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emerygirl's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it, but it left an odd impression. As a Mormon, I found parts of the book unsettling. I can't say I would recommend it to anyone, but I was intrigued the entire book.
karinlib's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this story, I couldn't put it down. I found the references to the Mormon church interesting, and it was a good murder mystery. I would definitely read more of this author.
keppyboone's review against another edition
3.0
Trying once again to read this series. I think it's rather good for a cheap series on Amazon and Audible! Lots of similarities to Big Love, which was a show I greatly enjoyed. I'm just not sure I can do it. The ending got rather boring.
hazelj's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ericwelch's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I’m not quite sure what to make of this book. It’s certainly a serviceable mystery/thriller with many religious overtones. The author, whose bio says was raised in the desert, “raised in a small religious community in Utah,” (close to the FLDS?) has a lot of very interesting and supposedly secret details of sealing ceremonies and the inside of a splinter Mormon polygamist community.
The book does seem to go off the rails a bit with a wildly improbable plot twist that wasn’t necessary (hence three instead of four stars) and detracted from the main story.. The issues raised with regard to who and what is righteous and where does religious authority come from are interesting enough. Jacob, off at medical school, is recalled by his father, an elder in the Blister Creek Church. to return and investigate the ritualistic murder of Amanda. He, a skeptic or rationalist of sorts, refuses to be buffaloed by the mythic traditions of his church but retains allegiance to his family, a connection which would lost should he abandon the church entirely. Had Wallace pursued these threads, I think the book would have been stronger and more interesting. He handles some of the issues quite sensitively but then goes off on this ridiculous plot twist that remains unresolved in the end, awaiting book #2 in the series, which I will probably read, if for no other reason than morbid curiosity into the religious silliness.
You do get a nice sense of what it must be like to live as an outcast constantly at war with the “evil” world and trying to determine what constitutes valid revelation from plain insanity (or silliness.) A couple of reviewers on Amazon (one-star reviews) have suggested Wallace is, in fact, a “Lost Boy” himself; certainly not an impossibility given some of his insider knowledge (assuming it’s correct and the defensiveness of some of the Mormon readers would suggest it is.) It’s certainly more sympathetic, I thought than they imply.
The book does seem to go off the rails a bit with a wildly improbable plot twist that wasn’t necessary (hence three instead of four stars) and detracted from the main story.. The issues raised with regard to who and what is righteous and where does religious authority come from are interesting enough. Jacob, off at medical school, is recalled by his father, an elder in the Blister Creek Church. to return and investigate the ritualistic murder of Amanda. He, a skeptic or rationalist of sorts, refuses to be buffaloed by the mythic traditions of his church but retains allegiance to his family, a connection which would lost should he abandon the church entirely. Had Wallace pursued these threads, I think the book would have been stronger and more interesting. He handles some of the issues quite sensitively but then goes off on this ridiculous plot twist that remains unresolved in the end, awaiting book #2 in the series, which I will probably read, if for no other reason than morbid curiosity into the religious silliness.
You do get a nice sense of what it must be like to live as an outcast constantly at war with the “evil” world and trying to determine what constitutes valid revelation from plain insanity (or silliness.) A couple of reviewers on Amazon (one-star reviews) have suggested Wallace is, in fact, a “Lost Boy” himself; certainly not an impossibility given some of his insider knowledge (assuming it’s correct and the defensiveness of some of the Mormon readers would suggest it is.) It’s certainly more sympathetic, I thought than they imply.
brady2387's review against another edition
5.0
Murder and intrigue in a Utah Polygamist community? Definitely different, and well written. I liked it throughout.
coral's review
4.0
Honestly, I did not go into The Righteous thinking that I would find it interesting. It was an impulse buy and I thought I'd read a few chapters while waiting at the doctor's office or something and then likely put it down. I was so wrong.
Immediately I was intrigued by what is a very foreign world, though it resides in the same country that I do. I have no idea if what goes on in this story is based on actual communities or not, but that doesn't matter to me in the slightest. This is a fantastic story, told with spare style that I enjoyed. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing about what's really going on.
Michael Wallace draws his characters well. The antagonists have motivations and the protagonists have flaws. I adore Eliza. She's a smart girl inhabiting a world that she loves, but has issues with. Unlike a lot of these types of heroines, she doesn't immediately run away and toughs it out. I admire her strength more than any other female character I've read recently. Jacob, her brother and the other main character, is troubled by his lack of faith, but that doesn't stop him from making tough choices for the good of his people.
The only reason this story doesn't get five stars is that there are some minor pacing issues in the latter half. He spends quite a bit of time relating detailed religious aspects of their world that I just didn't find necessary. Others might like that bit of world building, but I wasn't too keen on it. Please don't let that put you off this book, because it is a fabulous read and you won't be disappointed.
Immediately I was intrigued by what is a very foreign world, though it resides in the same country that I do. I have no idea if what goes on in this story is based on actual communities or not, but that doesn't matter to me in the slightest. This is a fantastic story, told with spare style that I enjoyed. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing about what's really going on.
Michael Wallace draws his characters well. The antagonists have motivations and the protagonists have flaws. I adore Eliza. She's a smart girl inhabiting a world that she loves, but has issues with. Unlike a lot of these types of heroines, she doesn't immediately run away and toughs it out. I admire her strength more than any other female character I've read recently. Jacob, her brother and the other main character, is troubled by his lack of faith, but that doesn't stop him from making tough choices for the good of his people.
The only reason this story doesn't get five stars is that there are some minor pacing issues in the latter half. He spends quite a bit of time relating detailed religious aspects of their world that I just didn't find necessary. Others might like that bit of world building, but I wasn't too keen on it. Please don't let that put you off this book, because it is a fabulous read and you won't be disappointed.
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