She’s back 🥳 I absolutely loved Abby’s debut ‘Mother Loves Me’ so as soon as I saw this, I needed to request. Wow. What a book! Honestly it blew my mind in so many ways 🤯

I have a strange addiction to wanting to read about cults etc and Abby absolutely delivered. It is dark, there was moments I was biting my lip because I actually felt SO on edge! I’m still struggling to decide which of her two books are darker - because they both are but for me in different ways.

I loved the past and present format, it helped piece things together and made me ask more questions and have new theories along the way! It also helps to explore the characters better! The characters are so well written because you feel the evil in them and hate them even more! Haha. But I did love DI Ottoline though, her determination to solve the case makes her character really special.

I honestly can’t recommend or rave about Abby Davies anymore. She’s such a brilliant writer and I honestly just want more and more! If you like Dark Thrillers then you’ll love her 😍

This book attracted my attention because I've always been interested in who joins cults and why. From the very first page I was hooked.. I loved the flashback chapters showing how the characters evolved and what their connection to the missing child could be. This kept me reading just one more chapter until I was so far into the book there was no way I could put it down.. A really good read that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

A cult, offering a peaceful and self sustained way of life and two missing children. How are the two connected?
After absolutely devouring the creepy thriller Mother Loves Me by Abby Davies, I was thrilled to see the planned release of The Cult, and over the moon to receive an early copy for review. (Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins)
Did I expect to be tearing through the pages again? Yes.. Was I? Absolutely! It was a nail biting and tense, drawing you into a world of horrors that you knew were connected to these missing children and terrified for their future.
Told from multiple perspectives, releasing just the right amount of information at the right moments, it was perfectly paced and I was totally consumed. Every single part from each character had me wanting more and groaning with suspense as we switched characters between the chapters.
The characters are what make this book, absolutely bonkers and evil to the core they leave you with no doubt that they are capable of the unthinkable and this, along with the settings and the mystery leaves you absolutely taut with tension until you close the book at the end.
Inspector Ottoline with her flaws and conviction to find the whereabouts of the children is entirely relatable, allowing you to get onside and become invested in the case. The children's mum, Lily is also another character that really immerses you into the story. Drawing you into her darkest thoughts, you can really feel that love for her children.
Another clever but defining point of The Cult, much like Mother Loves Me, is the authors clever telling from that child's perspective. It adds a innocence but builds a character so formidable and so, so utterly disturbed that you never know where it is going next, as there seem to be no limits.
What I particularly loved about this, was the little hints to throw you off on the wrong paths. I second guessed every single character throughout, wondering where on earth this would twist next. You are baited with ploys to lead you down the garden path all the way through and I can honestly say that this had me thinking, guessing and trying to fathom this out until the very last few pages. An absolute masterclass of a thriller, I can't wait for the next book already!

Thank you Netgalley and Haper Collins UK for this ARC. Abby Davies had me on the edge of my seat desperate to know what happened.

Thirty years ago 6 year old Love and her family live in a newly formed self sufficient community, known as a Cult to locals. The community is a place of peace, togetherness and purity until it becomes hell.
Present day 2 young children have vanished in the middle of the night and the police are desperately trying to find them.
How can the two things be connected, who can figure out where the children are?

Davies is really proving herself to be a master of the dark, twisted thriller! But where her books really excel is in getting into the minds of children, and capturing a child's perspective. The Cult brilliantly shows the horrific ways adults can exploit and manipulate a child's innocence, and it's really disturbing.

This book is also filled with tiny clever details that had a huge effect not just on the story, but on the wild theories and connections that were flying through my mind - so many of which would turn out to be red herrings. It has such a clever series of sub plots that I was flying through the pages to find out the truth.

There is great naturalism in the way the characters interact, making it really immersive. The dialogue has all the quirks you'd find in real life, and I could picture it all so clearly. It really helped to identify with the characters (though I found some of them as infuriating as I did relatable!) - which makes the subject matter even more horrifying; the mark of a thriller that will stay with me.

What a read! A sign of a good book is certainly how quick I devour it and how late I stay up, a 3am bedtime will tell you everything you need to know.
I usually avoid thrillers that describe anything to do with children as my fear and paranoia of the real world dangers upset me too much but I find cults so fascinating that I took the risk, it was certainly worth it!
The author describes how members of the cult truly believe that drinking the blood of young children will give them eternal life so they kidnap innocent children to feed from. Lily, mum of Hannah and Greg will go to any lengths to find her children showing how a mother can find super human strength when it comes to protecting her young.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book, it’s fascinating and scary knowing that these crazy people do exist out there!
#NetGalley #TheCult

My heart and stomch were in my thraot the whole time i was reading this book. It was chilling, gripping, fast paced, tense and terrifyingly good. I didnt want to stop reading

#TheCult #NetGalley
More disturbing than Mother Loves Me.
Thirty years ago, in the English countryside, a commune was set up. Led by Uncle Saviour, it was supposed to be a place of love, peace and harmony. But what started out as paradise turned into hell. Now, two young children have vanished from their home in the middle of the night. Their parents are frantic, the police are at a loss. DI Ottoline is leading the search – her only clue a mask found in the woods. Could the key lie in events that took place decades ago, when a dream of a new way of life became something far more sinister?
Abby Davies has done it again. She's written a mind blowing psychological thriller. I think everyone should read this one. It's more disturbing than Mother Loves Me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy of this book.

As soon as I saw the cult in the title of this book I just I had to request it as I have a fascination for cults and it was a terrific read. So this is a book with different timelines and three main character perspectives and oh my did it keep the pages turning till the thrilling end. I loved the character of DI Pearline Ottoline in particular I thought she had that flawed streak making her feel very real but then to be fair all the characters were wonderfully portrayed.
So a cult, an abduction and a case with lots of twists with a mother that was determined to find her missing children it was brilliant and as the book progressed the tension really racked up a notch.
Great writing from Abby Davies and real good story I enjoyed it all.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love was just six years old when her father left the community and their family behind. Uncle Saviour had created a paradise of peace and harmony, so even without her Father she knew she would always have a home with him. He was enlightened, awakened in ways most people couldn't even understand. But she understood him, loved him and followed him without doubt.

That was over thirty years ago...

Now everything is different. When Lilys children go missing in the dead of the night, the only clue left for DI Ottoline is a trampled mask found abandoned in the woods. She is desperate not to let another child be lost in the echo, and the search for answers leads her and Lily back decades ... to a quiet little commune with a lot to hide.



"It wasn't a cult. It was a community. A good place where good people came together and lived in harmony."

Told over the span of decades, The Cult follows Lily, her husband and the police on their present-day search for the missing children, and Love on her journey from childhood to adulthood, watching as she grows up with every turn of a page. Watching her was chilling, it was easy to get attached to her right away and watch on in horror as she continues to be slowly brainwashed by an evil cult leader into something dark and twisted, willing to do anything for her perverse admiration of Uncle Saviour.

Each character was a moral conundrum - written in such a masterful way so that we can see the light and the dark in them all, trying to understand how they fell so far but still hoping for some form of redemption or forgiveness.

This story isn't for the faint of heart - and some readers may find the content distressing as it does contain depictions of violence and sexual assault, some of this towards minors.

Almost like Uncle Saviour, the author gives us just enough information to make sure we keep following, just enough so that we feel we understand what's happening but there's always something else hidden below the surface. Some of the twists and turns were obvious from the beginning, but this only lulls the reader into a false sense of security so the next disturbing turn hits you even harder.

Devastating, disturbing and almost impossible to put down, this gripping tale is sure you leave you looking over your shoulder.

Another one of those books that left me with mixed feelings on how much I enjoyed it.
Creepy and crazy enough to keep me turning pages to see the who and how and why's.
But too many times I mentally rolled my eyes at some of the characters actions.

The cult by Abby Davies.
A hidden community…
A shocking abduction…
A twisting case…
Can DI Ottoline solve the case and find the 2 children who have disappearedfrom their home?
A brilliant read. This was different. Which is what I liked about it. Great story and characters apart from Love and Serenity. What a read. This is the first book I have read from this author but it won't be the last. 5*.

The Cult by Annie Davies

Thirty years ago, in the English countryside, a commune was set up. Led by Uncle Saviour, it was supposed to be a place of love, peace and harmony. But what started out as paradise turned into hell.

A shocking abduction…
Now, two young children have vanished from their home in the middle of the night. Their parents are frantic, the police are at a loss.
Really enjoyed this one , the storyline was creepy and you could feel The tension jump off the page !
What starts off as an idealistic way to live your life simply with people around you that share those ideals , soon turn out to be in opposite in a big way.
I think the character DI Ottoline is worthy of writing other books with them in so I hope the author does so.