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caidyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
CW: religious bigotry, animal death, animal cruelty, chronic illness, grief, misogyny, sexism, violence, and a plague/pandemic
Wow, while this book is on the larger side, I easily could have read it in one day. It was just that good! The story follows Agnes and Beth, sisters who are raised in Red Creek -- which is basically modeled on the FLDS per the author's note. They live a very traditional life and their leader is a prophet. But both sisters have their doubts. Agnes has invited the Outsiders (people who live outside Red Creek) because of her brother, Zeke, who has diabetes and needs care. Beth doubts it because she's in love with a boy and wants to make her own way.
Then there's a plague that hits and the prophet decides this is the end times, and that they need to bunker all together -- the healthy and sick -- to stay safe. Except that Agnes might be a prophet herself, and that's not what she says. And she decides that she has to decide what's best for her and her family.
The story was so good. The plot, the characters, the everything. Just... gorgeous. It really blew me away because I wasn't sure what to expect from the story with so many components going on. Yet everything was handled amazingly. Like, I really just loved this book because it was so much fun. Both sisters were great in their own way and I loved that each of them had their own journeys to face, separate yet combined together.
Honestly, I just can't wait to see what the author writes next!
Wow, while this book is on the larger side, I easily could have read it in one day. It was just that good! The story follows Agnes and Beth, sisters who are raised in Red Creek -- which is basically modeled on the FLDS per the author's note. They live a very traditional life and their leader is a prophet. But both sisters have their doubts. Agnes has invited the Outsiders (people who live outside Red Creek) because of her brother, Zeke, who has diabetes and needs care. Beth doubts it because she's in love with a boy and wants to make her own way.
Then there's a plague that hits and the prophet decides this is the end times, and that they need to bunker all together -- the healthy and sick -- to stay safe. Except that Agnes might be a prophet herself, and that's not what she says. And she decides that she has to decide what's best for her and her family.
The story was so good. The plot, the characters, the everything. Just... gorgeous. It really blew me away because I wasn't sure what to expect from the story with so many components going on. Yet everything was handled amazingly. Like, I really just loved this book because it was so much fun. Both sisters were great in their own way and I loved that each of them had their own journeys to face, separate yet combined together.
Honestly, I just can't wait to see what the author writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, and Religious bigotry