The Shadowed Onyx Nicole O' Dell

When I say this book is captivating, I really mean it. Normally, ebooks have to be of a certain standard for me to even finish the book. And for some reason, the ePub version of this book crashed my BlueFire reader app repeatedly, so I had to read this on my computer. Yet, I finished reading it in one go (even through my Detective Conan anime!)

The Shadow Onyx follows Joy, whose life unravels after she finds her best friend's body (her best friend committed suicide). She gets deeper and deeper into the occult (although she calls it spiritualism) when she's convinced that Melanie (her best friend) was speaking to her from the dead.

But, while it's easy to get drawn into the occult, it's not so easy to get away. Joy is "given" a spiritual guide, a wolf called Silas. He hurts those that believe Christ, he demands all her loyalty and he does his best to keep her away. Towards the end of the book, one of Joy's biggest hurdles in leaving the occult isn't because she's found peace, but because she's too afraid of Silas.

And this danger of the occult is ever-present in the book. There are numerous incidents that show how dangerous it is. Objects are ripped, people are hurt. And about halfway through the book, Joy is given spiritual sight. She can see how monstrous these spirits are. She can see the battles being fought for our souls.

That, I think, is the most powerful part of the book. It has managed to take the battle in the spiritual realm and translate it into words. And while it's shown that Jesus has the ultimate power over all things, material and immaterial, the power of the devil is not minimised. While we are conquerors in Christ, we must not underestimate the power of the devil to intimidate and scare us.

In conclusion, this is a gripping book that vividly shows the dangers of dabbling in the occult. It's definitely a must-read.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.