I am the author of 6 published novels (The Eternal Reflection novel series) and was asked to review the book. The opinions here are mine alone.
This is an interesting novel that seems to have many intersecting genres. At first, when I read it, I thought it was pure mystery. However, the surprise came when I read on, realizing that the murderer has potentially many supernatural and symbolic elements. Although I read until chapter 14 and am waiting for the book to conclude, it seems to blend mystery, horror, and religious fiction. This adds plenty of complexity to the novel, which is very intriguing to read! Plenty of religious and literary symbolism inside adds an interestingly complex plot with many interwoven dimensions. The pacing is moderate to fast, with well-defined plot points.
Also, the writing style, at a structural level, has good pacing. Fast and slow-paced scenes are balanced to develop the lives of the characters. The characters are multi-dimensional people with their pasts, literary past-times, and interests revealed slowly. There is minimal info-dumping, which is good, as the worldbuilding and characterizations are woven into dialogues and action. This is good writing. As I read on, the characters' voices become pretty unique and distinguished. There seems to be quite some tension between some of the characters, like the pastor, detectives, main characters, and their siblings. I hope to read on and find out - they add a large-than-life approach towards blending character and plot development.
The only flaw that I can see are slight formatting issues with the dialogues. I have informed the author on how to fix them. Hopefully, after this review, she will fix them. However, they do not take away from the well-written reading experience.
I patiently and excitedly await the release of chapters 15 onwards!
