The Unholy
by Paul DeBlassie III
Genre: Psychological / Paranormal Thriller
A young curandera, a
medicine woman, intent on uncovering the secrets of her past is forced into a
life-and-death battle against an evil Archbishop. Set in the mystic land of
Aztlan, the Unholy is a novel of destiny as healer and slayer. native lore of
dreams and visions, shape changing, and natural magic work to spin a neo-gothic
web in which sadness and mystery lure the unsuspecting into a twilight realm of
discovery and decision.
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First Sentence:
A chilly autumn morning wind swept over the grounds of the Ecclesia Dei Psychiatric Hospital.
Last Sentence:
With her left arm, Claire drew Anthony to her, and with her right hand she clutched the staff of the medicine woman.
At first, I fell in love with the description in this book. It's very surreal and does an excellent job of showcasing the beautiful setting. But after the repetitive descriptions, it became a hindrance. Paul DeBlassie III has a very eloquent prose, but it can at times be too heavy for the story itself.
The story itself didn't captivate me like I wanted. I kept on reading because of the wonderful writing style. Even though this book is saturated with descriptive clues, you cannot argue that DeBlassie has a talent for beautiful writing. I feel as though some fine tuning to the plot would make this book an incredible story.
I failed to connect with the characters. They were hard for me to empathize with. If the attention that the descriptions received was lent to the characters, they could have benefited immensely.
All in all, I'd recommend this book to someone who wants to be blown away by the visuals you'll receive because of the eloquent prose and descriptions.
**I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Paul DeBlassie III and Enchanted Book Promotions.
Excerpt:
Father Gall
had taught Archbishop Anarch about the dark side of spiritual
powers, to be
used only for the highest purposes, a foul magic ignited when
hatred burned
from the core of the soul. Then and only then would the sordid
wizardry
accomplish the nefarious deed required for the most godly purpose.
Archbishop
Anarch took the lock of the child’s hair and curled it around
the top of the
crook. Stroking the head of the serpent, he repeatedly whispered,
“Curl and
coil, tease and frighten, strike and bite till her blood begins to boil.”
The crook
became white hot, aglow with his hate. The viper writhed in his
hand, its eyes
fixated on him. Soon the crook was no longer a crook, and the
snake slithered away.
About the Author:
Paul
DeBlassie III, Ph.D., is a psychologist and writer living in Albuquerque who
has treated survivors of the dark side of religion for more than 30 years. His
professional consultation practice — SoulCare — is devoted to the tending of
the soul. Dr. DeBlassie writes psychological thrillers with an emphasis on the
dark side of the human psyche. The mestizo myth of Aztlan, its surreal beauty
and natural magic, provides the setting for the dark phantasmagoric narrative
in his fiction. He is a member of the
Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association and the
International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy.
Thanks for hosting and reviewing The Unholy!
ReplyDeleteHow ironic that the author is a psychologist, yet you said you could not identify with the characters. I wonder why that is?
ReplyDeleteSometimes amazing prose works for me and sometimes not so much!
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings