Minor Prophets

by Jimmy Cajoleas

After their mother’s death, two siblings must navigate the strange world of the occult in this thrilling YA mystery
 
Lee has always seen visions: cats that his mother promises aren’t really there, a homeless man who he’s convinced is out to get him, and three men who give him ominous warnings in the woods. His mother and his sister Murphy try to keep him grounded in the real world. But when his mother dies in a car accident and her horrible husband tries to adopt them, Lee and Murphy flee to their grandmother’s ranch, which they’ve only heard about in stories. But is there a reason why their mother never brought them there? And what horrid truths lurk behind Lee’s haunting visions? Thrilling, twisty, and poignant, Minor Prophets will keep readers guessing until the final page.
 

Genres: Horror, Young Adult, Mystery, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Thriller

368 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2019

Reviews

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: Minor Prophets
By Jimmy Cajoleas
Genre: YA Fiction/ Horror
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams Books
Release Date: September 10, 2019

I received a copy of this from the publisher and edelweiss+, and Netgalley(Thank you!) All opinions are my own.

This was one of those books that I like to call a “what in tarnation?” book, which happens to be my favorite type. The kind where you think you know what’s going on, but you also feel like you might be the only kid at the table that doesn’t get the joke.

It centers around teenage siblings Lee (our narrator) and his spicy sister Murphy.
Lee has always been a bit odd, plagued with visions that “only sometimes” come true, spending most of his time alone and feeling misunderstood by the world as a whole.

After their mother’s untimely death, they’re forced to flee to a place their mother NEVER talked about: their grandmothers place, “The Farm”.

They’re welcomed with open arms, and Lee questions why their mother kept this part of her life from them.

This is where the plot starts taking us on what I can only describe as akin to watching a car crash in slow motion.

The tables have turned here for Lee. The town welcomes him with what can only be described as reverence. Grandma dotes on him, encouraging him to hone in on his visions, he has a purpose, she says. Murphy is no longer the golden child, and a rift begins to form between the two siblings.

As each day passes, you begin to see Lee’s thoughts cloud (or is it clarity??) as the truth of The Farm, its past events, and Lee’s true “purpose” are revealed.

I myself was constantly questioning what was reality vs. delusion. (Remember, the only narrative we have is from Lee’s own mind.)
If you’ve ever been someone that’s struggled to fit in or find a purpose, you’ll find Lee a very relatable character, even as things turn bat-s*it crazy.

This book was a ride! I loved the contrast of Lee’s amicable personality against the sinister undertones throughout.

If you feel like cracking open a dark, occult undertoned, supernatural, cult-like vibed great read, this is it. Here it is.

Jimmy Cajoleas also wrote The Good Demon in 2018, which I haven’t had a chance to read. But I want to now!
#minorprophets #netgalley #piquebeyond #abramspublishing #amuletpublishing
#bookreviews

[amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cast away the bones."

I literally just finished reading this and my mind is reeling. As soon as I read the first line to this book, I knew I was going to enjoy it and my god, I did. I really, really did.

Lee is prophetic. He sees haunting visions in strokes of hell, shambling figures, and technicolor animals. One day Lee dreams that his mother dies gruesomely and when she does, he and his sister discover that their long lost grandmother is out there waiting for them, wanting to see them. They go to where she lives in a small town of Louisiana and Lee learns about his destiny, his family, and more importantly himself and it is horrifying beyond belief.

This book was amazing. The prose is beautiful and I was more than a little afraid of the visions Lee faced. The characters are either creepy as hell or downright terrifying. My favorite has to be Lee's sister Murphy who takes no shit. Not her grandmother's, not her brother. She discriminates against nobody.

I love horror and this is the first horror novel to really creep me out like this in a long time. It isn't exactly gory per say but the visions alone are weird enough to make your skin crawl and you always have that something isn't right thought lurking in your mind. And your brain is correct, nothing is right. Everything is very, very wrong.

I wish I could sing my praises about this forever but I'm still processing it and you should really read this yourself to experience this with me.

Thanks very much to Edelweiss and ABRAMS for this DRC. All opinions are my own.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

At first I wasn’t sure I liked the cover, but once in my hands… it’s actually very clever!

Creepiness at its best. A kid who has visions, hallucinations… is bad enough. But those visions are enough to give you chills and say: “That’s just… wrong!”

This isn’t a book I’d recommend to everyone. You have to like the bizarre horror, not the guts and gore type, but the kind that leaves a bad taste in your mouth after you reel back from what you’re reading and screw up your face. Once there, if you feel all dirty and nasty, like you rolled in vomit… then you’re at the spot perfect for reading this book. You’ll love it!

Secondary character, Murphy, is a delight and not about to let her brother get all the spotlight attention. She’s strong and outspoken and a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Southern bizarre keeps you turning pages finding out more and more about this family’s history. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, the two kids flee from one bad situation into another and in doing so, learn more than they cared to. There’s a reason for the MC’s visions and what’s going on at Grandma’s will give you the creeps and twist you up in knots!

Loved this book.

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A kid has visions, or hallucinations. His mother is murdered by his stepfather, the local sheriff, so he and his sister steal the man's car and flee to their grandmother's house. She owns a farm in small town Louisiana. The visions become more frequent, and people treat them like they're special. The kid really likes it.

Pretty tame for what seem seems to be a horror story. Not even very creepy or eerie.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.75

I received this book as an eARC through Netgalley in return for a review, which I am incredibly grateful for. This review is completely my own opinions.

You can go to my full book review here on my blog.

This book is definitely not a book for everyone.

I was intrigued enough by the book, mostly the plot, to finish it. The characters weren’t particularly well developed, none of them are likable, and the narrator is extremely unreliable. His unreliability actually made it more interesting, however, in addition to his unreliability he is completely unaware of anything going on.

The book also mostly takes place in his head. Most of the narration is just trains and trains of his thoughts, some of them completely irrelevant to the plot. This made the book pretty hard to read.
The writing style is not my cup of tea but that may just be my personal preference. It was rather wordy though.

All in all, it was… fun I guess? Parts of it at least. Mostly it was weird. I was confused half the time about a number of things and by the end I feel like not all of them were explained.

It’s not a bad book so someone will definitely enjoy it.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Minor Prophets was a book about a boy with odd and creepy visions who had just witnessed the death of his mother. In fear of his stepfather, Lee and his sister Murphy run away to their grandmother's home to protect themselves from the man who they think murdered their mother. What they find there is more than just protection, they find something much more than they thought.

The story wasn't bad, I was very intrigued by the plot and where I thought the story was going to go. The characters and the writing were what didn't work too well for me, I felt like the characters were flat and more like caricatures rather than actual people. They didn't feel like they had much development and the main character barely had any development. The writing wasn't so great at parts and I thought some parts of the book could have been written out to get the plot more a bit faster. Lee at times was more self absorbed and self pitying, and I felt like he went mad with power way faster than I thought he would have or anyone would have.

It was a good book and a quick read but I was just disappointed and was expecting more eerie and creepy types of horror than what was presented in this book. Still a decent book.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jimmy Cajoleas is what we Southerners call a "damn fine writer" and Minor Prophets is no exception; if anything, you'll be astonished by just how good he's gotten. Minor Prophets is the story of Lee, a teenage boy with visions that only sometimes come true, and Murphy, his tough-as-nails sister, and the aftermath of their mother's untimely death. Running away to the grandmother they've never met, Lee is drawn to a greater purpose than he ever predicted when he gains a following as a powerful prophet. There's a lot to say about the way Cajoleas tackles faith, family, and purpose, but let this suffice: this novel is extraordinary and you'll be sore if you miss it.

[wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting novel about a young boy (Lee) who has visions. His mother (he believes) was killed by his step father. So, he and his sister tale off to live with their grandmother in the South. Grandma lives in an area where she was part of a now defunct spiritual commune. Grandma sees the boy because of his visions as the person to reestablish the commune. He loves the attention but his sister resents him. Things however are not as they appear to be. Good book.

[Lisas Books, Gems and Tarot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I want to thank Abrams and Chronicle Books for this review copy.
I loved this book. It is full of mystery, it is dark, it makes you want to keep reading. Excellent book. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

[The Bookish Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my review here: https://thebookishaustin.tumblr.com/p...

[Aryn O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the book for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and found the writing a little more disjointed than I usually like. I also was not anticipating the amount of gore this book has. There is nothing wrong with gore necessarily, but some of it felt unnecessary and I probably would have been able to enjoy it more without.

[Meaghan - H&WR · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Life is not lived in shoulds.”

DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXPECTED SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

2 STARS

CW: loss of a loved one, car crash, animal death, gore, smoking, domestic abuse, child abuse, body horror, nudity, self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide, alcoholism, underage drinking, violence (including gun violence)

Maybe, with a little more care, Minor Prophets could have been a better book. I was definitely intrigued by the premise, which seemed to promise murder mystery and fantasy in the same breath, and I do love a good story about characters choosing family that’s best for them rather than family that would treat them poorly.

And in some ways, I did get that. A question lingers over the death of Lee and Murphy’s mother, one that takes the span of the novel to solve. Meanwhile, Lee in particular goes through a tumultuous journey of understanding what family means to him, what it means to him to be loved and accepted and cherished, and what forms that can take. Toss in the workings of a utopic cult, a hint of magic in an otherwise normal world, and the pressure of a small town, and you end up with Minor Prophets.

The problem is that you also have to add failure to interrogate power systems, flat characters, and an incredibly weak take on abuse.

Starting with the characters is easiest, since it doesn’t require spoilers in any shape, not even the vague kind. Unfortunately, no one beyond Lee, the first person narrator, really has any outstanding dimension to them. Murphy, his sister, is the rough and tumble gruff girl. Grandma is a spiritual, stubborn old woman set in her ways. The townsfolk are just bare sketches, caricatures of what could have been actual people inhabiting the town of Benign. Overall, it makes for a novel where Lee rambles on at length, and the reader can’t bring themself to properly care about anyone at all. The supporting cast is too flat, and the main character too self-absorbed (and too self-pitying rather than proactive, in a lot of cases, it felt like).

When you couple flat characters with power structures like the ones that emerge in the latter part of Minor Prophets, you end up with characters you don’t care for possessing power you don’t think they should have, and it doesn’t go well. Keeping spoilers to a minimum, I found that Lee’s ultimate role in the book went straight to his head, and the last twenty-odd pages were full of internal “did I do the right thing” questions in order to pretend that there was any significant growth. I didn’t see much change in character behavior, though, especially where I think it should have counted, in the relationship between Lee and Murphy (especially given what they learned about their own mother’s familial relationships).

And to cap off family relationships, I’m incredibly irritated that this book gave us an on-the-page abuser (just because it wasn’t physical abuse doesn’t mean it wasn’t emotional abuse; throwing out your child’s possessions and destroying them is abuse, and treating them like less than dirt is also abuse), and then proceeded to justify his actions because he loved Lee and Murphy’s mother.

I’ve seen a thousand apologies for Snape’s behavior because he loved Lily Potter, and I’ve hated every one because they don’t excuse the truly horrible things he did to her and her loved ones. This is a similar situation. The abusive character can say whatever he likes, but that doesn’t change the way he has treated Lee and Murphy, doesn’t change the way he treated their mother sometimes. And not only that, what the hell is up with your abusive character also being a product of abuse? That really doesn’t sit well with me at all.

I think Minor Prophets could have been good if it had one more thing in spades: nuance. As it stands, though, it felt two-dimensional at best, with only halfhearted attempts to flesh out characters and really explore the uses and abuses of power present in the story. Maybe the finished copy will be slightly improved by the time it comes out on September 10th, but I doubt this is a book I will purchase for myself or recommend to anyone I know.

[Daniel Cuthbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I very much appreciated the opportunity to review this story and give my honest opinions on it!)

For many folks, seeing visions would be absolutely terrifying. But for Lee Sandford, these visions are rapidly becoming just a way of life for him, regardless of whether they are worrying, like the mysterious hobo who seems intent on harming him, or downright terrifying, like seeing his mom die and then having it actually happen. Mistrusting his abusive father (and county sheriff), who comes to call on them not long after her passing, Lee decides to take off with his sister Murphy, and wind up at the home of his long estranged gradmother, who encourages Lee to explore the visions that occupy his days. But this trip to Grandma's will turn out to be much more then just an opportunity to practice his talents.

It may just wind up being life or death.

This is an interesting take on the idea of figuring out who you are and how to deal with feeling like you don't fit in, wrapped in a blanket of horror that would not be too far removed from a number of solid, PG-13 horror films. In many ways, what goes on in this reminded me favorably of Wilder Girls, in that while this is aiming for a 13+ teen audience, it doesn't shy away or water down immensely, its thrills and chills, and many adult readers will find alot to like in these Louisiana backwoods. Jimmy Cajoleas does a really great job of leading you down a certain path, making you feel like you will get the twist but then proceeding to yank out the board that you thought would hold steady underneath you. There are points in this where the characters go a little blue in their language, so any parents sensitive to that kind of thing should take note, but I feel like the decisions taken in this were done in ways that encouraged and effectively created an authentically eery piece of horror that I would be surprised if it wasn't picked up for a film adaptation within a few years.

This is definitely one trip to Grandma's you don't want to pass up!

[Justyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minor Prophets drew me in with its premise of a supernatural mystery. We follow the story of Lee who has always had visions. When his mother dies in a car accident, Lee and his sister Murphy flee their stepfather for the refuge of their grandmother who lives at the Farm. Once there, Lee learns what his mother fled from in her childhood. For the first three quarters of the book, I was sucked in to the story. The intro moves at a thriller like pace before slowing down to explore the mystery of Lee's family. Lee makes for an entertaining protagonist and Murphy is pretty badass and hilarious. I liked the gothic atmosphere and the small town paranoia, but once the cult thing came into play, I was a bit more skeptical (then again I'm not a fan of cults). Nonetheless, I liked the thematic exploration of loneliness and belonging. As for the ending, unfortunately Minor Prophet falls into the common trap of an exposition dump. Other than that, the writing and characters made up for those plot pitfalls. Overall, Minor Prophets was one of the better and darker YA horror books I've read.

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots to say here. This book has a lot going for it, but a lot of places where it fell short too.

The pros: world building and descriptions. This author has some beautiful writing abilities and sets the southern atmosphere well. It’s clear it means something to him personally.

The cons: characterization and dialogue. His characters reminded me very much of the type of writing I see from my middle schoolers. Just not that realistic-very one demensional. The mom and her slurring, Murphey and her loud mouth, even the narrator and his poetry and being a loner.

The story had potential. The author spent waaaay too long with the buildup. We could have cut 50 pages of jeremiashs long winded speeches and added way more action to the climax which felt a little underwhelming because only an idiot couldn’t guess it at that point.
I did like the very last chapter and the conflict left by the main character
This book had a lot of potential, but the author needs some more experience. It just in the end, felt like a lame YA novel with not that much depth.

[Jonas Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time categorizing this one. It's not really in the horror genre in my opinion or sci-fi, not fantasy. I guess a little religious-supernatural is about as close to a sub-genre one could get. It had great descriptions and writing throughout the novel. Cajoleas has a way of making his scenes heavy enough to touch and move through. My issue with the book were the characters in terms of their build up. The MC never really amounts to a whole lot in any direction he could go, which might attest to what happens throughout the novel. But he isn't very likable or envied or pitied either. Everyone else just kind of falls into a supportive role of that mid-range and I kept hoping for a push in one way or another. At the end you finally get it, then he rolls back down again... What can I say? Good effort.

[Cara M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super awesome story, but only an okay book. It shouldn't have been in 1st person, or if so, it needed to be tighter in to Lee. He is not a great narrator of his own experiences and it removes the excellent viscerality that this story should have had. The first chapter or three was really great and then it dragged for the next 50%. It picked up again at the end, but it was thin in places like it was a sketch rather than the actual novel. Needed another 2 drafts.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sounded weird, and it actually was. But it was also fascinating. The idea that you have visions and should be leading a cult, with already groomed followers, would be a lot for anyone to try to take in. This is a different sort of cult book than the others that I've seen and/or read, and if you're at all interested in weird cults this might be a book for you.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wild, compelling ride through a waking nightmare. fantasy elements that support a very real world of well-developed believable relatable characters. excellent prose.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because The Good Demon is one of my favourite books (although not one I can re-read very often because of Reasons). And while I did not like Minor Prophets as much, I still enjoyed it. If enjoy is the right word?

Reading Cajoleas is always, in my experience, walking the knife-edge between an act of catharsis & an act of self-harm. (And yes, ingesting media can be an act of self-harm, if the act is a way to trigger emotional wounds. Not all self-harm is physical.) Which is why I am not allowed to actively re-read The Good Demon and only read Minor Prophets when I was in a good headspace. Cajoleas taps into themes of religious trauma, this book deals specifically with cults, that taps its fingers down my spine in a way that gets dangerously close to tilting me over into flashbacks, but always grabs me back and pushes me through into catharsis at the last minute.

I don't understand how Cajoleas does this.

I also have no idea how other people are interacting with his work.

But for me it feels like these two books of his have been written specifically, directly, for me. Not that he would know that, as we have never met and are unlikely to, but like Story itself has moved through him to give me these books.

Yes, that's incredibly self-centered of me, I don't really care, that's how I am experiencing these books, like the world goes quiet, and I am isolated inside of a world, where it's just me and Story and one of my Traumas, doing complicated borderline-non-con knife-play.

Now that I've shared possibly Too Much, less personally:

The story is, over-all, told well. The character arcs are believable, I didn't see the twist at the end coming, even though I should have, Horace, their step-dad, shares the name with a poet, and within the construct/context of the story poets are not the villains, a very nice, very subtle choice that I hope very much was done on purpose.

The main character, Lee, is a sympathetic character but is not always likeable. (I think an argument could be made that the same can be said for Clare from The Good Demon.) In fact, the more traditional/sympathetic character is the sister, Murphy. (As a side note about Lee: the character is not gendered right away, which I really enjoyed, because then I could imagine Lee as nonbinary. In fact, despite what canon may say, I am fully convinced Lee is a nonbinary they/them.)

The creepiness is slow-building and grows into a crescendo in a way I really, really enjoy.

Very atmospheric & visual, draws you in to the world.

The only critique I have is that the end fell a little flat for me. It felt rushed and... Honestly, the word flat works well. It was emotionally dulled, emotionally absent. There was no place for a happy ending, of course. (Is this a spoiler? If so, I apologize. Some people may see it as a happy ending, so I feel like this falls into opinion and not spoiler.) The story does do a good job of Lee feeling loss and regret at being saved, which I feel like is very authentic to cult experience, at least of what I have read/stories I have heard/my own cult-adjacent experience. But I don't know. It felt... Unfinished. But maybe it's supposed to? Maybe you're not supposed to experience a full catharsis, because Lee doesn't. You are left, as the reader, in the same mix of regret/relief that the main character is left in.

So maybe the ending is well done & my critique is just that I wanted a happier ending, because I wanted a full catharsis, not for Lee's sake, but for my own?

Gods. I have a lot to think about now.

If you are into soft horror (horror that is more about exploring psychological trauma than it is about blood & gore) I highly recommend checking out this book, as well as The Good Demon.

Possible Triggers: As the review has been obvious, take care with your self if you have any sort of religious trauma, but especially trauma around cults. I don't remember all possible trigger points, because I read Cajoleas in a slightly dissociated state, but if I am remembering correctly there is some reference to self-harm, suicide. There is some gore, as a murder takes place. Lee has been in some ways emotionally abused by his mom. There is some gaslighting against Murphy and Lee's interactions with his grandmother could be filed under "grooming," sub-category "religious-grooming." If I have forgotten anything, in a year or two when I re-read it I'll update this review.

[Mandi Schneck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review also available at http://www.booksandwildflowers.com/

I absolutely adored Jimmy Cajoleas' last book, The Good Demon, so I was really excited to discover he had another release coming out. Minor Prophets follows Lee and his sister Murphy after their mother dies, leaving them to defend themselves against their step-father and flee to their estranged grandmother's house.

To make matters worse in this tense and terrifying situation, Lee isn't a normal kid. He has visions, visions that tell the future that his mother has always discouraged him from sharing or acting on. But now that she's gone, his grandmother is encouraging the visions, pushing Lee to the destiny he never knew he had. And his sister Murphy doesn't know what to think, other than that something is seriously wrong with their grandmother, her farm, and the residents of the small town they now call home.

Based on the fact that this story is full of things I typically love, like spooky atmospheres and creepy cults, you would think I would have really enjoyed this book. Unfortunately, I didn't. It was just entirely too much, and while the overall plot was good, the execution left much to be desired. I couldn't stand the main character Lee, or his sister and grandmother, and everything they did or said just made me angry. Some parts were pretty disturbing and shocking for YA as well, and while that normally doesn't bother me, I don't think they added anything to this story.

The plot had a lot of American Horror Story vibes which I absolutely adore, but it just didn't work and I think the potential was wasted here.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to Abrams for an ARC of this read! Minor Prophets by Jimmy Cajoleas is out now!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely different but kept my interest. The main character is Lee who has visions and is trying to figure them out. His sister, Murphy is a wild child with a foul mouth and an attitude. They are not only siblings but best friends. After their mother dies in a car accident, they find papers that have their signatures forged for their stepdad, Horace, to have parental rights. They think Horace might be responsible for their mother's death so they take off to find a Grandmother that they have never met. Their mother was keeping her away from the kids. But why?
They stay with their mysterious Grandma and help on her farm. Lee finds out that his Grandma sees visions too and seems to have some sort of magical powers. Lee finally feels accepted and thinks he may have found the place where he belongs. Murphy on the other hand is suspicious and doesn't quite trust her Grandma and the people of this town.
Just when you think you have things figured out the author pulls a twist that you won't be expecting. Towards the end of the book, some things got a bit weird for me but I hung in there till it all came together. I will say this book is unusual and not for everyone. But if you keep an open mind and you have an interest in the bizarre, then you will enjoy this book.

[Fionn Fellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great novel. At first I was concerned that some of the characters were just stereotypical cliches, though the novel dives deep into every character and shows why they act certain ways.

My biggest concerns were the characters Cass and Horace, although they both proved to have actual depth to them by the end.

Just to explain this point briefly, Horace is the abusive step-father of Lee and Murphy, and at first I thought that was all he was. However, he's also a good cook, and a good person at heart, who apologizes for his mistakes and genuinely tries to improve as a person by the end of the novel. We see in one of Lee's visions how Horace was abused by his father as a kid, and so he doesn't really know how to parent, but he is learning.

Furthermore, Cass at first just seems like a random girl that likes everything about Lee without fault, but as it is revealed later in the novel, this is because she is obsessed with the cult Jeremiah ran, that Lee inherited, and sees it as her destiny to be with Lee. It's tragic when Lee leaves and she doesn't know what to do with herself, but it proves that her character is not bland.

Onto the story itself, it's an exciting page-turner that I greatly enjoyed reading. It reminded me a little of the story Coraline, even though Minor Prophets is less horror and more supernatural suspense.

Overall, this was a great read, and I heavily recommend it.

[Miley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, whoa. This book was such a whirlwind of feelings, and really kept me guessing. Who do we trust? Is this real or no? Good or bad? While I can see how this can be a good thing, O didn’t particularly love it. One minute you believe one thing and the next it completely changes. It was sorta hard to keep up, and it was slightly hard to really piece together a theory when we didn’t get much info until the last few chapters. I also feel it was a bit of a hard subject. But that could just be me. It really shows the extent people could go to for what they believe in or what they are told is true, or right. While I wouldn’t exactly re-read this book, I’m glad I read it and went outside of my comfort zone.

[Zo Highberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright, but a little predictable in my opinion. It was slow, hard to get in to, and a drudge to read. I thought about DNF'ing it, but decided I'd already committed enough to it that it would be a waste to give up. I only gave it a chance only because I had thoroughly enjoyed "The Good Demon".

The author certainly loves to lean into making the main character an outcast among their peers, the usual "I'm a loner because I'm different". It was akin to"The Good Demon" in characters and storyline, but much slower and much less gripping.

I had very quickly figured out what was going on and what the big "haha gotcha!" was going to be. So it didn't pull the rug out from underneath me.

[Jay Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting concept but a poor execution. The characters fell flat and the gore/horror elements were scary at first but gradually became less so. I fought to finish this novel and likely wouldn't read it again.

I did, however, like the influence of mythology and religion on the story and the characters - you can tell that the author did his research before writing! The cult aspect of the story was very interesting and I did feel the building of tension over the course of the narrative.

[Tory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dangit, this is the first Cajoleas book I haven't liked. 😭 Weird pacing (the plot is still rising until just 20 pages from the end); unlikable characters; stilted dialogue; confusing plot -- the whole thing felt out of joint, and not in a good way. It took me forever to get through it and I still don't think I buy the ending.

[Lorelei · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5
I'm not sure I can call this horror per se. There is something suspish going on with dear grandma and Lee's visions are intense. But I think the direction it was going was just a bit too obvious to me from the get go. I think the same can be said of his sister, Murphy. She would be a final girl.
The writing is great and flows but otherwise, I don't feel like very much actually happened.

[Tricia Nociti · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was "ok". I was curious to finish and wasn't bored. I felt the characters were a bit undefined and undeveloped. I'm not sure I found many of them to be believable. It's not a book I would be pressing into many hands but I'm also not sorry I read it. I was entertained.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a dark, haunting story of wanting to belong. How much will you believe and accept when it means sacrificing your own sister? It is a harrowing story that will appeal to readers who like the dark side of life, but for others it can be unsettling read.