Well that first sentence is for sure a winner. But this was so not for me. 

Was making this a non-chron read a good idea? Probably not. 

But the prose is good, so no complaints there. 

The plot on the other hand? I’m not here for. It’s boring and I don’t find anything particularly fearsome, despite the notion of fear being shoved down my throat. 

The plot twist was not doing it for me. I wasn’t really gobsmacked (which I wanted) and the reasoning behind it all just left me feeling tired. Like from an innovative point of view, this wasn’t fitting the bill and the character motivations are confusing and I don’t care to dissect them because I don’t think a lot of them are clear or really exist to any noteworthy extent. 

At the end of the day, I think cult stories are very hit or miss for me. And I’m not entirely sure what works and what doesn’t. I think it’s easier for me to digest when there’s a religious component. That’s not really the case here though, and since a lot of it hinges on hypnosis, it’s not my cup of tea.