I read this for Teen Book Club-it's not something I would normally pick out for myself, but I liked the originality of the story. I had a few problems with it toward the end, but overall I thought this was a compelling read. ( )

I did waffle between whether or not to give this five or four stars, but I decided that the only reason I would give it four is because I wanted more, and that's no reason to rate it down!

This book is great. Not too preachy or heavy-handed (...excuse the pun), and all about Minnow discovering who she truly is outside the confines of her previously very narrow life. I like that she didn't reject faith completely, but instead took the time to open herself up to different perspectives and opportunities.

Her lack of hands is, of course, a large point in the story, but Minnow is never self-pitying or pitiful because of it. She manages by herself, with some help, but mainly by herself. And, honestly, juvie was probably the best place for her to go after The Community, because she needed to be able to express all her anger and sadness and despair in any way she could, and being in juvie allowed her to do that.

The other characters were incredibly written as well; not stereotypical or there to teach Minnow any kind of lesson. It was really interesting how everyone was convinced that Angel was a bad influence and a bad person, but Minnow could see her for who she really was, and part of that was Angel's resignation that she would be there for the rest of her life. (I loved the conversation she had with Dr. Wilson about her crime: he believes she lay in wait to kill her uncle because it was a cold-blooded crime, but really she was so pushed to the brink by him that she felt that was her only choice, and the way that she killed him ended up being kind of incidental.)

It's cliche, but Minnow truly does refuse to be a victim, and learns to let go of some of her guilt, and maybe become a better person. I hope she gets paroled, and into the Bridge program, and that she visits Tyler eventually. ( )

Quite a wonderful book! Captivating, beautifully written, surprising. Oakes inhabits her main character, Minnow, with a sure sense of the hard choices she has to make once she escapes the Kevinian (read Davidian, read Moonie, read Scientology) cult she's been raised in. I imagine that all cults are, at bottom, similar, and Oakes captures the cramped crazy world handily. The book has some violence -- Minnow's father has cut off her hands and other children are harmed and killed -- but it's entirely appropriate to the story and quite realistic. I look forward to reading more from this very talented author!#yearofthebook

Wow, what a powerful book! I didn't really go into this with many expectations. I mostly picked it up because I felt a desperate need for something dark after all the fluffy contemporary I'd been reading. But wow, this absolutely blew me away!

It was a really dark, gritty book about cults and it was SO horrific. I think this is a book that's going to stay with me for a long time.

It was so heartbreaking and sad, and completely messed up.

And wow, it was just so emotional and well written.

Highly recommend! ( )

After watching Sacred Lies on Facebook Watch and finding out it was based on a book, I knew I had to find a copy of the novel! I was beyond happy (and surprised) that my local library had a copy of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes lying around.

Minnow Bly has been part of the Kevinian cult since she was 5 years old. When police find her next to the badly beaten body of a teenage boy, they are shocked to learn that she has no hands. After being placed in juvenile detention, Minnow starts to learn new things about the world. After an FBI agent takes an interest in her case, Minnow must decide if she wants to tell him the truth of what really went on in the cult or if some things are better left unsaid.

The plot for The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was incredibly interesting. Oakes did a fantastic job of making Minnow's world come to life. I was instantly transported to the settings of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly quite easily each time I started reading this book. There are some really emotional scenes in this book such as some of the scenes with Minnow and Jude, Minnow's hands being chopped off, and the scene towards the end with Minnow's sister Constance. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was definitely an emotional roller coaster for sure. There were plenty of plot twists throughout the book which would leave me with my mouth hanging open quite a bit. The pacing is perfect throughout this novel. All of my questions were answered by the ending of the book. However, the ending of the book is quite speculative about Minnow's future.

The characters in The Scared Lies of Minnow Bly were all very fleshed out and realistic sounding. Many times it felt as if I was reading about something that actually happened instead of a fictitious story. My heart went out to Minnow with all she had to go through, but I admired her strength and determination to not be a victim. I loved her curious nature and how she wanted to learn as much as possible. Minnow's resolve was so strong. I loved Jude so much. He was such a sweet and caring boy who had also been through more than he should. I loved how he wanted to take care of Minnow and how much he truly cared about her. I loved reading about Minnow's and Jude's relationship blossoming. Dr. Wilson was another great character. I wish there would have been a bit more back story for Dr. Wilson, but I did like how he cared about Minnow and her story and how he challenged her to think for herself. One of my favorite characters was Angel, Minnow's cellmate. She's another who challenged Minnow's beliefs and wanted to help educate Minnow. It was a nice touch to see this hardened girl really go out of her way to take care of Minnow and to make sure Minnow thrived.

Trigger warnings The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly include profanity, violence, death, sex (though not graphic at all), and brainwashing.

Overall, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was such a fascinating read. It had such a fantastic plot and a great cast of characters. It was too easy to get lost in their world. I would definitely recommend The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes to everyone aged 15+ who want to get lost in a fantastically written novel! The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly won't leave you disappointed at all. ( )