So I struggle with this book. I want to give it higher than a 3, but this was middle of the road for me. But giving it just a 3 feels too low, so I’m going to go with a 3.5.

Was it a thriller? Absolutely. It was such a slow build that it almost didn’t feel like a thriller at times but there were so many subtle hints of thriller. Especially because until the big bad reveal, I felt like it was leaning towards more psychological thriller than having an actual bad guy.

I absolutely adored all the solid education that Alyssa Cole put into the book. I have began to learn about these things and the book really taught me more about Black people oppression and white privilege. I love that she took a real fear for so many people and took a popular culture spin on it with the Illuminati.

That was so unique and fantastic that I just couldn’t get over how smart it was.

When Sydney found Drea, my heart dropped. That whole scene just hurt so much. But then I’m really confused what happened to her.

Here’s where I really struggled. The last part felt so rushed. I was frustrated because she definitely went full there and I liked that, but she spent so much time slowly building in the beginning and piecing things together, I wanted better guild

It felt like, “oh here’s this underground tunnel that’s been mentioned...” and then her writing felt like shit literally hit the fan. It wasn’t that it was too weird, it was that it was so rushed I couldn’t really tell what was going on and I was left with far more questions than answers.

Then the ending felt like it was all tied up with a little bow and boom. The end. Happily Ever After, which doesn’t feel realistic to the story.

I also just didn’t enjoy the romance. Theo was kind of a creep and it felt strange that Sydney went from her jerk of an Ex to this guy that pretty much sucked. I liked the element that he was a liar, but I didn’t like him.

There were just far too many unanswered questions and holes in the plot that really irritate me, so I am giving it 3.5, which is higher than I should give it, but the beginning build in writing real fears and the education value bumps it up.

I do want to read more by this author so I’m glad I got a chance to read it.