The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Goodreads Summary:

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust.

And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it’s clear that Minnow knows something—but she’s not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

My Rating:4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Plot:

This book is very strange and unlike anything I’ve ever read. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is about a girl who has lived in a cult since she was fifteen.One day the prophet of this cult is killed and her home set one fires. She is then sent to juvenile detention where in exchange for information,she will be able to get parole when she reaches 18.Not only does she have to deal with the hardships of going into the real world, and trying to survive through juvie, she has to all of this without hands. The plot of this book is so interesting, and really original. I’ve never read a book that has delved into the topics of cults and the likes.While cults are a thing that occur all over the world, I’ve never heard of a fictional book about it.I love books that explore different perspectives of the world, and I think that this book did a great job of doing that.

Characters:

Minnow is a such a great character, and it’s really interesting to see her come to terms with her situation as she begins to explore a world that she knows nothing about. I loved to see Minnow’s doubts as she begins to question the cult that she has been  a part of for the past twelve years. Minnow’s character is a very unique one, and I loved reading about.

Another character that I really loved was her cellmate,Angel. She is a great friend to Minnow in a time where she feels very lost, and I loved to learn more about Angel as the story went on.I think her interest in science was nice addition that made me like her a little bit more.

The only problem I had with the characters, is Jude. Jude is this boy who lives in the woods near Minnow’s cult.While Minnow grows attached to him, I didn’t really feel the connection between them. I don’t think his character was developed enough to really appreciate him, and I found him be a sort of pointless addition to the story.

Writing

The writing was really nicely done,and the author had lots of sentence that really got me to think. The story switched present and future,and sometimes it can be badly done but Stephanie Oakes did a really good job of it.

So there are my thoughts of The Scared Lies of Minnow Bly. Let know me in the comments if you’ve read it or plan on reading it