Eva just wants to be a good disciple of Righteous Path. She grew up knowing that she's among the chosen few to be saved from Armageddon. Lately, though, being saved feels awfully treacherous. Ever since they moved to the compound in Colorado, their food supplies have dwindled even while their leader, Ezekiel, has stockpiled weapons. The only money comes from the jewelry Eva makes and sells down in Boulder--a purpose she'll serve until she becomes one of Ezekiel's wives. But a college student named Trevor and the other "heathens" she meets on her trips beyond the compound are far different from what she's been led to believe. Now Eva doesn't know which is more dangerous--the outside world, or Brother Ezekiel's plans.
Publication Date: March 1, 2015
Publication Date: March 1, 2015
I’ve had an interest in cults for some time, so I was
looking forward to reading Down from the Mountain. I think the book has a
powerful message and I liked reading a novel from the unique perspective of a
brainwashed teenager.
Eva was very easy to connect with. Although she has been
raised inside of a cult with radical ideas about the end of the world and
living a righteous life, she doesn’t readily accept everything told her to by
the group and the cult leader. I grew to like her even more as she started
interacting with people outside of her sect.
This book is well researched and felt very authentic. The
author delved into the psyche of a cult member and what it takes to mentally
break away from a sect. Eva is only fourteen and I felt her young age made a
lot of the cult activities truly shocking. I definitely felt very uncomfortable
with the thought of the cult women as breeders for the leader Ezekiel.
Down from the Mountain isn’t in my normal reading genre, but
I’m glad I took a chance on the book. The story is haunting while also being a
powerful coming of age tale.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
