From the age of seven, Jack Harper is raised by the leader of a mystical cult, Cyrus Harper. Through Cyrus, Jack receives a full education in all usual subjects—economics, literature, mathematics, history—as well as one unique skill useful to a person in Cyrus’s position: assassination. With the help of Roland James, a man incapable of dying, Cyrus hones Jack into the perfect weapon to use … against all who oppose him.
It is not long, however, before Jack discovers that Cyrus and Roland are not the only ones living in Cyrus’s mansion. There, too, exists a mysterious creature in the depths of the house with supposed immortal magic. According to Roland, this creature is responsible for all the miraculous things Jack has witnessed throughout her childhood, including Roland’s resurrection. The creature, potent and powerful, only weakens in the presence of Cyrus’s red velvet box—a dark, enchanted tool that grants Cyrus his invincibility and ensures his reign.
Lonely and terrified by her life in the cult, under Cyrus’s neverending watch, Jack desperately pursues the mysterious being. When they finally meet, her world is turned upside down, as he offers her more than she could have ever expected—the possibility of escape and her own secret, magical power.
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Wildly imaginative! Wonderful characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. Simply a GREAT read!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Pivot (Jack Harper Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition
by L. C. Barlow
Thank you to the author and Booksirens for the complimentary reviewer’s copy. I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review.
Jack, our protagonist, is being trained to to unthinkable, to murder without question. One part of the training owes to the traditional training montage (beginning when Jack was seven) and one part Bluebeard (Jack is not allowed to go into the basement). There’s a Barker-esque Dybbuk-like box from Hell.
Much of the narration is poetic, with strange metaphors and similes. Often a turn of phrase gives Jack, our narrator through her life, a sense of not being the most reliable narrator. For instance: “Yes, yes, murder is poetry… and I have written chapters with knives”. At times the descriptions go on a bit too long or in one case, where the character was looking at themselves in the mirror, kind of creepy.
Jack is both victim and killer, a made sociopath with a wicked addiction to both heroin and killing. It is very hard to label her with the title hero and equally hard to label her as an anti-hero. I’m not sure if it was intentional on the author’s part, but it seems that Jack seems to have no gender until more than halfway through. She also seems to not have a single redemptive characteristic. Except maybe at the end. The story spans twelve years, yet we don’t see a handful of chapters about Jack as 5 and then at 17, with most of the story takes place when she is seventeen. Due to the way she was raised, she is nothing like any teenager I have ever known.
Speaking of the end, it was a bit of a let down. Where a big confrontation should be, there is just talking. Fortunately, the layered breadcrumbs leading to bits and pieces.
There is a hint of Scientology with the way someone has to ‘blow’ in order to escape. While the real Scientologists just cut ties with ‘suppressive’ people, the cult in Pivot takes things much further. Rather than chasing former members about with private investigators, they are killed.
Not bad. I plan on reading the rest of the trilogy.
3 ½ stars rounded up to 4 stars
https://www.amazon.com/Pivot-L-C-Barlow-ebook/dp/B07ZM64JMN
Great little read.
Jack is only seven years old when she learns that life can be gone in the blink of an eye. She is raised and trained how to kill in multiple ways. Only as she comes of age does she find that everything she has been taught is not as it seems, and she begins to question the life she has been trained for. When her curiosity gets the better of her, she finds that her life could be better, but she will have to find a way to save the one person that sees more in her.
This was an intriguing story of a young girl that finds her life to be dark and deadly, but she finds her light in the most unlikely place. When she begins to question everything that she knows and has been taught, her life could become void, but she’s found her true calling in life and that will mean that she has to betray the man that has raised her. She has to find a way to do it and stay alive though or everything she has learned and is working towards could be the end.
I enjoyed this story and although I don’t read a lot of paranormal or fantasy stories, it seems that the ones that I do read turn out to be entertaining, intriguing and a very good read, Pivot is no exception to this. I liked Jack’s character and the way that she comes into her true calling. She has to be sneaky and ruthless, but she has been trained well and the training she’s had will only help her to find the strength and will to do what is right. I give this story a 4-star review and look forward to reading more of the trilogy as well as more of L.C. Barlow’s work. I am new to L.C. Barlow’s work, but I always enjoy finding new to me authors and when they contact me themselves, it means so much more to me when I read their work and find it entertaining and enjoyable to read. I look forward to Perish coming out and reading it so that I can get more of Jack’s story.
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“Pivot” by L.C. Barlow, introduces readers to Jack Harper, a young girl who becomes an apprentice for Cyrus… a leader who isn’t all what he cracks up to be. During Jack’s young life (age 7), Cyrus begins training her how to kill and brings back her “victim” every time. Like with most cult leaders, Cyrus has many secrets, many hiding spots. Jack becomes determined to learn them all… or at least what is behind Cyrus’ dark power. Jack got more than what she bargained for. Eventually evil versus evil must take place but who will survive?
“Pivot” is not going to be for everyone. There is child and animal torture and abuse throughout the book. One can forget that Jack is only 7 throughout most of the book but one can also remain focused on that point and be disgusted and upset. I was able to forget the young age mostly because of the action. Each chapter lists the age of Jack when the events are happening. The acts that Jack commits eventually lead to a reasonable ending and makes sense in an odd way. There is also a subplot of a relationship between Jack and Cyrus’ son Alex. Part of me feels like this wasn’t needed but it adds an Achilles’ heel to Cyrus. It also gives Jack a realistic enemy instead of her fighting against an adult.
“Pivot” takes an interesting internal look to what might happen in a cult where mostly children are the victims and how the leader’s charisma takes over the adults. I wish a little more was written about this aspect. It could lead to how Jack and some of the other followers continued to follow Cyrus despite them realizing that Cyrus was insane and trying to find a way out. It could create more of an internal struggle about what Jack and others might do. Unlike real life cults, “Pivot” touches on a paranormal world where hidden powers are used in many ways.
“Pivot” overall is an enjoyable read if one can get over the abuse and torture. It makes me wonder how the author came up with the idea and to put it on paper. This is book one of a trilogy and I am interested to see what happens in book two.
Fascinating! It is a total mind twister. This book shows the inner workings and depravity of a madman. Jack is raised by him and is turned into a killer at 7years old. She is completely gone. The cult leader starts giving her drugs when she’s 10. A spark of hope in the basement and the love of the man she continuously kills are what keeps her going. I can’t wait to read the next one.
I received an ARC and I’m voluntarily leaving an honest review
The story is beautifully told from the point of view of the main character, Jack. As a young child, Jack is taken to a cult led by the mysterious Cyrus, who possesses certain powers. Early on, Jack learns how to kill. Jack becomes a murderer, a thief and a drug abuser. But Jack also has a lot more … something unique and special.
I just got sucked into this incredible novel. The more I read, the more fascinated I became with the story that unfolded. It will certainly keep you guessing and you will be huddled in the chair sharing the horrors that Jack constantly has to endure. I recommend this book with a great pleasure.
This book is a psychological mind twister with an intriguing story. I may have to read it again to get all of the details straight.
Jack is a girl. She has had a twisted, horrible childhood. To her all is normal. Her father is training her. What he is training her is so far beyond normal that there is no scope or sequence for what she has learned. She can ruthlessly kill, manipulate and make people disappear without a trace.
It comes down to her father and a special box that gives him supernatural powers. He has the ability to bring the dead back to life. Is he a good man? Absolutely not! Cyrus is a combination of Hannibal (the Mads Mikkelsen version), Joe Caroll (from The Following) and Martin Whitley (from The Prodigal Son).
The book is exquisitely written and will leave you wanting more details. I really enjoyed it.
I am volunteering an honest review for the benefit of others.
‘ I believed wholeheartedly that I had murdered Roland James a multitude of times. Like a boomerang, Roland kept returning.’
We meet our heroine Jack, at the age of seven, when she is forced to kill a man, by a mysterious person Cyrus. Jack is raised in this big manor, under the care of Cyrus. She is taught how to be an efficient assassin, while she discovers all kinds of secrets that Cyrus was hiding from her.
It was a strange journey to see Jack growing up and her relationship with Cyrus evolving. Even though it’s pretty clear that Cyrus isn’t the good guy, after the many terrible acts we see him do, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible for Cyrus to have any true emotions. On the other hand, it was fascinating to see Jack becoming a teen while developing a friendship with Roland, the man she killed countless times, and slowly distancing herself from what was her normal life at this point and realizing what everyone, herself included, were actually doing.
This book kept my interest the whole way through. It had the perfect amount of creepiness, suspense, and mystery and I’m so excited about the sequel. Keep in mind that there is a lot of violence thought, which might disturb some readers.
**I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**