REVIEW - THE SLEEPING SERPENT

Review - The Sleeping Serpent: A woman's struggle to break an obsessive bond with her yoga master
by Luna Saint Claire, Virginia Bowen
5 stars out of 5

This novel was more than I expected when I heard the description. I appreciated the authors’ style and the flow of the narrative, although there have been a lot of details provided here and there at times. The change in POV helped to see the action from more than one perspective and, in my opinion, that’s one of the best characteristics of this novel.
The story might seem shocking, however it is highly believable and an eye-opener. Unfortunately, the action of the book is repeated over and over again in real life with probably very few deviations.
The story develops around a yoga instructor, Nico, and follows his many relationships with different women, who, of course, are the subject of his manipulation and narcissism. Nico seems to have the charisma and magnetism to enslave these women who would do anything for his attention and would accept his verbal and physical abuse most of the time, just to be around him. The only character that evolves somewhat during this story is Luna, although she’s far for becoming whole again. That being said, I do think that Nico and the women he seduced are very well portrayed. All these characters are rounded.
I cannot say that I liked any of the characters. There was very little to like about them and they made me feel mostly pity or outrage towards them. I definitely disliked the main character. The writers created the perfect narcissist and, along the narrative, they showed a good understanding of the human nature. I am pretty sure they have strong connections with the psychological profession but I didn’t verify their accreditations.
If you’re looking for an easy read just to kill a few hours and relax, then don’t read this book. It’s not for you. The narrative and characters are too complex and will make you think for days after you finish reading the novel.