to be honest, I had no idea this was a sequel so I was very confused. however I liked the writing and the characters but yes, I will definitely have to read the first book now so I can truly understand and appreciate the story

TW: death, murder, suicide, incest, pregnancy as a result of rape (no rape in book 2), capture, restraint, rough s3X (choking, hitting, slapping)

In book 2 of the St. Benedict Series we follow a group of girls who are trying to live their lives after the horrors they have endured, while also trying to uncover the mysteries of the river.

When another body shows up questions arise, especially when it's discovered she's been buried for over 2 decades. Who else in the area would have known other than the family that's been around for centuries?

With more bodies piling up who will be next? Is anyone safe? And what is with the mysterious lady in white?

If at all possible, book 2 is better than book 1, and I can't wait for book 3.

There's so many twists and turns that just when you think you have it all figured out, you're wrong. I love when I can't guess what's happening in a book, and this book gives me that!

This one isn't full of all the violence of the last one (no rape) though there are murders and a possible suicide.

This book will have you looking over your shoulder.

Thank you to the authors for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a terrifying story is the second installment in a three-book series.

After dealing with the abuse from a classmate and the loss of her sister, Leslie Moore has broken up with her boyfriend while trying to deal with guilt and trauma. Sightings of an apparition haunting local ruins send Leslie and her friends back to the scene of the aforementioned horrors that took place the last Halloween. Leslie's friend Sara believes she can contact Leslie's dead twin. The stakes are raised after receding floodwaters expose the skeletal remains of a woman. The horrors of St. Benedict are not done, and Leslie doesn't know if she will live through this round of violence.

The story is great but I had to subtract two stars.

The first is that this is clearly a middle section of a story. The author gives you basic details and illusions about what happened in the first book. But this story moves on emotions. If you have not read the first book, River of Ashes, it's hard to emotionally buy into what happened and why we should care for the characters.

The second star demotion is the ending. There is no ending to any of the stories. It's just a wide open space for the next book. I have no problem setting up for a sequel but you should give me some real answers and consequences with the book itself. This decreased my enjoyment.

It does deserve three stars because it is paced well. Large events are balanced with small events. There is never too much time downtime at school or too much tension that you can't keep it up. The writing is smart and while there was no character depth for most characters, the villains are multilayered. I enjoyed seeing which side of these characters I would get during different situations.

River of Wrath is intense and emotional but needs to be read after the first book of the series to truly appreciate the emotional work Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor put into River of Wrath.

This is the 2nd book in the St Benedict series and it -Ickes up shortly where the previous left off. Leslie is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her sister and all that has happened. She’s not the only one though. Soon a newcomer arrives and the disappearance of another missing girl and Leslie will find out what is behind both of them no matter the cost to herself or her family. It held my attention from start to finish and I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

I had not read book 1 before reading this book, and didn't realize this was a sequel until I had it. I was super confused when I went into this read because of that. Even after reading reviews of the first book, I never felt like I had a good grasp on this story. I did notice great reviews on the 1st book through, so I will go back and read it before reading this one again. There were many twists and turns that were written beautifully but I am sure I will appreciate them more once I re-read the series in order.

River of Wrath is book two of the St. Benedict series. I read River of Ashes in the fall and fell in love with the. characters and setting. The book is set in a small town in Louisiana that is pretty much controlled by the wealthy and powerful Devereaux family. We are introduced to this family and without possibly giving away any possible spoilers, let’s just say that they are wealthy enough to cover up any wrongdoings. This book goes into more of the history of the Devereaux family and we get the point of view of the family patriarch, Gage. Of course along the easy there are many twists and turns as more secrets are revealed and more people end up in the River. I loved going back to St. Benedict and look forward to River of Ghosts which is supposed to release in August 2023.

I was excited to get an arc on NetGalley for the sequel to River of Ashes. I had no idea where the authors could go after book one. It had a fantastic ending, and that epilogue was a chef's kiss! But I was thrilled to hear additional books are coming. I really wanted to know more about the Devereaux family.

While this series is a dark family saga filled with secrets, deception, and murder, it is so much more. With characters who feel real and a haunting Louisiana atmosphere, we follow older teen Leslie Moore and Gage Devereaux (patriarch of the river town) as secrets unfold and more bodies are found, both figuratively and literally. Though you can read this installment without reading book one, you don't want to miss out on the character arcs and growth of what brings us to this point. Addictive reading I highly recommend!

This is the second book of this series. I enjoyed this book as much as the first. I like how the author kept adding to the story. The reader already knew that Beau was a bad guy but to find out that the issues might be hereditary was a new grain of the thought. To find out the father was just as guilty for hiding stuff from the community was more of wealth being able to protect bad choices. This is an author to read.

I didn't realize this book was a sequel until I got it and it was a mistake.
I had picked this book up because of its cover( I'm not going to lie)Overall, I didn't connect with any of the characters. It seemed like the characters created so much unnecessary trouble for themselves because they refused to communicate, and it was pretty rushed towards the end. I'm seriously so sorry I didn't like it but this book just isn't for me.

First, I must say this cover is breathtaking!!

Now onto the book:
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Rating

*Triggers: rape, sexual & physical abuse, POV of psychopath.*
***Make sure to read the author's note at the end of the book, explaining why it was written.***

Umm what did I just read? Wowser! This book was really really good, although some of what Beau did in this story to others was pretty rough.

Such a dark and creepy story. It did bring to the forefront about rape, sexual abuse, and bullying and how a person who commits this can be thinking.

This book was very chilling and eerie. Especially The Abbey, which plays a large role in this story. The way the author described it made me imagine not wanting to go in it.

This was very well written, and so happy I found this author. Getting ready to read book 2.

If you are okay with sensitive material then you definitely need to read this one

I unfortunately didn't realize that this was book two in a series when I asked to read it and I believe that this may have led to my overall lack of enjoyment with the book. If I had realized that this wasn't a standalone I would not have read them out of order. There were parts that I enjoyed like when everything picked up at the end although I do feel that it ended a little too abruptly for my taste (I guess because it'll be finished in the next book?). I do feel that people who have read the first book would enjoy this book more than I did. Also those who like a Gothic mystery. I will say that one of the twists I saw coming and the other one really got me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this book.

So this took me a bit to finish due to i was declined to read book 1 on netgalley but was approved for book 2. so i had to look for a way to read book 1. thankfully the library apps i have on my phone stepped up and i was able to read this. so this is a mixed review for both books.
Book 1: Kept me pulled into it. loved it alot. Couldn't put it down at all. 5 star book
book 2: Picked up where book 1 left off. yes you need to read book 1 to understand whats going on. kept me pulled into it. 5 star book. couldn't put it down at all.
highly recommend both books.

After the events in the last book, Leslie is struggling with what happened, not only with the death of her sister but what she chose to do in the aftermath. She has pushed Derek away and has been hanging out with a new group of friends, all but one I really like. You would think that St. Benedicts has had enough, but it's just gotten started. A new boy has moved to town and seems a bit too good to be true, we have more bodies, and so many more secrets are coming out. I think we've only scratched the surface of what's hidden beneath St. Benedicts and I can't wait to discover everything it's been hiding!

This book was suitably spooky with the ruins at the Abbey and the Wild dogs that when heard signal death is near, In the first book, we know who the bad guy is from the beginning, but in this, we have no idea who is behind what's going on until it's revealed and trying to figure it out had me glued to the pages. And that twist at the end!

I will definitely be reading the next book!

This book did not disappoint!! I seriously cannot wait for book 3!!

Very harrowing, beautifully written!

“The lies we protect aren’t worth the burden of guilt they create”

Such an amazing paranormal mystery!

2/5 stars! I'm not sure. I'm just not sure. This didn't read at all like a second book in a series. It read like part two of the first book. While this doesn't automatically make the book lesser than, it does get frustrating trying to follow all the nuances that heavily steer this book. I really disliked Derek's character. I wanted to stab him gently with a fork and tell him to back off. I don't know if there is any way he would be redeemable for me. The story was somewhat predictable and the cliffhanger did leave a decent hook for the audience. However, the cover was one of the prettiest gothic covers I have seen in a long time.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

The sequel to River of Ashes is no less crazy good, and it's definitely a roller coaster ride all its own. The authors know how to keep this psycho-drama playing out and even added more paranormal activity. While highly entertaining, it is also sobering (just like book one) in the realism of how power corrupts and bleeds out into everything around you, destroying lives.

While answering some lingering questions from book one, book two ends on a cliffhanger, leaving fans of this suspense-filled soap opera eagerly awaiting book three.

Thank you NetGalley and Vesuvian Books for the advance copy. These opinions are my own.

It seems I totally missed the fact that this book is the second in a series. I honestly don't think that mattered as I didn't feel like there was missing information that took away from the story. The book was a pleasant enough read, but I felt throughout the entire book that it either was or should have been geared toward young adults. It felt a little too "high-schoolish" to me.

I wouldn't classify this as a horror novel as the appearance of a few ghosts doesn't translate to that for me. It was more suspenseful and even the suspense was not that dramatic.

I would recommend this for young adults who like the genre, but I don't think it was meaty enough for adults.

I didn't notice that this was the second book in a series, despite the rest of the title in parentheses. "River of Wrath" just took my all of my attention away. Overall, it was an interesting read. I do feel the need to read the first book, though.

4.5⭐️

This is the second book in the St. Benedict series, it's on par with book one when it comes to secrets and twisted actions of the characters. Book two is lower on the trigger scale than book one, thankfully. River of Wrath starts right after the ending of book one, we follow Leslie and the girls in the aftermath from book one

I love the twist that came with this book and will for sure be waiting for book three.

"The lies we protect aren't worth the burden of guilt they create"

I enjoyed this much more than the first one, especially the new characters. I feel that it is much darker and more captivating than the previous one and the authors managed to keep a much more stable pace in this one.
The way the paranormal elements were included provided a very creepy and disturbing atmosphere.
Even though I was able to predict some twists, it generally kept me clueless the entire time.
A pleasant surprise, I did not expect such a step up in comparison to the first. Also, stunning cover.

"Self-control in all things. Never let them see who you really are"

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors and Vesuvian Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.