My personal attachment to the subject of this story may drive this rating up higher, but I don’t care. This was such a warm and loving hug to the religiously traumatized teen in me. While thankfully I was never subjected to the same level of extremism Val was, I certainly knew peers who were, and I was close to circles who thought like this cult. 

The one thing I found unbelievable was how FAST Val deconstructed. While there are some references that let you know it was thanks to reading books and articles, we’re barely shown any of that, so it feels like an overnight transformation. One day she’s bumbling along through sermons trying to be obedient and the next she’s scathingly criticizing this cult for their racist and pedophilic teachings. Like DAMN that happened FAST. And all while she’s homeschooled and under her parents’ thumb? It’s impressive but feels far too convenient. Many of my deconstructed pals had to undergo some serious soul searching and uproot so much of these tenants we were indoctrinated with, and it was a painful process. We conveniently sweep past this in the book, and while I’m happy Val gets such a neat and tidy ending, it feels unearned. But perhaps that my Evangelical roots speaking lmao 

I wish I had come across a book like this as a teen though. As someone who escaped through fantasy books and was a regular at the library, I can’t help seeing a bit of myself in Val. And I wonder if it could’ve helped me unravel the harmful teachings I was brought up with sooner.