Unfortunately despite struggling and trying twice I could not connect with the strange storyline of this book, and so was not able to finish it.

I had some hesitations going into this novel, as I was not sure it was quite the type of story that would really interest me. The idea of looking at advertising from a psychological perspective very much piqued my curiosity—I find it fascinating to see how certain media tactics are designed to affect us all both individually and as a society. On the other side of things, I am not typically a huge fan of novels that delve too deeply into the topic of religion, and I didn’t know what to expect in that area. It’s not that I am disinterested and much more that I feel religion is a very private subject, so I hoped it would not put me off.

However, I absolutely could not have predicted how much I would end up truly enjoying this novel. The synopsis does not even begin to cover all the unique aspects of this engrossing and fast-paced narrative. And with an incredibly unexpected twist in the final chapters, even though it felt a bit rushed into the plot, I was kept on the edge of my seat all the way through.

In this novel, we follow Mal Thomas—a retired advertising agent who gets roped back in to work on his craziest assignment yet. He is called in to collaborate with his former advertising company, CREATIF, by one of the world’s most powerful men, Alfredo Baptiste. Baptiste claims that his adopted son, Sebastian, is the Messiah, and requests Mal and his former CREATIF team’s help in introducing this topic to the world. Despite his personal doubts, Mal is taken by Baptiste’s sincerity and agrees to assist him, but not all is as it seems. Some people’s true motives are not clear, and this entire process leads to shocking and devastating consequences that no one saw coming.

Following a short initial hook, the novel starts out at a bit of a slow pace as Holden introduces us to the main characters and their backstories. This could have easily made it a bit harder to get into, but I felt he did a good job of not only carefully constructing and acquainting us with the characters, but also of immediately bringing them to life. And very briefly, after the introduction of the main plot line, the speed ramps up exponentially.

We are quickly swept up into the life of Mal Thomas and his colleagues as they tackle this controversial and seemingly impossible task of convincing the world that the second coming of the Messiah is indeed happening. Figuring out the psychology of marketing something as stunning as this is going to be the biggest challenge they have ever faced. Not only do they have to contend with the resistance and backlash that is sure to come from the public, they have to wrestle with their own personal doubts and skepticism.

I really enjoyed this peek at the behind-the-scenes workings of mass media and advertising, and the planning that goes into campaigns that are effective on the public. We get to see the sort of power these images have over all of us—whether we realize it or not—as well as the underlying purposes that these promotions and movements can have. As shown here in this story, there are both good and bad intentions floating around in this aspect of society. Sometimes, these movements can spark wonderful things, bringing people together as a community. At other times however, there are darker schemes at work, many times revolving around greed.

The best part of this novel, by far, are the characters—Holden does an absolutely brilliant job of creating interesting, three-dimensional characters that carry the story to new levels. As I mentioned before, he takes a good amount of time crafting the personalities and backstories of every single person, not allowing any of them to come across as insignificant or not fully fleshed out. And Mal is the most fantastic narrator—one of my new favorites. He is humorous, intelligent, and kind-hearted, such an easy character to fall in love with. Reading from his perspective is a joy.

As for the writing itself, I found Holden’s work to be very easy to fall into, and it flowed nicely from beginning to end. His talent in every aspect of storytelling is abundantly clear, as well as his background knowledge of advertising and the persuasiveness of media. He manages to produce an entertaining and at many times hilarious narrative, while also inserting information and serious circumstances that are very relevant in today’s world.

It is a quick and extremely fun read, while also having quite a surprising amount of depth to it. The only real complaint that I had was that there was far more telling than showing, which was not a huge detriment, but definitely slowed down the pace just a bit.

Overall, I am so glad that I took the chance and decided to give this book a try—it ended up being even better than I had hoped. Though it wasn’t absolutely perfect, it was certainly a page-turner, and one of the most unique plotlines I’ve come across recently. Skillfully plotted and unraveled at a fitting pace, Mal Thomas and his quirky personality will captivate readers from page one. I enjoyed experiencing all the twists and turns this story took, as well as spending time with some of my new favorite literary characters. I’ve already gone on and read the sequel, and I am looking forward to talking about that one soon as well.

To be honest, I didn't love this book, I liked it. It's well written, I can't say it is not, but I didn't adore the story. I can see from the way to tell the story that the author is a very great writer, I just didn't love the plot. It might be because it's not really my genre, or maybe I read this book too fast to fully understand the meaning.

But as I always say, even if I didn't love the book, that doesn't mean you won't love it either. When you read a book, every feeling you feel are personal, so I might not love it, but you might, so give it a chance, and then came back here and tell me what you felt.

This is a tough one to review - I really liked it throughout, then right at the end, I got really frustrated and rolled my eyes and groaned rather a lot... You'll notice I still gave it four stars - that's because it was an original, entertaining, well-written, well-devised story. Right up until the ending. Then it felt contrived - like when Bobby walked out of the shower and Pam said it was all a dream... (Yeah, I went with Dallas as my comparison - that dates me, but I don't care because it is the perfect analogy.) It felt random, like an alternate idea that got picked up off the cutting room floor. Normally, that would be enough to send me off on a wild rant - it really bothers me when a great story delivers what I consider a disappointing ending. But I still really liked the ideas here, and since I knew there was a sequel, I was willing to suspend my irritation and see where things went (I already have the second book from NetGalley). I'm only a small number of pages into that sequel, and so far I'm thinking that perhaps my frustration is misplaced - the second book is holding remarkably consistent so far, and I'm thinking that the author did not in fact abandon where I thought he was going so much as it turned out that he and I were viewing the journey differently... I still don't entirely love the way this one ended, but am waiting to see if it all ties together in a bigger-picture way throughout the course of the two books before I decide if it was a failing of the story - or of my interpretation of what the story was.

You know by the title that you are in for a super tongue-in-cheek, intelligent, and socially unacceptable ride and after the hook at the beginning that's how this book proceeds.
His former partner suddenly calls in Mal Thomas, who's sworn off the old high drama, blood-pressure raising profession of the marketing world, for a special project. How can you turn down the plea of one who will willingly back, no matter the cost, the announcement to the world of the Second Coming?
Mal has had some history with Alfredo Baptiste before and is sucked in by the man's most sincere belief that his adopted son, Sebastian, is the Messiah. His former company, CREATIF, is a promotional leader the world over and former team member Del is fleshed out to the point you can feel her intensity. His team are smart, educated and sophisticated people.
Some people can sell anything--look no further than our recent political candidates as evidence. And advertising bombardment, social media, and "fake news" sells.
Holden manages to convince us through subtle and not-so-subtle biblical references how this might have made sense. The momentum of the plot keeps you turning pages and you can't rest until you've seen the revelation.
I was given this digital download through NetGalley and the publisher and appreciated the opportunity to read and review. There were many farcical moments that had you laughing and shaking your head in disbelief. Then there were the serious moments--and really--a nerve-tingling ending. Bravo! Heartily recommended for those who enjoy mystery, thrillers, suspense, and spiritual or religious themed novels.

This book is not what you expect - in a good way.
A retired ad exec is pulled in to 'launch' the new messiah....
Sounds nuts but its a great premise.
Well written, you invest in the characters and want them to succeed.
This is a great 'what if...' book that will cause some interesting book club discussions.
Recommended.

This was a hard book for me to review for two reasons. The beginning and the end.

The beginning of Sea of Doubt was full of endless description from the point of view of the main character, Mal Thomas. There was very little dialogue and endless descriptions of how things worked in an advertising company, what his life was like, what it used to be like, who the people in his life were, etc. I had a hard time connecting to any characters because of it.

The middle of the book is where things got good. The premise is so intriguing: With enough advertising, celebrities and limitless resources, can someone convince the world that the messiah has returned? I found myself eagerly reading at this point. I was connecting to both the story and the characters.

And I liked the ending--until the climax had been reached. It was very clever and wasn't what I was expecting. And that is where it should have stopped. But it continued, beating us over the head with more unnecessary descriptions.

So, all in all, I am going to give it 3 out of 5 Stars. I loved parts, and was bored by others.

I did enjoy reading this book, I must be honest and say that I didn't get pulled in from the start, but still I wanted to know what was the secret project and how things will be unfolding. I wasn't disappointed at all. The way Holden portrays how we percieve the media and everything they sale us, how easily we are captivated with something just because the media told us everyone is and so we should be too. In the middle it got a bit too slow for me, there were all these long descriptions which made me lose focus a bit. The plot was good and it did keep me on my toes until the end.

I give it 3.5 stars just because I needed some time to really get into the story and also for losing my focus at some parts. But nevertheless it is really a good book worh reading.

~Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.~

An easy to read book. The plot was easy to follow.

This book had me hooked from its first pages. Holden's writing style offers the reader picturesque descriptions of characters and places, drawing them further into the story. Main character, Mal Thomas, is a natural storyteller as he narrates his spiritual, and perhaps, fantastical journey through skepticism, revelations, twists, and turns. Holden's​ comments on our obsession with social media and technology, and their power of persuasion is right on and relevant. The middle part seemed a bit rushed and glazed over, and the late introduction of a new character was questionable, but overall Holden successfully weaves an intriguing story with good characters that captivates the reader. A fun read that will keep the reader guessing through to the end.

Interesting premise and well-plotted tale of deceit and intrigue. Enjoyed the read; recommended.