The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly in Aussie Bloggers Book Club

Mar 04, 2015 Jeann (Happy Indulgence) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: harper-collins-australia, review-copy, thriller, young-adult

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 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. ...more

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Sep 19, 2013 Eugenia (Genie In A Book) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thriller, 2015-release, arc

*This review also appears on my blog Genie In A Book*

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly has the hallmarks of The Maiden Without Hands written by the Grimm Brothers, but stands firm on its own as a harrowing original novel which will stay on your mind long after the last page. All the hype for this book did leave me with some high expectations, but I can definitely say that they were exce *This review also appears on my blog Genie In A Book*

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly has the hallmarks of The Maiden Without Hands written by the Grimm Brothers, but stands firm on its own as a harrowing original novel which will stay on your mind long after the last page. All the hype for this book did leave me with some high expectations, but I can definitely say that they were exceeded above and beyond. This is a story of one girl grappling with the painful aftermath of disillusionment with the only twisted world she had ever known - and now trying to move on in the real one. This is a novel that is memorable in a way that no other book has been for me this year because it is so unique, left me agape, and was fearless in its raw storytelling.

I want to ask, Can you get the death penalty for killing because you're told to? How does the legal system prosecute someone under the influence of faith, someone who kills because God wants a little death sometimes?

This cult mentality and concept of blind faith is definitely a fascinating one to explore in fiction. The last book I read covering those ideas was The Passion Flower Massacre by Nicola Morgan which I found enthralling, but this book had that extra emotional depth which drew me in from the hard-hitting first pages. The story doesn't shy away from brutalities and paints a disturbing picture of what life is like when a society is run by a person who is irrational and corrupt. However, the novel holds more complexities than what may first appear. The use of flashbacks to highlight the stark difference between Minnow's time in the cult and her present situation in a girls' prison was a wise choice so that information was revealed in time, leaving you wanting to keep reading for chapters on end.You know a book is good when you say 'I'll just read one more chapter' and instead keep going until it's almost finished and you can't keep your eyes open any more.

There was always the unspoken certainty that we'd have forever. There would be time for all the things we wanted to do in our lives. That time could run out, that limbs could disappear from bodies, was as unfathomable as death.

The prose in itself is a masterpiece - striking the perfect balance between necessary pragmatism and a subtle creative flair to produce a story that I couldn't put down. The twists which came in bursts along the way just kept the wow factor throughout. The character relationships are similarly well crafted, from the dynamics of Minnow's family to the ins and outs of prison life. Exploring the avenue of 'a disturbed protagonist without hands in a jail setting' is definitely something I haven't ever come across before, so this book was intriguing on both counts. Amidst trust issues and inner turmoil over her own drastic actions, Minnow herself was a character who had so many layers, and underwent her own catharsis to come to terms with the past, and look forward to a different future.

We stepped headlong into a new place where we knew there was something other than good daughters and sons inside us. Because for the first time, somebody bothered to tell me why they were in pain. Everybody around me was in pain, I realize now, but none of them ever poured it out of themselves into another person.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It's official: I love this book. When it comes to 2015 releases that you HAVE TO READ - this is definitely one of them. Stephanie Oakes is an author whose other works I'll definitely be looking out for in the future, because this is a book which I can't praise highly enough. ...more

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Mar 04, 2015 NicoleHasRead rated it it was amazing

Wow!

Review to follow.

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Nov 07, 2013 Rebecca rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, debut-15

3.5
An original story and impressive debut, I can see why everyone loves it. I found the writing to be lovely and though I normally don't enjoy flashbacks in books, I thought they were superbly done here. Main reason for not rating it higher was because I failed to connect with Minnow. She goes through so much and to be honest, I didn't find myself caring like I should have. I also would have liked more from the ending; I was waiting for a punch but instead it closed on a quiet, open-ended note. ...more

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