The Deciding Hour by Jerrod Oluwatoyin Fasan is a thriller with a difference. Six friends are returning from vacation when they get caught in a storm and take shelter in a hotel. It’s much bigger than they thought it would be and seems to offer plenty for them. But then they discover the horror hiding behind the doors, a horror that keeps them trapped in a room together, forcing them to play a game to escape. It’s not your average game, though. This game knows all their deepest and darkest secrets, secrets that will let some of the friends leave – but not the others. With their faith sorely tested, can they find the salvation they need to get out of this situation alive?

The Deciding Hour by Jerrod Oluwatoyin Fasan is a fascinating story that’s part thriller and part horror and was based on accounts of near-death experiences related to the author. It is a Christian story and contains many Christian teachings and lessons, which made it feel as though it was in some way a non-fiction story. There are several main characters, all developed well, and you do get to know some of what makes them tick. The plot is unusual for the genre, which made a refreshing change, and it had some twists and turns. It isn’t a high-action story, but it is steady and well-written. If you like books that teach you life lessons along the way, this might be the book for you.

The Deciding Hour by Jerrod Oluwatoyin Fasan is a Christian novel that clings firmly to the horror suspense genre. It revolves around a group of friends who find themselves trapped in an unthinkable situation. Fasan begins the story by introducing six young men making their way home to Texas after holiday-making in Mexico. In the latter half of their return, they are sidelined by freakish weather to a hotel that, while by all appearances is a safe haven, immediately gives off creepy vibes akin to what one of the men calls 'The Shining'. Trying to make the best of an uncomfortable situation, they set up what looks like a rather conventional video game. Unfortunately for them all, it turns out to be a game that nobody is prepared to play, but to survive and escape from the nightmarish hotel they are left with no choice but to play.

Jerrod Oluwatoyin Fasan weaves scripture and an acknowledgment that the young men cannot survive without faith into the prevailing plot of endurance and wit enough to escape in his novel The Deciding Hour. The sojourn of the hotel is implemented within sight of the book's beginning and Fasan wastes no time in setting a quick pace from the onset. Out of all the men, I found Malik to be the most complex, and as the proverbial skeletons come out of the closet in this haunting tale, Malik's are also the most gut-wrenching. Connor has a levelheadedness that prevails even in the clutches of fear and, to me, the other characters soon become ancillary to their own. From a literary standpoint, the writing might not appeal to readers who prefer prose that is more refined, but the story itself is solid and Fasan is skilled at injecting nuances and elevating the emotional components in this harrowing survival story.