A self-help guru Paul Bentzen and his wife Kali own a resort in Mexico called Xanadu. When Paul mysteriously dies, his entire estate—including Xanadu is left to his niece Sveta and not his wife.

Shocked and confused, Sveta travels from New York City to Mexico to pay her respects. She thinks that Xanadu is a secluded paradise with its gardens, and the people that live there. But then she realizes that the members are f brainwashed by their leader. She realizes to late that she can't escape Xanadu and has to try to find a way to get out and get control of the situation.

Good story that kept me interested.

This was my first book by @thekatstjohn by I can see why so many people are fans! I will def be on the lookout for more from her! I started reading this one, but then switched over to audio this week, mainly just cause I don’t have much reading time, but I loved the audio version and the story! The narrator was perfect for this and had a great way of keeping me invested in the story. If you like atmospheric stories involving cults mixed with some darkness I think you will like this one! Also if you are already a @thekatstjohn fan, don’t miss this one!

Thank you to @williammorrowbooks for my copy!

⭕️ BOOK / REVIEW ⭕️

I am coming in hot lately with #bookreviews! Mentally, I have been super overwhelmed with life, work, kids, etc. and really needed a jolt to start #reading again.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of #theviciouscircle by @thekatstjohn from @williammorrowbooks - she is an amazing and highly #atmospheric writer. This book certainly piqued my interest from chapter one and was the right level of creepy, intriguing and a little f*cked up. I flew through this ... and appreciated that it wasn't just a #thriller. There was a touch of romance which I really enjoyed. I also feel like the book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger ... so I feel like I need an update on Lucas and Sveta!!

I love anything cult related thrillers and although there are parts that fell flat for me but this was still enjoyable. I thought it will be another cliche ending for this type of mellow drama thriller but I was wrong.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

THE VICIOUS CIRCLE, Katherine St. John's newest novel, available wherever books are sold on September 27th, 2022. A bit unrealistic but full of twists and turns. Can't wait to see what is next from Katherine St. John.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

You know you're reading a Katherine St John book when:

✅ the main character is talented but stuck in between things and a little gullible
✅ she's lured into an isolated setting
✅ that's really nice and filled with rich people
✅ who are led by an egomaniac
✅ and that egomaniac traps them in that isolated setting
✅ and shit goes sideways fast

I've read her previous two books, and while The Siren is hands down still my favorite, this one was up there (right until the last chapter, because I felt things were wrapped up a little too neatly, plus one of the characters did a 180 in personality), except I kept wanting to swat Sveta across the face.

I mean, IT'S CLEARLY A CULT.

How does it take her so long to figure it out, particularly when she's got her buddy there telling her it's a cult?! Granted, she's been gaslit literally her entire life, but still. When faced with a cult, you get the fuck out as soon as possible. Hell, you do not even try to go there by yourself. You go with a team of highly trained professional peoples because CULTS are seriously deadly. They do not fuck around.

I gobbled this book up in one day. I haven't done that in a while, but I found that I just could not put this down. I had to know what would happen next.

Anywho, a little tip for you all: if someone, anyone starts talking vibrations relating to higher planes of existence, RUN. I don't care if you trust them. I don't care if they're a friend. They're on some next level shit and have their guru on speed dial.

Metaphysical vibrations=weird shit=GET OUT NOW.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

I received an ARC from NetGalley

I loved this book and may just have found a new favorite author to add to my list.
One sitting twisty thriller with an awesome setting.

🌿 B O O K • R E V I E W 🌿
•
Title: The Vicious Circle
Author: Katherine St. John
Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Im really digging the cult vibes everyone is throwing out this year. This story is absolutely wild. Following Sveta to the Mexican jungle where her late uncle was living prior to his death for his funeral and to collect her inheritance, things start going wrong. Very Wrong. Her belongings go missing, it seems as if she’s being controlled and theres absolutely no way home.
•
I felt the pacing of this one was a bit of a slow burn, but not too overly slow, (I am not usually a huge fan of slow burns). This one had me hooked pretty early on, and the mystery surrounding the community had me super interested. Throughout the story I never knew who I could or could not trust. St. John does a phenomenal job at keeping you guessing. There are the perfect amount of twists too that will leave you with your jaw on the ground too. The entire story was depicted so well that I felt like I was secluded in the jungle with the characters, gave me a bit of claustrophobia not gonna lie.
•
Overall this one is definitely one I would recommend. I have now read all of Katherine St. John’s books and have enjoyed them all. If you are into a culty vibes, mystery with some pretty intense thrill, look no further, this one was great and will have your head spinning and heart racing.
•
I read this book before its release and never found the time to write my review since my life now revolves around my perfect little nugget. But, I would love to thank @netgalley, @katherine and @william for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
•
#cultvibes #secludedjungle #cultfollowng #mysteriouselement #mysteriousdeaths #unsureofwhototrust #secretsrevealed #twistsgalore #fourstarbookreview #netgalleyearc #electronicadvancedreaderscopy #earc #theviciouscircle #katherinestjohn

What happens when you finally get everything that you’ve ever hoped for? A handsome fiancé - check. A fabulous inheritance - check. A trip to see a remote compound that you’ve inherited- check. A whole mess that comes along with it - double check. And, now you must wonder who you can really trust all while keeping an eye out for the roving leopards…. This one was a 3.5 stars for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the early copy.

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks @avon @harperaudio for the gifted copies!!

Guess who forgot to post their reviews a literal month later? It’s meeeeee.

The Vicious Circle:
It was a great premise, but fell really flat for me. This was what I call a “valley” book. It was good, the middle couldn’t keep my interest, then the ending leveled out to make it okay. The twists were something I figured were already established, so I was confused about why the revelation was so big. The audio was great. I enjoyed the audio and the cultish atmospheric feel of The Vicious Circle.

The Vicious Circle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: Audiobook (Received eBook Arc)
Date Published: 9/27/22
Author: Katherine St. John
Publisher: William Morrow
Narrators: Christine Lakin
GR: 3.64

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and William Morrow and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This was an amazing book, kept me hooked from the first sentence through the end. I absolutely devoured this book in a few days. What drew me to this book initially was the cover, it is absolutely beautiful. Sveta is a former model who is engaged to Chase, which has been a battle with his family. Sveta is not the perfect protagonist, which I kind of liked, even with her flaws. Even if she was frustrating at times, I really liked her character. This is labeled a a thriller but I feel it is more like drama with a mystery enthralled. This book is a good mystery in the middle of nowhere with cult like behaviors, with layers of secrets. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, intriguing, and creatively developed. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, an element of creepiness, and kept me engaged. The pacing and flow of the book moved flawlessly and beautifully. The plot was delivered in different twists. I would highly recommend picking up the audiobook, it is available on Scribd, if you have a membership. This is the first book that I have read by this author, however, I will be looking at her two prior novels.

The Vicious Circle has cemented that Katherine St. John has become an auto-read author for me.

Svetlana has to track into the jungle to attend her uncle’s funeral. He was the founder of remote rural spiritual group. While she is there, she becomes acutely aware the some don’t want her to leave, and others don’t want her to stay. How far will these people go to get what they want, and is there anyone she can trust?

If you’re looking for a fun, juicy thriller with lots of twists to sink your teeth into, look no further!

Another average cult thriller. The plot was predictable, the characters were flat, and the twist was unneeded.  Cult thrillers, although all the rage right now, are typically boring to me. I wanted to read this one because I really enjoyed [book:The Lion's Den|52894593].  Sveta's uncle was a self-help guru. He leaves his entire inheritance to Sveta, who travels to Mexico to meet his wife and attend his funeral. When she tries to leave, she sinks deeper into the organization. The body image rant felt unnecessary. I just don't understand what the author was trying to do with Sveta and Lucas' relationship because it was one of the more enjoyable parts of the book. I thought this book was a quick, mindless read if you just want to escape reality for a bit, but nothing earth-shattering about this plot. 

Thank you so much to #netgalley, #WilliamMorrow, and #Katherinestjohn for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

Story starts to open up after reading so couldn't wait for the next chapter a story about Sveta Bentzen inheriting her uncles money and property in Mexico where he had a cult. Sveta and her attorney Lucas went there for the uncles funeral when things began to happen causing an exciting end.

I really enjoyed this book. I honestly didn't think I would. Sveta inherits her uncle's estate which includes Xanadu. She accompanied by a lawyer travel to the estate in a Mexican jungle to pay her last respects. She finds a cult run by a woman named Kali. Kali was a partner to Sveta's uncle and now has total control of the members at Xanadu, she also wants the estate and produces a will that leaves everything to her.

When Sveta's reclusive wellness guru uncle passes away and leaves her his entire fortune, she treks to a remote jungle in Mexico to attend his funeral and claim her inheritance. She quickly picks up on the fact that all is not what it seems, and that this exclusive wellness retreat is basically a cult which her uncle's wife has no intention of relinquishing control.

I mean come on, a spiritual (sex?) retreat (cult?) in the middle of nowhere whose leader just died (maybe murdered?) this book was a fast read with plenty of drama. Both of the books by Katherine that I've read (The Siren) have played out very much like soap operas and I am not mad about it. If you like fictional books about cults with a dash of mystery, then you should add this one to your TBR!

Rating: 3.5 stars - I liked it

The Vicious Circle is a great, creepy book that I couldn’t put down.

I loved the Mexican jungle setting, which helped create a sinister feeling. The plot and writing were fantastic, as is always the case with Katherine St. John’s books. She’s an auto buy author for me so I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of this one!

𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

CULT FICTION with a locked door flair!!! My absolute fave!!

Now, my only question is… why is this the first Katherine St. John book I’m reading? How come no one told me what I was missing?

I honestly don’t have one bad thing to say about this book. The character development was amazing, it was believable (especially because I’ve read so many books about real-life cults), and it was wicked entertaining. I started House of the Dragon 25 minutes late because I was so engrossed!

Long story short, read this book. I know personally I will be reading more of Ms. St. John’s work immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Company and Katherine St. John for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Vicious Circle is available now.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Sveta travels to Mexico after learning a family member has passed. While their she learns she is an heir to some property. She meets a man who believes he is a leader and his flock will do whatever he commands. This book kept mevon my toes at times.