Posvátné lži Minnow Blyové

by Stephanie Oakes, Alžběta Kalinová (Translator)

Působivý příběh o nebezpečí slepé víry — a síle víry v sebe sama.

Keviniáni připravili sedmnáctiletou Minnow o všechno: o dvanáct let života, o její rodinu, o schopnost důvěřovat. A když se vzepřela, vzali jí i ruce.

Teď je jejich Prorok mrtvý a celá keviniánská osada spálená na popel. Detektivovi z FBI je zřejmé, že o tom Minnow něco ví — ale ona mlčí.

Hrůzné okolnosti ji dovedly do věznice pro mladistvé, kde objevuje nový svět. Učí se číst, nadávat i přemýšlet sama za sebe. Zjišťuje, že kovové mříže nejsou nic proti svazujícím pravidlům její sekty. A že pokud se dokáže rozloučit s děsivým tajemstvím své minulosti, může mít opravdovou svobodu, o níž vždycky snila.

Propracovaný psychologický thriller těží z motivů pohádky bratří Grimmů Bezruká dívka, ale nabízí mnohem víc. Sektu tvrdě trestající neposlušnost, věznici, kde si každý musí vydobýt své místo, aby byl v bezpečí, sympatického detektiva s cukrátky, drzou a nebezpečnou spoluvězeňkyni s pesimistickým pohledem na svět a charismatickou Minnow, která zoufale stojí aspoň o obyčejnou naději na lepší život.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Realistic Fiction, Mystery Thriller

367 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2015

About the author

Stephanie Oakes is the author of THE SACRED LIES OF MINNOW BLY, which was a Morris Award finalist and a Golden Kite Honor book, THE ARSONIST, which won the Washington State Book Award and was an ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, and THE MEADOWS, published in 2023. Stephanie lives in Spokane, Washington with her wife and family.

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up, I believed in miracles. I guess I don’t anymore.

This book seems to have appeared out of nowhere. I haven't heard much hype about it, haven't seen many advance reviews in my feed and yet, from the very first chapter, I was hooked into this dark, horrifying and atmospheric novel. It gripped me from the start and I couldn't stop reading.

From the very opening line of "I am a blood-soaked girl" , I had a feeling that this was going to be one of those books that sucks me in completely. I was right. Not only am I fascinated about the subject matter, but this happens to be one of the most moving, painful and well-written books about a religious cult, existing outside the rules and laws of society as we know it.

I think this novel is so well-balanced by many fantastic things. It offers us a horrifying portrait of life inside the "Community". It's seemingly sensational enough to have us outraged and emotionally affected, but a quick Google search will tell you how closely this resembles the reality of real life cults:

I want to tell him that these are the people who lashed their children with switches thick as forearms when the Prophet commanded, married their daughters off at sixteen to men generations older. These are the people who beat Jude until there was nothing left but a mess of blood and bone. They had to cover him in a sheet because it made the women sick to look at.

But that's not all. Almost all books about religious cults are disturbing, shocking, even gory sometimes, but The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is much more powerful because of everything else it does.

For one, it is extremely well-written and atmospheric. The author uses a combination of horrific and beautiful imagery to paint each scene in our minds. For another thing, Minnow Bly - having escaped the Community - muses on the notion of religion, freedom of choice, and the reality of justice, in between recounting her tale of the time she spent under the rule of the Prophet. The book raises questions that made me stop and think for a while - I love it when a book can do that.

The story starts in the present where Minnow is being sent to juvenile detention for assault. We know a few things: 1) Her hands have been cut off, 2) She has escaped something horrific, 3) She viciously attacked someone, and 4) The Prophet is dead. Who killed him is a mystery; the details of how she lost her hands are also a mystery. Through flashbacks and her present time in prison, Minnow's story emerges.

It's the kind of book that has you on the edge of your seat, angry and scared for the protagonist. It's a heart-pounding kind of book. But it also contains moments of humour, lightness and friendship between Minnow and the other girls in juvenile detention - especially the hilarious Angel. As I said, it balances so many things and, I personally think, it leaves us with a lingering and unsettling message - not about religious cults, but about the way in which our laws can punish victims.

It really affected me and I hope you read it too. I'm going to leave you with this final quote that I believe to be a lovely little nod towards us book nerds:

When I remember her, I picture that expression, like behind her eyes she had entire rooms that she didn’t let anyone see. And I realize now it was the book in her hands that’d made them.

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[Wendy Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a feeling five pages into this book that it was going to make my Top 10 list for the year. I was right, because it's also my first 5 star book of 2015! Freaking looooved this, it's unlike anything I've ever read before.

You will enjoy this if you liked elements of ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME, THE HALLOWED ONES, and ANOTHER LITTLE PIECE. You'll also love it if you appreciate the bizarrely perfect combination of hard prison violence and deadpan humor of the show ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.

To write a contemporary psychological thriller that keeps you guessing is already an achievement, particularly with careful plotting there are only a couple of things I question, but they don't detract from the power of the story at all and perfectly rendered characters. But to combine that with story inspired by the German fairy tale "The Girl with No Hands" is a stroke of genius. It's brutal, it's bloody, and it's unforgettable.

More of a review to come closer to release. I hope this author is working on something, because if this is what her debut looks like, I cannot even imagine what her future books will hold.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book’s first line: “I am a blood soaked girl.”

Judging from this short opening line, I knew I was going to be in for a gripping, dark and guaranteed provoking read and I wasn’t wrong. From the very first line up to the last page of the story, I just kept reading and reading until I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. Thankfully, the book was over before that happened. Phew!

Minnow Bly is a 17 year old girl, accused of almost killing a boy by remorselessly beating him and also seems to be a suspect in killing the prophet of the “Un-pleasantville Community” (a sort of cult) and is now detained at a juvenile detention. How could she possibly do such things though when she does not have hands?

Uncover her story with Detective Wilson and Angel (a fellow juvie who committed the most heinous crime among the girls-love the irony of her name) as Minnow relates to them her dark, horrific past while she struggles to live the life for the first time out of the Community with girls who may not have suffered at the hands of a delusional Prophet but who lived with their own version of “evil prophets.” Witness how she finds the meaning of friendship, freedom and hope despite her grim past and bleak future.

“Anybody is capable of enormous harm, anyone with a mouth or a hand to write with.”

Even though there are some parts that felt a bit unrealistic to me, the narrative is brilliantly and emotionally written as this story effectively addresses the consequences of believing at the cost of reason or what we call blind faith and tackles the importance of faith in oneself. With mystery blanketing the plot of the story and sarcastic humor coloring the narrations and dialogue, the reader will be riveted to every page of the book.


Thanks to Neil's brilliant review.

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I guess people can't be content without answers, even if they're wrong. We'd rather have a lie than a question that we can never know the answer to.”

This book is deeply psychologically terrifying. There aren't any jump scares; this book plays on your deepest fears, the fears hiding below "getting your hands brutally chopped off". There are worse things; being trapped, being abused, seeing your parents turn against you as you are the only one who can seem to see reason.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly follows Minnow, a girl who has just escaped from a cult and, panicked from her experiences, brutally kicked a drunk man she didn't know. She's told that if she tells the truth of what she's seen, she'll be allowed to go free. And it's also vaguely, according to the glorious Cait, a retelling of The Girl Without Hands by the Brothers Grimm. And that's... all I'm going to say, because this is a book that you need to go into mostly blind. It's a weird and enrapturing and terrifying book.

Besides the deep psychological terror, what stood out to me about this book was Minnow. Abused, lying, manipulative, desperate Minnow. Needless to say, I adored her; I was so invested in her struggle by the end of my journey that I couldn't let go.

“I think you should be angry if you're angry. But it's also true that hate has a way of hurting you more than the person you're hating.”

It's interesting; I don't feel there was any huge twist or shocking reveal. It's just slow-burn terror leading to an ending that may not shock you, but will definitely leave you emotional. At its heart, this book is a claustrophobic journey of trauma and healing, and one that will stay with me for a very long time.

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[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

“Everyone always assumes it’s with hands that people disobey. The Prophet thought so, too. If only he know, if only everyone knew, my hands were never the source of my disobedience.”

This book proves once again that . . . .



Many thanks to Paige for the recommendation. To be completely honest, I had written this one off as a “no thank you” due to the blurb. Even though it was recommended for fans of Speak, the name Ellen Hopkins was also thrown into the mix. Ugh. Good thing I trust my Goodreads friends more than the publicists, because this one was pretty dang good . . . .



The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is the story of – you guessed it - Minnow Bly. Minnow’s family became part of the Kevinian cult when she was 5 years old. It was there she learned to follow the teachings of a super creepy prophet . . .



Well, since you mention it – YES. No one should have a tooth in the center of their face! But in actuality, the Kevinians were followers of a REAL super creepy religious zealot . . .



Minnow’s life has revolved around strict obedience. The word of the Prophet was never to be questioned, girls were to remain uneducated and always maintain their modesty until chosen by one of the deacons (or the Prophet himself) for marriage. You know, kind of like the Duggars. When Minnow decided to rebel against the cult, things didn’t go well . . . .



And when she finally took the opportunity to escape, she found herself living in juvenile detention for one crime and being questioned by the FBI about exactly what happened to the Prophet and the compound after she fled . . .



I love YA that packs a punch and this one was a whopper. Especially when the plot is so plausible. Seriously, if the Branch Davidians and Girl Interrupted had a baby you might end up with something close to The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. A completely unique coming of age story about a girl who learns her entire life was a lie, and that just maybe hope for the future can come from somewhere as dismal as a jail cell . . .

“Here my scars are the only part of me that could be called normal. It seems like every girl here has had their own personal Prophet.”

[L A i N E Y (will be back) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And I almost understand now how you can be so trapped you’ll throw the whole world away just to get free”

What a powerful and heartbreakingly sad sad story...

“But why was it on me to survive? Why couldn’t my parents have stopped this?”

Beautiful writing, heartwarming friendships, and horrifying lives of innocent children ruined by the grownups’ vileness.

“I’m just sick of the victim being judged for fighting back”

“Between the Prophet and the law, I’ll have nothing left in the end.”

“That’s all religion is. Strategy.”

“The first time I’ve seen him since I told him how I lost my hands. I’m still a little bruised by the memory.”

rating: ★★★★½

[Minne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM DAMAGED.

This is one of those times when I need a shot of something. Someone call a doctor. Or a veterinarian. Any of the two would do.
This book is proof that


✔ RECOMMENDED TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK.

Before I go any further, I just want to take a moment to thank the book gods, so far all my reads this year have ranged from good to splendid. I'm especially happy about it.
And all you enemies of progress murmur and grumble: Well it's only the beginning of the year. What can I say?

▶ THE STORY LINE
Goodreads says it a lot better but here GOES...
▶ YOUR PACKAGE COMES COMPLETE WITH
✔ A bunch of crazy people displaying their madness in the name of religion. A religious community known as the Kevinians.
✔ A nutjob fraudster and puppet master with a perverse obsession with the hatchet. A mental priest.
✔ A handless rebel who actually rebelled. A seventeen year old brave and defiant girl by the name of Minnow Bly
✔ A big bad dragon that swallowed the community whole and killed the priest. A fire that destroyed the community and left the priest dead.
✔ A rebel turned convict Minnow Bly is found guilty of another crime, becomes a suspect in arson homicide and gets sent to the juvenile centre.
✔ Would you just let the dead be? A search for the truth.
✔ A STORY SO SICK AND MADDENING THAT I COULDN'T FIND IT IN ME TO EAT CHIPS WITH COLA WHILE READING IT. A poignant and Inspiring tale.

▶ TO THOSE WHO SUCCEEDED IN BLISSFULLY DELUDING THEMSELVES LIKE ME
So, if you somehow read the blurb for the book and managed to convince yourself that this bit from it: And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too - is really a metaphor and not literal. Ahaha. Let me break it to you, the blurb don't kid, my friend. The blurb is not kidding neither is it being metaphorical. But I told myself it was. Even after reading reviews of the book. And you don't even want to know what I looked like after I realized it wasn't a metaphor.

I said you didn't want to know, not that I wouldn't show you.
This is one of those stories that starts haunting you from the very first chapter, from the very first line. You'll wonder how, you'll wonder why, images will harass your mind - and sadly, if you're very imaginative like me, the better part of them will be horrific and daunting. But it only serves to build the intrigue, so... just embrace the torture. You know, there are stories that feel like the very beginning when you start reading the first chapter, you feel like you're actually starting out the story with the characters, and you expect everything to build as you all move along the pages. There are some stories that offer such illusions. This is not one of those stories, this one that starts out quite heavy from the onset. It's like the story's been building in unseen pages and has condensed and grown to become what we start out with, what is presented to us as the beginning in the first chapter. Yes, it's that absorbing from the start.

▶ A VOICE LIKE MINNOW'S
Minnow's voice is like a siren's call. It's so arresting and so very mature - or rather put, world-weary. It's the kind of voice that leaps at you over and across the table, grabs you by the collar and orders you to listen. And boy does she have lots to say. But I don't know, just to be sure, let me ask again, was it really a 17 year old girl I just read about? Somebody please tell me I read wrong so everything can make sense again. Because skeptical me refuses to believe it. I mean, what did I sound like at 17? It wasn't that long ago, I know, but surely there has to be some marked differences, a bunch of distinctive markers shrouded somewhere in the months between 17 and 18, and 19 and 20. Minnow's voice was one of the best parts of this book for me. Maybe not everyone will take to her voice as passionately as I did, but it doesn't change the truth. Her voice is so bold, so brave, so striking, and so very vibrant and honest. I hurt for Minnow. Can you imagine it? A life without your hands? And living with the ever present memory of how they were so brutally taken away from you. The cruelty of such deprivation of normalcy - the cruelty and gruesomeness of it is just maddening, I swear.

There are so many people here that it seems like every mealtime someone is glimpsing me for the first time, gaping as though they’ve never seen anything as bizarre. As though we’re not all missing some pieces.

Yes we are, Minnow.

▶ THE WRITING AND EVERYTHING ACCOMPANYING
Trust me when I tell you I was overjoyed to see that the writing style uses the first person narrative in it's narration ⬅ And this was probably the only reason I had to smile while reading this book. I can't help it, it's one of the little things that make me happy. I can't help but feel a bit more involved in the story, and more attuned to the characters' feelings when a writing employs the aforementioned narrative style. The chapters in this book were refreshingly short. I don't think I've read a book with chapters as short as this book's. And I'm happy to say I enjoyed the briefness of each one, because though they were really short, they managed to be very potent and meaningful. It made this feel like a fast-paced read without it becoming some kind of weird disorderly sprint. Another thing I really liked was how Minnow narrated the story through a series of flashbacks and reports to officials and people who cared to listen. So, bits and pieces of information from the time before the fire were dropped into the story here and there, drawing us a picture of what life was like as a member of the Community.

▶ SOMETIMES YOU DON'T NEED ADRENALINE FOR IT TO FEEL LIKE A RUSH
I'd like to point out that there was not one definitive moment of climax that had me pumping gallons of adrenaline into my bloodstream. This story was a gradual and painful series of revelations which built up and aggregated to make it the resonating tale it was. And I was sick to my stomach. The stark reality of the world Oakes painted, the horror of the world she captured is just that - horrible. I mean, to think that there are people who think like this, people who do such things - I won't lie to you, I had to skip some parts. I couldn't do it. Call me chicken, but it was too unbearable for me. And it didn't help that the writing was so poetic, so evocative and dreadfully graphic. I shivered with disgust everytime I pictured something horrible out of the book. Yes, I know! When it's not evocative, I complain. And when it's evocative, I do the same. Readers are insatiable creatures, what to do about it? But seriously, it was just too much for me to digest - and on an empty stomach mind you, because like i said, chips and cola were not part of the equation. So yeah, something was rushing alright. And it's called bile. If you read through everything stoically, I present you with a golden star. You are brave, my friend. It got to a point where I just wanted to know, I was dying of curiosity. And to Hades with gradualism and whatnot. I was sick with apprehension, and when I wasn't sick I was tired. I wanted that final blow to come, I was practically begging for that moment to arrive.

Well, obviously, Sirius had it..a lot rougher than I did.
▶ IF YOU CAN CALL IT ROMANCE
People who have read this book, we need to gather together and form a new word for the something that went on in it.

I could feel the window through which I viewed the world—no larger than a pinhole back then—broadening somewhere at the back of my mind just by looking at him. I couldn’t open my eyes wide enough. I wanted to stare at him for lifetimes, the perfect pores of him, his high eyebrows serene, like he’d never seen how angry God could be.

Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person’s pain. That’s it.

The romance in here isn't sappy, it's not even romantic or swoon-worthy at all. It didn't give me the warm fuzzies. But it just felt so...vital and sweet.

▶ EVERYONE NEEDS FRIENDS WHO BELIEVE IN THEIR POTENTIAL BADASS BITCHERY

“It’s different for you,” I say. “You make them scared.”
“Then give them something to be afraid of,” she says. “You’re a badass bitch. You’ve done way worse than half these girls.”

That's all I'm going to say on the subject. True friends rock. And the portrait of friendship in this story is absolutely beautiful and amazing.

I cast my eyes at the other bodies, I see skin tarnished with small holes of cigarette burns and pink puckered knife wounds and white lines like hash marks on forearms. Here, my scars are the only part of me that could be called normal. It seems like every girl here has had their own personal Prophet.

I can't tell you how much I loved reading about how Minnow and the girls in the Juvenile centre found healing together. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
▶ THEMES IN THIS STORY AKA THE THINGS THAT CUT AND THOSE THAT BITE.

"God is always both alive and dead. His great sorrow is dying, always dying.”
“Who is God’s mother?” asked Deacon Sean.
“Her identity is inconsequential. Her only purpose is the duty her womb performs in growing the body of God. That is truly the highest calling of womankind. Any of you should be lucky enough to birth God.” -the fraudster the priest

ME

You are mad, my friend.

If you will believe it, I was a bit frightened while reading this book. The way Oakes broached the subjects of religious fanaticism and blind faith was so raw, it only made the truth of it so much more unsettling, and deeply so. I read somewhere that religious fanaticism is not a result of deep faith, but rather a haunting lack of it. And I couldn't agree more.

“I guess people can’t be content without answers, even if they’re wrong. We’d rather have a lie than a question that we can never know the answer to.”

That need to believe in something, to have an explanation and reason for everything is normal. But the fact that it can become a disease, eating away at the mind of the afflicted and poisoning anyone else in close proximity, man that's scary. And the consequences and manifestations of it are even scarier. That's why I say this book is so brave, it inspires me so. I'm amazed by how aptly it captured the horrors of reality. I mean, it's here. It's everywhere: Followers following "leaders" blindly, people demonstrating their faith so perversely, people so fearful of life that they seek solace in inhumanity, burying themselves in the unsavory. And at times I just wonder about such extreme demonstrations, are you trying to convince me or are you trying to convince yourself? I honestly think I'm going to be thinking about this book for years to come. I'm scarred for life.

▶ SEXISM AT IT'S FINEST

Earlier that night, I’d fought with Vivienne, my father’s third wife. I’d dropped a dish during washing, and she stuck out her rigid finger and gave me that tired old lecture about how it was almost time for me to marry and no man would want me if I didn’t arrange myself into the shape of a good woman. “Fine, then I won’t marry!” I said, and she reminded me that the job of a Kevinian woman was to marry. If a woman doesn’t marry, what’s the purpose of her? I threw down my dishrag right then, because I knew everybody else agreed with her.

THESE PEOPLE ARE BLOODY HYPOCRITES AND RETARDS. A BUNCH OF NINCOMPOOPS AND SCALLYWAGS.
How about you transport yourselves back to the dinosaur age.
▶ ALL I'M SAYING IS...
THE PROPHET

THE COMMUNITY


This is by far the most difficult review I've had to write. I had to slave - not work hard, I get to eat cheese balls and drink cola when I work hard, not this time - to find the words and string them up together to form sentences that truly capture everything this book is, and everything it made me feel. But somehow, I don't think words will ever be enough.
I don't think my hands can do anymore, so I'll just go stuff myself with ice cream and eat myself sick and silly. I need it.
Read this book my friends

[Sarah DiMento · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book. The premise was really intriguing... Minnow Bly escapes from the religious cult community she grew up in and is arrested for assault. The Prophet of her cult is dead and the community burned to the ground. Oh, and Minnow's hands have been cut off. That's right, the main character has NO HANDS! What?! The story is pieced together by alternating between past and present. Minnow adjusts to life outside of the cult and in juvenile hall (and without hands), but she's still remembering and trying to make sense of what led her and her family to following The Prophet and how it all went so wrong. What ultimately results is a beautiful and tragic story of a girl who has endured so much and finally learns to think for herself and about what she truly believes.

"I knew the pain was unbearable and yet, I kept continuing to bear it."

Minnow's experience inside the religious cult was fascinating and horrifying. Isolated from the world in the middle of a forest, the women and girls suffer so much abuse: they are not taught to read, married off at a young age to old men with many wives, forced to labor all day long cleaning, cooking ect and with the slightest infraction or misbehavior they are beaten senselessly, sometimes to the point of death. The descriptions of physical and emotional pain that Minnow endured were harrowing. I mean, having your hands chopped off?! I can't even imagine. By the time she arrives in juvie, she harbors so much anger and hurt. Revisiting her memories becomes an excruciating healing process.

“Anger is a kind of murder you commit in your heart.” If this is true, I’m a daily murderer. My heart is more full of blood than I ever imagined.”

Minnow's cell mate and eventual best friend, Angel, has also obviously suffered abuse at the hands of her family. The book raises questions about the morality of their crimes- were these girls justified? Is assault or murder ever justified? Who is the true victim in a crime of self-defense or even revenge? And is it fair that these girls end up locked up when their abusers would spend their whole lives living freely and continuing to hurt people?

"Fuck," she whispers back, a smile creeping onto her face. And, inside that smile is the knowledge that some things are just too sad, too screwed up. Sometimes there's nothing for it but shouting "Fuck" with your best friend at the top of your lungs."

I loved loved loved seeing Minnow's character development and growth through the book. As Minnow lives outside of the cult, everything she's ever known and been taught is called into question. For the first time in her life, she's making decisions on her own about what she believes and about what her life means to her. She finds the strength to confront her past and face the truth of all.

"I am deserving because even after everything, I'm still hopeful. The people who hurt me couldn't kill my spirit. I'm dreaming still. See me, right now? Dreaming. And, given everything, that's pretty wonderful."

This book was so beautifully written, but if I'm being honest, it's not a perfect book. There were some really unrealistic situations and little things that bothered me. Like the fact that juvenile hall was depicted more like a girls summer camp than a prison. Other spoilery things I won't mention. I felt like not everything was answered and there were some loose ends. But despite those things, this was still a five star book for me. This is not a book that ties up everything conveniently and pretty with a bow on top (and I like that). I've never read anything like this.. It was honestly so beautiful and emotional and if you are even thinking about reading this just do it!!

[Paula M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god this book is everything I don't like but also everything that I need. This is my 2nd 5 star read this year! YAYYY




Once in a while, you'll read a book and it will completely blow your mind and you'll be helpless and just recommend it to EVERYONE. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly just took my breath away. Literally. This book is everything I've been looking for this year. I don't give my 5 stars that easy, in fact, I only gave one book a five star this year so far (not counting this book) But in here, its like five star is not enough.

Stephanie Oakes' writing is stunning. It's powerful and gripping. I found myself holding my breath in every revelation, every secret, every word that Minnow drops. I was enthralled and hypnotized the whole time I was reading, like Stephanie has a very powerful hold on me and I'm not even complaining.

There's a lot of things that made this book a success and one of them is our intriguing main character, Minnow Bly. From the very first chapter, I know she's gonna challenge me. And yes she did. The whole time I was not sure if she's telling the truth or if she was just playing me. She really made me think and my whole body and mind was invested to this story because of her voice. She's handless, but she's not a victim. She definitely has secrets, but does that mean she's the villain?

Minnow wasn't the only memorable character that Stephanie Oakes created. My heart is still mourning and aching for Jude. Every character, every person that Minnow interacted with... they leave something in you. They matter. They're authentic.

The plot of this book is obviously created by a brilliant mind. And you will agree with me once you read it. The writing, the atmosphere, the whole construction of the story... I couldn't think of any word but BRILLIANT or/and perfect.

I don't even know if this review made some sense to you or if it convinced you in any way so I'll just sum it up in here: THIS BOOK IS EPIC AND I KNOW YOU'LL LOVE IT SO DO YOURSELF A FAVOR A READ IT. That is all.

[Tabetha · Rating 5 out of 5]

"'All right,' he says, leaning back. 'Tell me about losing your hands.'
'That?' I shrug. 'I barely remember it.'
He lifts an eyebrow.
'Fine,' I say. 'But I want to tell it my way.'
'Of course.'
'No interrupting,' I warn.
'I'll do my best.'"

The Kevinian cult has taken everything away from 17 year old Minnow Bly. The Prophet tries to systematically crush Minnow's spirit, and Minnow pays a huge price when she tries to defy him and rebel against this disturbing way of life. As she now faces punishment for a violent crime she herself has committed, she must question every belief system drilled into her by the Prophet, and all of the brainwashed members of the cult. How could her own parents so blindly follow, risking Minnow's life, and the lives of her siblings?

The opening scene is graphic, gritty, dark, powerful, and shocking...and the book keeps getting better, page after page. I have always been fascinated by religious cults, and I was curious to read this fictionalized account, based on the fairytale "The Handless Maiden". Minnow is sentenced to time in a juvenile detention center, and the story of her life in the cult is told in a series of flashbacks, as she remembers her life, and as she is interviewed by the FBI agent. As the story is given in parts over time, it becomes more exciting as the end draws near. The mystery unfolds with stories of love and sweet romance, and with stories of horror and pure evil. I became so involved and wanted to know everything about Minnow's traumatic past. I hoped that Minnow would be able to overcome such horror, and find hope, along with new dreams. Read it to find out...

Parting quote by the incredible author, Stephanie Oakes: "Anger is a kind of murder you commit in your heart. If this is true, I'm a daily murderer. My heart is more full of blood than I ever imagined."

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read with my lovely friend Vane.

I expected to like this book, I really did. But I didn't expect to be blown away by it the way I was. I don't understand why more people aren't talking about it.

Minnow was such a strong, feisty character who made mistakes and sometimes said the wrong thing but she was so relatable! And the female friendship was just fantastic. Angel was one of my favourite characters.

I also really loved the romance element of this novel. I loved it because it was actually realistic and not well...romanticized (I know that makes no sense but you'll understand if you read the book).

Stephanie Oakes dealt with religion brilliantly and she tackled a difficult topic with a lot of heart and sensitivity.

I highly recommend this book to absolutely anyone. At times it was difficult to read because of the horrors that were going on, but the well-developed and unpredictable mystery kept me on my toes and constantly made me want to pick up the book.

Full review to come! (I'm really sorry if it will take a while)

[Neil Franz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I think you should be angry if you're angry. But it's also true that hate has a way of hurting you more than the person you're hating.”

I'm actually still thinking if this book deserves my 5 stars or not since I wasn't that shocked or too stunned with the revelations of this book. I mean I still did the "Whoa!" reaction but I didn't feel I've been stupefied right after.

Then again, the timing of the important revelations in this book are perfect, the narrative and the whole story are smooth and intense at the same time, making the book engaging from the beginning until the end. In short, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is very well-written. Besides, when I remember how the characters were so fascinating and well-developed, I know I shouldn't thought twice about my rating.

The main character, Minnow Bly is an admiring character. Despite of her struggles and sufferings, she managed to still be strong and be determined to unlearn her past and learn things she ought to be learned. And she loves to read. And she has a plausible voice. A voice so convincing, I felt sad for her when she's remembering and telling her past and delighted when she's happy with mundane things.

Oh! I almost forgot. There are moments of humor in here that sometimes I actually failed to remember I'm reading a breath-taking, mystery novel. There's a romance, too but it wasn't overdone, thank the gods.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is an evocative, thought-provoking, poweful novel that tackles the dangers of blind faith, touches cult, religion and the justice system. A hard-hitting novel of self-discovery of the culmination of the importance of learning.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I got the audio version and the Kindle version so here we go on my thoughts.

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This book follows our FMC, Minnow Bly, as she sits in juvenile hall after she was found beating a young man. She has lost everything after the place she called home for the past 12 years of her life, known as the Community, was burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.

She knows there is a lot hanging over her head and she struggles to come to grips with her hand in everything, even if she doesn't physically have hands after they were removed on the orders of the Prophet.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this novel. I didn't like the FMC and narrator, honestly. I don't know what it is about her but she just gave me the ick from the start. I know she's very innocent and gullible because of how she was raised but still. Gross.

I struggled to get through this book, even though I enjoyed the premise. I bought it because of the premise and I don't regret the purchase but I don't believe I'll be reading again. I hate that I won't be doing a second read-through but here we are.

I feel the same way about Jude that I did about our FMC. I don't like him either but I really do think he was a product of how he was raised. I hate that his mother passed away when he was so young and that he was forced to do what he did that led to her death.

However, I don't believe we should excuse people because of their pasts and trauma. I know it sounds like I'm putting too much stock into a fictional character but here we are. lol I hate that both our FMC and our MMC trusted their parental figures entirely too much.

I hate that they just went along with everything their fathers said/did like there was no other way of doing things. I hate that it took so long for the FMC to question everything. I think that's my biggest dig I'd take at this book, honestly.

All in all, I'm not sure I'd recommend this book. The premise was great and that's what kept me engaged but that's all I'd say, really. I'm not really sure I'd recommend this book since I was hoping for darker themes, even though I'm fully aware that this is a YA book.

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Why do you want to know the truth so badly?"

"Because I believe nobody benefits when the truth is buried."



Honestly, I don't know what to say to convince you all to read this book.Did I find this book as life-changing as Life of Pi? Nope. Did it made me cry a river as I did with Tiger Lily? No.But it still hurt my heart.

I think that's the best phrase to describe this book." It'll hurt your heart."

I don't know if you'll like it as much as I do or if you'll hate it due to your own personal reasons, but I'm sure as hell this book will unsettle you.

Based on the blurb, I know this book will be something painful to swallow but I still put this one on my TBR.



This book is the story of Minnow Bly and let's get something straight. I wouldn't have read this book immediately if not for the fact that her hands were cut off.Morbid, I know, but as I was reading this book, I was hooked by Minnow's voice.

It was a lost voice and yet at the same time she didn't strike me as the "oh-woe-is-me" type of girl.In fact, I love her humor and her inquisitive nature. It's rare to find a character who has the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability and Stephanie Oakes did a wonderful job, not just with Minnow but to all of the characters.

What happened to Minnow caused me goosebumps and it made me thankful of what I have in my life right now. This is a heart breaking story and maybe, just maybe, it'll make you question a thing or two in your life.

Favorite quotes:
-You don't change everything you believe all at once.

- Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another's pain.That's it.

[Dear Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly worth the hype.

This was more thought-provoking than disturbing, though, that's for sure. I thought it would be a mindfuck kinda book, but it wasn't exactly that - no real twists or anything that would make you go WTF!!!11!1!!1 BUT it was still really good. Maybe review to come? I don't know, but I definitely implore you to read this.

[Ellen Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up, I believed in miracles. I guess I don’t anymore.

Only 10 days into 2018 and I already have two new additions to my favorites shelf! Can this lucky streak please continue?

So basically this is amazing and perfect and you need to read it.

First - THIS IS A YA NOVEL?



This is intense, brutal, and holy fucking macaroni it was good! I know YA novels these days are good / better than they were in my day, but this was almost scary in its intensity. Don't let the YA label scare you off! I didn't expect a story about fluffy bunnies and rainbows when the synopsis involves a religious cult and a handless girl, but I was seriously wowed and chilled.

Like this is better than the average YA novel, easily.



Think Jonestown meets Orange is the New Black meets The Hallowed Ones. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly starts off with a handless teenage girl, coated in blood, disoriented and under arrest. If that doesn't catch your interest, I don't know what does.

Everyone always assumes it’s with hands that people disobey. The Prophet thought so, too. If only he knew, if only everyone knew, my hands were never the source of my disobedience.



I was unaware beforehand, but this is based on a fairytale! A German fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, The Handless Maiden. I was completely oblivious as to this particular Grimm tale, but quickly perused it for reference. I must say, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly does a stellar job of honoring the source and totally elevating it.

Minnow herself is such an amazing character. I love her. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. Her childhood was taken from her and replaced with lies and limits. When she fought those limits, they took her hands.

She can be darkly humorous, manipulative, reticent, and downright violent. After the horrific night of the fire, her arrest, and her time in juvie, it would be easy for her to look at her own traumas and give up. But she doesn't.

I guess people can't be content without answers, even if they're wrong. We'd rather have a lie than a question that we can never know the answer to.

I loved the story's handling of religion as well. I loved the expansion of science and faith and how it flowed from the relationship between Angel and Minnow. I loved seeing Minnow slowly accept that it's okay to ask questions. Fuck yes, learn, be inquisitive!

And the writing!



The way the tension builds and secrets are slowly doled out. It doesn't feel purposefully secretive. It will tell you big things right off the bat, then let the details and smaller surprises slowly work their way into the plot. The characters, the flashbacks, the emotion - it's all just beyond gorgeous.

And! Let me talk about something I really appreciated. Minnow's relationship with Jude is important to the story, but it's not Minnow's everything. She realizes that as much as she loved him, she can't go back to him. She's learned and grown too much since then to go back to the woods.

They aren't forced together at the end! It was so refreshing.

Anybody is capable of enormous harm, anyone with a mouth or a hand to write with.

Seriously y'all, I can't recommend The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly enough. Every second I was reading it was a total delight.

I couldn't shove it in my face fast enough.

[Mary Books and Cookies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please read this book.

I’m beginning to see a pattern regarding the books I like: the more fucked up the book is, the greater chance I’m going to like it. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly does not disappoint in this area at all. I went through a wide range of emotions while reading it, going from dread and horror, to hope and back again. It’s one wild ride of a book, that will leave you feeling conflicted and thoughtful.

It tells the story of Minnow Bly, a seventeen year-old girl who, for the past twelve years, has been part of a religious cult, called the Community, along with her parents and siblings, When its religious leader, the Prophet, is murdered, and the cult’s camp is set aflame, Minnow escapes, but is thrown into juvenile detention, for beating up a boy. It’s clear that she knows more than she lets on about what happened that last night in camp, so she is appointed a councilor, an FBI detective, who tries to uncover the truth behind all the lies that Minnow has said until now.

Gosh, I don’t even know where to begin talking about this book. I adored the writing, it’s so easy to follow and to get sucked into the story, it flows effortlessly, which is notable because the narrative switches between the present, with Minnow in juvenile detention, and the past, which depicts the events that take place during her time with the cult. I had no problem going back and forth, and the writing style sustains the mystery surrounding the events of that last night.

What really shook me about this book was the realism. These cults are real. There are people who give up their lives, and literally uproot everything and follow a charismatic leader into the unknown. The power that these leaders have is so great, that these people are willing to commit just about anything, provided that “God wants it”. And this is incredibly scary to think about. The parts where the Prophet punished those who disobeyed him were probably the most difficult for me to read. I just could not believe that something like that could happen. It was awfully saddening to see a girl’s future destroyed because of her parents’ choices. To see her judged based on some made-up laws, that made no sense. I was furious for Minnow. I ached when I saw her suffer so much. It was heartbreaking to read. To see so much cruelty and malice, disguised as “God’s work”. To see her go through so much, because she was a girl - in the Community, girls were not allowed to be curious, to ask questions, to learn to read, even, to be anything more than wives and bear children and do menial household jobs. They’re reduced to their gender and their reproductory role.

Aside from the religious focus point, there’s also Minnow’s time in detention. I loved those parts. I loved seeing her slowly open up, learn, find her voice, figure out what SHE believes, instead of applying other people’s beliefs to herself, as she was taught to do her whole life. This is why this story is so hopeful - it’s about redemption, justice, freedom. It shows us that you can come back from even the most horrifying experiences. It shows us that being close-minded can be one of the worst things out there and that knowledge really is power. It shows that choices have consequences and that the best that we can do is to own up to them and carry on doing our best.

Pick up this book. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, and possibly ever. It’s terrifying,horrifying at times, but strangely hopeful. It’s worth every minute spent reading it.

Favourite quotes:

“Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person's pain. That's it.”

“People want to believe. It’s all any of us wants.
I want to believe, but not at any cost. Not at the cost of reason. Not at the cost of human life.”

★★★★★

To everyone who got this far, thank you for reading and have a wonderful day! Also, feel free to share your thoughts, comment or tell me anything :)

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook narrated by Morgan Hallett 8 hours 50 mins 27 secs

Whew! Minnow Bly is perhaps one of the most memorable voices that I have come across in fiction recently. Rescued from her cult community and courted by the FBI, Minnow switches back and forth between her time in jail and her time in the Kevinian cult. But what caused the fatal fire that destroyed the community? Why were Minnow's hands cut off? And who really murdered the Prophet?

Published in 2015, this book has been on my long list for 4 years. I am so glad that I decided to experience it as an Audiobook. Morgan Hallett's (the narrator) performance as the voice of Minnow captivated me each day this week. It is a torment to see this cover and then follow the narrative of a girl with no hands. It should have been my first hint that all is not as it appears.

Another strong Audiobook that held my attention from beginning to end.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Growing up, I believed in miracles. I guess I don’t anymore.”


Let me start off by saying that while I knew that this book was going to be intense, I had no idea it would be so horrific yet brilliantly written. Yes, I loved the poetic writing, and yes, I was sick with disgust while reading some part of the books. If you like horror and can read through the things I am going to mention: Just read this book.

"I am deserving because even after everything, I'm still hopeful. The people who hurt me couldn't kill my spirit. I'm dreaming still. See me, right now? Dreaming. And, given everything, that's pretty wonderful."

It's a story of a girl named Minnow Bly who was raised in a religious community known as Kevinian cult. Well, to be honest, the Prophet - whom the whole community followed - was a crazy, twisted person. The things he made people believe in were just ridiculous. The people in the community are brainwashed and believes anything the Prophet says.

”I hope you decide to wait for God’s call, Minnow. We are the chosen. The Sacrificed Prophets of Heaven. We will be rewarded grandly if we do God’s will. You won’t just meet Him. You will dine at His table every night. He will bathe you and heal you. He will touch you with His unknowable green eyes, and you will be saved.”

The story gets dark from the very first sentence of the book, “I am a blood soaked girl.” And let me assure you, the story just gets darker after that. The community I was talking about? It gets destroyed by the fire in which the Prophet also dies. Minnow is sent to juvenile for beating a guy and almost killing him, and is also the suspect of another crime. With that, the story starts with present and flashback scenes which slowly uncovers the mystery of who killed the Prohpet, and in between, many shocking secrets are revealed.


But to save the story and to give some hope, there's Minnow who, even though followed Prophet in the beginning because of her father, couldn't ignore the fact that not everything he said was true. As much as I feel sad for her, I love how brave she is. I can't even imagine someone going through the pain of losing their hands, and here is our main character, being bold and still fighting even without hands. Minnow's experience was horrifying but also very inspiring. Before being sent to juvenile, she used live in the woods with the community where there weren't taught to read, were married off at early age. Where men had many wives because, women were only capable of doing one thing: giving births. So when Minnow goes into juvenile detention, she starts questioning her beliefs. It was scary, to be honest, imagining a 17 year old girl going through this craziness. The only thing that made me keep reading was Minnow's voice and her hope.

The writing: I love when the book is written in first person narrative. It helps me connect more with the character and that's one of the reason I could connect so strongly with the character and the story. The chapters are very short, which was for the best because it made the book seem less heavy. It's isn't fast paced, but it'll keep you hooked with intriguing storyline and flashbacks. I am definitely a fan of the author's raw and beautiful writing.

While the book is very intense overall, there are also some light and funny moments between Minnow and the girls in the juvenile detention, especially Angel. I loved their friendship.
There's also Jude, whom I consider as a very important part of the story. There's very little romance in the book between Jude and Minnow. Thankfully there's no instalove or anything, it's just...sweet. Their scenes were very refreshing and kept the story from getting too intense. The saddest part for me? The ending. It truly broke my heart imagining Jude waiting for her in the woods. After going through so much together, I really didn't expect this ending :(

"Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person's pain. That's it."

Some scenes were too graphic and scary, and there were times when I got angry, but I still glad that I read this book. It might not be for everyone, but I would still recommend it. Just read just book. That's all I have to say.

[Figgy · Rating 5 out of 5]

LINK UPDATED

Actual Rating 4.5

The best young adult books challenge you. They make you laugh, they make you cry, but most of all they make you think. For days after you turn the last page, you’ll find your thoughts drifting back to them.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly falls into this category, and will make you realise just how good it is to have hands.

“Do we even need to cuff her?” one cop mutters.
“Look at what she did,” the other insists. “You saw the kid, looked like he’d been run over.”
“But just look at her.”
Look at me. My arms are crossed over my stomach and, at the end of the arms, an absence of hands, of fingers, of nails. Of any way to fight back.

From page one we are thrown into the action, with Minnow standing over a boy she has beaten close to death, about to be arrested. She’s already lost her hands by this point. As the story progresses we learn more and more about her life before this moment, and her life going forward, with the divide between the two becoming more drastic.


The rest of this review can be found here!





Pre-review

This book has tears and laughter, friendship and heartbreak, and a struggle for identity in a world that turns out to be very different from what you expected.

Review to come closer to the release date.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books whose cover trapped me.


I sort of felt this was written to capitalize on the popularity of women in prison (thanks, Orange Is the New Black), cults (thanks, all stories told everywhere), and physical deformity, specifically brought about by abuse. It's like the publishing house put a notice out to its authors, suggesting that whoever wrote about these things would get a bonus in their pay.

Minnow's family was invited into a cult when Minnow was 5. Now she's a teen, she's come into contact with an outsider, and she's not sure that cult life is all it's cracked up to be so she makes some decisions which lead to some big things and then she winds up in jail.

I'm not sure why she was never inculturated. Her speech patterns are contemporary while her co-cultists' are not, her thoughts are mainstream while those of her sister, for instance, fall in line with the prevailing beliefs of the community. I don't know how she was able to resist indoctrination throughout her entire childhood or how she stayed up to date with modern lingo while living for 10 years out in a forest.

She also didn't seem like her hands had been recently removed. I constantly forgot that she didn't have hands because it wasn't a big deal to her. That would have been great had she lost her hands years ago or never had them, to begin with, but when we meet her, she's still healing from the actual wounds. Why isn't this something that bothers her more? Why is she so capable of doing things without the hands she just had less than a year ago? She took to her new way of life so quickly, it was unbelievable. There was very little culture shock on her part, very little in the way of getting used to her handless, prisoner lifestyle. I just didn't buy it.

In essence, this one's ok. It's titillating, for sure, but it's just not that great.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. Honestly.

I've never read a book that has to do with cults but I've seen information about them on the news and such. Although this book is fiction I can't help but think there is a certain amount of truth to this novel. I'd really recommend this book to anyone from young adults to adults.


"It's a small kind weapon, this story. I stab someone with it and they hurt, every time."

I don't even know how to begin writing this review. It was just so good that I can't put it into words. However, I have to try and write something! Anyway, our narrator, Minnow Bly, is a 17-year-old girl that has recently escaped a cult called "the Community." When we first meet her she is standing trial for a crime she did in fact commit. She is sent to a juvenile dentition center and must stay there until her 18th birthday. While Minnow is locked away she meets Dr. Wilson and with him we see her story unravel and how her life has led up to this moment.

"'You did nothing wrong,' is what Angel says on the occasions I talk like this, but I know it wasn't normal or right what I did, and I question how it all could have happened. Not just for me, but everyone in the Community. How each of our hands went from farming and praying to hurting and killing."

You can't help but feel bad for Minnow. She's lost her hands, her family, and her love. It was interesting to read a book about a cult like this. At moments it was very graphic so if you're not used to that, beware. But for me those graphic details of Minnow losing her hands or Minnow's attack on the man in the park is what made the story so real and intense. With this story you just want to keep reading and reading so that you can piece together the puzzle of why Minnow is in jail. In a way the reader's role is the same as Dr. Wilson's who believes talking to criminals is like piecing together a puzzle. However, it takes awhile for Minnow to reveal to us and the Doctor what her story is. She vows in the beginning of the book that she will never tell the truth but by the end of the novel we see Minnow develop into a much stronger character because she has to come face her past.

"Even after months of healing, it doesn't take much to make me bleed."

While I really enjoyed learning Minnow's story and how she came to be involved in the Community, I also really enjoyed reading about Minnow's time in prison. One of my favorite characters has to be Angel, Minnow's roommate, because she is so honest and also so wise. Minnow was really able to grow as person because of Angel and her support for her. I loved their relationship.

And then there's Jude. I thought everything that happened with Jude was so sad, he broke my heart. I'm also wondering about a certain part of the book where Minnow sees him again. I don't want to spoil anyone but I don't think this is really a spoiler. I think what happened in the orchard was all in Minnow's imagination. I do not believe that Jude lived after what the Prophet and the Community did to him. Anyone else? I found that part in the orchard to be a bit confusing. Anyway, I also really liked Jude and Minnow's relationship as well but it was also heartbreaking to read about. When Jude started singing their song after what the Prophet did to him, I cried. IT WAS JUST SO SAD.

"Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person''s pain. That's it."

I just really loved this book. THERE'S SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. And there's so many questions that the book leaves you wondering. The big one being the nature God and if there is God why does he let these things happen. I really enjoyed Angel's explanation of God. She believes that God is kind of like a deadbeat dad that never shows up for anything. I think she's trying to say that God created all this stuff in the word but now he's left it. He's left his creation so that we as human beings can figure it out for ourselves. I could discuss this all day because I just find it so interesting. The author did a great job of making the reader think and question certain things.

This is just an amazing book. Definitely different from most of the YA out there right now. It's a such a real story with real characters. I honestly would recommend this to everyone. When I was working at the beach this past weekend I was reading this and an older man who comes to the beach every weekend wanted to know what I was reading. And I showed him and explained to him the book and he was so interested in it. He said as soon as I returned it to the library he was going to check it out! So seriously, young or old you should read this book.

[Melanie (TBR and Beyond) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Anger is a kind of murder you commit in your heart.” If this is true, I’m a daily murderer. My heart is more full of blood than I ever imagined.”

Trigger warnings: Religious themes/abuse, child abuse, and graphic violence.

I don't think I've ever read a fiction novel about a cult. This book was shocking, disturbing, heartbreaking and still at the end of the day, very inspired.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is not for the faint of heart. I read this book in a couple of days but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. It's one of those books that just haunts you and I can't imagine I'll forget what I've read here in the near future. I loved the character of Minnow, as well as her roommate that she shared a cell with, Angel. I actually would've loved to have read a separate, stand-alone on Angel so I could know more of her story and what happens to her after the book ended. The fact that some of these things do happen in religious cults is terrifying. The lengths these people were willing to go for their beliefs were completely insane. To chop of a young girls hands for disobeying/rebelling, well there are no words for it. I will probably never understand how people can be so brainwashed and be willing to blindly follow whatever a man who has deemed himself a Prophet has to say. I'm not sure I'd ever want to completely understand. Half the time I didn't know if I was more fascinated or horrified. Probably a little of both.

I loved the relationship between Minnow and Jude, how innocent it was. How it developed and how they both challenged each other. I also loved how much Minnow evolved over the course of the book. I won't go too far into their plot line because I don't want to ruin anyone's experience of reading this.

The most heart wrenching part of the book for me was the fate of Minnow's sister. I felt broken after that. It still makes me sick to think about it. I didn't see it coming and I wasn't prepared at all. Out of all the horrors of this book, this is the scene that haunts me the most to this day. I won't go any further into it - you will see once you get there.

Overall, this is a wonderful realistic work of fiction. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject of cults and the devastation they can cause in so many lives. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly really packs a punch. It was an easy four stars for me, but not an easy read. I will certainly be checking out Stephaine Oakes future works.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone always assumes it's with hands that people disobey. The Prophet thought so, too. If only he knew, if only everyone knew, my hands were never the source of my disobedience.

4.5 STARS

Now that I’ve read it, I wonder why this book isn’t talked about more, but then again, I probably wouldn’t have read it if my friend and co-blogger Chantal hadn’t pushed it on me. She was right to do so, because after reading it, I wanted to kick myself for not picking this up sooner. This book is so, so good.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a masterpiece of packing a punch without overdoing it. The book is based on the tale The Girl Without Hands by the Brothers Grimm and cleverly wraps the tale up in a story of abuse, friendship, love, and beliefs with a sprinkle of mystery.

I adored Minnow Bly. A little naïve, a little damaged, but not an innocent lamb, not at all. I admired her for her strength to fight and her determination to get the answers she needed to carry on. Her voice is refreshing and authentic, and it lends the story the haunted narration it needed. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly may look tame from the outside but its content is at times quite bloody and even terrifying. Told from her point of view, the storyline is divided into the present, in which Minnow is sent to juvie after having assaulted someone, and flashbacks from the past, which depict the horrors Minnow has suffered at the hands of the Kevinian cult leader. In spite of going back and forth, Oakes managed to keep everything neatly balanced and untangled.

Besides the obvious topic of abuse and brainwashing taking place in cults, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly has a strong focus on female friendship. At the detention centre, Minnow befriends her sassy, tough-acting cellmate Angel. The friendship between shy, little Minnow and ballsy Angel is as unlikely as it is beautiful. With the help of Angel, Minnow embarks on a journey, not only of self-discovery but of everything she has never been allowed to question with the cult. With the flashbacks, Oakes also weaves in a subtle romance, one both sweet and tragic.

Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person's pain. That's it.

I really enjoyed how the author handled religion and beliefs as well as the critique of the justice system. The book poses some tough questions without passing judgement. The amount of lines I wrote down is testimony to the highly philosophical, thought-provoking nature of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly.

There were some small things that didn’t agree with me. For example, a mystical aspect of the book is never explained: Minnow sees Jude, and though I was sure it was an illusion, it is never clarified what happened, because Minnow’s POV makes it seem real. To some, this might be what gives the book its extra star, having an unreliable narrator, but I kind of wanted clarity on this point. Or, how Angel is in good with the guards at juvie and bribes her way into everything. I mean, I can’t say I have any insider experience here, but that seems more like something straight out of the show Prison Break. But maybe I’m just incredulous.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly deserves all the credit it can get for wrapping up a Grimm’s tale, the atrocities happening in cults, a romance and a strong friendship, and a murder investigation in one book. This book is dark and gritty but it spreads empowering messages and asks difficult questions, and if you need a little something different in YA, then this book is your address. Highly recommended!

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[Vanessa J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read with Chantal! (click for her review)

“I am a blood-soaked girl.”

It's difficult not to feel a little sadness when it comes to this book. From the first line (the one quoted above), I was already guessing it was going to be that way. It's very simple, really, what the book is about, but that does not mean the book is weak.

Simply put, it's about uncovering the mystery of the death of the Prophet of a certain Comunity of religious people, and finding out who or what caused the fire that destroyed said Comunity on the same night. See? Nothing particularly complex, yet the book was so powerful...

So powerful because in the process of uncovering that mystery, we also learn about the difficult life Minnow had previous to going to a Juvenile Detention Center, and in the meanwhile, several questions about faith and life are addressed.

“Growing up, I believed in miracles. I guess I don’t anymore”.

Minnow herself was the first striking thing in the book. She was such a strong protagonist. Her voice was fantastic as well - sincere, and without fear of telling the gruesome details. I found her process of stopping believing the things in her religion realistic, mainly because her case was very similar to mine: Raised in a religion, believing everything in it, and then all that faith slowly fading away, leaving the person very confused. She explains it better with a quote:

“You don’t change everything you believe all at once.”

But not only was Minnow the only fantastic character. All of them were great. The girls from the Juvie are all complex, and reading about this particular group shows you not to judge them prematurely, the guards and the teachers are great too, and the officer who helped Minnow remember all the things (or rather help her get over them so she can accept them and tell them and thus solve the mystery) - Dr. Wilson - was intriguing and with layers that hide what he really is inside.

Before this book, I hadn't read one about cults, and for a first, I think TSLOMB was really good. The events in it were raw and painful at times, but I thought they showed perfectly well the life Minnow led in the Comunity. Also, as the synopsis of the book says, it shows the dangers of blind faith, because not necessarily the fact that a person claims him/herself a Prophet means they're speaking the truth.

“Anybody is capable of enormous harm, anyone with a mouth or a hand to write with.”

And even when the mystery wasn't the most important thing about the novel, it was good. Better than I expected, in fact. How many times have I complained about predictable mysteries? Well, this one left me open-mouthed. I couldn't guess it at all. I was sure I had gotten the answer, but my guess was wrong. I am actually very glad about that, because how disappointing would the book be if everything but the mystery was well done?

When the book was over, I was left wanting to read more about the life of Minnow and how it turned out after the events of the book, but I am content with what I got - the finale was satisfactory, and not full of unanswered questions.

“Lies have a way of turning poisonous over time.”

TSLOMB is one of those few books I would give everything to be sure that everyone is going to read it. That is because in my opinion it's important, and it shows us sides of humanity not usually brought to books. And aside from that, it's a good book from a more "technical" view (great characterizarion and writing, etc.). Very worth reading.

[Mahsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

تصور کنید وقتی به سنی رسیدید که شروع کردید به پرسیدنِ کلی سوال از جهان و خلقت، یه نفر تمام ایمانتون رو با حقیقت های زیادی اشتباهی پر کنه. و تصور کنید شما با وجود تردیدهاتون، چاره ای جز باور کردنشون نداشته باشید. اما بعد از سالها بالاخره روزی برسه که بهتون بگن تمام اون حقایق دروغی بیش نبودن. و این گوشه ای از قصه ی این کتاب بود.

داستان از اینجا شروع میشه که متوجه میشیم راوی قصه، دختر هفده ساله ای به اسم مینو بلای، از پنج سالگی رنگِ شهر رو ندیده، و به دستور شخصی که پیامبر صداش میکنن دست هاش از مچ قطع شده. و در ادامه همراه میشیم با سرگذشت مینو و اطرافیانش.

این قصه روایت ایمان کورکورانه س، روایت پدر مینو که تمام ایمان و اعتقادش رو روی پیامبر میگذاره، به دستور پیامبر تمام زندگیش توی شهر رو رها می کنه، و به همراه خانواده ش به جنگل میره. قصه روایت فرقه ی کوینین بود، روایت صد و خورده ای نفری که از پیامبری به اسم کوین اطاعت میکنن، و دستوراتی که از طرف خدا براشون میخونه رو بدون هیچ شک و شبهه ای اجرا می کنن. که اگه پیامبر بهشون بگه آسمون نماد احساسات خداست، نمیخندن و  نمیگن نه... هیچکس کوچکترین مخالفتی نمیکنه، که اونها به سادگی و خیلی عمیق باور میکنن که هوای آفتابی یعنی خدا خوشحاله و تو هوای بارونی خدا داره اشک میریزه و از این قبیل عجایب نگاری ها. و حتی اونها با یه باور کورکورانه و با یه ایمان ترسناک، حاضرن به دستور پیامبر دست و پای یه دختر معصوم رو بگیرن تا فرمان پیامبر رو اجرا کنن و دست هاش رو از مچ قطع کنن. کدوم آدمی بدون تردید این کار رو انجام میده؟ اما میون این صد و خورده ای نفر و ایمان عجیب و وحشتناکشون، مینو با بقیه فرق داره... چون اون تردید میکنه، و چون اون سوال های زیادی داره که جواب های پیامبر نمیتونن روحش رو سیراب کنن.

ابتدای داستان متوجه میشیم که مینو سعی کرده فرار کنه، که پیامبر به قتل رسیده، که پلیس به دنبال قاتله و مینو چیزهایی میدونه اما حرفی نمیزنه. شب قتل پیامبر تمام کمپ اونها در آتش سوخته، و به این ترتیب مردم عادی متوجه حضور اونها شدن و حالا این فرقه از هم پاشیده. اما خاکسترهای این آتشِ دوازده ساله هنوز در ذهن مینو روشن باقی مونده، و یه قسمت بزرگ از ذهنش رو دزدیده: اعتماد. مینو حالا نمیدونه چی درسته و چی غلط، و حقیقتِ پر از فاجعه اینجاست که اون نمیدونه باید به حرف های کی اعتماد کنه؛ اینکه رعد و برق نشونه ی عصبانیت خداست، یا یه واقعه ی تعریف شده ی علمی؟ اینکه باید به کتاب بایبل اعتماد کنه یا هیچ کتابی نیست که حقیقت جهان رو بگه؟ که حالا تعجب کنه از دیدنِ زمین گرد و صدها علامت سوال دیگه، که ذهن مینو رو پر از تشویش و عصبانیت کردن...

"But the offer of freedom doesn’t mean anything to people who already think they’re free."

این روایت با یک همزن ذهنتون رو زیر و رو میکنه؛ سوال های مینو برای رسیدن به جوابی که بتونه باورش کنه، و خوندن از کارهای وحشتناکی که مردم میتونن بخاطر ایمانشون انجام بدن حالتون رو دگرگون خواهد کرد. ما می دونیم که ایمان به یک شخص میتونه خیلی خطرناک باشه اگه اون شخص اشتباهی باشه... که ما آدم ها میتونیم اونقدر سردرگم و مستاصل باشیم که به شخص اشتباهی چنگ بندازیم و خودمون رو به باورهاش متصل کنیم. و بعد از اون، دیگه حواسمون نیست چقدر داریم اشتباه می کنیم، که حتی شک کردن رو هم فراموش می کنیم، چون ایمان یه مفهوم قدرتمنده، و باید حواسمون باشه دست کی میسپاریمش.

بعضی قصه ها یه طور عجیبی به دل آدم میشینن، و این قصه از همون قصه هاست. راوی این داستان به خواننده پند و اندرز نمیده، راوی این داستان از هیچ حقیقتی مطمئن نیست... و همین خواننده رو جذب میکنه، اینکه قراره همراه راوی در مسیرِ پیدا کردن جواب همراه بشه و حتی قطعیتی هم وجود نداره که تهش یه جواب هست...

“I guess people can't be content without answers, even if they're wrong. We'd rather have a lie than a question that we can never know the answer to.”

آبان نود و شش

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abandoned. This was the second (and final) in my season of reading novels about cults. It's probably classed as a YA novel. But more than once I've found YA simply turns out to be a novel without the requisite artistry that makes a narrative a good novel. I found this clichéd and trite. It's a Romeo and Juliet story with a one dimensional baddie. I learned it's impossible to invest emotionally in characters you don't believe in. I was soon bored so I've binned it.

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!

A religious cult with brainwashed fanatics. A headstrong girl with no hands. Leaving one prison for another. Despite it’s subject matter, The Scared Lies of Minnow Bly avoids every single cliche with cults, disability and inmates and is one of the most powerful and compelling books I’ve read all year.

The story is highly unexpected, starting with Minnow covered in blood and being thrown into juvie. You would think a girl who has escaped from a cult, with no hands, would be victimised and submissive. But the Minnow that we know, is hardened, sinister, damaged, a force to be reckoned with. She’s arrogant and knows how to manipulate others.

Minnow is a surprising character. Despite being severely disabled, she never plays the victim. She uses all of her means possible to protect and guard herself from her suppressors, both psychologically and mentally. It made me realise that no matter your circumstance, whether you are severely disadvantaged or disabled, that it’s all in your mindset. And although Minnow ended up being thrown into prison and she had no hands, she was never weak.

Most of the book is set in juvie which was an interesting twist. Minnow’s cell mate, Angel is one of the most feared prisoners but she quickly realises the strength in Minnow and takes her under her wing. Together, they face the other inmates, including bullies, lesbians and the ones looking for redemption. Although Angel is a criminal, she really helps Minnow heal and grow as a character.

You know how much I love thrillers, and there’s an underlying mystery of what happened to Minnow’s cult leader and her home which is now a charred remains. The mystery kept me guessing throughout, wondering what had happened and whether Minnow was the cause of it due to her unreliable narration.

There’s a sinister feeling in the story, threaded with hope and realisation that Minnow will heal. She’s come from the sickest of places, and has been let down by her mother, her father, and everyone she’s ever loved. But she’ll experience a journey of realisation, of hope and of redemption, and learn to trust and let people in again. Slowly, we’ll hear her confessions, descending into the darkest of secrets and only then she will begin to heal. It’s a powerful journey for Minnow who has escaped from the darkest of places, and being thrown into prison will begin her healing.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a thrilling, unexpected and mysterious read, offering character growth, juvie life, a disturbing religious cult and the darker moments of a girl with no hands. It’s an incredibly powerful and confronting book with an unforgettable character.

I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely an enjoyable read. Yes I know I know, I was going to get away from Young Adult for a while... But seriously everything is Young adult right now. There is no escaping it!

Minnow escapes from a cult and is put into juvenile detention. She knows something about what happened to the cult leader, and about who set their community on fire. During her stay she is interviewed by an FBI officer who attempts to get the truth out of her. But she is not willing to share all the details. She has secrets to keep about the cult, even though she had her hands hacked off her wrists by them as a punishment. So she has to deal with life in juvie, the friendships, the enemies... All while dealing with the fact she doesn't have hands anymore. And over time her story is relayed, about her childhood within the community, and her love for an outside boy.

What a debut by the author!! Can't believe this is her first book! Exceptionally written, excellent characters, fantastic plot! Thoroughly engrossing!

The description of the cult and the members was eerie. Unbelievable how people could live like that and do things like that to each other. That these sorts of cults actually exist is a scary prospect.

The main character didn't annoy me like may main characters in recent young adult books have. Yes she was only 17, but she was extremely naïve and likeable. Yet she seemed more mature from the beginning. While other main characters in recent YA books make stupid decisions and are so focused on the life or death of love, Minnow is focused on actual life or death, and the realisation that her life has been a lie, she has to learn everything again!
One of my favourite parts of the book is when she is delving into science and she begins to grasp how big the universe is. That what she was always told was tiny and finite was larger than she could even comprehend. I can relate to that AHAAAA moment.

I loved her outlook, loved her realism. Definitely one of the better YA main characters I have read about in recent times. I will absolutely be looking forward to this authors next book next year.

Although it was wonderful, I can't give it more than 4 stars. The mystery was a bit of an anticlimax and I just didn't feel that the book overall deserved to be on the elite 5 star list... However don't let that discourage you from reading it! I would definitely recommend it!

4 Stars!

"Jude taught me what love was: to be willing to hold on to another person's pain. That's it."


For more of my reviews check out my blog www.booksbabiesbeing.com
Or on Twitter www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel

[Lyn *GLITTER VIKING* · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this doesn't get a damn award at the end of the year, I am rioting.

Yeah, you're gonna want to hurl from all of the anger, but in between all of the ugliness, the horrors, the pain, and the rage, there are little moments, beautiful, shining moments. Who are the monsters, and who are the men?

Come prepared with a hardened heart and an open mind.