Title: The Last Ritual: Dawn of Darkness
Author: Sadath Ali
Publisher: One Point Six Technologies Pvt Ltd
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
First Publication: 2022
Language: English
Book Summary: The Last Ritual by Sadath Ali
A routine clinic visit turns detrimental to a pregnant girl, as she gets kidnapped by mysterious men.
A Category-A criminal escapes from the Woodhill top security prison.
Coincidental connections to these two events lands a brilliant psychiatrist, Dr Samee Salazar, under the radar of suspicion of the Interpol director, Alexander Berekhyah. With the beautiful agent, Maria Sylviera’s help, Samee turns into a refugee in search of the truth. Meanwhile, the prisoner-at-large, Rasputin, with a gruesomely tattooed face and an overpowering gait, turns out to be deadlier than the deadliest of antagonists.
As Samee and Maria get pulled into the world of sigils, rituals, curses and pagans, they realise that they are fighting more than just the Interpol – but an ancient satanic brotherhood that could very well cause an Armageddon.
Will Rasputin, with the power of cursed entities and ancient rituals at his disposal, be able to unfold the Satanic Age?
Will Samee, with his profound knowledge of theology and semiotics, be able to stop the Disciples of Satan from performing ‘The Last Ritual’?
In this ultimate battle of good versus evil, with cruelty and treachery abound, which side will have a taste of triumph?
Book Review: The Last Ritual by Sadath Ali
The blurb tells you everything you need to know going in; honestly, the less you know the better and the more confused you feel, the more enjoyable your reading experience will be. The story takes-off with a pregnant woman being kidnapped while she was at a routine clinic visit, which brought everyone’s attention to the renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Samee Salazar. Alexander Berekhyah, the director of Interpol, has reasons to suspect that Samee Salazar, a skilled psychiatrist, is connected to recent criminal activities.
Samee needs to prove his innocence, and Miss Maria Sylviera, an attractive and charismatic agent, comes to his aid. With her assistance, Samee assumes the guise of a refugee as they both search for the truth. They both begin to put the pieces together in an effort to solve the riddle. While they are on their mission, a formidable foe equipped with superhuman abilities named Rasputin awaits them on their journey. Rasputin has the intention of carrying out the last ritual, which will mark the beginning of the era of the demonic age.
However, as Samee and Maria allow themselves to get sucked farther and deeper into the mysterious realm of magical rituals, pagans, curses, and sigils, they discover that their enemies go well beyond Interpol. They’re up against an ancient demonic fraternity that threatens to unleash Armageddon on the world if they aren’t stopped.
The first half of this novel gets off to a quick start but then drags for a few chapters. The action and suspense build up in the second half of the book as the characters’ true natures and the driving forces behind their actions become clear. The intricate and captivating storyline of the novel is sure to keep readers turning the pages. The author does an excellent job of bringing the villain Rasputin’s terror to life by skillfully building suspense and creating a terrifying atmosphere.
There is an overall dark feel to this book, and there is some violence in a fantasy-related sense, but it was necessary and intriguing to the story line. The mystery surrounding an ancient satanic brotherhood and Rasputin’s intentions to unfold the Satanic Age was breathtaking. Sadath Ali’s writing is gripping, enthralling, and simply beautiful. The characters are very well thought-out; they all have many layers and depth to them and are memorable and interesting. The pacing of the story was also perfect as it wasn’t too slow or too fast. There were enough descriptions, so I was really able to picture the different places and settings.
The world-building was intricate, and I liked how author Sadath Ali had interwoven the fantasy into the contemporary world setting. The magic was lethal, and it still has more room for exploration. The author’s clever blending of themes such as survival, vengeance, secret societies, ancient rituals, religion, curses, and folk beliefs will keep readers on the edge of their seat. Both the characters and the setting played a significant role in making the almost three-hundred-page long book intense, vivid, and unputdownable. If you enjoy a good atmospheric tale of gothic fantasy, then you’ve come to the right place!