Cover Image: The Day I Killed God

The Day I Killed God

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Thank you to NetGalley and Lucengeist Literary Press LLC for this e-arc to review. I am DNFing at 20 percent. I try very hard not to DNF books but this was not what I expected at all and it is not for me. The writing didn't do it for me and the plot was a bit too ludicrous to be enjoyable for my particular taste. Twenty percent of the way in and I had way too many questions of what exactly the world was and where the plot was going. There wasn't enough world-building or time with the character to get me emotionally invested or interested in the story in the slightest.

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When Daniel begins to explore the disappearance of a friend who had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, chaos decides to pay a visit. Navigating the disappearance of a genius mathematician while facing FBIs and billionaires is never easy, but being a psychic changes the playing field completely.

This novel was the suspense novel I had been looking for. Mix a psychic with a murder mystery plot and you get a novel of twists and turns that keeps you on your toes. I appreciated Daniel as a protagonist and I've always enjoyed plots that include "friends with a history," as I feel it adds to the development of the characters. (I do with this novel was a little longer, however)

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A big thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an arc in exchange of an honest review.

I’m really into physics and this kind of stuff but something about it didn’t resonate with me. I DNF’d at 10% (the amount I give all books to hook me).

The novel quickly turns from interesting to backstory and reminded me of flash forward mixed with the knowing. I enjoyed flash forward but not the knowing and it veers too much towards knowing territory.

Daniel is a psychic or something and he can find dead people and sense the world beyond. Three years ago he had a premonition the world was going to end and went to an asylum. For the PST five years he’s been working with the police on cases. I find it weird they would continue to employ him when he’s at an asylum firstly even if it’s by choice. Secondly his former love (unrequited) shows up and asks him to find her genius husband who is missing. His former best friend.

I just...it didn’t hit me. Daniel reads like someone who doesn’t understand human emotions and speaks like one too. His abilities stop being interesting as soon as everything becomes doom and gloom to me. I didn’t have the emotional stability right now to read it. Not for me.

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I requested this book because of the cover, the title and the description. I thought it sounded interesting and I was curious about the writing.
As it turns out, I was heavily disappointed with this one. I had entirely different expectations of this book and it read like a parody of some other book instead of a complete and independent story of its own. The characters were dull and boring and the only reason I am giving this book two instead of one stars is because the ending managed to save the book a little bit. But still, I doubt I am going to engage further with it. I think with some more editing and better character development - as for example, not falling into the stereotype of the obedient brute - this book wouldn't have been bad. I am sure there are people who will enjoy it. But for me, who was expecting an entirely different thing from the title and blurb, it was a major disappointment.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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At the beginning of the story we get some thriller vibes, which got me hooked. There's so much action going on, you just feel the need to keep turning the pages and know more. The pace was going great and the plot seemed intriguing at this point.

I honestly thought this story would be more about Daniel and his psychic abilities, but turns out it's more about physics and the universe. I had higher expectations for the mystery involving Spinoza and his disappearance, and I was a bit disappointed with the plot development in that matter.

Unfortunately I didn't quite like the path it took, especially when we get to the part that originates the title of the book. I understand the intention and liked the idea, but the conception wasn't at its best.. Even though this is a sci-fi / fantasy book, I like when the writers make us believe that the world they created is a reality, even if it isn't. In my opinion, some parts were so much unbelievable and exaggerated for that to work.

However, I really enjoyed the author's writing style and that was the reason I decided to keep reading. Also, the main theme really makes you think and question life in general and the world we live in, and that is really nice.

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A mix between The Matrix, IRobot and Jack Black. A suspenseful and twisty thriller. Some might be offended by the subject matter and some portions of the book but if you open your mind, the ride is amazing and full of questions. Unsure if this will be a series or not. A fascinating read.

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While I really wanted to like this book, I just...didn't. The premise was what drew me in - very unique and intriguing, but the delivery was way off. It feels like a rough draft of what could be an incredible book.

I found the descriptions bland and lacking imagery (eg, the bluest blue), so never really felt immersed in the book. The first person narrative didn't help this, and was more "I did x, y, z" than actually describing the world around.

The characters feel very flat, and could use a dose of sugar and spice to liven things up. (Eg, the idea that Cub "awakens" could have been described so much more thoroughly than "it just happened".)

Very rarely do I read a book that I don't finish, but I had to give up a third of the way in, because it just hurt to read. (I did skip to the end to see how it finished.) I like being able to immerse myself in a book, and given the reasons above, I felt like I had to not only think harder about what was happening to picture it, but the poor prose just left me wanting, and not in a good way.

I gave it two stars for the intriguing premise only.

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To give a very short review: I found “The Day I Killed God” to be a very interesting and slightly weird book. It didn’t take me very long to read it and yet managed to raise a few interesting questions. However, there were some parts of the book that weren’t really for me.

Now to elaborate: The Day I Killed God by Nick Totem tells the story of the main character Daniel, who gets wrapped up in a much larger ploy when his friend Elliot goes missing and he starts to search for him.
The beginning of this book was awesome. The main characters are introduced, and I was almost immediately engaged, wanting to know more about the characters, but also about what was going on. The problem was that after a few chapters, the books started to read very much like an action movie mixed up with a stream of consciousness about justice, both of which were interesting, to begin with, but after taking up quite a few chapters I was ready for something else.

The rest of the plot was very interesting though, and even while I was getting annoyed at all the car-chasing-scenes, I was still interested to find out what would happen next.
Turns out it really paid off to keep reading, because the end was one of my favorite parts of the book. The only thing I was left wanting was a more in-depth explanation of some of the occurrences throughout the story. That’s not saying things were not explained, I simply would’ve liked a bit more.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book, especially to people who are looking for a quick and unique read.

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tl;dr: 'The Day I Killed God' starts off well but then quickly meanders into metaphysics which ultimately kills the vibe

Daniel is a psychic who helps solve murders and other crimes. His powers have mysteriously grown in the last three years before the start of the story. He has to find his close friend - Elliot Spinoza - a Field's medal winner. Daniel finds out that Elliot has been working on a mysterious equation when he disappeared. Suddenly, all the world's governments and billionaires are interested in this equation and will do anything to get their hands on it.

'The Day I Killed God' starts well. I liked the detective aspects of the story. At this point, the story is gripping and the pacing decent. But, as the story progresses, it makes a left turn into the ridiculous with a bunch of science fiction tropes thrown at the readers. At this point, the pacing falters, and the story starts to drag. This is quite unfortunate because the author has a good writing style otherwise. The author would have been better served if he had either kept the story within the bounds of the detection or if he had made it more like a Sandman Slim with everything over the top.

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While all books believe they have something important to say, this one announces it in very clear language within the first few pages.

“The truth, however, was much more difficult for people to believe. In the end, the fabric of space would be torn apart; the earth itself would be in danger; and human existence would be questioned.”

I was intrigued and hopeful that it would live up to this objective.

Unfortunately this turned out to be a good idea poorly executed. As I went through page after page of hackneyed prose, cardboard settings and the use of terms such as “ “Arrrhhhh!” Arggghhhh,”, “haha”, “hahaha”, “hahahaha” and “Urggggghhh!”, I realize that that I was basically reading a comic book; albeit one without any pictures.

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Thank you to netgalley for a copy in return for an honest review.
This is an intriguing story with plenty of action and a decent pace. It's got a lot going for it in terms of it being a sci fi book, but for me it felt a little under developed and dare I say it, unbelievable. Yes I know it's sci fi and I understand the concept but for me the character reactions felt forced and a little cliched.

I really liked the idea of the psychic detective and found the explanation of the method interesting. In fact I would have preferred to read about the case the novel opens with rather than the one which develops. Similarly, I found the story of Cub one I'd have preferred to read about, and found the new "awakened" version 2 dimensional and naive. The characters we meet along the way are also a little lacking and although there is plenty of drama to keep us entertained, very few of the events are explained and I stead we are left reading about a jumble of ghosts, famous spirits and teradactyls flying around.

So yes, whilst sci fi may not be the genre for me, I still felt that even as a sci fi novel it was lacking development, and whilst a short book, it didn't race along to a crescendo like I would have preferred given all the action throughout. A solid 3/5 for me. I'm sure hardened sci fi fans will find much to enjoy there though.

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The Day I Killed God is a fantastical science fiction piece that throws a bit of science and philosophy into the fiction. I enjoyed Daniel’s journey. It starts out like a mystery, where Daniel helps the police solve a murder with his psychic abilities. While he is working on a case, a friend from his past visits and asks for his help finding her mathematician husband. As Daniel follows the case, things become weird, even for him. There’s suspense, intrigue, some mind-blowing thoughts on how our universe came to be and who God is.

I will say, I did shake my head to clear it after it was blown. It was like there was an inkling of something in my subconscious that wanted to connect to but couldn’t. Nick Totem does a great job describing the setting and the theory behind God. I would advise you to not read this if you have a headache or if you can’t give it your full attention. There are parts you may want to re-read.

The Day I Killed God was a good book. I would recommend it to any science fiction genre reader, and some paranormal genre readers.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review voluntarily. I will be adding this review to my website EveHallows.com.

#TheDayIKilledGod #NetGalley

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I like it, didn't love it! I was a refreshing different story. Time travel is always fun to read but this book has a twist on it. I rate this story a 3.1

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"A riveting, action-packed science fiction, where a believer goes on an unusual quest through space & time to find his missing friend, and ends up killing God one day."

Summary

'The Day I Killed the God' is a story of Daniel 'The Psychic', who is blessed with psychic ability which 'is a gift from God’ as he believes, and should be only used to help people. Unexpected events begin to unfold as he sets out on a journey to find his high school best friend Eliot Spinoza, a genius mathematician who disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Meanwhile, Daniel struggles with some powerful experiences which trigger an emotional catharsis, beyond the reach and understanding of human consciousness. The story is weaved around his chaotic world, where he has to risk his life and face countless dangers, including the FBI, a powerful baron, a billionaire and above all the Almighty.


Structure and Story Development 

The Day I Killed God is a sci-fi & fantasy novel, which follows the structure of a thriller. The story gives a cinematic feel with a lot of action, emotions, paranormal experiences and quick changes in the scenarios. The story is well-knitted in a series of unexpected twists and turns and so, it was hard to even blink between the pages.


One cannot skip through the pages while reading, as it will be very difficult to connect the dots later. The efforts of the author to give a vivid description of each element with references to scientific facts and theories, are evident. However, I found few sections where the details made me a little anxious and may put off impatient readers for a while.


Recommendation

How a believer turned into the murderer of God, is an intriguing mystery that pins the reader to the novel till the end.  Also, it is one of the stories that will make you think and question your own existence. The premises may be predictable, but as the story develops it is really hard to imagine what will happen next and that is the reason why I would recommend this book. It is an interesting, entertaining and adventurous story to read.



All the opinions and comments are posted voluntarily by Shelley Reviews and we thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reading copy of the book in exchange of fair and honest review.

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