I’m torn between giving a rating of 3 and 4.
This book is unlike anything I’ve read, and as a jaded reader of the horror genre, that is worth something.
How did the writer conjure up such scenes? All I want to do is take a peek into the writer’s mind.

It is such a pity that the writing technique is unsatisfactory in this one. The sentences are way too long, and the writer uses the same conjunctions over and over again. I don’t understand why this wasn’t flagged out during the editing. Hasn’t anybody realised this?!

The story on the other hand stands out like a star. No doubt reading the beginning was a rather painful task to complete, but the story became much more entertaining after, especially during Jacob, Diana, and Kal’s portion. The writing really undermined the story a lot. What I wanted very much to do was just enjoyed this as a movie instead. It would have fared so much better. I feel that the writing does the story injustice. The gory scenes were very gory and frightening indeed. What the hell, how did the writer dream up characters like that? Absolutely terrific job! I particularly like the lady screaming for help in the river, trying not to drown. Yet when extended a helping hand, she grabbed onto it firmly while the other half of her body whipped up, featuring a gaping, vertical maw of swordlike teeth that snap at her rescuer.
There are a lot more stomach churning scenes. Like the one where Diana died in various torturous ways and each time was resurrected just to repeat the cycle.
I honestly liked the mid to late part of the book, and would have given a 4 or even a 5 if not for the writing technique used. Seriously, I find myself dreading to continue the book just because of that.

From the publisher description, The Sister Verse and the Talons of Ruin by Amelie C Langlois should have been everything I look for in a book. However, for reasons that are a little hard to place, I did not love this book.

The story starts with a police detective who seems pretty washed up and is having an epically bad day at the office. Early on it is clear he is living in a world a lot like ours, but which definitely isn’t out. The early chapters read almost like a dream sequence, skipping from one scene to another. Sometimes they are very jarring and it is unclear for a while what relation they have to one another. They evolve, pretty cleverly I think, into an encompassing world view involving monsters, alternate dimensions, and so much more. I really enjoyed the story and the way it spiraled out from small beginnings.

In terms of a world building epic, I think this book shows great promise. Few writers have the capacity to build worlds which are both very different and strangely compelling. Langlois clearly has the chops to make that happen. This is the first of a planned trilogy and it will be interesting to see how the world unfolds from here.

The promotional material links this book to Lovecraft and that’s a fair assessment. The writing has a formality which he would recognize and approve of. Also, the use of multidimensionality, alien monster gods, dream sequences, and more (which I can’t speak of without spoilers) would have pleased the Old Gentleman from Providence. If you like Lovecraftian story telling, you will find a lot to like in this book.

The mystery for me is why I didn’t fall in love with this book from page one. The main issue I had with the book was it’s pacing. The pacing is so relentless it will leave you mentally breathless. You go from fight scene, to car chase, to big reveal, to mass murder scene, to flashback, to assassination, to interrogation, to… The book doesn’t give you you a chance to pause and digest what happened before it gives you the next big shock to the system. At nearly 700 pages, it is already a big book. Yet, I was left with the impression that it must have once been a few hundred pages longer and was a little over-redacted. Personally, I can get frustrated with long descriptive paragraphs. Oddly, this is the first time I’ve ever read a book and wished there were more.

On a final note, readers should be warned that this book is pretty gory. Even within the realm of horror aficionados, the levels of blood and gore in this book are not for everyone. That said, I would like to add that I did not find the gore gratuitous. It was called for and added to the story Ms. Langlois was trying to tell.

*My thanks to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.*

Dafaq did I just read?
"John, an unstable detective living in an alternate future, is plagued by hallucinations of a malevolent, shapeshifting entity that haunted his childhood. While he struggles to maintain his grip on reality, he soon discovers that his world is a terrifying illusion designed to make him suffer. Surreal, horrifying, and unflinchingly brutal – enter a world of blood and fear. Enter the Sister Verse.
The Sister Verse and the Talons of Ruin is the first book in a series of four that explores the realms of Lovecraftian horror, epic fantasy, and science fiction through an action-packed narrative of unrestrained psychedelic violence.
This book contains scenes of extreme gore that may be unsuitable for some readers."
Okay this book lost me during the third chapter when it went from Lovecraftian horror to an all-out intergalactic war. No, I'm not kidding! 🤯
The writing was okay. The one thing I really had a problem with was the fact that there is no roller coaster in this book. There is like zero down time. From the very beginning it takes you up and it doesn't let you down until the end. For me personally this made me feel overwhelmed and frustrated and almost like a sensation that I couldn't breathe because there was just so much action happening. It is literally non-stop.
The premise of the book is extremely interesting and just about the wildest thing I think I've ever read. I haven't been this weirded out by a book since I read John Dies at the End. I seriously feel like my brain has been sucked out of my ears! 🤤
This book also definitely has a LOT of gore. Which I totally don't mind but I'm sure there are others who would if they were reading this book without warning. This book is extremely graphic and the gore is very sadistic in manner.
Did I mention there's a lot of action in this one? Yeah there's a LOT of action in this one! 😂
Okay so as weird as this book was, would I recommend it? I definitely would to the right person. but I don't think I would recommend this book to everyone.

This book was an absolute gore-fest. If that is your thing, then you will positively adore it. I personally love a more interesting plot, where there's a gleam of intellect shining through it somewhere.
I do love a well-crafted, well-written horror novel. It just sadly cannot be said of this one. The plot was very confusing, adding way too many characters for anyone to reasonably follow. To make this even more difficult, the rate of killing of what may or may not, as it turns out; be main character(s), leaves one even more befuddled. This book is more tangled than the worlds and dimensions it hops through in a single chapter.
This book was a mess in more ways than one. The cherry on top is that the graphic and extremely detailed gory killings left one with a nauseous feeling after every read.

This book was provided to me by netgalley.

The Sister Verse and the Talons of Ruin by Amelie C. Langolis is a non-stop horror / sci-fi novel following a detective named John Sanders who at first appear to be slowly going insane due to the constant imagery in his mind and the relentlessness of a killer determined to end his life.

As the story progresses, we find he is involved in inter dimensional war taking place across six galaxies only for this to be part of the illusion in which John is living.

The Sister Verse and the Talons of Ruin is gore filled and pulsating, ramping up the excitement from the first page where mental as well as physical violence is prevalent.

Unfortunately, what makes this book so exciting can often be a problem. Scenarios and action filled set pieces seem to be thrown at the reader at an unyielding pace. It is a hugely imaginative book, however, ideas are thrust onto the reader sometimes to an extent that the story does not appear to settle for the reader or even character to take stock.

This is the first book in a planned series of four and I am looking forward to where Amelie C. Langolis is going to take us. Definitely pick this book up for its adrenaline as well as the creativity the writer shows in pulling in all different genres to tell the story.