ALA Booklist

Five years after the fiery death of Jacob Crawley, a self-styled prophet and founder of a cult called The Divine Path, five teens are reunited by the death of Crawley's son, Harold, who was found drowned, miles from the nearest water. Holed up in a motel in their former hometown, the teens soon begin to suspect that they might be facing death in the way each one fears the most st as creepy Jacob Crawley once prophesied. Sure enough, one by one, they start to die. Fahy, the author of the adult horror novel Night Visions (2004), makes his YA debut with this story, which reads like a screenplay and is filled with horror-movie conventions (though, mercifully, no one goes into a dark basement). That said, the white-knuckle moments will hold genre fans, and an equivocal ending that suggests a sequel might be waiting in the wings.

Kirkus Reviews

Allison, one of six children who survived the mass suicide of a cult five years before, returns home when one of the other survivors is found drowned on dry land. The teens haven't seen each other since the fire that claimed their families' lives, and the death of the cult leader's son doesn't provoke a heartwarming reunion. One by one, the teenagers die in horrific and unexplained ways: blinded, burnt alive, dismembered. Allison believes the deaths were predicted by their long-gone cult leader as the harbinger of world's end. As old mysteries are revealed, motivations make less and less sense—these flat characters clearly act only to further the horror. The cult story line is an acceptable vehicle for a stock magical thriller, but that's all it provides. For a richer story of teen survival among cultists, stick with Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville's Armageddon Summer (1999). (Fiction. 13-15)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Teeth-clenchingly suspenseful at times and deliciously creepy at others, Fahy (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Night Visions) delivers a classic horror story with his YA debut, about a religious cult destroyed by a fire and the six teens who escape. He pulls out all the necessary stops as he constructs the terrifying story of what comes to pass five years later as the surviving teens are being murdered one by one, according to the cult leader's prophecy. The author gives readers gory visual descriptions of the crime scenes, tension-building cliffhangers and the type of unexpected surprises that if translated to film would make moviegoers scream, and he nails each device beautifully. An element of genre-specific camp attaches to some of the scenes; for example, the main character, Allison, has epileptic seizures during which she envisions each murder before it happens; and in a pivotal sequence, Allison assumes the killer is dead, but readers know otherwise. Executed with panache, these familiar elements only add to the overall thrill. A page-turner that just might keep readers up at night—especially given the loosely resolved ending. Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Feb.)

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-For the last five years, Allison, 17, has struggled to forget the town of Meridian where she lived with her family in a torturous and apocalyptic cult. But after receiving a mysterious email message about the death of Harold, another of the five children who survived the fire that ended the Divine Path, Allison sneaks out of her foster home to attend his funeral. The cult leader's last prophecy warned the children of their own deaths in five years' time. Allison's epileptic seizures, accompanied by visions of her friends' deaths, seem to confirm his prophecies. One by one, three of the five are murdered, leaving Allison and her love interest, David, to solve the mystery and end the killing. Fahy creates a page-turning horror story that will attract fans of mystery and suspense. However, the characters' reactions to their terrifying circumstances are too trite and illogical to be believed. The ending is neat and tidy, but will not pass the scrutiny of more sophisticated readers. Recommend to teens looking for a quick, gruesome read. Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD

Voice of Youth Advocates

The people of Meridian, North Carolina, never thought that their town was special. They were quiet folk who kept to themselves. All of that changes when Jacob Crawley arrives. He promises the townspeople that Meridian is destined for greatness and that God has a plan for them. Allison's family willingly buys into Jacob's rhetoric and helps to further his cause. Then the torture begins; Jacob targets Allison and her five friends. They have no choice; Jacob must be stopped. The prophecy set out by the Divine Path is coming true. Allison and her friends must put a stop to it, but how does one fight a ghost? Literature professor Fahy has written several nonfiction works for adults. His second attempt at fiction feels a bit rushed, and there are several parts that need more attention to detail. Chapter transitions are weak, and some of the characters are not fully developed. Preteens and young adults who are fans of thriller fiction might want to give this novel a try, but there are better alternatives, including The Traitor's Gate by Avi (Atheneum/S & S, 2007/VOYA August 2007) and The Penalty by Mal Peet (Candlewick, 2006/VOYA December 2007). School and public librarians should not feel disappointed if they accidentally skip over this novel.-Jonatha Masters.