Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing, but ulitmately unfulfilling
Review: I read this book in one week, because I had to know how the author would resolve the ending; the conflict between God's authority and the death angels. In the end, it seemed that the death angels were loose cannons with no real control from above. The methods of untimely deaths constructed by the author are chilling and patiently presented. The two main characters (Kylie and Melia) cannot explain to others what is happening to them without people thinking they are crazy. Who would believe them, if you read the story? It is like a chess game where they have no recourse at all to escape. The relationship of Kylie and Tucker seemed more realisitic to me as mother-son rather than sister-brother, but it was a powerful episode just the same, when they finally meet. Some minor complaints: It was hard to accept that Sean was Tucker's father, or that Kylie's older brother OD'd on drugs. This opinion is based on the gruff-but-kind personality of Sean presented in the book. Also, no one used the Internet to look up information. They always went to the library, or talked to people, which made for a better narration. The saddest part of this book for me was Kylie's opinion that God is unapproachable and does not care. That prayers of people in trouble are unanswered and pain upon pain is put upon the two main characters with no concern. I do not believe God is like that; if he knows when a sparrow falls, he knows if we are in trouble, and he hears our cries. But, in a world without a just God, where "cracks form" between spirit world and physical world, this would be a sad place to exist. Yes, I expected a better resolution, because the story is very intelligent through most of the book. The idea of a heinous person having to do penance by feeling the pain of dying people is creepy indeed. The death angels have a jaded attitude that you would imagine from someone who has seen a lot of bad things. They also have time to do some reading, though, as one quotes some interesting passages. And, they can perceive other's thoughts. The near end of the story was like a swell of relief, but the ultimate conclusion was an emotional break-even. Just the same, this book gave me a lot to think about, and to be glad for what I have.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended.
Review: I really enjoyed this book, the premise and characters and did not want it to end. QUIETUS is truly enlightening with its explanation of ancient religious imagery which explains many of the customs "practioners" take-for-granted. Yet these facts and backstory merely serve to reinforce the stunning plot that Schilling has crafted around this "near-death" premise. According to the author's note at the end of the book, QUIETUS was inspired by her own real-life, near-death experience (a horrific automobile accident, instead of the plane crash from the book). This explains the author's in-depth grasp and appreciation for mortality, spiritualism and life-after-death. QUIETUS has some of the scariest scenes ever written, balanced with immensely likable characters and superb prose. I highly recommend this to all readers!
Rating:
Summary: A dark, addictive tale
Review: I was thoroughly absorbed in this tale for days. I was reminded of Anne Rice's vampire tales or, more recently, Tannanarive Due's strange immortals, all the while enjoying Vivian Schillings' unique take on the whole human meets un-human genre.
The background history was good and never quite resolved or neatly explained which to me makes sense as that entire aspect of our existence is rather mysterious anyhow. The simple possibility that there is a 'there' there, and that the spirit or 'other' world at times intrudes upon ours and even has designs upon it and/or us is always fascinating fodder for great stories.
I couldn't wait for my personal time each evening to curl up and read like mad to find out where in the world this story was going and what was going to happen to Kylie and her friends. This book was a page-turner for me.
While a few others where utterly tripped up by their own proofreading and editing bugs, I found myself caught up in the storytelling and quite unbothered by all that.
Overall I was very impressed and will be anxious to see if Schilling has more tales to share with us.
Rating: 
Summary: I found it difficult to get past the horrible editing.
Review: I wouldn't label this a bad story. I could put it down but I did find it intriguing enough to keep picking it back up. I didn't really care about the characters that much but I did want to see what would happen. So even though I spent a lot of time groaning while reading (or laughing hysterically, especially when the author referred to Kylie's mother as "illusive" instead of elusive- the woman was rarely seen but there was no indication that she was deceptive or false), I finished the book. Unfortunately, the editing was so poor that it took away from any real pleasure I could have gotten from reading this book. I have never seen so many typos, spelling errors, and incorrect usage of words in any book, ever! It was so bad that I found myself looking for the next mistake rather than concentrating on the story. How could this book have made it to press? I see from other reviews that I am not the only one who caught this. It's amazing how poor editing can have such an impact on reading enjoyment. A movie could be interesting but I would never recommend the book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Where have all the copyeditors gone?
Review: I'm four pages into the novel, and already gnashing my teeth in frustration at the TRULY AWFUL copyediting. Neither author nor copyeditor seems to have even a rudimentary grasp of English grammar or word usage. I'm gonna keep trying to finish it, because the story sounds interesting, but it's setting my teeth on edge.
Rating:
Summary: Worth every terrifying page!
Review: If this book doesn't scare the hell out of you, you don't have nerve endings! Kylie O'Rourke survives a plane crash and is thrown into the darkest nightmare you could ever imagine. I won't give too much of the plot away, but the nemesis of the story is so well-drawn that I found myself holding my breath. Kylie is such a compelling character, and you go through so much with her, that you'll miss her when the story is over. I'll admit that the book is very sad at times, but it never lets up on suspense. I've only given one other book five stars and that was The Lovely Bones. Like Sebold's masterpiece, this one deserves the highest ranking I can give it -- FIVE STARS!
Rating: 
Summary: one less, since I had nightmares
Review: Its a haunting book, one that drags you into the depths and darkness of the world Vivian Schilling creates in such an unobvious moment, that I found myself wondering at times if I was depressed....But after a while I eventually found out that it was just my subconscience thinking about it constantly, being hooked on it....TAKING IT PERSONAL. It was a great book, at times the repetative choice of words made me sigh, but its amazing to see the story unfold and develop farther away than ever imagined at the beginning. Certainly not a book for happy beach days for me though!
Rating:
Summary: Quietus
Review: Kylie O'Rourke should not be alive. On a frigid night dark with the swirling winds of a snowstorm Kylie, with her husband and two friends, boards a charter plane home. They had received a ski trip package as a gift from an appreciative client of their interior design business. Kylie's husband Jack was none too fond of taking the flight because of his father having died in a plane crash years before. However, when considering the length of time driving would take, the plane ride won. All had gone well until the trip home when the pilot made some crucial errors and Jack's fears became a reality. The plane went down and only 5 people survived. Kylie is convinced, due to a near-death 'dream', that they were not supposed to have lived....and she's absolutely correct. Death is coming for them in the form of a man she saw in her 'dream'. A man that seems strangely familiar to her. While everyone else is struggling with their attempts at leaving the plane crash in the past, Kylie is obsessed with the things she saw and the man who is behind them. She is determined to find out what is happening and why. But what she finds isn't of any comfort. Death isn't going to back down. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What makes Vivian Schilling such a great writer is her success in surprising the reader. One never knows what to expect as they walk through the scenes of this book. Just when it seems like it can be figured out, a curve is thrown in. She also has a stunning handle on the key factor of suspense. The reader is quite often tensely awaiting the outcome of a particular situation, and before long another has begun. Ms. Schilling writes with such clarity that descriptions go directly from the page to the mind's-eye. Mutating beasts can be seen and almost felt, statues very nearly come to life; and the characters are given a depth that make them easy to identify and sympathize with. At 596 pages, Quietus is a long book, but with it being split into sections each of which has many chapters, it's a quicker read than it would appear to be. Once the first few pages have been turned, the reader will be so absorbed the end will seem to have come too quickly.
Rating:
Summary: EXSQUISITELY CRAFTED....WELL THOUGHT-OUT
Review: Ms. Shilling has a very interesting novel here. I read about it a bit on the internet and the angelic parts of it piqued my interests.
First off, the only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars is because the last 1/4 of the book started to lose it's momentum. A better rating would be 4.5, because that last 1/4 definitely doesn't bring the rest of the book down. Shilling has made a nice build-up of creepiness and suspense with the complex storyline, peaking around the middle of the novel. She deals with a lot of interesting ideas about the nature of hell and demons, often blurring the lines. I found myself reading as if watching a movie, which it indeed is modeled after (Shilling's movie Soultaker is apparently the prequel to this).
One of the only things I had a quibble with is the one section in which Kylie is researching the Watchers. She made an error in which she said that the Nephilim were the watchers who fell and the fallen children of them were Grigori; it's the other way around. She remedies this on the next page, though.
Overall, a thoroughly engrossing book that I have recommended to several people, especially those who have an interest in angels and the afterlife.
Rating:
Summary: Too much death for me!
Review: My rating of this book is slightly deceptive. The story itself I give 2 stars, but I added an extra star for quality writing, page-turning suspense and interesting historical information. It's just that the story made me think more about death than I really wanted to! I guess I should have known from the very beginning by the title -- Quietus is defined as "1. a finishing stroke; 2. discharge or release from life; 3. the moment of death". It says so right on the front flap! ...And she really means it! The book starts with a plane crash leaving the protagonist, Kylie O'Rourke, with terrifying ghostly visions and proceeds with many subsequent deaths. I did, however, find fascinating Ms. Schilling's analysis of how views of death have changed throughout the centuries. She discussed the images of angels starting with early cultures, through the Middle Ages and the Reformation, up until the present. The research she did here was thorough and it was quite interesting. So if you don't mind a book dealing with both the physical and spiritual aspects of death, than this might be a book for you. After all, it is well-written and suspenseful (although a bit too drawn out - found myself skimming through certain parts) ...But if those topics disturb and depress you, you may want to pass! ...And I definitely would not consider this an airplane book - the book starts off with a tragic plane crash and the entire book is subsequently based on that!
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