Title: Of all things Sacred
Author: Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev
Published by:
Publication date: 12th March 2024
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 205
Format: eBook (ARC)
Source: NetGalley
Blurb
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies.
Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King’s mother is the Prophet’s most committed follower, even though Iron’s father isn’t totally on board.
Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a man who questions his integrity is struck by lightning on the church steps. Unreproachable, the Prophet’s stature—and his control over the souls in his care —grows along with the size of his church, despite whispered rumors and his increasingly strange prophecies.
Until Iron falls in love with a girl and realizes that between God and Satan, between truth and deception, lies a great contradiction. And a horrific terror.
Review
Of All Things Sacred, is my first book by author Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev and I picked up the book as the blurb sounded interesting; the name of the main character Iron King was an instant pull and honestly, the premise is fiction that’s usually right up my street.
The story follows the tale of The Prophet, a minister in Red Tree, that sweeps the small town into a religious frenzy and plunges him into the height of religious power when one of his disbelievers is struck by lightning seconds after voicing their contempt.
While there are a bunch of interesting characters, Iron King, his mother – the prophet’s most fervent follower, The Prophet himself, and a handful of Iron’s teenage friends. All of them have merit and the potential to become captivating characters, but not enough page time is dedicated to any of them to truly shine. It seems like they all avoid thorough examination and the somewhat flimsy plot carries them along with no significant impact.
The reader is put through their paces to solve the small amount of mystery behind what’s going on, but the whole thing lacks grit.
Towards the end of the novel, a private detective/police officer is hired to look into the allegations of The Prophet’s misdeeds and the manner in which she discovers evidence and brings forth her case is devoid of any detail. It’s all done off the page. Which is utterly disappointing.
The story is told through several eyes and plot points are erratic and jump from one character to another with no actual logic. It would have been a more cohesive story should the story be told through one or two characters rather than jumped about with recklessness. I felt myself a little lost and ultimately, had little care because as soon as I got used to seeing the story through the eyes of one character, the narrative jumped – often mid-chapter – to another character.
I think with a bit more depth to a couple of carefully selected characters, this story could have been absolutely fantastic, but as it is, I wasn’t enamoured with it; which is a great shame as the themes within – the horror of religion – it often one of my favourites.
Summary
A decent story that could have been improved by focusing on one or two characters’ Points of View.
Tragic Fangirl 