Title: The Violet Hour
Some call VisionCrest the pinnacle of religious enlightenment. Others call it a powerful cult. For seventeen years, Harlow Wintergreen has called it her life.
As the daughter of VisionCrest’s patriarch, Harlow is expected to be perfect at all times. She must be considered a paragon of integrity by the other Ministry teens and a future leader in the eyes of the world.
Despite the constant scrutiny Harlow is keeping a dark and dangerous secret, even from her best friend and the boy she loves. She hears a voice in her head that seems to have a mind of its own, plaguing her with violent and bloody visions. It commands her to kill. And the urge to obey is getting harder and harder to control….
- Adam. I had a hard time with Adam, Harlow’s original best friend and first love. Even though Harlow tells us that she had been in love with him for a long time, I just didn’t see that connection between them most of the time, which made it difficult for me to really root for them. Don’t get me wrong, there were moments when I saw it, but most of the book was spent with Harlow being upset with Adam, and their romance was built on a past we didn’t see, so I just didn’t feel the pull between them like I wanted to. I found myself wanting to want them together, but never actually getting to that point. I wish I’d seen a bit more good between them before we got to the bad.
- It’s creepy! There were plenty of times when I found myself shivering at the creepy, downright scary images in this book. Harlow’s visions are really disturbing and they don’t let up. In many ways, this book reads more like a horror novel than a paranormal novel – and the horror is definitely done well. Full of gory deaths and eyeless followers, this book is not something you want to read when you’re home alone at night!
- VisionCrest. I found the VisionCrest religion itself to be really intriguing. The concept of this singular experience sparking a huge religion was really interesting – and I loved the fact that Harlow herself didn’t really believe in a religion that, in some ways, revolved around her. But, as the book goes on, Harlow discovers that there may be more to the religion than she first believed. The question is, does that make the situation better or worse?
- The mysteries. There were quite a few mysteries in this book that kept me guessing. Who or what is the voice that speaks to Harlow? What does Harlow’s father know? Why are people being kidnapped? Why has Adam returned and why does he no longer seem to want to have anything to do with Harlow? There were lots more – I loved that there were answers given throughout the book, but the final conclusions were often still a surprise!
- The ending. Wow! I have to say that I did not see the ending of this book coming and it definitely made me eager to read book #2 in the series. (After a half hour or so of panic, I found out that there is, indeed going to be a sequel!)
Whitney A. Miller lives in San Francisco with her husband and a struggling houseplant. She’s summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, ridden the Trans-Siberian rails, bicycled through Vietnam, done the splits on the Great Wall of China, and evaded the boat police in Venice, but her best international adventures take place on the page!
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