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The End
"How far would you go to see the person you love one last time?"
When Eli’s beloved Selene dies under mysterious circumstances, his world fractures. Consumed by grief, Eli stumbles into a clandestine cult that promises proof of life beyond death, a chance, however impossible, to see Selene again. The cult’s teachings are seductive, its rituals unsettling, but hidden within their devotion lies the truth about Selene’s final days. Was her death a tragic accident… or the fulfillment of a sinister prophecy?
A harrowing descent into the blurred edges of faith, madness, and the afterlife, The End will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the world—and what comes after.
When Eli’s beloved Selene dies under mysterious circumstances, his world fractures. Consumed by grief, Eli stumbles into a clandestine cult that promises proof of life beyond death, a chance, however impossible, to see Selene again. The cult’s teachings are seductive, its rituals unsettling, but hidden within their devotion lies the truth about Selene’s final days. Was her death a tragic accident… or the fulfillment of a sinister prophecy?
A harrowing descent into the blurred edges of faith, madness, and the afterlife, The End will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the world—and what comes after.
- GenresHorror
327 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 6, 2025
10 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Adam Cosco
9 books78 followersAdam Cosco is an award-winning author and filmmaker whose work dives deep into the shadows of the human psyche. A graduate of the prestigious American Film Institute, Adam cut his teeth in Hollywood before turning his focus to novels—crafting stories that blend horror, psychological suspense, and dark satire.
His novels—Little Brother, Say Goodbye to Jonny Hollywood, Lowlands, The Heart of a Child, and his latest mind-bending thriller The Dream Killer—have captivated readers with their atmospheric dread and sharp psychological insight.
Fearless, provocative, and impossible to ignore, Adam Cosco writes the kind of stories that leave a mark.
His novels—Little Brother, Say Goodbye to Jonny Hollywood, Lowlands, The Heart of a Child, and his latest mind-bending thriller The Dream Killer—have captivated readers with their atmospheric dread and sharp psychological insight.
Fearless, provocative, and impossible to ignore, Adam Cosco writes the kind of stories that leave a mark.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
November 17, 2025
This felt less like reading a novel and more like being dropped inside someone’s heartbreak and told to find your way out. We follow Eli after Selene’s death, watching him cling to any thread that might mean she is not completely gone, whether that comes from VR code, strange books, or a group of people who treat loss like a puzzle they can still solve. It is messy, obsessive, and uncomfortably human in a way I really appreciated.
What I loved most is how the story keeps shifting shape. One moment it reads like intimate, emotional fiction, the next like cult horror, the next like speculative sci-fi, and somehow it all holds together. The technology never feels like a gimmick; it becomes another way to show how badly someone wants to rewind time and fix the unfixable. The line between spiritual experience, mental collapse, and something genuinely other grows thinner with every chapter, and by the end I was not sure what was real in the best possible way.
What I loved most is how the story keeps shifting shape. One moment it reads like intimate, emotional fiction, the next like cult horror, the next like speculative sci-fi, and somehow it all holds together. The technology never feels like a gimmick; it becomes another way to show how badly someone wants to rewind time and fix the unfixable. The line between spiritual experience, mental collapse, and something genuinely other grows thinner with every chapter, and by the end I was not sure what was real in the best possible way.
February 9, 2026
ARC for review. Published December 6, 2025.
2 stars
Eli and Selene both work in tech and AI and get together through work. Selene becomes entranced with a mysterious book then dies in a very odd way while on a weekend getaway with Eli. Eli is shattered by the loss and wants to dig deeper. Is the book an explanation?
This book was a bit of a mess, which was too bad, because the bones of a good story were in here (but buried. Deep.). There were big gaps that were unexplained and referrals back that didn’t make sense. Add to that I didn’t really get the point. Disappointing.
2 stars
Eli and Selene both work in tech and AI and get together through work. Selene becomes entranced with a mysterious book then dies in a very odd way while on a weekend getaway with Eli. Eli is shattered by the loss and wants to dig deeper. Is the book an explanation?
This book was a bit of a mess, which was too bad, because the bones of a good story were in here (but buried. Deep.). There were big gaps that were unexplained and referrals back that didn’t make sense. Add to that I didn’t really get the point. Disappointing.
January 12, 2026
As I was reading this book, I truly thought this was going to be a 5 Star read… However, then the ending happened! I honestly don’t understand and have no idea what happened? 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️!
February 10, 2026
I really enjoyed reading this book. The symbolism and secret codes kept me interested and eager for more. The pictures were absolutely beautiful and I loved the Gothic art that they were.
Eli goes on a trip with his girlfriend Selene and he leaves her to go run an errand. He returns back to her missing and finally finds her in a frozen lake that she fell into.
This begins his journey back to her, even though they are separated by death.
This is where we get into the hidden meanings and the symbolism and enters the cult.
I definitely recommend reading this book, this is the kind of horror I love!
Eli goes on a trip with his girlfriend Selene and he leaves her to go run an errand. He returns back to her missing and finally finds her in a frozen lake that she fell into.
This begins his journey back to her, even though they are separated by death.
This is where we get into the hidden meanings and the symbolism and enters the cult.
I definitely recommend reading this book, this is the kind of horror I love!
November 9, 2025
The End by Adam Cosco. Thanks to the author for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Eli is consumed by grief after Selene’s death but finds a group that promises he can see her again.
This is a great creepy story about grief. It’s shocking and page turning, while you feel compassion with the main character. There were some abstract moments and time changes where it slowed down a bit but it always picked back up. The writing is well done and flows easily.
“Beware of dreamers. They’re the ones who hurt you the most.”
The End comes out 12/6.
Eli is consumed by grief after Selene’s death but finds a group that promises he can see her again.
This is a great creepy story about grief. It’s shocking and page turning, while you feel compassion with the main character. There were some abstract moments and time changes where it slowed down a bit but it always picked back up. The writing is well done and flows easily.
“Beware of dreamers. They’re the ones who hurt you the most.”
The End comes out 12/6.
December 3, 2025
This is essentially a book about broken people. No matter which direction it goes, the story ends up in the desperate demand for salvation and redemption - to the point that every story turn initiates an exploration of existential anguish dressed as a deep dive into the paranormal, the metaphysical, the theological, and the philosophical.
The journey unfolds in bizarre and occasionally awkward ways when one of the main characters dies; yes, you read that right: it all starts with a creepy death, specifically Selene's, a genius AI programmer and Eli's partner both in life and work. Selene unalived herself under mysterious circumstances, and the book develops as Eli's investigation into her demise, her reasons for choosing death and the specific meaning of her way of dying. Things get really weird really fast, and it soon appears that Selene was an integral part of a cult's plan to realize the mystical vision of late Solomon Holloway - according to who the End is not the End, to use a catchphrase. However, the story's focus isn't so much the cult itself or the leader-figure's ideas (which were never totally clear to me); it's Eli's grief, his existentially-inflected sense of loss and disorientation.
Admittedly, most of this plot, in general terms, might feel familiar and well-trodden. What makes the book unique, though, is how Eli's investigation takes him to uncovering digitally encoded visual messages and strangely codified instructions in relation to camera use. I felt this was quite original, and coupled with a number of creepy and unsettling scenes (especially the one with the sheet on the bed), it elevated the horror in the book to a higher level entirely! The book is by no means science fiction, but the foray to steganography sure brings a much needed breath of fresh air into this type of horror story.
Special mention should be made of the ending. Some readers found it ambiguous,and that may well be so, but I personally found it bleak, absolutely dark, and intensely deflating. Perhaps even nihilistic. Perhaps this is not a supernatural horror book at all! Which wouldn't be as much a shame, as shocking and cunning on the part of the author.
I highly recommend the book to fans of supernatural cult horror and paranormal existential thrillers. Characterization may not be its strong suit, but it's brimming with original ideas, pregnant ambiguity, challenging questions, and subtle, metaphysical horror.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The journey unfolds in bizarre and occasionally awkward ways when one of the main characters dies; yes, you read that right: it all starts with a creepy death, specifically Selene's, a genius AI programmer and Eli's partner both in life and work. Selene unalived herself under mysterious circumstances, and the book develops as Eli's investigation into her demise, her reasons for choosing death and the specific meaning of her way of dying. Things get really weird really fast, and it soon appears that Selene was an integral part of a cult's plan to realize the mystical vision of late Solomon Holloway - according to who the End is not the End, to use a catchphrase. However, the story's focus isn't so much the cult itself or the leader-figure's ideas (which were never totally clear to me); it's Eli's grief, his existentially-inflected sense of loss and disorientation.
Admittedly, most of this plot, in general terms, might feel familiar and well-trodden. What makes the book unique, though, is how Eli's investigation takes him to uncovering digitally encoded visual messages and strangely codified instructions in relation to camera use. I felt this was quite original, and coupled with a number of creepy and unsettling scenes (especially the one with the sheet on the bed), it elevated the horror in the book to a higher level entirely! The book is by no means science fiction, but the foray to steganography sure brings a much needed breath of fresh air into this type of horror story.
Special mention should be made of the ending. Some readers found it ambiguous,and that may well be so, but I personally found it bleak, absolutely dark, and intensely deflating. Perhaps even nihilistic. Perhaps this is not a supernatural horror book at all! Which wouldn't be as much a shame, as shocking and cunning on the part of the author.
I highly recommend the book to fans of supernatural cult horror and paranormal existential thrillers. Characterization may not be its strong suit, but it's brimming with original ideas, pregnant ambiguity, challenging questions, and subtle, metaphysical horror.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 17, 2025
This one was such a strange read, but I got through it so fast and felt gripped whilst reading it.
This is kind of genre bending IMO, kind of horror, kind of literary fiction, kind of sci-fi!
It’s an exploration of how grief can send us down strange/ dangerous paths. I can imagine a lot of people get different things out of this one, and it’s definitely open to interpretation at the end!
But what I personally took from it is how our grief can send us down rabbit holes, doing/believing anything we can to try and bring someone back/connect with someone we’ve lost. Our main character seems to get involved in a religious cult like organisation, and uses his tech/science background to unearth secrets and what we were led to believe are supernatural occurrences, but again, I find it so open to interpretation. Is all of this really happening or is it his imagination?
The ending surprised me! I was pretty shocked but I liked the direction it went in, it’s kinda dark but also makes us question everything that happened.
The inclusion of illustrations really helped ramp up the creepiness, especially the very last one, if you know you know.
If you like lyrical writing and love a simile then this is the book for you. I felt like there might’ve been one too many similes sometimes but they were usually always very beautiful and really set my imagination going, here are some quotes to entice you…
“Snow falls slowly, lazily, as if unsure whether to land.”
“Her eyes are almost her eyes. But there's no history in them. No weight. They are lit windows without a home behind them.”
“Maybe all of this, is just three broken people trying not to let go. Because if they do, the dead will really be dead. And grief-grief, real grief-requires a kind of surrender Eli has never mastered.”
This is kind of genre bending IMO, kind of horror, kind of literary fiction, kind of sci-fi!
It’s an exploration of how grief can send us down strange/ dangerous paths. I can imagine a lot of people get different things out of this one, and it’s definitely open to interpretation at the end!
But what I personally took from it is how our grief can send us down rabbit holes, doing/believing anything we can to try and bring someone back/connect with someone we’ve lost. Our main character seems to get involved in a religious cult like organisation, and uses his tech/science background to unearth secrets and what we were led to believe are supernatural occurrences, but again, I find it so open to interpretation. Is all of this really happening or is it his imagination?
The ending surprised me! I was pretty shocked but I liked the direction it went in, it’s kinda dark but also makes us question everything that happened.
The inclusion of illustrations really helped ramp up the creepiness, especially the very last one, if you know you know.
If you like lyrical writing and love a simile then this is the book for you. I felt like there might’ve been one too many similes sometimes but they were usually always very beautiful and really set my imagination going, here are some quotes to entice you…
“Snow falls slowly, lazily, as if unsure whether to land.”
“Her eyes are almost her eyes. But there's no history in them. No weight. They are lit windows without a home behind them.”
“Maybe all of this, is just three broken people trying not to let go. Because if they do, the dead will really be dead. And grief-grief, real grief-requires a kind of surrender Eli has never mastered.”
October 6, 2025
5 🌟
A classic Adam book, with SO MUCH DEPTH. Grief & death is the main plot to this book, with AI, a robot, a prophecy & God.
I really thought I knew where this book was going, BUT IT WAS SO MUCH WORSE 😫😫😫
The drawings added all the eerie vibes and the picture at the end really sealed the deal on this being a 5 star read.
Thank you so much Adam for allowing me to ARC read yet another incredible book!
A classic Adam book, with SO MUCH DEPTH. Grief & death is the main plot to this book, with AI, a robot, a prophecy & God.
I really thought I knew where this book was going, BUT IT WAS SO MUCH WORSE 😫😫😫
The drawings added all the eerie vibes and the picture at the end really sealed the deal on this being a 5 star read.
Thank you so much Adam for allowing me to ARC read yet another incredible book!
December 2, 2025
Wow...where to start.
The End by Adam Cosco hit me like a ton of bricks. At the end of the last chapter, I thought I had read a really solid book. Then I read the very end and the epilogue, and I think it broke my brain a little bit. This was a truly incredible story that I found very touching and relatable (unfortunately).
Parts of this novel feel like you're carefully tiptoeing around the main character Eli's grief. Cosco's writing offers quiet observations of mood and surroundings, lending itself to a highly atmospheric novel. Eli's pain, love, and sorrow are apparent in the pages. Other parts feel manic and desperate, and the reader is left wanting answers just as badly as the main characters do. They want to feel whole again, to know that there is a reason for their suffering, to know that there is an "after".
Some of The End even made me teary-eyed, which rarely happens when I read. So, bravo to Adam for that.
After finishing the eBook and staring at the wall for a while, I immediately had to buy a physical copy, which is the highest honor I can give an ARC.
Highly recommended for readers who want to read a novel with a unique blend of cults, horror, speculative fiction, religion, and AI.
Thank you to BookSirens and Adam Cosco for the eARC.
Favorite Quotes:
"Does it ever stop hurting?" Eli asks, though he already knows the answer. Barrett turns. His eyes are tired but not hollow. "Do you want me to lie to you?"
"That's exactly right," Judith says, quieter now. "Life only has meaning because we die."
The End by Adam Cosco hit me like a ton of bricks. At the end of the last chapter, I thought I had read a really solid book. Then I read the very end and the epilogue, and I think it broke my brain a little bit. This was a truly incredible story that I found very touching and relatable (unfortunately).
Parts of this novel feel like you're carefully tiptoeing around the main character Eli's grief. Cosco's writing offers quiet observations of mood and surroundings, lending itself to a highly atmospheric novel. Eli's pain, love, and sorrow are apparent in the pages. Other parts feel manic and desperate, and the reader is left wanting answers just as badly as the main characters do. They want to feel whole again, to know that there is a reason for their suffering, to know that there is an "after".
Some of The End even made me teary-eyed, which rarely happens when I read. So, bravo to Adam for that.
After finishing the eBook and staring at the wall for a while, I immediately had to buy a physical copy, which is the highest honor I can give an ARC.
Highly recommended for readers who want to read a novel with a unique blend of cults, horror, speculative fiction, religion, and AI.
Thank you to BookSirens and Adam Cosco for the eARC.
Favorite Quotes:
"Does it ever stop hurting?" Eli asks, though he already knows the answer. Barrett turns. His eyes are tired but not hollow. "Do you want me to lie to you?"
"That's exactly right," Judith says, quieter now. "Life only has meaning because we die."
November 18, 2025
Not at all what I expected when I saw “new horror book” by Adam Cosco.
This is much more than your typical horror story. I was having a hard time coming up with a description because there are so many layers to it.
The End is about the death of loved one’s and how far some of us would go to get them back. The grief these people feel is palpable, I found some of the chapters pretty heavy. I found myself taking short breaks so I could sit with what I had just read.
This is science fiction and psychological horror mixed together. Do yourself a favor and don’t start this before bed because you’ll want to sit up reading late into the night, to thoroughly enjoy this book you want your eyes and brain well rested.
This is much more than your typical horror story. I was having a hard time coming up with a description because there are so many layers to it.
The End is about the death of loved one’s and how far some of us would go to get them back. The grief these people feel is palpable, I found some of the chapters pretty heavy. I found myself taking short breaks so I could sit with what I had just read.
This is science fiction and psychological horror mixed together. Do yourself a favor and don’t start this before bed because you’ll want to sit up reading late into the night, to thoroughly enjoy this book you want your eyes and brain well rested.
December 10, 2025
4.5 stars
Well, that was not what I expected, but then again, I am not sure what I expected. It is a dark tale of grief and death that you don’t see coming, with drawings throughout and the ending – just wait and see.
The End is a multilayered, multithemed, creepy psychological tale. This story blends horror and science fiction, all while incorporating AI, psychological and religious cult themes, resulting in a web of horror.
Set in a world where grief does strange things to people, where many have descended into chaos. The story depicts a cult following and beliefs unlike any other. A place where everything you thought you knew is uncertain, and a place where you would do anything to bring back the one you love.
The End is a raw and haunting tale that is eerie and oddly beautiful in its telling. Just when you feel you have a grasp on things, the unexpected emerges, adding to its fragmented nature.
Adam has a way of writing that you can’t help but like, even if it feels like a train wreck.
Well, that was not what I expected, but then again, I am not sure what I expected. It is a dark tale of grief and death that you don’t see coming, with drawings throughout and the ending – just wait and see.
The End is a multilayered, multithemed, creepy psychological tale. This story blends horror and science fiction, all while incorporating AI, psychological and religious cult themes, resulting in a web of horror.
Set in a world where grief does strange things to people, where many have descended into chaos. The story depicts a cult following and beliefs unlike any other. A place where everything you thought you knew is uncertain, and a place where you would do anything to bring back the one you love.
The End is a raw and haunting tale that is eerie and oddly beautiful in its telling. Just when you feel you have a grasp on things, the unexpected emerges, adding to its fragmented nature.
Adam has a way of writing that you can’t help but like, even if it feels like a train wreck.
December 3, 2025
This book. I’ve sat here staring at the blinking cursor WILLING my feelings to manifest on the page. Adam’s writing explores so much more than the process of grief, but what lengths a person would go.
It reads futuristic because of the integration of computers, technology and AI (Sal, a robot is AI), cult formations and the dangers of sharing a delusion.
You will be gripped the very last page, and when done staring off into space trying to process your feelings.
The story bares raw emotion, intense visuals, and a writing style that doesn’t allow you to wade into the waters but plummets you into the deep in.
Another fantastic read!
It reads futuristic because of the integration of computers, technology and AI (Sal, a robot is AI), cult formations and the dangers of sharing a delusion.
You will be gripped the very last page, and when done staring off into space trying to process your feelings.
The story bares raw emotion, intense visuals, and a writing style that doesn’t allow you to wade into the waters but plummets you into the deep in.
Another fantastic read!
December 6, 2025
If Mason Coile wrote a cult novel, The End would be the outcome based on its equal parts cosmic horror, and cult atmosphere with a sprinkling of technological elements. I really enjoyed how Cosco included the illustrations in Soloman’s book, The Material World, and gave the reader brief glimpses into the past to fully understand the characters. There were parts of the book that had me asking “is this real? what is real?” based on what the Philosophical Society believed in. One should never trust a cult… but also do people who are in cults know they’re in one? If you love cult horror, definitely give The End a read!
Thank you to Adam Cosco for giving me a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Adam Cosco for giving me a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 21, 2025
This book has the great bones for a good story, but unfortunately, while I cannot confirm this for certain, I have strong suspicions that the story is AI assisted. Almost every paragraph in this book contained at least one simile if not two. Almost every description was being compared to another description using "like," and it was a heavy enough use to the point where it distracted me. The sentence that made me give up entirely was the following: "Dust moves in the filtered light like ash suspended in molasses." Not only was this simile completely unnecessary in context, but a good simile uses things that are related to one another. How ash relates to molasses, I will never know. If this book had cut out 80% of the similes, I think I would have finished this book and had a good time with it. I did receive this book in exchange for a review.
February 2, 2026
I’m finding it difficult to write a review of The End. Adam Cosco presents some fresh and interesting idea into this mixed bag of a story. There’s a combination of elements at play here: sci-fi, horror, drama, possible drug induced psychosis. Things we’ve seen before in the genre but not exactly like this. Adams prose is mostly very poetic with one minor gripe. He has a recurring idiosyncrasy that I found myself being distracted by. Namely his tendency to frame some sentences with “it wasn’t this, but rather more like this”. “It wasn’t so much this, but rather that.”
Which isn’t such a transgression that it ruins the book but I found myself catching it every time it happened. All authors have idiosyncrasies of some kind but I think maybe he could have caught himself and realized it was a bit repetitive descriptively.
The story itself is intriguing but vague in certain spots. Who was The Philosophical Research Center ran by? Just Judith and Barrett? There were other acolytes but who started it?How did they find out about Solomon Holloway. We get some backstory about him but not enough about how he created a movement. How or why he had so many followers. The cult seemed rather flimsy at times. This is where I think the weaknesses lie in the story. Not enough was given to flush out the cult. It left me wondering too much about the logistics behind how Solomons teachings manifested as entire volumes of writing accessible to the public. When did he publish any writings between the Vietnam flash back and when he was killed? This part of the story had a lot left to be desired in my opinion. Not terrible but not as stable as I’d have liked.
As for what worked I’d say the emotional beats are the heart of this novel. Cosco is very adept at making you feel the loss and the grief of each character. The emotional anguish is tangible in a very robust way that keeps this story together. Also he writes sex scenes in such a cute way I can’t deny I really enjoyed. The playfulness between Eli and Judith felt very real.
As for the end I’d say it’s up to you to decide. There seems to be evidence in either direction. There’s implied drug influence mixed with grief psychology and cult ideology and then there seems to be some supernatural elements that occur when drugs aren’t present (unless I missed something).
I may sound like I’m being harsh on this book but I really did enjoy it. The criticisms I have are just places where I think there was more potential for flushing out certain parts that felt lacking. Ultimately I do recommend it. I’d even like to see a movie adaptation.
7/10
Which isn’t such a transgression that it ruins the book but I found myself catching it every time it happened. All authors have idiosyncrasies of some kind but I think maybe he could have caught himself and realized it was a bit repetitive descriptively.
The story itself is intriguing but vague in certain spots. Who was The Philosophical Research Center ran by? Just Judith and Barrett? There were other acolytes but who started it?How did they find out about Solomon Holloway. We get some backstory about him but not enough about how he created a movement. How or why he had so many followers. The cult seemed rather flimsy at times. This is where I think the weaknesses lie in the story. Not enough was given to flush out the cult. It left me wondering too much about the logistics behind how Solomons teachings manifested as entire volumes of writing accessible to the public. When did he publish any writings between the Vietnam flash back and when he was killed? This part of the story had a lot left to be desired in my opinion. Not terrible but not as stable as I’d have liked.
As for what worked I’d say the emotional beats are the heart of this novel. Cosco is very adept at making you feel the loss and the grief of each character. The emotional anguish is tangible in a very robust way that keeps this story together. Also he writes sex scenes in such a cute way I can’t deny I really enjoyed. The playfulness between Eli and Judith felt very real.
As for the end I’d say it’s up to you to decide. There seems to be evidence in either direction. There’s implied drug influence mixed with grief psychology and cult ideology and then there seems to be some supernatural elements that occur when drugs aren’t present (unless I missed something).
I may sound like I’m being harsh on this book but I really did enjoy it. The criticisms I have are just places where I think there was more potential for flushing out certain parts that felt lacking. Ultimately I do recommend it. I’d even like to see a movie adaptation.
7/10
December 2, 2025
“𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌.”
A beautifully written horror about grief, love and the extent some will go to get back what they’ve lost.
This was a fantastic mindf✨k I really enjoyed it. I recommend this if you’re looking for something abit different with your horror.
A beautifully written horror about grief, love and the extent some will go to get back what they’ve lost.
This was a fantastic mindf✨k I really enjoyed it. I recommend this if you’re looking for something abit different with your horror.
January 28, 2026
The End by Adam Cosco was a very enjoyable read. I am not one to dive into emotions too much, but this one threw me in the deep end. You follow Eli, who has just lost Selene and is truly struggling with the grief. You can feel that grief just weighing down on Eli, which is hard to read through at times. Eli ends up finding a group of people that tell him he can see Selene again. Naturally, he jumps at the opportunity to see her again. So the wild ride begins. The book was a great and immersing read about grief while also having creepy moments. The plot kept the pages turning for me. Thank you, Adam, Cosco and NetGalley for the chance to read this book! Definitely recommend it.
December 12, 2025
Awesome! Seriously, the twists in this story keep you turning pages late into the night and its creep factor make sleep difficult! Any story I read where a cult is a major factor also gives me a good scare but throw in AI and man it gets even more wild! I read this one quick, having HAD to read to see what happens next. The raw feelings of being willing to do anything for your love to come back immediately make you sympathize with Eli and wonder just how he can survive all this book has thrown his way. Definitely recommend.
November 27, 2025
ARC REVIEW
3.5⭐️
“The rhythm. The stillness. The idea that death is not an end but a cipher.”
“Life only has meaning because we die.”
This is a story of grief, guilt, faith, AI and VR all wrapped in a cult-y vibe. The cover really grabbed me. It maybe went a bit too philosophical for my personal taste but very well written and a quick read.
Thank you BookSirens for the ARC to review
3.5⭐️
“The rhythm. The stillness. The idea that death is not an end but a cipher.”
“Life only has meaning because we die.”
This is a story of grief, guilt, faith, AI and VR all wrapped in a cult-y vibe. The cover really grabbed me. It maybe went a bit too philosophical for my personal taste but very well written and a quick read.
Thank you BookSirens for the ARC to review
January 16, 2026
The End is a dark and twisted exploration of grief, guilt, life, and the afterlife. It took me through the full range of emotions and had me questioning everything in the best way. The whole thing was one f*cked up puzzle. And I just love how the illustration added to immersive experience of it. I’m going to be sitting with this one for a long time.
October 14, 2025
Haunting, thrilling and absolutely heartbreaking. Cosco knows how to draw you in, tug on your heart strings, and take you on a roller coaster ride.
This book broke my heart, had my heart racing and had me on the edge of my seat. It was thrilling, emotional, and beautiful. The beginning of the story pulls you right in, however I struggled a little before the books pace picked up again - this is the only reason for one less star. I had to put it down and pick it back up a bit later. I just wasn't feeling the "draw" in those chapters. However, once I got about 2/3 of the way through I struggled to put it down.
A spine-tingling, tear-inducing, and thrilling read!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book broke my heart, had my heart racing and had me on the edge of my seat. It was thrilling, emotional, and beautiful. The beginning of the story pulls you right in, however I struggled a little before the books pace picked up again - this is the only reason for one less star. I had to put it down and pick it back up a bit later. I just wasn't feeling the "draw" in those chapters. However, once I got about 2/3 of the way through I struggled to put it down.
A spine-tingling, tear-inducing, and thrilling read!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 5, 2025
BWAF Score: 6/10
TL;DR: The End is a glitchy, grief-soaked techno-horror road trip where dead girlfriends, haunted books, and weirdos with philosophies collide in some legitimately beautiful ways. It also chases its own tail too long, but if you can handle some bloat, this is a smart, ambitious, occasionally confusing mindfuck worth your time.
Cosco is an award-winning author and filmmaker who came up through the American Film Institute and cut his teeth in Hollywood before pivoting to prose, bringing with him a taste for psychologically intense, darkly satirical, impossible-to-ignore stories that live in the overlap of horror and speculative fiction. You can feel the film-school DNA all over this thing, from the cold open at the cabin to the way set pieces build like big-budget sequences.
Eli is a VR storyteller whose life implodes when his girlfriend Selene walks naked out onto a frozen lake at their “reset” cabin retreat and drowns beneath the ice, leaving him screaming on the shore with her body just out of reach. Grief curdles into obsession: with the immersive AI systems he builds, with Sal (a humanoid built from Selene’s work) and with The Material World, a cult novel whose copies start changing only for him, spitting out timecodes and strange illustrations that seem to know his life. Those encoded messages drag him into the orbit of Barrett, a doomsday philosopher, and Judith, a Holloway scholar, sending the group on a storm-lashed, plague-water-soaked pilgrimage through print shops, flooded cities, and apocalyptic signals toward something that might be God, code, or both.
When this book hits, it fucking hits. The opening stretch at Emerald Lake is brutal and gorgeous, from the fox at the bench to the time-lapse camera quietly recording Selene’s silent walk onto the ice and her body hanging just below the surface like a porcelain doll preserved in black water. the-end Later, the novel keeps finding sharply specific images: Eli packing up Selene’s storage unit, carefully crating Sal’s dismantled body like a buried friend while a scarf that still smells like her finally cracks him open; the floor “going transparent” at dinner so he sees her corpse watching from beneath the boards; the print shop sequence where they dive through a flood of ink, loose pages swirling around them like dead fish made of language. The recurring device of The Material World physically changing – new timecodes, new drawings, the sense that the book is literally updating itself in the wild – is a very cool, very creepy riff on haunted media.
Cosco writes like a guy who has watched a lot of movies and then got possessed by his own Final Draft file. The prose is intensely visual, built around precise blocking and sensory beats: the hum of hospital fluorescents while Eli stares “through” the wall; the way VR environments dissolve into polygons when the headset lifts; storm scenes that feel like the Pacific Coast Highway is actively trying to murder them. Dialogue tends to be crisp and character-revealing, especially between Eli and Selene, who oscillate between tenderness and quiet emotional violence in ways that feel uncomfortably real. The downside is that the book is in love with its own vibe. Internal monologue loops. Big symbolic images sometimes show up three times too many. There are stretches where the narrative is essentially just Eli staring at a screen or a page while the text tells you how obliterated he feels. It is good writing, but it is a lot of writing, and occasionally the pacing just stalls out in a puddle of its own significance. For a 6/10, that is the core problem: the signal is strong, but the noise is loud.
The main theme here is grief as a language, not a puzzle. Late in the book Eli admits that grief is “a dialect of absence, of memory and ache, and only the broken can ever really learn how to read it,” which is the kind of line that would be insufferable if the novel hadn’t spent hundreds of pages earning it. The horror engine is built around the urge to decode everything: code, stories, synchronicities, altered books, VR ghosts. Eli, Selene, Judith, and Barrett keep chasing patterns that promise meaning and instead drag them through hell. There is also a quieter, more intimate thread about father-hunger and identity: Selene secretly modeling Sal on the face of the long-absent dad she only knows from a single photograph, then compulsively reading to see if some anonymous writer out there is actually him talking to her. the-end That shit lingers. The aftertaste is a mix of melancholy and awe, like finishing a really good cult movie at 2 a.m. and wondering if you just saw something profound or if you are just tired and sad.
In the current wave of AI and techno-horror, The End sits in the lane where emotional horror meets speculative metaphysics. It is less splattery than your usual “rogue AI kills us all” story and more interested in how people use machines, stories, and patterns to cope with loss and cosmic indifference. Cosco is clearly swinging for something big and sacred here, and even when the book gets self-indulgent, it feels like a sincere attempt to weld VR dread, cult-lit mystery, and intimate relationship drama into one sprawling narrative.
This is an ambitious, sometimes stunning novel that occasionally disappears up its own ass, but if you are down for a grief-soaked, glitchy, the-universe-is-talking-to-me ride, it is absolutely worth wading through the extra pages of beautiful, existential shit.
Read if you love media-about-media stuff in the House of Leaves, Annihilation, Black Mirror vein, with a side of apocalyptic weird religion.
Skip if you require your cosmic horror to either go full monster movie or stay grounded. This hangs out in the ambiguous middle and will absolutely drive you nuts if that is not your thing.
TL;DR: The End is a glitchy, grief-soaked techno-horror road trip where dead girlfriends, haunted books, and weirdos with philosophies collide in some legitimately beautiful ways. It also chases its own tail too long, but if you can handle some bloat, this is a smart, ambitious, occasionally confusing mindfuck worth your time.
Cosco is an award-winning author and filmmaker who came up through the American Film Institute and cut his teeth in Hollywood before pivoting to prose, bringing with him a taste for psychologically intense, darkly satirical, impossible-to-ignore stories that live in the overlap of horror and speculative fiction. You can feel the film-school DNA all over this thing, from the cold open at the cabin to the way set pieces build like big-budget sequences.
Eli is a VR storyteller whose life implodes when his girlfriend Selene walks naked out onto a frozen lake at their “reset” cabin retreat and drowns beneath the ice, leaving him screaming on the shore with her body just out of reach. Grief curdles into obsession: with the immersive AI systems he builds, with Sal (a humanoid built from Selene’s work) and with The Material World, a cult novel whose copies start changing only for him, spitting out timecodes and strange illustrations that seem to know his life. Those encoded messages drag him into the orbit of Barrett, a doomsday philosopher, and Judith, a Holloway scholar, sending the group on a storm-lashed, plague-water-soaked pilgrimage through print shops, flooded cities, and apocalyptic signals toward something that might be God, code, or both.
When this book hits, it fucking hits. The opening stretch at Emerald Lake is brutal and gorgeous, from the fox at the bench to the time-lapse camera quietly recording Selene’s silent walk onto the ice and her body hanging just below the surface like a porcelain doll preserved in black water. the-end Later, the novel keeps finding sharply specific images: Eli packing up Selene’s storage unit, carefully crating Sal’s dismantled body like a buried friend while a scarf that still smells like her finally cracks him open; the floor “going transparent” at dinner so he sees her corpse watching from beneath the boards; the print shop sequence where they dive through a flood of ink, loose pages swirling around them like dead fish made of language. The recurring device of The Material World physically changing – new timecodes, new drawings, the sense that the book is literally updating itself in the wild – is a very cool, very creepy riff on haunted media.
Cosco writes like a guy who has watched a lot of movies and then got possessed by his own Final Draft file. The prose is intensely visual, built around precise blocking and sensory beats: the hum of hospital fluorescents while Eli stares “through” the wall; the way VR environments dissolve into polygons when the headset lifts; storm scenes that feel like the Pacific Coast Highway is actively trying to murder them. Dialogue tends to be crisp and character-revealing, especially between Eli and Selene, who oscillate between tenderness and quiet emotional violence in ways that feel uncomfortably real. The downside is that the book is in love with its own vibe. Internal monologue loops. Big symbolic images sometimes show up three times too many. There are stretches where the narrative is essentially just Eli staring at a screen or a page while the text tells you how obliterated he feels. It is good writing, but it is a lot of writing, and occasionally the pacing just stalls out in a puddle of its own significance. For a 6/10, that is the core problem: the signal is strong, but the noise is loud.
The main theme here is grief as a language, not a puzzle. Late in the book Eli admits that grief is “a dialect of absence, of memory and ache, and only the broken can ever really learn how to read it,” which is the kind of line that would be insufferable if the novel hadn’t spent hundreds of pages earning it. The horror engine is built around the urge to decode everything: code, stories, synchronicities, altered books, VR ghosts. Eli, Selene, Judith, and Barrett keep chasing patterns that promise meaning and instead drag them through hell. There is also a quieter, more intimate thread about father-hunger and identity: Selene secretly modeling Sal on the face of the long-absent dad she only knows from a single photograph, then compulsively reading to see if some anonymous writer out there is actually him talking to her. the-end That shit lingers. The aftertaste is a mix of melancholy and awe, like finishing a really good cult movie at 2 a.m. and wondering if you just saw something profound or if you are just tired and sad.
In the current wave of AI and techno-horror, The End sits in the lane where emotional horror meets speculative metaphysics. It is less splattery than your usual “rogue AI kills us all” story and more interested in how people use machines, stories, and patterns to cope with loss and cosmic indifference. Cosco is clearly swinging for something big and sacred here, and even when the book gets self-indulgent, it feels like a sincere attempt to weld VR dread, cult-lit mystery, and intimate relationship drama into one sprawling narrative.
This is an ambitious, sometimes stunning novel that occasionally disappears up its own ass, but if you are down for a grief-soaked, glitchy, the-universe-is-talking-to-me ride, it is absolutely worth wading through the extra pages of beautiful, existential shit.
Read if you love media-about-media stuff in the House of Leaves, Annihilation, Black Mirror vein, with a side of apocalyptic weird religion.
Skip if you require your cosmic horror to either go full monster movie or stay grounded. This hangs out in the ambiguous middle and will absolutely drive you nuts if that is not your thing.
October 12, 2025
This starts out, right out the gate with some heavy details, Eli looses Selene and his world spirals..
And like a lot of grieving partners, ends up maybe leaning on the wrong people and in this case, ends up involved in a cult. This was grief horror in a way that tore at my soul and Eli was real for me, and his loss was palpable in this book.
This is one of those stories that is dark and haunting in a way you really didn’t expect going in and really nails home, what would you do to stop the hurt, to fill that void your loved one left behind ?
And like a lot of grieving partners, ends up maybe leaning on the wrong people and in this case, ends up involved in a cult. This was grief horror in a way that tore at my soul and Eli was real for me, and his loss was palpable in this book.
This is one of those stories that is dark and haunting in a way you really didn’t expect going in and really nails home, what would you do to stop the hurt, to fill that void your loved one left behind ?
December 3, 2025
My third read from Adam and I absolutely loved the experience throughout.
My previous reads, "The Heart of a Child" and "Little Brother" were 5-star reads for me. When I first came to know about "The End", from his Instagram post, I knew what my next read gonna be.
Back to the novel,
"When Eli’s beloved Selene dies under mysterious circumstances, his world fractures. Consumed by grief, Eli stumbles into a clandestine cult that promises proof of life beyond death, a chance, however impossible, to see Selene again. The cult’s teachings are seductive, its rituals unsettling, but hidden within their devotion lies the truth about Selene’s final days. Was her death a tragic accident… or the fulfillment of a sinister prophecy?
A harrowing descent into the blurred edges of faith, madness, and the afterlife, The End will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the world—and what comes after."
A touch of Sci-fi along with dark, twisted cult, left me flipping through the pages till late night. And some portions left me emotional too. A perfect blend of faith, madness and afterlife along with creepy cult.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this novel and would definitely recommend to those who are looking for similar reads.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
My previous reads, "The Heart of a Child" and "Little Brother" were 5-star reads for me. When I first came to know about "The End", from his Instagram post, I knew what my next read gonna be.
Back to the novel,
"When Eli’s beloved Selene dies under mysterious circumstances, his world fractures. Consumed by grief, Eli stumbles into a clandestine cult that promises proof of life beyond death, a chance, however impossible, to see Selene again. The cult’s teachings are seductive, its rituals unsettling, but hidden within their devotion lies the truth about Selene’s final days. Was her death a tragic accident… or the fulfillment of a sinister prophecy?
A harrowing descent into the blurred edges of faith, madness, and the afterlife, The End will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the world—and what comes after."
A touch of Sci-fi along with dark, twisted cult, left me flipping through the pages till late night. And some portions left me emotional too. A perfect blend of faith, madness and afterlife along with creepy cult.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this novel and would definitely recommend to those who are looking for similar reads.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 11, 2025
TL;DR: 😶 Not your average psychological grief horror by a long shot...
This review took a while for me to piece together. When I finished this book, I had such strong, visceral feelings about it, and it’s been quite challenging putting them into any sort of cohesiveness.
There’s a lot going on in this novel: AI, tech, faith, cults, grief, depression, su*c*de, guilt… there is a great deal of very relatable ideas and emotions (some more than others) over the kind of soul-crushing loss and sorrow that Eli, the MC, experiences. The writing is so beautifully fluid and true that it’s almost breathtaking.
The book opens with the kind of isolated setting that is both beautiful and haunting in its solitude. I was immediately intrigued to see how the spooky opening of the book, that felt lightly supernatural, would tie back to the more high-tech creep that the story unfolds into.
The text is visually expressive, his screenplay roots suffuse the storytelling and set the scene beautifully. The plot is a slow build after the opening chapter, the tension subtle but pervasive. There was a bit of momentum drag at about the halfway point when I was becoming a little distracted by the (to me) overly esoteric and preachy bits that were becoming a lot more predominant than I was personally comfortable with.
I just wasn’t prepared for this level of dialogue.
At the same time, I get it, this book deals with some very high-minded issues in a very serious way. It was also around this point where I started to really wonder if I was reading a book on faith, fate, chance, a very subtle creeping horror… (there was even some incongruency for me with the tone of the story and the cover of the book.) It turned out to be all of those things – I just needed to be patient.
It was around that halfway mark where the imagery was really becoming surreal and eerie in a most intriguing way (one passage gave me distinct impressions of a very specific scene from Lynch’s Fire Walk With Me) and so brought me back into the mystery. There was a sense of an unnamable and amorphous thing that was neither bad nor good at the heart of it – you don’t get evil, but a more cosmic, abyssal, unknowable presence.
There was a feeling of constant unease and disquiet that developed into a kind of anxiety for me, from the imagery and, honestly, from the very distressing and real pain of the MC, his feelings of loss and guilt. There was almost too much despair to take, it hit so intimately and close, in an uncomfortable way. The subtle horror was like a whisper in the text, and strongly disturbing in what wasn’t overtly said (around death and su*c*de).
A serious psychological grief horror novel that will stay with me. I will certainly be checking out Cosco’s other offerings.
Many thanks to the author and BookSirens for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
This review took a while for me to piece together. When I finished this book, I had such strong, visceral feelings about it, and it’s been quite challenging putting them into any sort of cohesiveness.
There’s a lot going on in this novel: AI, tech, faith, cults, grief, depression, su*c*de, guilt… there is a great deal of very relatable ideas and emotions (some more than others) over the kind of soul-crushing loss and sorrow that Eli, the MC, experiences. The writing is so beautifully fluid and true that it’s almost breathtaking.
“The unbearable knowledge that someone he loves has shaped her identity from absence. That she’s been seeking resonance in ghosts, syllables, even the machine she built.”
The book opens with the kind of isolated setting that is both beautiful and haunting in its solitude. I was immediately intrigued to see how the spooky opening of the book, that felt lightly supernatural, would tie back to the more high-tech creep that the story unfolds into.
The text is visually expressive, his screenplay roots suffuse the storytelling and set the scene beautifully. The plot is a slow build after the opening chapter, the tension subtle but pervasive. There was a bit of momentum drag at about the halfway point when I was becoming a little distracted by the (to me) overly esoteric and preachy bits that were becoming a lot more predominant than I was personally comfortable with.
“The highest truths are not hidden to keep them from the unworthy, but to awaken the worthy to seek them. Only those ready to see will take the time to look beyond the veil.”
I just wasn’t prepared for this level of dialogue.
At the same time, I get it, this book deals with some very high-minded issues in a very serious way. It was also around this point where I started to really wonder if I was reading a book on faith, fate, chance, a very subtle creeping horror… (there was even some incongruency for me with the tone of the story and the cover of the book.) It turned out to be all of those things – I just needed to be patient.
It was around that halfway mark where the imagery was really becoming surreal and eerie in a most intriguing way (one passage gave me distinct impressions of a very specific scene from Lynch’s Fire Walk With Me) and so brought me back into the mystery. There was a sense of an unnamable and amorphous thing that was neither bad nor good at the heart of it – you don’t get evil, but a more cosmic, abyssal, unknowable presence.
There was a feeling of constant unease and disquiet that developed into a kind of anxiety for me, from the imagery and, honestly, from the very distressing and real pain of the MC, his feelings of loss and guilt. There was almost too much despair to take, it hit so intimately and close, in an uncomfortable way. The subtle horror was like a whisper in the text, and strongly disturbing in what wasn’t overtly said (around death and su*c*de).
"Grief isn’t a riddle to solve. It’s a dialect of absence, of memory and ache, and only the broken can ever really learn how to read it."
A serious psychological grief horror novel that will stay with me. I will certainly be checking out Cosco’s other offerings.
Many thanks to the author and BookSirens for the advance review copy. All opinions are my own.
December 1, 2025
NEW ARC READ!!
RELEASE DATE : 6TH DECEMBER 2025
Date : 30th November 2025
Book : The End
Author : Adam Cosco
Genre : Philosophical Thriller / Horror / Sci-fi
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Adam..Adam..Adam.. you’ve done it again! First of all, I’m so happy to have read your work again. I really believe ‘The Dream Killer’ and this book should be made into a movie because reading your books gives me anxiety and a whole lotta mindf*cking, and I mean it in the best and respectful possible way😂
This book is about Eli, who goes away on a quiet cabin trip with his partner, Selene. But unfortunately, something happens and he loses the love of his life. Fast forward, he now finds himself having difficulty dealing with her death as he is unable to move on. However, he still feels her near and is somehow trying to make sense of it all.
As he is seeking answers while falling apart, strange things starts to occur. He finds himself digging deep and falling into a group of people who wants to help him heal. But paranoia is a funny thing you see, because now… he is questioning their intentions and can’t seem to trust anyone or what’s even real anymore.
Thank you for giving me the chance to read your book, Adam!✨
#theend #adamcosco #philosophicalthriller #horror #scifi #bookstagram #books #arc #arcread #bookreviewer #bookrecs #bookrecommendations
RELEASE DATE : 6TH DECEMBER 2025
Date : 30th November 2025
Book : The End
Author : Adam Cosco
Genre : Philosophical Thriller / Horror / Sci-fi
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Adam..Adam..Adam.. you’ve done it again! First of all, I’m so happy to have read your work again. I really believe ‘The Dream Killer’ and this book should be made into a movie because reading your books gives me anxiety and a whole lotta mindf*cking, and I mean it in the best and respectful possible way😂
This book is about Eli, who goes away on a quiet cabin trip with his partner, Selene. But unfortunately, something happens and he loses the love of his life. Fast forward, he now finds himself having difficulty dealing with her death as he is unable to move on. However, he still feels her near and is somehow trying to make sense of it all.
As he is seeking answers while falling apart, strange things starts to occur. He finds himself digging deep and falling into a group of people who wants to help him heal. But paranoia is a funny thing you see, because now… he is questioning their intentions and can’t seem to trust anyone or what’s even real anymore.
Thank you for giving me the chance to read your book, Adam!✨
#theend #adamcosco #philosophicalthriller #horror #scifi #bookstagram #books #arc #arcread #bookreviewer #bookrecs #bookrecommendations
January 24, 2026
“The cabin stands like a secret at the edge of the forest.”
I read this book in two sittings.
When Eli’s girlfriend Selene passes away suddenly he is lost and looking for meaning. The only places he finds solace is in the AI virtual reality world he and Selene were creating, and the book Selene was reading when she died—The Material World by Solomon Holloway. The book deals with the place beyond death, and Eli soon finds a group of people devoted to Holloway’s teachings.
I was nervous picking up grief horror—there is so much real horror currently at work in the world—but this book was so visually immersive and beautifully written that I was captivated. Overall I’m not entirely sure how I felt about the story—the ending took a turn I didn’t expect and still need to think about—but this book was such an experience that I think it’s going to live with me for awhile now. I’m really glad I picked this up, and am anxious to read more of Cosco’s work.
I read this book in two sittings.
When Eli’s girlfriend Selene passes away suddenly he is lost and looking for meaning. The only places he finds solace is in the AI virtual reality world he and Selene were creating, and the book Selene was reading when she died—The Material World by Solomon Holloway. The book deals with the place beyond death, and Eli soon finds a group of people devoted to Holloway’s teachings.
I was nervous picking up grief horror—there is so much real horror currently at work in the world—but this book was so visually immersive and beautifully written that I was captivated. Overall I’m not entirely sure how I felt about the story—the ending took a turn I didn’t expect and still need to think about—but this book was such an experience that I think it’s going to live with me for awhile now. I’m really glad I picked this up, and am anxious to read more of Cosco’s work.
November 9, 2025
While reading this book I had no idea where the author was taking me but I was invested. This book reads with a great flow which is rare for me to say. This book has the elements of deeper meaning, life after death, AI, and cult teachings. Honestly all the elements in this book was very well written. The illustrations were AMAZING.
This book is about Eli and Selene a young couple that has been together for a while but their relationship has hit a rough patch. They decided to take a trip to a cabin in the woods. This begins the tale that makes you question everything and the world as you knew it is not the same.
The best way to describe this book as a complete whirlwind and having the floor lifted from me. This book makes you look at grief with a whole new perspective. I loved the characters in the book they were all relatable and there were some gut wrenching moments in this book. This book was written with raw grief emotion. I recommend this book to all.
Favorite Quote: “Everyone who comes into contact with Solomon’s work dies,” she continues. “Whatever he touched… it wasn’t meant to be passed on.”
Thank you Adam Cosco for ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.
This book is about Eli and Selene a young couple that has been together for a while but their relationship has hit a rough patch. They decided to take a trip to a cabin in the woods. This begins the tale that makes you question everything and the world as you knew it is not the same.
The best way to describe this book as a complete whirlwind and having the floor lifted from me. This book makes you look at grief with a whole new perspective. I loved the characters in the book they were all relatable and there were some gut wrenching moments in this book. This book was written with raw grief emotion. I recommend this book to all.
Favorite Quote: “Everyone who comes into contact with Solomon’s work dies,” she continues. “Whatever he touched… it wasn’t meant to be passed on.”
Thank you Adam Cosco for ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.
January 25, 2026
I'm not 100% sure what I just read. It's s going to take me some time to process.
October 30, 2025
The story starts out casual. A couple heading to a cabin for a much needed reset. But from there, your world gets flipped upside down. Tragedy turns to mystery turned to something else entirely. It’s strange in the best way. Tragic grief, cult-ish elements, prophecies, AI & VR all woven together into a haunting, complex narrative that somehow works perfectly.
The writing is stunning. The way he describes scenes feels raw, beautiful, and eerie all at once. I was invested in every character and completely immersed from the start. I read the first half in one sitting because I had to know what was happening, which funny enough, is a running theme in the story itself.
The creepy illustrations only add to the atmosphere. By the end, I was reeling and breaking down the entire series of events to my husband because my brain was spinning. It’s almost impossible to describe without sounding unhinged, but this book messed with my mind in the best way. It blurs genre lines (which is something I love), and I’ve never read anything quite like it.
Thank you to the author for the ARC. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but this story blew me away.
The writing is stunning. The way he describes scenes feels raw, beautiful, and eerie all at once. I was invested in every character and completely immersed from the start. I read the first half in one sitting because I had to know what was happening, which funny enough, is a running theme in the story itself.
The creepy illustrations only add to the atmosphere. By the end, I was reeling and breaking down the entire series of events to my husband because my brain was spinning. It’s almost impossible to describe without sounding unhinged, but this book messed with my mind in the best way. It blurs genre lines (which is something I love), and I’ve never read anything quite like it.
Thank you to the author for the ARC. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but this story blew me away.
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