be looking for other titles by this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 17, 2025
Fantastic! I've recently become a fan of Cavallo's writing and want to read everything he's written.
This journey through England and Italy is full of twists, supernatural beings, possession, an excommunicated priest and brutal imagery. Cavallo is fantastic at immersive descriptions of smells, scenery and characters.
I quite enjoy when an author starts a book in the now, then brings you back to then to lead you right where you started. The first chapter was super charged, followed by a story that amps up the action as it moves along.
Excellent book that'll keep your attention through every page.
This journey through England and Italy is full of twists, supernatural beings, possession, an excommunicated priest and brutal imagery. Cavallo is fantastic at immersive descriptions of smells, scenery and characters.
I quite enjoy when an author starts a book in the now, then brings you back to then to lead you right where you started. The first chapter was super charged, followed by a story that amps up the action as it moves along.
Excellent book that'll keep your attention through every page.
June 25, 2025
Arc reader review.
It was honestly a good read. I didn't really know what to expect despite reading the summary but I can say it was a nice surprise. It's probably one of a kind, definitely for me as I don't recall ever reading on this kind of subject.
The characters were well developed and appreciable. All in all I recommend it.
It was honestly a good read. I didn't really know what to expect despite reading the summary but I can say it was a nice surprise. It's probably one of a kind, definitely for me as I don't recall ever reading on this kind of subject.
The characters were well developed and appreciable. All in all I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews