3 stars due to all the overthinking and little Doing

Yes, I started skimming and still couldn't get through it fast enough. ( )

This is the final installment in The Cloister series. And wow, is it a book worth waiting for. I was so looking forward to reading it because I knew it would be intense, and I wasn't disappointed at all.

Adam has been left hanging due to his father's punishment. While Noah thinks that their father might spare Adam, Adam knows otherwise. He's going to be left there to die, however that death may happen. As long as Delilah is safe, he's OK with that. He does everything he can and makes deals with as many people as he can to make sure that she is safe. When he gets taken down and hidden away, his father goes even crazier than he was before.

Meanwhile, Delilah is panicked about what's happening to Adam and is worried about him and what's going to happen to him. She still plans on burning Heavenly to the ground, metaphorically speaking, and will do everything she can to make that happen. She's terrified of marrying the senator because of the things that he's said that he will do to her and told him that she will kill him.

There are at least 3 separate plans and plots going on at any one time during this book. There may be more, but it can be hard to tell because the plans are all wrapped up in each other and they split and come back together and diverge and meld over and over again. Watching all those plans and trying to figure out what the ultimate goal of each of those plans is really interesting. They all have some of the same goals, but the reason for those goals is different for each plan, and the reasons aren't necessarily all that sane. In fact, most of the plotters aren't necessarily sane. But, can you be sane in the situation that all of these people have found themselves in or do you basically have the not sane and the more not sane? Really interesting questions, and ones that will stay with me while I reread the entire series.

Celia Aaron is so good at what she does and I can't ever wait to read what she's done. ( )

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired.

Celia Aaron, GIVE US MORE. This can't be the end! I've become so attached to Delilah, Adam, and Noah, especially with The Church finally giving us the battle we've been waiting for. The Church is the third and final novel in The Cloister series, it's an us against them scenario, with them being The Prophet and his band of merry followers. We've shifted from just Delilah and Adam's perspective and now we have Grace and Noah's as well, giving us a complete understanding of how invested some were and how interested in the downfall of the church others were.

"I don't want to hurt her anymore. I want to set her free."

I have liked Delilah from the very beginning, but I love her thirst for vengeance in The Church. She's come back with renewed vigor and a desire to finally inflict pain back at those who stole her sister from her. Though it's a different type of darkness, The Church is darker in a way that leaves us out of the loop. We aren't sure of what's to come, who is to survive, and just how crazed the followers are. I wish we'd seen more of The Prophets rambling and more of the Maidens planning, the uprising was a little lackluster for me. It's redeemed, quite a bit, with Rachel and her very crazy ways. Never saw that coming, really would like more background on how she became swept up in her beliefs. Like The Prophet did to her followers, each and every character engages in some level of manipulation to work things out how they want to. I appreciated that there were so different plans in place by the various parties trying to escape the horrors. The Church is the final coffin nail on The Cloister and its terrifying cult leader.

"His little lamb. I will gladly sacrifice myself to save him, to give him a future, and to watch Heavenly burn."

For those looking for a dark cult fiction with a bit of romance, Celia Aaron has you covered with The Cloister series. It's got all the depravity your heart could desire.

ARC provided. ( )

4.9 stars

I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to this mind screw of a story. It kept me on the edge of my seat and life ceased to exist.i was caught up in this crazy place. So many people involved behind the scenes. You never knew who could be trusted.

If you're looking for a story that makes you question society (especially the religious cult types) look no further. ( )

This book wraps up the cloister trilogy, and it does so with a bang. Holy smokes the was action and suspense packed. I didn't want to put this book down. I read everywhere until I was done. The pacing was perfection as the author kept you on the edge of your seat. do yourself a favor and read this trilogy is dark suspense goodness. ( )