Claire lives in Aztlan, a land of magic. Haunted by memories of her mother’s violent death that she witnessed when she was only five years old, Claire is now twenty-five. The time has come to make a final decision about whether or not she wishes to follow in her mother’s footsteps, in the footsteps of her female ancestors, to be what she is destined to be: a medicine woman. But there is someone who wants to make sure she does not fulfill her destiny..
She works in a psychiatric hospital. When she finds one of her patients dead, she believes that the woman’s murder had been ordered and carried out by the Archbishop Anarch and the Ecclesia Dei. She is determined to find the truth, but unfortunately for Claire, this church reaches into the lives of people in just about every career field, including the police.
The powerful Ecclesia Dei – all is not as holy behind the scenes as most believe. Dark things are going on. Why else would African voodoo priests and Indian magicians fear the archbishop?
Archbishop Anarch is manipulative, just like his mother. He manipulates the wealthy in his congregation into donating large amounts of money. The archbishop is also evil. Only problem, he doesn’t see himself as so. This evil, deceived, sick individual believes that he is doing what the Almighty desires.
This supernatural thriller is a story of good vs. evil, specifically the evil within the church. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the font used for the story. I’m not sure what the font is, but it is in bold and hard for me to read. To make sure that it wasn’t just me, I had my husband read a bit of it, and he agreed. That particular font is definitely not easy on our eyes.
The font may have taken away just a little from my reading pleasure, but the author made up for that with the twists and turns and the creative analogies he wrote into the story.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you like thrillers and stories that keep you guessing about what is going to happen, this is one that you would enjoy. To get your own copy of this book to read and enjoy, please click on the Amazon link below.
Amazon link: The Unholy
Recommended Article: Medicine Women, the Ecclesia Dei, and the Dark Side of Religion – Guest Post by Paul DeBlassie III
Favorite Sentences:
The knotted muscles in Elizabeth’s back that sometimes created grotesque formations seemed like demons that had buried themselves within her.
Not even memories of the comfort of days past could completely dispel the hovering presence of the black-garbed man, which wrapped itself around Claire like the wings of a horrible bat.
The taste of human blood intoxicated him, its velvety richness a perfect complement to the sacrificial victim’s sweetbreads.
He would store the corpse deep in the frigid bowels of the cave to cure for a week before savoring the flesh.
The privacy and quiet of this ages-old cave allowed him to commune intimately with the god whose nature he found most replenishing – himself.
New Words Learned:
abuelita – granny (Spanish)
arroyas – streams
banco – bench (Spanish)
chamisa – a saltbush of the western U.S. and Mexico, having grayish, scurfy foliage.
columbine – a plant, Aquilegia caerula, of the buttercup family, having showy flowers with white petals and white to blue sepals that form long, backward spurs
concomitant – existing or occurring with something else, often in a lesser way; accompanying; concurrent
mantillas – silk or lace headscarves arranged over a high comb and falling over the back and shoulders, worn in Spain, Mexico, etc.
mija – dear (Spanish)
kiva – a large chamber, often wholly or partly underground, in a Pueblo Indian village, used for religious ceremonies and other purposes
mestizo – of mixed race
querida – dear, lover (Spanish)
About the Author:
Paul DeBlassie III, PhD, is a psychologist and writer living in his native New Mexico. A member of the Depth Psychology Alliance, the Transpersonal Psychology Association, and the International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, he has for over thirty years treated survivors of the dark side of religion.
Website: http://www.pauldeblassieiii.com
I liked the quotes, that you picked. Good review.
Thank you, Denise. I had a lot more sentences selected, and it was hard to choose which ones to keep in the review. Looks like I chose well. 🙂
Thank you for your review of The Unholy!
I’m glad you enjoyed ‘The Unholy’ despite the way it was printed.