Skip to main content
book cover for Modern Rituals

Modern Rituals

The Wayward Three, #1

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Feb 16 2015 | Archive Date Aug 05 2015

Description

"A failed ritual annihilates modern life."

Manhattan, NY: The E-Train slams into James Bixby, a strapping young artist on the rise, after a life-saving rescue attempt goes awry. Belfast, Ireland: A bullet severs Olivia Young's spinal cord while she defends a doctor colleague--the second bullet pierces her heart.

Then they awaken--unharmed.

"Selected" and thrust into a deadly ritual, James' and Olivia's lives--along with the lives of five others--will decide humanity's fate: surrender to the old Gods' rule or live on in blissful ignorance. Follow their frantic struggle as Magnus--a secret organization of enormous reach and scientific prowess--directs the ritual to its gruesome end.

Dubbed as a Cabin in the Woods "remix," Modern Rituals celebrates the movie's ritual motif and compels readers with a rich universe propped upon science fiction and mythology. If you loved the fierce pace of Battle Royale and the fight to survive in Hunger Games, then Modern Rituals: The Wayward Three will quicken your heartbeat and leave your eyes red and bleary! Pick it up and strap in--once this story leaps off the page there's no turning back.

This is the first book in J.S. Leonard's captivating new series.
"A failed ritual annihilates modern life."

Manhattan, NY: The E-Train slams into James Bixby, a strapping young artist on the rise, after a life-saving rescue attempt goes awry. Belfast, Ireland: A...

Advance Praise

No Advance Praise Available

No Advance Praise Available


Marketing Plan

No Marketing Info Available

No Marketing Info Available


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9780986345715
PRICE $9.99 (USD)

Average rating from 37 members


Featured Reviews

This is like Hunger Games meets Cabin in the Woods. There's even a funny little "cabin in the woods" inference toward the ending.

This begins as seven strangers end up at what they think is a Japanese school grounds. But, as they try to figure out where they are, they quickly figure out this is one strange place. There is a knight, a virgin, 3 fools, and succubus (the usual slut of a group), and a loki.

Right off the bat you know there is a huge secretive company that makes "selections" of people to be thrust into rituals to appease the old gods, who are real.

As the story progresses, you learn a little back story on each of the strangers, and some of them are more dangerous than anyone knows. Two of them can hear and see things that others can't, and they start receiving messages for how to win the ritual.

As you're reading you can't tell if the ritual is going to succeed or if this is the end of the world. But, even as the ritual has received enough blood sacrifices to appease the certain god, all hell breaks loose in the company that runs these rituals. You think it's coming to end, but the story is still climaxing, and you're not sure what's going to happen next.

As I was reading, I didn't realize this was the first in a series, but as I was getting closer to the ending, I began to realize it was being set up to have 3 "warriors" defeating the seven gods throughout these books.

I really enjoyed it! It was a fun story to read that I had a hard time putting down. I hope that the books in the series continue to be just as good.

Was this review helpful?

The likeness to Cabin in the Woods is almost scary. In fact, such a thing left me rather weary (especially with the reference that was thrown in). Whilst it has been quite some time since I watched the film and I cannot remember all the specifics, most of it came flooding back to me in the book and I was left more than a little bit disappointed.

Due to that, a large proportion of the book was spent just making my way through it. I was not enjoying it as much as I had hoped for. It was just there. But then, suddenly, completely out of the blue, an interesting new twist appeared and I really started to enjoy it. One twist after another appeared and the book suddenly had much more depth and I was unable to put it down. In the space of pages I went from merely flickering through it to being unable to put it down. The only downside to this is the fact that I wish I’d been engaged to that degree from an earlier point in the story. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it throughout – it just did not live up to expectations until slightly further in than I had hoped for.

Nevertheless it was a great story. Highly amusing with great humour, I found myself laughing more than was probably intended. The characters were great too, although I felt as though the development of side characters could have been a bit better. They existed but they were not as real as the main characters who received most of the attention. I get it, main characters deserve more attention but that does not mean that secondary characters can be overlooked. They’re just as important in stories such as this, and I would have loved to know more about certain characters.

All in all, I’m super interested in finding out what comes next. There is a real potential for this to be a great series based upon how things ended. I’m certainly looking forward for what is to come next!

Finally, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to advance read this interesting novel.

Was this review helpful?

My gosh, what a FUN book. It read like a cross over between Cabin in the Woods and Battle Royale, was fast paced and exciting from start to finish. I absolutely LOVED this book.

Was this review helpful?

I would love to read the full version of this book. It is a really thrilling ride and I loved the writing style. Would highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved Modern Rituals for a lot of reasons. The story has elements of horror, fantasy, mythology, mystery and thriller. It was a fast read, with loads of stuff happening. The characters and the different worlds are gradually introduced, which makes it possible for the story to slowly unfold and for the reader to connect the dots. I thought it was very smart, with a lot of depth, great world building, gripping and overall an exciting read.

Was this review helpful?

Disclaimer: I received a eARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

If you can get past the similarities to "Cabin in the Woods," you'll find that J.S. Leonard's Modern Rituals has the ability to become more than just a one off story. In a world where Gods made deals with people, and ritual killings (ala Cabin in the Woods) happen to prevent apocalypses, Modern Rituals introduces us to three unlikely heroes who have what it takes to change fate. Most of the book centers around how the rituals work, what goes on in them on the inside and on the "watchers" side, and what happens when an unknown party changes the score.

I liked the world that Leonard has created here. The tech, the paranormal, even the idea of "the old gods." I expected this book to be a bit more horror-ish but I'm pleasantly surprised that it's more urban fantasy with a dash of Lovecraftian mythos. The cast of characters in this book seems to be a bit over the top but as the story progresses, we're treated to the main players' points of view, until it all comes down to everyone in the same line.

Bottom Line: Curious as to what would happen if Cabin in the Woods ended differently and gave humanity a fighting chance? Then you'll enjoy Modern RItuals.

Was this review helpful?

Mr. Leonard takes a very ancient literary tradition, ritual human sacrifice to appease a god or gods (r.e. the Minotaur) and crafts into an exciting and fascinating new science fiction novel.

Yes, there are some similarities to "Cabin in the Woods," but Mr. Leonard sees the better side of humanity (which I prefer - I read too much Harlan Ellison as a teen)while Mr. Whed(Cabin in the Woods)opts for the darker and more selfish side.

The characters in the novel are chosen by a mysterious, omnipotent organization named Magnus. Magnus is ancient and dedicated to ritual sacrifices to appease certain ancient gods. The system is set so that there will always be an adequate sacrifice to appease the gods. But things go awry which is one of the fun parts of the plot!

One interesting development is that some of the Magnus members have become disillusioned and aid the victims. Very excellent plot twist.

This book is a fun read, with likeable and believable heroes and some nasty (and hidden) villains. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward the the next installment.

Was this review helpful?

Look forward to more

Was this review helpful?

A very interesting debut, I'm definitely planning to continue the series.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: