The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

by Stephanie Oakes

A truly remarkable debut about the dangers of blind faith and the importance of having faith in yourself. Ages: 14+

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, and her ability to trust.

And when Minnow rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now the Kevinian Prophet has been murdered and the camp set aflame and it's clear Minnow knows something. But she's not talking. As she adjusts to a life behind bars in juvenile detention, Minnow struggles to make sense of all she has been taught to believe, particularly as she dwells on the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of; if she is willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

Powerful and compelling, this remarkable and brave debut novel reveals the terrible dangers of blind faith. And the importance of having faith in yourself. Ages: 14+

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

5 of 5 stars

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The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was hands down (no pun intended, seriously, that would be awful!) one of my most anticipated 2015 releases, and I am happy to report that it did not disappoint! First, this book is messed up. If you are squeamish, this may not be the book for you, because there is detail of some very unpleasant things. The poor girl's hands have been cut off, for goodness sake, and I dare say that isn't even the worst of the Kevinian behavior! Cults tend to fascinate me in general, but the Kevinians have taken crazy cult activity to a whole new level. The thing is, there have been cults that engage in awful behavior in our history, and this cult story is (sadly) horrific, but not inconceivable, especially the way the author details the evolution of the cult.


I am impressed and in awe that the author was able to make Minnow so very believable, to make me feel like I was really in her head, despite the fact that I could not relate to a single thing she'd been through. Minnow came from one of the darkest places I have ever read about a character coming from. Her family abandoned her to the Kevinian beliefs, she has no idea if her only friend or her family is alive or dead, and upon escape she attacks some dude and is sent to juvenile detention, of all places. This was the only part of the story that gave me some pause, because I do wonder what would have actually happened- would our legal system be so inhumane as to put someone so clearly psychologically damaged in a prison setting? I'd like to think not, but I suppose I can't say for sure.



Along the way, Minnow finds out so much about herself. She learns that some people can be trusted, but most importantly, she learns about herself. Who she is and who she can be away from the cult that took over her life. The secondary characters, though they are few, really add a lot to the story as their interactions with Minnow really have a huge impact on her life- both the flashback interactions from her cult days to the present interactions in juvie.


I won't say more, because I think I'd be doing you a disservice. Go into this one completely open, find out truths as Minnow unravels them, or in some cases, has them unraveled to her. I was shocked, I was horrified, and at times, I even felt a bit of hope. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was a book that was incredibly hard to put down, and had me captivated until the last word.

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 May, 2015: Finished reading
  • 30 May, 2015: Reviewed