Winner of the International Book Award and Pinnacle Book Award, The Unholy is the compelling story of Claire Sanchez, a young medicine woman, whose people have fallen victim to the influence of the evil Archbishop, William Anarch.Haunted by the memory of her mother’s murder, Claire has lived most of her life in fear. But the Archbishop’s mounting horror compels her to expose the dark side of his … side of his religion and face the truth: good is not always what it appears to be.
Confronting Anarch means risking her life and uncovering the closely guarded secrets of her past.
Set in the mystic land of Aztlan, a mythopoeic realm of hidden terrors and guiding spirits, The Unholy is a supernatural tale of Claire’s confrontation with destiny as healer and slayer.
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Very well-written. The flow of the reading is good. That being said I thought it was painstakingly thorough. Not wordy but very detailed.
The supernatural is not something I am fond of being such a black and white thinker, but it seems as if DeBlassie has made this all fit together. It definitely seemed to work well as a thriller. Throughout the whole book I felt as if there was an underlying message in this fictional work. Maybe that was the idea.
—4.5 Stars—
This book was compelling, captivating, thought-provoking, reflecting, and stimulating!!!
This book is filled with many suspenseful, mysterious, mystifying, and thrilling scenes!! There are dark corners, hidden secrets, dangerous forces, haunting memories, scary superstitions, and supernatural elements at play!!
This book starts right off with a dark, intense scene of young, 5-year-old Claire Sanchez, hiding among the tree line watching her mother being murdered by a scary black cloaked man. This scene is quite catching and pulls you in quickly with so many questions and worries about little Claire. However, it just as fast drops you out of this gripping scene as the next scene promptly fast forwards twenty years as Claire is now an adult, at twenty-five-years-old and is working at the Ecclesia Dei Psychiatric Hospital in this giant desert near the region of Aztlan. She is working in a unique position as a licensed natural therapist with a background in mental health services working specifically with Hispanic and Native American patients. This position couldn’t be more perfect for her as she had previously worked as a mental health worker while she was in training for her natural therapeutics license. That plus her being raised in a medicine women culture – “Women of Lozen,” that had taken her in after Claire became a “huerfana,” an orphan. With her strong upbringing in these traditions and the connection to her mom having also been part of this society it was easy to see why Claire chose a similar path and how she was excelling in it. However, Claire is hesitant to follow directly in her mom’s footsteps as a medicine woman; when called out, she firmly insists she is a natural therapist, not a medicine woman, as Claire knows following directly in her mom’s steps would only lead to danger. But now that Claire is the same age her mom was when she died she is starting to get curious and wanting to find out the truth behind the mystery of her mom’s death. Claire goes on a self-discovery journey while also tracking down her mom’s killer. What she finds is not only shocking and disturbing – it’s more than she ever could have imagined!! Sorry, no spoilers here!! But you will definitely want to read this book and find out what happens and what Claire discovers!!!
I really liked Claire and easily connected with her!! She is strong, intelligent, caring, compassionate, respected, driven, persistent, polite, and kindhearted. However, she has many heavy weighted memories, nightmares, and demons that haunt the little girl she was when she watched her mom get brutally attacked and killed. That understandably would make anyone anxious, scared, fearful, worried, and on edge. I loved Claire’s passion and drive about wanting to truly help her patients, to understand their pain, and help them heal. She truly went above and beyond for her patients – putting them first.
This is the second book I have had the pleasure of reading from Paul DeBlassie III. I must say one of things I have noticed and come to enjoy in his writing is the intense force of the ying and yang themes and how he compels the reader to look at and discover both sides of the coin. For example, his books focus on good vs. evil, church vs. state, right vs. wrong, villain vs. hero, love vs. hate, Native American Spirituality vs. the dark side of institutionalized Christianity, etc., and even though many of us may unwittingly jump quickly to one side Paul pushes us to see and interpret both directions. And shows us that each one is not always so black and white – there are many shades of gray!!
I really liked all the Native American cultural and historical references that were sufficiently placed throughout the book. I also enjoyed the Native American language that was integrated into the story. I appreciated that the author defined each word in the passage on the fly, but I would have loved to have had a glossary word list at the end of the book that showed all the words included and their definition/sentence example.
I really enjoyed the in-depth amount of research the author did while constructing this book that is well-established throughout the story. That plus his strong background in psychology, and his love, passion, and respect of all things Native American is clearly evident from page one.
This book is an enjoyable, satisfying read. Although only 222 eBook pages, it does feel longer than that and it is not a quick read. In addition, this is definitely not a book that you can read while multitasking. There is too much to the story and it really does need your full attention, otherwise, it will be easy to get lost or confused – found this out the hard way lol. Not a flaw, I just normally juggle many things at a time, but it was nice to stop, take a break, cozy up, and focus on just getting whisked away into the story.
However, I have to say there were a few times I felt the story was repeating itself as it re-described many pervious scenes. I know what happened, I was there, I read it. So, I felt this detracted a bit from the story and stretched it out longer than it needed to be.
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still a few unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
At this time, it does not appear that this book is part of a book series. Therefore, this book can be read as a standalone.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all thriller readers will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the paranormal (medicine woman) aspect of Claire. Her strength to survive for her friends, love, past allowed her to fight the evil. Some things were a bit confusing, but all got worked out through the story. There was loss as well as love, evil and good, and ended on a good note.
I received a copy of this story through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
The Unholy is an interesting story with well-developed characters and an absorbing premise. Claire comes from a long line of native medicine women and uses her natural talents, combined with an academic training in psychology, to help heal the patients at Ecclesia Dei Psychiatric Hospital. The hospital, along with most of the land of Aztlan, is controlled by the Ecclesia Dei Catholic church.
The conflicts of faith in this world are reflective of real-life clashes and religious oppression. The spiritual forces that move the story give the reader something tangible to relate to, and make the corruption of the church overtly threatening. I enjoyed the culture that was brought to life in the writing by mixing American-English, Latin-American, and Native American phrases. Some names and lines were repeated more than necessary, as were backstories and character descriptions. Some religious readers may feel that the story portrays Christianity/Catholicism in a negative light, but that is what makes this novel relevant. It showcases how one abusive person in power can destroy so much.
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III is a supernatural horror story that draws on a number of spiritual traditions to provide a rich background to the characters and their experiences. The title refers to the antagonist, Archbishop Anarch, whose quest for power and fortune within the church has led him to moral and spiritual corruption.
Claire is one of the few people working at the Ecclesia Dei Psychiatric Hospital who isn’t a member of Anarch’s congregation, and so is outside of his control. She brings to the hospital her in depth knowledge of both natural therapies and mental health work, drawing on her educational background and her upbringing amongst medicine women. She is committed to her patients and critical of some of the hospital’s approaches to caring for them.
As well as her battle against the corrupt Archbishop, Claire is fighting against her own destiny. She is called to follow in her mother’s footsteps to be a medicine woman but has resisted this call as she is afraid that it will lead to her death. Having reached the age of 25, the age her mother was when Claire witnessed her violent death, Claire is increasingly worried about what her future holds.
One of my favourite characters was Francesca, Claire’s spiritual guide and foster mother. I liked how down-to-earth and observant she was, and how often Claire referred to her wisdom.
For me, this is a four-star book. If you’re looking for a battle between good and evil with a deep spiritual background and some interesting characters, this is worth a read!
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III
5-Stars
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III was an invigorating read that really pulled me in from the beginning. Claire was a fascinating main character to follow. I really loved Claire’s strength, focus, and intellect as she battles the evil hidden with in the local church. Archbishop William Anarch was an excellent protagonist to feature in this story. His dark secrets and past sent chills down my spine. This supernatural story involving Fate as a healer and slayer was wonderful. I highly recommend this easy to follow and addictive story.
The Unholy is a novel by Paul DeBlassie III. This is my second novel by this author.
This is the story of a young girl who goes on a journey of self discovery and to find out who murdered her mother years earlier.
I don’t want to give anything away. The author has a way of engaging the reader with colorful and relatable characters as well as a well thought out plot.
There’s a lot of twist and turns once the story picks up.
I highly recommend this novel.
5 Star
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie lll is a mystery suspense book.Ive read other books by this author and I must say The Unholy has just become my favorite. The authors style of writing grabs your attention and keep it till the end. Get ready for a journey with a few twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what happens next. This story is about a woman who goes to reclaim her heritage and shes trying to find out what happened around her moms death.Claire is a natural medicine woman who has been fighting her heritage but cant anymore. Shes out to figure out her past and what the mystery is.What happens when she finds herself in a battle ? What does she uncover?Find what happens, I highly recommend this book.i cant wait to read more from this author.
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III
4 Stars
This is my second book by this author and again I waded into a genre I just don’t normally read but because of the wonderful writing in the first that I read I went ahead and grabbed this one as well.
I’m thinking just because this isn’t a chosen genre of mine, I had a hard time connecting but the storyline was fascinating to me and some of the descriptions were awesome. I had a hard time during some of the slower parts and and sometimes I felt like I was rereading parts I had already read. Claire was an awesome character and I did like her even more as the story moved forward.
I can imagine that those that love a really good horror/psychological thriller story will absolutely love this as it is written in a way that will draw you in and give you exactly what you want with an ending that you just don’t see coming.
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie is psychological thriller about good versus evil. The story is mysterious due to its Native American and Mexican lore and mystical nature. The twisted religious cult was intriguing and there is a lot of action and suspense, evil and darkness to keep me reading because I needed to know what happened.
A delusion of grandeur is a person’s belief that they are someone other than who they are, such as a supernatural figure or a celebrity and that is exactly what is the basis of this story.
If you are looking for a book that includes psychological thrills, twists and turns then grab a copy.
DeBlassie writes another book that is different and unexpected. His writing style is one that takes me a bit to lock into. But I enjoyed the subject he explored and the characters he developed. It is a good story and solid book. The plot pacing is steady. Overall I enjoyed this book.
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III is an amazing story that will having you questioning about religion. This is not my first book by Paul DeBlassie III but it will not be my last. DeBlassie has such a way of making the story so real you are in the story. A lot of evil has been done in the name of religion.Claire Sanchez is considered a Medicine Woman with her roots in American Indian beliefs. As we learn she has skeletons in her closet that she is trying to keep in the closet. Likewise there are other memories in her past that she is trying to figure out. So if Claire is our “good” character then Archbishop William Anarch is our evil character. Archbishop Anarch wants all power in this world. He wants to be the supreme leader of an evil in the world. He is attacking Claire to strike her down so he can keep moving forward with his evil plans. Will good win over evil? Will the world be dominated by Archbishop Anarch?
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III was a very intriguing and original read. This book captured my attention from the start. Claire who is a medicine woman who hasn’t really embraced her heritage until now. At 5 years old she witnessed her mother’s death, and it still haunts her. On her journey to find answers she faces so much more than she imagined. How will she handle the horrific man she has to face, that uses religion as he sees fit?This story is a dark mystery and takes you on a battle of good and evil. The detail the author weaves into this story takes you right into the story as if your there. You will experience the emotions that the characters are going through. This is the second book I have read by this author and the more I read the more really like his writing style and knowledge of what he’s writing about. He takes you into this supernatural world he has created and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I could not put this book down till I got to the end and even that was an unexpected twist. I truly enjoy the originality of the authority writing. I highly recommend this book.
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III is a book that will that what you think you know about religion and twist it until it is barely recognisable. Combined with the supernatural it is designed to make you push the boundaries on what you think you know.
We follow the story of Claire, a young woman with a mission. She knows of secrets hidden in her past and she is determined to get to the bottom of them. However she didn’t realise just how dark a journey this would be when she started. When she encounters the Archbishop it opens her eyes to the evil of one man who has he power of religion behind him. It shows her what it can do when someone has that power to influence. Claire must battle to find what she really wants, if she still wants it.
This is not my usual type of book and at first I didn’t think I would like it. However I can definitely say I was wrong! The author takes you on such a journey and isn’t scared to jump into topics normally tiptoed around. I loved he combination of genres and how it added it a whole new depth to the story. I also really enjoyed Claire’s character. She was well written and so engaging it was easy to get lost within her story. Overall this is a book very much worth reading.
The Unholy
By Paul DeBlassie III
4 stars
This isn’t the first book that I have read by this author so I knew that I would be in for something a little different to the books that I usually read but I do like this author writing style hence why I wanted to read more from him.
I liked this book, it did take me a little to get into and I put that down to the fact that it isn’t my usual genre but once I did I went through the story quite quickly. There were some good twists and turns to the story and I loved trying to guess what was going to happen. I also thought the descriptions in the story were great and this was a huge positive for the book along with the great storyline. I could really imagine everything that I was reading about.
Whilst I didn’t particularly connect or relate to the main character Claire I did like her. It took me a little while but eventually I could understand why she did some of the things that she did. There were also some good secondary characters who added some great parts to this story.
I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future and emerging myself into his beautifully described stories!
The Unholy written by Paul DeBlassie III. This isn’t my normal genre so it took me a little bit to get into The Unholy. The storyline itself is good and full of surprises, I found myself enjoying the story being told. Claire is from a long line of medicine women and when she starts looking into a conspiracy theory that’s leads to the archbishop. The story is twisted with a few topics brought up including mythology and religion. There were a few scenes that fell a little short for me after a climatic build up. The author did a lot of research to give the types of details and graphics described throughout the story.
This is a book filled with symbolism and mysticism while weaving a tale of good vs evil. While this story is set in a fictional location, it feels as if could be a real destination. After all, it is “the belly button” of the southwest.
This book has multi dimensional characters who don’t always appear as they truly are. There are situations that develop that just captured my attention and kept me reading from beginning to end.
This is not a book I would normally choose on my own and I’m so grateful that someone recommended it to me.
4 Stars
The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III is an urban fantasy with mystery, suspense, drama, American Indian beliefs/culture, religion, good vs evil, and some supernatural elements.
Claire is on a journey of discovery- hoping to find herself as well as tracking down her mother’s murderer. Along the way she finds a lot more than she had bargained for- secrets are revealed, truths are uncovered, and darkness and horror are confronted.
I was very intrigued by the elements of this story, having read some of Mr. DeBlassie’s work before I was curious about where he would lead us on this adventure. He piqued my interest right from the get go and I zipped through the pages reading as quickly as my eyes would allow to discover what would happen.
I liked Claire and was rooting for her the whole way through. All the characters were well developed, and all contributed to the overall storyline.
I wonder what Mr. DeBlassie has in store for us next?
Thank you, Mr. DeBlassie!
The Unholy
By: Paul DeBlassie III
5 out of 5 stars
The story The Unholy by Paul DeBlassie III is a book that I enjoyed reading. It is a story that includes plenty of mystery, suspense, and danger. I was taken on a journey that had me wondering what was going to happen next and who was going to be left standing in the end. You are introduced to Claire Sanchez. She is a caring and compassionate woman who wants to help others. She is a very likeable character who at times is experiencing doubts about situations in her life. She is also trying to uncover secrets and get answers to questions regarding her past. Will Claire find the answers that she is searching for? Archbishop William Anarch is a man that wants to gain power no matter the cost. The actions that he takes and the plans that he puts into motion show him to be a truly evil person. Claire begins to have suspicions regarding the Archbishop. What has she discovered and how much danger does this put her in? There are other secondary characters that interact with Claire that I enjoyed reading about. They are helpful to Claire and give her support. Then there are others who help the evil Archbishop and work against Claire. Will good win and evil be defeated? There are legends and stories that are included in the story. There are also dreams and visions. What are the meaning behind them and will they be of help to Claire? A well written story with wonderful characters. I look forward to reading more by the author.
The Unholy byPaul DeBlassie III is a tense supernatural thriller with a lot of religious politics happening in the background. This story follows Claire, a natural medicine woman a as she struggles to reconnect with a heritage she has tried to ignore. Draw back in an attempt to find her mother’s killer she soon uncovers a religious fanatics plot. Soon Claire is drawn into a fight between the natural healing of her ancestors and the industrial religion that is trying to snuff it out. This was an interesting read and not something that I would normally read but I’m definitely glad I took a chance because it was a great read.The characters are well thought out and the plot is fast paced without seeming rushed. This isn’t my first book by this author and I like the way the author brings life to the words of the stories. A well written four star read that kept me turning pages right up until the end.