The Blessed (review)

Emotionally and psychologically broken, Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy are drifting through life without purpose or direction until they are drawn to a ruined church in Brooklyn, where the alluring Sebastian reveals that they are incarnations of saints, young women martyred violently for their faith. When outsiders, including a well-meaning journalist and dark forces from their pasts, seek to intervene and separate them, the trio retaliates in a showdown of spectacular and visceral violence. This is a highly original premise, and the blend of religious iconography and psychological thriller is certainly intriguing. The book makes readers wait for nearly 300 pages before the real action comes, however, and even then it leaves a frustrating number of questions unanswered; the girls are so committed to their surrender to Sebastian that they're difficult to relate to and ultimately unsympathetic. Nevertheless, this creepy blend of horror and suspense, fraught with sexual tension and carnage, may intrigue readers who are looking for a dark paranormal romance with a heavy helping of gore.