★★★★
This isn’t my story. I’m telling this for the lost souls. I’ve been told that I am safe now, but my heart still pounds…
Peri, her sister Emma, and Grace are escaping from The Kingdom of Glory – an extremely dubious polygamous cult that buys women for breeding purposes.
But (of course) when you first join, they don’t exactly list that little tidbit in the terms and conditions.
We had no idea how terribly misguided we were, and if we’d even had a clue, I don’t think we could have imagined how horrifying our lives were to become.
Years ago, Peri and Emma were introduced to the cult when the sisters, their brother and their recently widowed mother are taken in after falling upon hard times.
Peri realizes the cult’s true nature and after a failed attempt to convince her family, she makes her escape, having to leave her semi-brainwashed younger sister behind.
Now, in present time, Peri returns for a rescue – but it’s not for who you think:
She’d agreed to rescue this girl [Grace] as a favor for the man she loved, but she had no idea what a prattling little idiot she was.
But when Peri discovers her sister heavily pregnant, she finds herself forced to rescue both her sister and Grace.
But when Emma’s water breaks, and Grace makes a few questionable decisions, suddenly their escape doesn’t seem so certain after all.
Overall, I liked this one – I did have to struggle a bit with the character’s motivations (there quite a few snap-decisions and snap-rulings that seemed a bit out of place) but ultimately the plot won me over.
This was a fast and exciting novel – full of twists and turns! What a ride!!
I really appreciated that while the book focused on escaping from the cult, that that wasn’t all the characters did. They had a mystery to solve, run-ins with the law and a few betrayals from trusted friends along the way.
I enjoyed Grace’s gentle, spacey take on life (and I LOVED the way she could always pickpocket a gun). Peri’s fierce attitude kept the book fiesty and engaging. And who could forget Emma’s dire circumstances and ultimate horror?
The only thing that really, truly bothered me was this:
“It is science. AG is silver. It is called that on the periodic table.
As a scientist – OHMYGOSH IT’S Ag NOT AG. But honestly, that’s pretty minor (all things considered).
This was a fun, short read – definitely one to check out!
With thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Interested in this one from Brenda Stanley? Pick up your copy from: Amazon or Barnes and Noble
Miranda Reads 