Official Review: The Killing of Faith by William Holms

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 27 Nov 2020, 20:26

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Killing of Faith" by William Holms.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Faith seemed to be extremely unlucky in love. Her first serious boyfriend, Jake, moved to Texas when she was sixteen, causing her to drop out of school and follow him even though he didn’t invite her. He ended up leaving with another woman after they were discovered in bed together. Shortly afterward, Faith started dating Ryan, a lawyer, who seemed to be perfect. However, things went south for them after they had married, and she deliberately became pregnant for the third time, knowing he didn’t want another child. Even though he obviously was very much in love with her, they argued constantly. Her best friend, Sharon, didn’t improve matters. Sharon was in the process of getting divorced and was constantly disparaging Ryan and encouraging Faith to leave him. Faith started having an affair with Paul, who was also married. She believed they were in love and demanded a divorce from Ryan. Ryan didn’t want to lose custody of his children, and even though he loved her, their breakup was long and messy.

Shortly after the divorce, Paul broke up with her and improved his relationship with his wife. Devastated, Faith swore off all men until she met Christian. How could she know their love affair would end up being a humongous nightmare with her fighting for her life?

The Killing of Faith by William Holms is a 263-page book listed in the C/T/M/H genre, written from Faith’s first-person point of view. The tale starts in the present day and then goes back in time to inform us of how events led to this point. Although there is a sequel in the works, this book can be read as a standalone novel. The author’s descriptive prose is easy to understand and keeps the reader intrigued with unexpected twists, especially a stunning one at the end. Mr. Holms demonstrates a tremendous ability to immerse readers into the story. It is remarkably easy to picture exactly what is being described. An example is from page two of the story:

“My once radiant skin is now sunburnt. My beautiful blonde hair is full of tangles and knots. My lips that were always soft and inviting are dry and chapped. My hands are calloused, my nails are broken, and my body is full of open sores. If you look close you’ll find the only part of me the world hasn’t stolen. My bright blue eyes still sparkle as bright as ever when they’re not filled with tears.”

My favorite aspect of the book was the character development. I didn’t particularly like Faith at the beginning of the story. She was very headstrong; she was also beautiful and recognized it, using her looks to her advantage at every opportunity. Her desire to constantly get her way caused her to make bad decisions (for example, getting pregnant even though she knew her husband did not want another child). Others were blamed when things didn’t go as planned, and she never looked at herself to discover if perhaps it was her own fault. However, as the story progressed, you could perceive her gradually evolving and realizing that she was not as blameless as once thought; she began to recognize and appreciate the more meaningful things in life.

Unfortunately, I discovered too many grammatical and punctuation errors in the novel. Although not distracting, there were too many to ignore. It could use the help of a professional editor.

Because the errors were the only thing about the novel I didn’t like, it receives a rating of three out of four stars. I enthusiastically recommend The Killing of Faith to readers who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers. A word of warning, though, it is quite dark; therefore, readers who struggle with depression might want to reconsider before getting this book. In addition, profanities and sex are encountered in the story. Subsequently, it is unsuitable for children and readers averse to those things.

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The Killing of Faith
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Josephe-Anne · Post by **Josephe-Anne** » 02 Dec 2020, 14:08

The story sounds like a soap opera at first as it is filled with sordid drama. I agree with your point that Faith clearly made some bad choices which lead to some of the negative events in her life.

This book doesn't seem like my cup of tea, but thank you for your honest review.

Eutoc · Post by **Eutoc** » 02 Dec 2020, 16:31

How could Faith had dropped out of school and without being invited. That's outrageous. Like they say 'love is blind'. Nice review Prisallen

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 02 Dec 2020, 19:57

Josephe-Anne wrote: ↑02 Dec 2020, 14:08 The story sounds like a soap opera at first as it is filled with sordid drama. I agree with your point that Faith clearly made some bad choices which lead to some of the negative events in her life.

This book doesn't seem like my cup of tea, but thank you for your honest review.

You're welcome. People don't always like the same things, which is what makes life interesting. Thanks for stopping by!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 02 Dec 2020, 20:52

Eutoc wrote: ↑02 Dec 2020, 16:31 How could Faith had dropped out of school and without being invited. That's outrageous. Like they say 'love is blind'. Nice review Prisallen

I agree with you. I certainly can't imagine doing that. Thanks for the nice comment!

Sou Hi · Post by **Sou Hi** » 02 Dec 2020, 22:10

Wow, that's...quite a messy story there. I think it's karma for Faith, you know, like you reap what you sow. Gladly, she has improved later. Thanks for your interesting review.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 02 Dec 2020, 23:08

Sou Hi wrote: ↑02 Dec 2020, 22:10 Wow, that's...quite a messy story there. I think it's karma for Faith, you know, like you reap what you sow. Gladly, she has improved later. Thanks for your interesting review.

Yes, how we treat other people usually will come back to us. Thanks for reading my review and commenting!

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 03 Dec 2020, 01:02

Jake, Ryan, Paul, Christian... It certainly sounds like Faith was desperate to find and hold onto some everlasting love with someone! I do enjoy psychological thrillers, and this one definitely seems to involve a full cast of characters. Thank you for providing such a succinct synopsis full of developing drama and suspense.

Saint Bruno · Post by **Saint Bruno** » 03 Dec 2020, 03:29

I hope faith was able to survive the disaster of a relationship. Thanks a lot for the detailed and insightful review.

SamaylaM · Post by **SamaylaM** » 03 Dec 2020, 07:19

This story sounds complex and I like that you mentioned that Faith had character development. Hopefully, the author will take up another round of editing. Thank you for this comprehensive review!

03 Dec 2020, 08:53

They say misery loves company and Sharon was miserable and dragged Faith with. How sad! Great review.

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 03 Dec 2020, 09:07

AvidBibliophile wrote: ↑03 Dec 2020, 01:02 Jake, Ryan, Paul, Christian... It certainly sounds like Faith was desperate to find and hold onto some everlasting love with someone! I do enjoy psychological thrillers, and this one definitely seems to involve a full cast of characters. Thank you for providing such a succinct synopsis full of developing drama and suspense.

Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 03 Dec 2020, 09:16

Saint Bruno wrote: ↑03 Dec 2020, 03:29 I hope faith was able to survive the disaster of a relationship. Thanks a lot for the detailed and insightful review.

Thanks for the kind comments and for reading my review!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 03 Dec 2020, 09:23

SamaylaM wrote: ↑03 Dec 2020, 07:19 This story sounds complex and I like that you mentioned that Faith had character development. Hopefully, the author will take up another round of editing. Thank you for this comprehensive review!

I hope so too; otherwise, it was well written. Thanks for stopping by!