Review: The Sect by Courtney Lane

Title: The Sect
Author: Courtney Lane
Series: none
Genre: dark read, abuse, bdsm

WARNING: This book contains pretty much every dark theme there is. Not recommended for those with any triggers or sensitivities to violence, dubious and/or absent consent, and deviant sexual acts.*****This is NOT a romance and it is not a story of "true love".

Keaton Mara ran away from a life that had become a nightmare to live on the streets. While the location she now calls home is a dangerous place, she is protected by an unlikely friendship.

The streets provided her with the education she could've never earned from the prestigious university she attended. Regrettably, the term 'educated fool' becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Due to meeting a man with whom she shares a captivating chemistry with, her judgment is clouded, resulting in a fateful decision.

The consequence of trusting the prepossessing stranger results in her being stolen away to a place unknown. Her deceptive new surroundings are just as beautiful as the people who reside there. She discovers that it's a place where the culture of sex without limits or morals is their religion.

Keaton quickly begins to realize that the beautiful scenery serves to hide a very dark truth. The seductive and enigmatic man--who lured her there--desires to save her soul. His intentions are sinister, because saving her soul is synonymous with breaking her.

Because Keaton believes her soul was brutally stolen from her many years ago, she thinks he can't save (or destroy) something she no longer has.

She...was...wrong.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

The Sect by Courtney Lane
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 **thank you for the mindfuckery** STARS

“The sad thing is, I don’t think you’ll ever know what’s true and what’s false about me.”

I can honestly say I have never ever read anything like this before. A complete mind trip, so perfectly done, layered and brilliantly executed. Chapeau, Ms. Lane! You have made me a fan.

Now to my review. There is not much I can tell you about this book without spoiling it some way or another, but I'll try to talk more about my feelings instead. If you're interested keep on reading...

“Sometimes we need to close our eyes to see the truth.”

Whoever said things couldn't possibly get worse was clearly a liar and has never read this. I seriously mean it. The heroine Keaton Mara has rotten luck. She is living a nightmare and in an attempt to escape it she becomes homeless. And funny enough that is probably the safest she has been in a long time. But fate has other plans, because it doesn't take long for her to walk from a nightmare right into the deepest depths of hell.

I'm not really giving anything away when I tell you that at this point a sect is involved. But I'm reluctant to share what kind of agenda they have and what her life with them looks like, but let's just say the religious part is a smoke screen at best and what is hidden beneath is something else all together.

The Sect is written in Keaton's POV and she is a great character. She is strong and deals with the situation at hand the best way she can. But her lack of understanding about where she is, what is happening and what the endgame is - equates to the blind leading the blind. It took me up until 80% of the read until I started to get a rough understanding of anything really and some 'aha' moments happened. It's a book dominated by mind fucks and twists. For the better part of the read I was just simply confused but also spellbound and addicted to see what happens next.

“You should hate me because it is a very dangerous thing to like me.”

Now my favourite part was...Noah. The ultimate anti-hero. You know those dark reads where the hero has this redemption ark and has a really soft heart and everything will be good in the end? I have read the whole book and I'm still not sure if he is bad or good, something in between or a little of both. The man is a riddle wrapped in a puzzle. I kind of love him. :)

“The place and everything in it were just an illusion, hiding a very sinister truth.”

The more I think about this book the more the little things fall into place. There are so many layers to the story and once I knew what was going on all I wanted to do was go back, re-read and see if I can find clues along the way.

The Sect is a standalone, dark read. It is by no means a romantic story and as the author already pointed out in the blurb it is barely a love story. I can only stress for potential readers to heed the warning. It's not an easy read, it is brutal, has dub-con to non con sexual content and is not for the faint of heart.

But that being said, if you like that sort of book this one will occupy your mind to no end.


**Thanks to Supreet for the impromptu BR! It was the best, as always!! ;D