Abiding Sins - Volume 1

Abiding sins follows main character Erik and his mission to uncover what really happened to his parents years ago. After receiving a letter from his deceased aunt claiming his parents did not perish in a fire, he receives a partial address of a house his father purchased. Erik believes that his parents abandoned him to escape to a new town. Shortly after arriving, Erik discovers the grim, horrific truth about his parents as well as a small towns deadly secret.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot of this story. It's original and unexpected. I did like the bits of horror and gore throughout the story. I also think the setting gave the story a creepy, eerie ambience. The story itself is dark, spooky and it fills the reader with dread, hoping the MC triumphs. Without spoiling it, the “monster” is brutal and unforgiving. There will be death.

I didn't connect to the characters and I had to go back and read previous chapters to refresh my memory on a few of them. I'd like to see a bit more character development, but maybe that happens in future volumes. My favorite character was the Witch and I do wish there was more about her, perhaps it will be revealed in a future book as well. I enjoyed the overall spookiness of the witch and the descriptions of her and what she did to her victims.

The writing style of this book tends to be a little confusing for me, and there are added words that aren't needed. At times I found myself having to reread certain parts to absorb the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the horror elements, specifically with the witch character, but I feel like the book could have used another edit to eliminate extra words to help the story flow better. I recommend this book for readers who like a little mystery as well as creepy cults in the woods.

I received a copy of Abiding Sins: Volume 1, in exchange for an honest review.✨