This was a fascinating read - part police procedural and part psychological thriller - written in two timelines ; the past with the cult activities and the present police procedural element.
The insights into the cult activities were intriguing and prompted questions about peer pressure, megalomania, vulnerability and compliance, which when combined make for a really compelling narrative.

The way in which the backstory surrounding the cult and the various cult figures is slowly released to the reader and raises many questions regarding how this links to the current investigation into missing children. Seamlessly plotted, I found this an intriguing read as I tried to puzzle out how the various snippets of information slotted together.
Whilst one element of the narrative was possibly slightly unbelivable this was a minor irk and I could see why the author chose to write it this way.
Overall, a very good read, with well drawn characters and enough twists to keep me engaged whilst trying to work out how the story would conclude.

When I read the blurb for this book it sounded like it had a lot of elements that would make this story fast-paced and interesting and keep me hooked. Unfortunately, though it did start out in a pretty intriguing fashion it didn’t quite capture my attention in the way I had hoped.

The story is told over two different timelines but through three different perspectives, in the past, we hear from Love who is a member of the Eternal Life cult, and in the present, we have Lily, the mother of the missing children, and DI Ottoline, the detective on the case.

I felt like for the majority of the book Lily’s POV was entirely irrelevant and then only really made sense in the last couple of chapters but by that point, the story had kind of veered into something a little ridiculous, in my opinion. In all honesty, I also feel like Ottoline’s POV was not crucial to the story, like there wasn’t too much importance placed upon it, but perhaps if Lily’s POV had been sacrificed it would have made the space for the DI’s POV to be more fleshed out.

The past narrative was very interesting, it added lots of chills because of the sinister nature of some of the characters in the cult, and gave a good insight into the manipulation and coercion that was happening between its members and those unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. I felt like this was the strongest part of the book however the story didn’t get me invested enough to make me feel shocked when the cult takes a bit of a turn, I thought that the dynamics had been wonderfully tense and made for some great reading but lost a lot of steam when the cult evolved into something different.

As you can imagine I didn’t really take to a lot of the characters, some because they are obviously not the type of people you warm to but also because a lot of them felt undeveloped. I didn’t feel like I got to know them well enough to really care about what was happening, I also felt like the author was maybe trying to misdirect the reader with some of the characters’ traits but that that was the only purpose for them. As an example Lily has an unknown mental health condition that she has to take pills for, this isn’t ever really explained, I felt like it was to make her seem unreliable and erratic but her storyline doesn’t have anything in it that would make that necessary so for me, in the end, it was just another thing that didn’t make sense.

I feel that with this story the author had all the right elements but it just didn’t quite come together in its execution, there were too many unanswered questions that I don’t think were deliberate, it feels like a lot of things were glossed over to move the story along. Don’t get me wrong I still read the whole book and I did enjoy parts but it was missing the edge of my seat feeling that I hoped for and as we headed toward the climax the story did start to feel more and more bizarre.

This book wasn’t quite what I thought it would be and whilst there were a few intriguing parts they weren’t really strong enough to keep me captivated, but I’m sure there are readers out there who would enjoy this story.

I was disappointed in this, although to be fair it does what it says on the tin, so perhaps it was just the subject matter that I didn’t care for. Plus the holes in the plot.
Two stories are run in parallel and eventually fully connect.
Life amidst a sect whose members believe they will gain eternal life by drinking the blood of young children is not a bed of roses - and one member in particular is determined to expose their evil ways.
Two children disappear in the middle of the night can they be found unharmed?

I could not get into this book. I found the beginning slow and not enjoyable. I did read it to the end but I would not recommend it. Sorry not for me

Really well written. Very creepy in places. Keeps you hooked to the very end, with lots of twists and turns.

A story set over two timelines. I struggled with the narrative but the premise was good. An average read.

Two children go out in the middle of the night. They witness a murder and run from the killers. As one of the killers runs away, the other is murdered and the children disappear. Back in the past a strange cult starts led by Uncle Savior. The book weaves between the two, is there a connection? Brilliant weaving between past and present and enjoyed this from start to finish. Would recommend.

I had high hopes for this book and although it was enjoyable it wasn’t overly exciting and i found it to be quite predictable, a short enough read so it didn’t get too boring which was a plus

What a twisty, scary and gripping story this was! It was so hard to put down – I just had to find out what had happened to the children, what was going to happen next on Uncle Saviour’s farm, and how everything could be linked together. It is very fast-paced, creepy and enjoyable! I’m looking forward to whatever Abby Davies writes next!

I struggled to immerse myself in this book, I’m not sure why.
The start was very slow and I wasn’t keen on many of the characters, Love annoyed me intensely but I persevered and it did get better, it was interesting to see how the two parts of the story (Loves POV and Ottolines) meet, culminating in a satisfactory ending.
The cult atmosphere was claustrophobic, it almost felt like there was no way out but the setting was so normal, the storyline was very believable.

This is one of those books that will have you telling all of your friends, collegues, and random strangers that they have to read.
I enjoy a cult thriller. Its always interesting to see how things can be explored, twisted and makes me wonder what truths lie underneath.
I was gripped from start to finish, its twisty, dark and a little scary in all the right ways,

I've read a lot of psychological thrillers, and many don't hold my interest as they become too predictable, or too far fetched. But The Cult was definitely on a different level. Short, punchy chapters meant I never got bored by irrelevant and long winded description. The plot moved back and forth, but was never confusing and it built seamlessly to present day.

Cults hold a fascination for me, so this was definitely an interesting story to read.

The story begins with two missing children. And two dead bodies.

DI Ottoline is determined to locate the missing children, especially as she's haunted by the case of a missing child - Isabelle - never found.

As clues surface, it's a race for the police to find the answers before the children's mother does.

As always with thrillers, no spoilers will be revealed. But for fans of a juicy thriller, I highly recommend this one.

Eerie? Absolutely! Disturbing? You've got it! Intriguing? Indeed! Extremely uncomfortable to the point that I struggled to keep picking it back up? Unfortunately so!
That being said twists and turns aplenty and I did enjoy the plot!
The book is supposed to be disturbing, that's the entire idea so the writer did good! I am just an extremely uncomfortable person!

This was a dark and intense read. There's lots of things going on and multiple viewpoints. I found it just to be ok

Who doesn't enjoy a good mystery or thriller from time to time? I certainly do. I would highly recommend this book!

I really as so looking forward to this book but I sadly struggled through it. Having read and loved the authors previous book I was super excited for this one but it just didn’t pass muster for me. I can’t quite put my finger on what I didn’t like but I found it a struggle to finish.

I did enjoy this book, but struggled to keep reading it. It didn't make me want to keep reading, just didn't keep me gripped. I was intrigued to see how the 2 parts would combine, which is why I finished it in the end.

Deeply disturbing novel about a cult in deepest Devon.

I found this one a tricky read, and yet very compelling. I don’t usually read books where children are in danger / hurt so the book’s opening to two small children in peril made me feel really uneasy.

But the storyline was good so I really wanted to find out what happened.

The ending wrapped things up in a suitable way although I had to suspend belief at times, there were a few two many convenient loose ends tied up.

All in all, I enjoyed it so it was a solid 3.5 stars from me. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

‘The Cult’ is one of those thrillers that really gives you physical chills.
Personally I find the concept of cult environments very intriguing and have read a lot of books with this as its centre theme but in my opinion Davies really elevates it in this novel. I love that the story is told in two time periods; one narrative is set thirty years ago when Uncle Saviour sets up a commune with dark intentions below its picturesque surface. The second narrative depicts the investigation into two missing children, where a mask in the woods is the only lead.
I loved the way Davies creates these vivid characters and the pacing is wonderful at keeping you gripped for just one more chapter; completely engrossing and unputdownable. I felt like because I have read a lot of books where a charismatic leader has a dark agenda I thought I knew where the story would go but I was pleasantly surprised with the twist and turns that investigation took. The two narrative time periods meld so seamlessly and I am really excited to see what is next for this author!

I enjoyed reading this book from Love's POV and learning how the Eternal Life cult worked and the reasoning and theory behind it. I wasn't so keen on Lilly and found her the most annoying. I particularly liked the short chapters as this suits my reading style and the way the book was written in the past and the present made this a readable book. Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC.