Escaping a tainted childhood, Alezea leaves her family, determined to make her own way in the world. While she isn’t as independent as she hopes to be, her life takes a “normal” turn, until the devil finds her and pays her visits, resulting in the birth of a son. No longer in control of her destiny, she accepts that the devil will punish her if she does not comply with his wishes, and allows evil incarnate to raise her son.

As Alezea’s son, Thomas lives a sheltered life, spending most of his time with his father. He is raised to be a killer at the tutelage of his father, a social misfit and outcast with no one else to turn to. Alezea’s employer witnesses Alezea’s grief one night and suggests a religious camp to save Alezea and her son. Alezea sees the road to salvation and willingly embarks on it, hoping, for the first time, to redeem her son’s soul.

But Thomas doesn’t want to be redeemed. On his journey to punish his mother and the rest of her family, he meets a cousin with the intent of continuing the devil’s line.

This story will have a polarizing effect on its readers. There will be some that embrace it and there will be some that hate it. I have to say that the writing was not “crisp” but the story kept me reading. I could comment on some of the aspects that rub me the wrong way, but the overarching theme was “can you redeem a sociopath/serial killer?” And I kept reading to find out if Thomas was redeemable. The plot was well thought out, the journey was paced well. The conclusion was satisfying. ( )

This book started dark, very dark, and pulled me in. From the opening pages I expected to be exposed to this darkness throughout, unfortunately this was not the case.

The book quickly turned into the usual good vs evil novel associated with many Christian writers and, unfortunately, the story became lost and disjointed as the book became, for me at least, akin to a pamphlet trying to sell religion. At times it seemed as if the writer had forgotten the characters had shown their unacceptable side in the beginning.

Yes, the book touches on some subjects that may make certain readers uncomfortable, this is not the reason I only gave 2 stars, it was using the novel as a proselytising vehicle that earned it my thumbs down.

( )

This book started dark, very dark, and pulled me in. From the opening pages I expected to be exposed to this darkness throughout, unfortunately this was not the case.

The book quickly turned into the usual good vs evil novel associated with many Christian writers and, unfortunately, the story became lost and disjointed as the book became, for me at least, akin to a pamphlet trying to sell religion. At times it seemed as if the writer had forgotten the characters had shown their unacceptable side in the beginning.

Yes, the book touches on some subjects that may make certain readers uncomfortable, this is not the reason I only gave 2 stars, it was using the novel as a proselytising vehicle that earned it my thumbs down.

( )

First time reading from Nancy LaRonda Johnson, who incorporates a mixture of suspense, thriller element with a Christian perspective of which is rarely read. Yet, in the opening of the book, read about Alezea caged then discover she gave birth to a son named Thomas, but has easily detached from him as a motherly figure as well as their roles changed. This troubled me a little reading how she knew she was the mother but quickly detached herself from being such, something much lesser than but evident why as you continue to read--he's a sick-o who is a serial killer of young ones because they are defenseless. Yet Alezea still lives with Thomas, seeking for some type of acceptance which is vaguely clear.

The synopsis or premises of the novel drew me in, curious of such a title, and as I read...wanted to understand how the mother is bound to her son's killing spree and still trapped inside the home while he lures after young girls as his prey to devour and destroy.

Martha shared her testimony to hear Alezea's, hoping she admit to what she witnessed.

Alezea seemingly appears as the bystander while all these killings are taking place by her very own son, Thomas, but also plays as the victim due to her bondage to the boy's father aka Satan. Oddly, Satan is acclaimed as Thomas' father, which Thomas follows and listens to him most of the time. She also lost her relationship with God and later connects to an elite group called Gabriel where she hopes to renew her vows unto God and reestablish her relationship with Him. How can you allow the enemy to have so much power?

This book is a good vs. evil literary wonder. The author has managed to make you feel as if you are in the thick of this Christian tug of war. Although I thought it was a bit of a long read I was immersed in the lives of each and every character, wanting to know more and more about them as I read. I believe that this is a must read no matter what you believe spiritually. As they say, "All will be revealed in the end." ( )