Cover Me In Darkness - by Eileen Rendahl- Book Review

I got sucked in for this read you guys! "Cover Me In Darkness" was a total back cover read. You know that feeling- you read the synopsis and then hook, line, and sinker - you have to read the book, like now. I saw the synopsis for this book - hmm, murder mystery meets cult escapee? - um yes, sign me up, please!

Cover Me In Darkness
by Eileen Rendahl

2.5/ 5 stars

Amanda Sinclair has to fight harder than most for everything she has after fleeing the cult that left her brother dead at her mother’s hand. Amanda works a quiet job in quality control for a small cosmetics company, trying to leave her past behind her―until she learns that her mother has committed suicide in the mental ward where she’s been locked away for the past ten years. But when Amanda receives her mother’s personal belongings, she finds a troubling connection to the upcoming parole hearing for cult leader Patrick Collier. And then troubling things begin happening to Amanda herself. Teaming up with her mother’s psychologist, Amanda starts to peel away the layers of secrets that she’s built between herself and her own past, and what she finds is a truth that’s almost too big to believe.

What I Liked

My favorite elements of "Cover Me In Darkness" were the plot and the main character, Amanda.

Amanda is painfully introverted, and her comfort in being alone is only magnified after her adolescent trauma. She holds her time at the cult and her mother's crime close to her chest, refusing to let others in to what she feels, rightfully, is kind of a freak show. As an introvert myself, I enjoyed her mannerisms, and also felt for her struggle to both enjoy and live her life as an introvert, while balancing her social and work responsibilities.

 

Without giving too much away, there were definitely a couple of chillingly creepy moments during the book and I really enjoyed the ride of the mystery. The story was well paced and kept me reading. I did predict who was responsible for the murder mystery aspect about 15% of the way into the book, but still enjoyed seeing how it would play out. The book became less who did the crime, and more how would the main character prove they did it.

What I Didn't Like

I gave 2.5 stars to "Cover Me In Darkness" because, while there many things about the plot that I enjoyed, the writing was just not there for me.

The author, Eileen Rendahl, has a background in YA and Romance, which I wasn't surprised to learn after reading this book. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of great things about both of those genres, but the things that kind of irk me about them really stood out in this book.

For example, there was a lot of foreshadowing and hinting at some horribleness or another that the main character had endured. And while on the one hand this tactic did keep me reading, I was also annoyed. This is a good strategy to build intrigue once, maybe twice, tops- but "Cover Me In Darkness' had a regular pattern of it and it got old, quickly.

As for the romance, which there are several solid story lines of in the book- there was definitely a romance novel feel to them. I don't know if the word "quivering" was actually used, but that was the vibe. The romance story line could easily have been left out , and I really think that the book would've benefited from it.


 

What book have you read recently based on the back cover synopsis? Did the book suck you in and then disappoint, or was it an amazing read? Let me know below! Thinking about reading "Cover Me in Darkness"? Click the image to the left to find the book at your local library or click the link below to view the book on Amazon!