Bumpy Oak Books

**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

DNF @ 25%

I don’t know what I expected of this book, but this distinctly was not it. I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis and was expecting historical fantasy.

Instead, what I received was a pseudo-autobiographical account of Aleister Crowley as he grew up and his experiences with religion. Not only was the text burdened by a blended first person present/first person past/first person flashback sort of storytelling, but Crowley as written here was neither an accessible nor interesting narrator. I was borderline starting a tally for how many times he mentioned his fleshy neck or fat ankles. His tone was distinctly holier-than-thou, uppity, and uncomfortable to read. I caught myself forcing myself continuing to forward in the attempt to give the novel a chance, but was taken out of the reading experience by the interspersed Bible or other such religious verses. I found myself cringing at the manner in which Crowley continually described his family members. Ultimately, I think that, for me, the book would have simply been better served by a third person perspective.

I understand why the religious items and family relations were important to Crowley’s growth as a person, but the manner of delivery did nothing to either endear the audience to him or build the audience’s investment in him as a person. The footnotes were unnecessary and did not add to the narrative.

If the author intended on a speculative biography of Crowley, then perhaps that is the format this book ought to have taken.

I have read other books on Crowley or featuring him. I do have great interest in the occult, its many formats, its origins, etc.. The author does seem very well researched on Crowley, his life, history, and conspiracy theories surrounding him. However, this was neither the book nor the format for me.

I did DNF this book at 25%. But I hope that this review is helpful for people to determine why I decided on the rating that I did.