When I initially read a description of this book, I was instantly intrigued. First contact with aliens and they're Catholic? Sign me up! Having read Pilgrims I have to say I was not disappointed. A fast-paced, well written story, that at it's heart is a story about faith: in yourself, in life and in your fellow man. The perfect blend of sci-fi, religion and (I'll call it) "philosophy". Overall, I'd give the book 4 out of 5 stars. Would definitely be interested in hearing about what the author comes up with next.

A very good book, strong Arrival (movie) vibes. Easy to read, nicely paced, very engaging, I read it in one sitting. Very interesting concept, and it would be a great movie!

I am not religious, and I was afraid I may find the book to be to Churchy for my taste. I am glad it is not and that while it's a lot about Christianity, it was presented in such a positive and enjoyable way. It showed all best parts of religion and made me wish reality was just like it.

I found plot to be very realistic for such setting until

-----SPOILERS------

Rome bombing. That didn't feel so probable, though events that followed decently did. I still wish it was less violent and that Virgil didn't die. But sad reality is that it's very realistic with such turn of events. I am also glad aliens didn't just attack them and saw that violence is not the way.

I am glad it was clearly explained how aliens came to be Christians and that it was done early enough in the book. I also liked the explanation.

-----END OF SPOILERS------

I hope many people will read this book, as it really deserves it.

I really enjoyed the premise of the book. It had me interested throughout the entire story. Such a unique plot and I loved how the author created such a unique story. The prologue grabbed me and lured me in. I loved reading along to discover why the scenario took place like it did. Highly recommend.

I love this futuristic type of read! I do think it was way too heavy on the religion theme here though. I am not fan of that. It could have been a lot better with less religion. I liked the other aspects, but it was hard to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

From the beginning of this book it's very somewhat clear what is going to happen, but we have no idea which road we'll take to get there. This makes you want to continue reading, keeps you grasping for every little bit of information you can find. I found the obsession of our main character to be quite tedious in the beginning, but as we got further into the book this disappeared.

This book was everything it promised! Entertaining, in the near future, elements of “Red Rising” and “the Visitors”.

I really enjoyed my time with this book a lot! The perfect beach read for anyone in love with science fiction space stories.

Pilgrims by M. R. Leonard is a quick read and it kept my attention for the full five hours that it took me to read it. It felt like a book written along the lines of Chuck Wendig and Stephen King...in the beginning. It is an ambitious and interesting concept...Aliens coming to Earth for religious reasons and not war. Very idealistic! I loved Virgil the AI, and Austin...interesting that Mr. Leonard choose the last name of DeSantis for his hero..
Yet as the story progresses, it just begins feeling off due to all the religious context. I kept thinking wow, would all the people on Earth be annihilated if they didn't believe? the same??
All in all, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading more novels by M.R. Leonard.

I wasn't particularly enthused with this book. I get the concept but it fell flat for me and I did not finish it.

I received this ebook for free through NetGalley

I loved the premise of this book and how unique it was. Definitely glad I came across it. Thanks for the read and looking forward to what happens next.

3.5 stars
Pilgrims blends sci-fi with a twist of religious intrigue as aliens show up speaking Latin and claiming Catholicism. Austin DeSantis, an out-of-work Latin teacher, gets roped into translating for these mysterious visitors. The setup is intriguing and the plot offers a fresh take on first contact, but it sometimes feels a bit muddled. The pacing is steady, and the character dynamics add depth, but the overall execution might leave you wanting more clarity. A solid read for fans of sci-fi with a philosophical twist.