Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Church Beneath the Roots

Why does this have such good ratings? Because the first book was good? That's honestly the only reason I can think of, riding the coat tails of the first one.

Complaints:

What did the plane crashes have to do with literally anything? It was a creepy start to the book but... Why are planes crashing into this area all the sudden? Because pilots, specifically only pilots, are finding rocks all the sudden?

Why is 75% of this book focused on the tension between Indian cultural traditions and Christianity? Didn't play a role in the ending whatsoever. And it just kept being mentioned over and over... and over.

People act in completely illogical ways. "I was just assaulted by a terrifying creature but I'll just head back home and tell no one and go to sleep". Okay. And federal agents had people die during the initial search, and thought Onwé may have murdered a bunch of people (the ones that didn't come back from the cave) but they're like... Meh. Whatever. We're out.

These are just a few of the issues I had with this book. But I'll cut it off here. I hate-finished this book only out of pure masochistic determination.

Content Warnings

drakaina16's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I had to take a moment before writing this review. What an achievement this book is! I read Stolen Tongues, and I enjoyed it, but I also wanted more from it. I was not a huge fan of the ending. The Church Beneath the Roots delivers on every level. It contains one of the most distressing, heart-breaking scenes I've read in a very long time. The entire book maintains the creepiness level of the prologue of Stolen Tongues. The hype is absolutely real, and well deserved. 5 stars

Content Warnings

kkalicky94's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. Where do I even begin? The highly anticipated sequel/prequel to Stolen Tongues has not only delivered; it has exceeded my wildest expectations. I've been waiting to read this book for months, and it was definitely worth the wait. Felix's growth as an author is so evident throughout the book, and you can see how much time, work, and research he put into his story.

Onwé Lopez's life on the reservation on Pale Peak has been full of hardship and grief since he was a young boy. After losing his childhood best friend and then his father at such a young age, he falls into a downward spiral that holds influence over him into adulthood. When he witnesses a plane crash over the mountains, he becomes tangled in events that seem more myth than real life. Can Onwé discover the mystery of The Church Beneath The Roots before he loses everything he holds dear?

This book is vastly different from Stolen Tongues, in my opinion, and I think a lot of people were disappointed by that fact. The Church Beneath The Roots is such an elaborate and intricate story compared to the in-your-face, spine tingling horror in Stolen Tongues. I loved the detailed world and character building, and Onwé might be one of my favorite main characters ever. The horror in this book was more subtle, but still eerie and terrifying enough to give me chills (and tears) many times throughout the book.

Native American history and culture are the centerpiece of this story, which felt very well written to me. You can definitely tell he did detailed research and knows his stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Onwé, his people, and their history, and I'm crossing my fingers for a third installment of this series. 👀

Felix will always be an auto-buy for me since he consistently ups his game with every new book. I can't wait for my physical copy to get here to add to my collection!! 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺 (That's 5 Numi's as my rating)

Content Warnings

jalecd's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

More...