Monday, June 15, 2009

Review: The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

genre: young adult
rating: 5/5

A sequestered life - a "chosen" people, Kyra's family life is guided by the revelations of the "prophet." It's the prophet who decides what wives will marry and belong to each man and it's the prophet and his "God Squad" who help enforce God's laws and dispense holy discipline as necessary.

This way of life - one father and many mothers - was Kyra's only experience until two chance meetings open her eyes to the beauty that life has to offer. As she tries to reconcile her absolute love for her parents and siblings with her "sinful" desires, she discovers something her 13 years have not prepared her for: she has been chosen to marry her father's brother.

Her instincts and the traditions of her family clash in this fantastically gripping and horrifying look at a fundamentalist cult. I fully believed Kyra's voice as an early teen - her frustration and the depth of her emotion. I even could relate to and pity her father and mothers, their blind belief in the prophet and his work - the book is that well written. Whether or not you are a fan of young adult fiction, this suspenseful novel of polygamist life will knock your socks off.

3 comments:

Tricia said...

I am like 14th in line at the library, but I can't wait to read this!

bermudaonion said...

I won this so it's sitting in my TBR pile and I hope to get to it soon!

The Reading Momster said...

I have heard good things about this one!

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