Supernatural
Horror
Blurb- Ruby is the most violently disturbed patient ever admitted to
Drummersgate Asylum, high on the bleak moors of northern England. With no
improvement after two years, Dr. Jack McGowan finally decides to take a risk
and hypnotizes her. With terrifying consequences.
A horrific dark force is now unleashed on the entire medical team, as each in turn attempts to unlock Ruby's shocking and sinister past. Who is this girl? And how did she manage to survive such unimaginable evil? Set in a desolate ex-mining village, where secrets are tightly kept and intruders hounded out, their questions soon lead to a haunted mill, the heart of darkness...and The Father of Lies.
Let start
with the good. Very authentic, the story was imaginative and researched. I
really enjoyed the descriptions of the physical reactions and emotions of the
victims of the spiritual attacks. Made me able to feel the terror of the victim.
Love it. The descriptions and overall
feel of the story was spooky and engulfing.
That being
said, I struggled to finish the book. There are several reason not all of which
I will detail. A few weeks ago I went to see Batman versus Superman, not a
great film but entertaining. While discussing the movie afterwards, my 11-year-old
son and I decided the movie would have been 110% better if they would have just
rearranged the flow of the story. That
is how I feel about Father of Lies.
I can be
flexible with a nonlinear style of writing, that is until I start getting
confused. Using flashback as a way to uncover the past, the truth, piece by
piece is a tricky decision for a writer. If overused, in my opinion, it will strangle
and kill the piece distracting from the central theme. Unfortunately, I think
in this case the authors use of these plot vehicles were not beneficial.
I struggled
in identifying the main character. I literally did not know whose story the
author was telling. Once I would settle on a character, the author
unfortunately would sweep the character away and then only refer to them.
Telling me what happened instead of showing. This tactic rarely allowed me to
connect to the characters at all.
Lastly, the
overuse of exclamations and the constant recounting of events is distracting, insulting,
and does not serve the story.
At 75% completion,
I was frustrated and ready for the story to end. When I read the last page I
was rather disappointed as nothing was resolved and there is a sequel.
In conclusion
I didn’t hate the book, I just didn’t love it. Some editing and rearranging
would have kept me longer and maybe even convinced me to read the sequel. (2.5 STARS out of 5)
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