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 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.

Okay so when I heard this was a cult book I was pretty intrigued. And yeah it definitely lived up to expectations with all the crazy cult references you could imagine. It was so much more than that as well though. It addresses big questions about religion, the world and our purpose in it. I never would have though a book about an insane religious cult would actually make me think about how I see the world in a different way, and how it is kind of important to believe in something, whatever that may be. Minnow’s voice is so well developed, and she comes across as incredibly strong but with all the accompanying flaws that we all have. Yes this is a book about a girl who escaped from a cult but it’s also about a girl finding her way in the world, as we all do. And the fact that is was the author’s debut novel is just mind blowing.

Rating: 9/10