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    Gated
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    Gated
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    Gated
    Audiobook10 hours

    Gated

    Written by Amy Christine Parker

    Narrated by Alicyn Packard

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

    Appearances can be deceiving.

    Lyla Hamilton is a loyal member of the Community. Her family was happy to be chosen by Pioneer to join such an lovely gated neighborhood. Here, life seems perfect.

    But after meeting Cody, an outsider boy, Lyla starts questioning Pioneer, her friends, her family--everything. And if there's one thing not allowed in the Community, it's doubt. As Pioneer cleverly manipulates his flock toward disaster, the real question is: Will Lyla follow her heart or follow Pioneer over the edge?

    From the outside looking in, it's hard to understand why anyone would join a cult. But Gated tells the story from the inside looking out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine Parker's beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateAug 6, 2013
    ISBN9780804123280
    Unavailable
    Gated

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    Reviews for Gated

    4/5

    63 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 4/5
      Okay, I have to admit that I didn't read the book synopsis very well. I had a very vague idea what the book was going to be about, and when I started to read it, I was sure it was going to be another dystopian paranormal re-do. I was genuinely surprised at how wrong I was. Once I started to read it, I could not put it down. I was intrigued to see how a charismatic character could play on others fears and influence them to follow him so unquestionably. I always wondered how people could fall into those cult traps so easily, but being able to relate to a character who has been drawn in since childhood, it makes you rethink whether or not you could have fallen victim as well, under the right circumstances. I will most likely purchase this for the teen section of my library, and I will recommend it to other teen librarians as well.
    • 5/5
      If you've followed my reviews for any length of time, you'll know I have a strange obsession with books based on cults. There's something about the thorough brainwashing these people experience that fascinates me. Amy Christine Parker weaves a chilling story. A story about what happens to the children who are raised in this community, and what it looks like from the outside. I'm not going to lie, I absolutely couldn't get enough.

      The reason behind Lyla's move to the cult was what first blew me away about Gated. Despite all the other books I've read on this subject, I've never actually seen how the parents were swayed to join. In this case, we see that Pioneer is cold and calculated in his timing. He sees Lyla's mother at an emotionally crippling moment, and takes advantage of it. It intrigued me, the way that Pioneer makes it seem that he is"saving" the people he converts. With such slick and charismatic ways, it was no surprise to me that people chose to follow him.

      It's true that the beginning of this book moves a little slowly. However it does so in order to explore the inner workings of the whole community. Lyla's world seems quiet and simple at first. If it wasn't for the constant reminder that the end of the world is coming, it's easy to assume they are just a group of people who want to live off the grid. I was so immersed in the way that this community functioned as a whole, and I can honestly say I was never bored. If you feel the pace is slow at the beginning, please keep reading! The second half picks up considerably. By the time I reached the end, I could have read another entire book.

      I could gush on about the romance aspect, and about the way that friendships are portrayed, but I'll end here. If you have an interest in cult mentality, this will be a book you'll enjoy. Go into Gated with an open mind, and keep reading on! This ended up being one of my favorites, and I'm honestly hoping for more.
    • 4/5
      One of the other reviewers called this book at riveting read and they're right. It was fascinating to see how vulnerable people can be persuaded to believe the most outlandish things and give up everything to join what is essentially a cult. It was like The Village meets Waco meets Jonestown. In Gated, a strange and charismatic man comes into the lives of Lyla and her parents at a time when they are scared and desperate. Lyla's older sister has gone missing and then 9/11 happens and the authorities change priorities to the aftermath and their assistance to Lyla's family falls into the cracks forgotten. This man comes and tells Lyla's mother that he will help them search and he does, and brings others with him who help them search as well. Slow he gains their trust and friendship and convinces them that they should get away from New York and all the evils and wickedness in the world...that he and others are buying some land and are going to build a new community where their children can be safe and everyone works hard to help each other. It's what Lyla's parents need to hear, especially her mother who has been devastated by her daughter's disappearance. Lyla is only around 5 years old when they sell everything and move, along with other families, to create their new community, following along behind this man that they've come to rely on and see as a leader, and later, when he tells them of his visions, a prophet. They build identical houses and a barn and pens for animals, create a garden and build a large community center where they share meals. Clothing is bought in bulk to save money and everyone wears the same thing. They listen to their prophet, who they now call Pioneer, and they stop thinking for themselves, allowing him to make the decisions about everything from chores to what they will eat, what movies they will watch, even who their children will marry. They they have too much invested to walk away. They have too much invested to allow doubt to take hold...to admit they might have been wrong. And the children of the twenty or so families grow up following these rules, doing the chores and taking the punishments that Pioneer doles out when his rules are broken. They rarely meet Outsiders, and Pioneer keeps enforcing how evil Outsiders are and that they need to keep to themselves to stay safe. He also starts to weave them a tale of ancient aliens he calls The Brethren and they are the ones giving him these visions of knowledge. He tells them they are the chosen ones who will survive after the world ends, which is coming, just as God created a great flood to wipe the earth clean of wickedness and to reward only the most faithful. He begins to gather weapons and to preach that when the end comes, the Outsiders will want into their sanctuary to steal food and shelter in their bunker hidden underground, and so in order to survive, they need to learn to defend themselves by force. Everyone, including the children, is taught to shoot plywood targets designed to look like men, women and children and to aim for the heart or the head. To not do so is putting their whole community at risk. But Lyla becomes uncomfortable with the idea of hurting others who are scared and desperate for help and her feelings set her apart from her friends and family. When Lyla is asked to show a teenage boy (the local Sheriff's son) around one afternoon, when he and his father arrive unexpectedly, she finds herself feeling things she never has before. The feelings scare her as much as they thrill her and she wants to see Cody again, even though she knows it's completely against the rules. Reading this book was really interesting for me because I've always found cults fascinating and wondered what would make someone want to join or believe all the crazy things their "prophet" told them so faithfully without question. Through this book, I was able to get into the mind of such a person. Getting to see the cult through Lyla's eyes ...the good and kind things as well as the horrible and scary, made me see how trapped a child growing up in such an environment can be. They know only what is told by those in charge and there is harsh punishment for questioning or breaking the rules. Even the parents become like children, bowing down to the decisions of the man they view as their Prophet, even letting him make major life decisions for their children, even letting him set their punishments and carry them out. Dissension is not allowed and lies are told to keep fear high and everyone in their place, believing what he wants them to believe. It is a book that stays with you, keeps you thinking long after you put it down. It was very emotional as you get more and more attached to Lyla and other characters in the book who are all very well written and easily come alive as you read about them, their jokes and fears and laughter. It brought tears to my eyes in a few parts and the ending is gripping and frantic. You can feel Lyla's fears and pain and doubts. Can't wait to read the sequel!
    • 2/5
      Lyla and her parents are members of the Community, led by Pioneer, and are awaiting the end of the world. Lyla has never really questioned the gun lessons, the withdrawal from society at large, or Pioneer's teachings...that is, until a chance encounter with Cody, an Outsider, makes her wonder just how much truth is in the Community.Chock this up in the "this book could have been a lot better" category! I've never really read any fiction set in a cult, and so I thought that it would be wicked interesting. Except it isn't. Although it's billed as a "fast-paced thriller," the book tends to drag until the last few chapters, when action finally starts to happen. I never really identified with any of the characters. Lyla just feels wooden and two-dimensional to me, and she's probably the most developed character in the entire book. Cody is really just a foil for Lyla to start questioning her beliefs and Pioneer's teachings; he has about as much depth as a mud puddle. I mean, the attempt at setting up a love triangle that seems to be a requirement for any young adult book nowadays is seriously laughable, because there is no chemistry to be had at all on any of these pages. Lyla freely admits to herself, and often, that she feels nothing but friendship for her intended, and, as I said before, Cody is like a paper doll.And I really couldn't get where the adults were at in this book. I know that this crap happens in real life, but seriously, if any cult leader tried to "match up" my thirteen year old daughter with a boy of his choosing, I'd be getting the hell out of there.
    • 4/5
      Mandodrage Meadows.... Mandodrage Meadows is the name of the community that the "chosen" people in Gated live in but it's not just any community. Mandodrage is actually an anagram for Armageddon. Congrats to YouKneek & Passionate About Books for guessing correctly!! : )

      After 9/11, Pioneer, the leader of the community & "prophet", chose families (hence the "chosen"), to come and live in this secluded community to escape the evils of the outside world and prepare for the end of the world which his "visions" told him was very near.

      This book produced so many emotions in me! If you ever followed the Waco story or read about Charles Manson's life you will see the similarities in this story. It was amazing how charismatic the leader, Pioneer, was. He had me almost believing in him. LoL The author does such a great job of showing you how these leaders and "prophets" think and act and she really makes you sympathize with the families that have chosen this way of life. I don't believe in it myself but I think have a better understanding of how these people become members of these cults (a term which they do not like) and fall under the spell of these leaders and "prophets." It was just a very eye opening and moving story. A lot of the kids that were in this community, grew up within it, so they have no knowledge of the outside world. They've never even had fountain drinks or seen a tablet, like an Ipad before! It was just an amazing glimpse into this world. A definite-must read!

      If you like audio books, I would recommend listening to the audio version to get the full experience because the narrator is also fantastic!
    • 4/5
      Seventeen-year-old Lyla feels ambivalent when the charismatic leader of her isolated suburban community is told that the end of the world is near and when it arrives they must all be ready to defend themselves against the unchosen
    • 4/5
      Well, there is quite a bit of buzz out there about Gated by Amy Christine Parker and holy moly do I understand why. This is not your typical suspense, young adult book - this is a book with crazy relevant themes set in a time period that could be happening right now. Honestly, I had a really rough time both putting this one down and picking it back up, because the emotional, sickening pull of the story was that strong.Read the rest of this review on The Lost Entwife on Sept. 1, 2013.
    • 4/5
      Gated starts out right away by showing the main character Lyla is different. In the world of Silo, the community in this book, they are having target practice with cardboard cutouts and Lyla doesn't want to go for kill shots head or chest, but she can't even do that, she sees them as real people. She is also questioning the Brethren or who they believe are their creators and the world is about to end, and only a select few, The Chosen, in Silo will survive. Their leader, Pioneer is charismatic and you can see why people would believe and follow him. He seems so caring and concerned, and the words he uses will get right to your heart. Her friends Will, Brian and Marie all really buy into it, and Lyla tries to because she really cares for them, and it is obvious they care about her, they just don't understand her hesitations. I just never expected all of the twists and turns, and especially how heart heart changes and the bravery that she ultimately grows. I read this for the character development I saw in Lyla, the fiestiness beneath the surface, and the friendship between Lyla and Marie. While there is action, it is a mostly character driven story, struggling with past losses, current shortcomings, and wrestling with what being told to them is a lie, because they are contradictory. The world building was done really well. Mandrogage Meadows felt like a real place to me, with its society and way of life differing from my own, but I could picture it. I could sympathize with what the residences thought to be true and how they fought for their way of life. With that said, I wish that somehow we got a glimpse into Pioneer's past. I want to know what made him how he is and more of how he actually convinced them he was the real deal. The ending took my breath away and I was on the edge of my seat watching it all play out. It was so well done and put such a blast of hope into the story and Lyla's life. Bottom Line: Chilling book with a well developed and questioning main character.
    • 3/5
      A teenager believes whole heartedly in her preacher's prophecies of the coming apocalypse, but a chance encounter with a cute boy (and the questions he asks) make her reevaluate her world view. solid but forgettable.
    • 4/5
      Gated took me completely by surprise, and made my sociologist brain go into overdrive. It also intrigued me because I we covered these types of communities in one of my classes.

      Our main character Lyla is a thinker. She isn’t one to enjoy shooting, or anything like that. She is the sensible one, and always thinks things through. She’s a strong character to deal with the obstacles that come up in her life. She wants to find the truth, and figure out if the things she’s learned is how the world really is. I wanted to beat some of the other characters in the head. They believe everything they are told, and don’t think to question events. Pioneer is intense. He’s charismatic, and everything you’d look for in a leader.

      We get the scoop on the happenings of the community through Lyla’s eyes. Even before meeting the boy from the outside world, she still didn’t understand why they needed to learn how to shoot. Most of the book is Lyla trying to figure out what she believes in, and the consequences of voicing her decisions and thoughts. We also see how manipulative people can be. It’s scary what people will do to make sure you follow them without question. I also began to wonder how scared people are of the “outside world” that they are content to hide away in a community. It’s like some of them are in their own little happy bubble.

      Gated is a great book from being to end. Lyla finding herself is an up and down thrill ride. I was up until 3 AM to see what was going to happen. I also wondered what type of research went into writing this book. The whole social aspect has me giddy wanting to learn more about the subject.
    • 4/5
      Gated is a fascinating glimpse into a cultish community whose leader has convinced them to remove themselves from a corrupt society to await the world’s inevitable end and that they are the worthy few who have been chosen to survive. This story is told from the perspective of Lyla, a teenager whose parents decided to follow the community’s strange yet charismatic leader, Pioneer, after the disappearance of their oldest daughter.

      I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Gated. Even after reading so many positive reviews, I wasn’t expecting to so quickly and easily be utterly caught up in the story of this strange community. I’ve always been intrigued, as I’m sure many people are, by cults and I’ve wondered what it is about these leaders that would cause moderately intelligent people to believe in their outrageous beliefs so wholeheartedly to the point that they entrust them with the safety and well-being of their children. I think that Gated explored this extremely well. While I loathed Lyla’s parents throughout most of the book because of the ridiculous amount of control over their lives that they willingly handed to Pioneer, I was also fascinated by their refusal to even consider any idea that challenged their beliefs. Also, the way that Lyla tried to force herself to trust that her parents were right and almost force herself to defend their way of life despite her own doubts was compelling. It wasn’t hard to connect with and feel for Lyla in the difficult situation she was faced with.

      The relationships between Lyla and her peers were a bit awkward and completely believable. Since Lyla seemed to struggle with so many doubts about things the others seemed to easily accept, it was difficult for her to feel fully connected to many of her peers. This may be the only time I will ever say that a love triangle worked. Of course, it wasn’t really a love triangle though, more like a young girl being pushed one way by outside forces but being pulled another by her own natural instincts and it felt entirely genuine. Even the dialog was perfect, she said some of the silliest things which was perfectly fitting for a girl who had been so very sheltered. One quote that made me actually laugh out loud was when the boy she wasn’t supposed to like gave her her first taste of Cheetos.

      "He's my Cheeto - bad for me, but now that I have a taste for him, I can't leave him alone."

      While Lyla was clearly the main character, Pioneer definitely kept the story interesting. I kept asking myself, is he completely cracked out of his mind or is he some sort of mad genius? Whatever he was, he definitely had that creepy cult leader factor. I thought he was downright scary and any scene that included him made my skin crawl.

      I wavered between a 4-5 star rating throughout the entirety of the book but because aspects of the ending didn’t work for me, I decided to go with 4 stars. The audio narration by Alicyn Packard was excellent, providing an authentic voice to the main character and keeping me engaged in the story. I would highly recommend this audio to anyone considering reading Gated. And I would certainly recommend reading Gated. I actually considered adding this to my “Best of 2013” list, if it weren’t for those few issues I had with the ending, I would have done so.
    • 4/5
      Gated is a fascinating glimpse into a cultish community whose leader has convinced them to remove themselves from a corrupt society to await the world’s inevitable end and that they are the worthy few who have been chosen to survive. This story is told from the perspective of Lyla, a teenager whose parents decided to follow the community’s strange yet charismatic leader, Pioneer, after the disappearance of their oldest daughter.

      I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Gated. Even after reading so many positive reviews, I wasn’t expecting to so quickly and easily be utterly caught up in the story of this strange community. I’ve always been intrigued, as I’m sure many people are, by cults and I’ve wondered what it is about these leaders that would cause moderately intelligent people to believe in their outrageous beliefs so wholeheartedly to the point that they entrust them with the safety and well-being of their children. I think that Gated explored this extremely well. While I loathed Lyla’s parents throughout most of the book because of the ridiculous amount of control over their lives that they willingly handed to Pioneer, I was also fascinated by their refusal to even consider any idea that challenged their beliefs. Also, the way that Lyla tried to force herself to trust that her parents were right and almost force herself to defend their way of life despite her own doubts was compelling. It wasn’t hard to connect with and feel for Lyla in the difficult situation she was faced with.

      The relationships between Lyla and her peers were a bit awkward and completely believable. Since Lyla seemed to struggle with so many doubts about things the others seemed to easily accept, it was difficult for her to feel fully connected to many of her peers. This may be the only time I will ever say that a love triangle worked. Of course, it wasn’t really a love triangle though, more like a young girl being pushed one way by outside forces but being pulled another by her own natural instincts and it felt entirely genuine. Even the dialog was perfect, she said some of the silliest things which was perfectly fitting for a girl who had been so very sheltered. One quote that made me actually laugh out loud was when the boy she wasn’t supposed to like gave her her first taste of Cheetos.

      "He's my Cheeto - bad for me, but now that I have a taste for him, I can't leave him alone."

      While Lyla was clearly the main character, Pioneer definitely kept the story interesting. I kept asking myself, is he completely cracked out of his mind or is he some sort of mad genius? Whatever he was, he definitely had that creepy cult leader factor. I thought he was downright scary and any scene that included him made my skin crawl.

      I wavered between a 4-5 star rating throughout the entirety of the book but because aspects of the ending didn’t work for me, I decided to go with 4 stars. The audio narration by Alicyn Packard was excellent, providing an authentic voice to the main character and keeping me engaged in the story. I would highly recommend this audio to anyone considering reading Gated. And I would certainly recommend reading Gated. I actually considered adding this to my “Best of 2013” list, if it weren’t for those few issues I had with the ending, I would have done so.
    • 4/5
      Like most people, I find the study of cults fascinating and a little sad. I actually ended up taking a class on cults my junior year of college because one of my original classes for that semester–Latin 3, if you’re wondering–was cancelled due to a lack of interest. Shocker. Somehow, a few days before school began, I had to find another class to register for to keep up with my full-time student status, and there were few classes for my major, my minors, or my general requirements that were open. I finally stumbled across a class called New Religious Movements(the more sociological term for cults and sects) that was open and fit a requirement for my religion minor with a professor who was generally spoken of positively. I registered, not knowing that class would end up being one of my favorites and most fascinating. See, that class is why I had such a profound interest in Gated from the start, and the book did not disappoint.

      The society at Mandodrage Meadows is the type of place outsiders look upon with a mixture of curiosity and fear. The members do not interact with the modern world as much as they can help it, aside from the occasional run in to town for supplies. They stockpile. They create a bunker, and they’re waiting the apocalypse. Each member is paired off with another for families, and all of the families have undergone trauma of some kind, and are looking at the society as a place of healing. At the front of it all is Pioneer, the leader of them all.

      I thought Parker did a terrific job of writing the world of Mandodrage Meadow as both appealing and off-putting at the same time. It was easy to see what could attract families, especially families who had lost loved ones, to the community and simple life the compound gave. Yet, Parker never slipped into making the life seemed ideal. All along, the idea that this society was so carefully structured that an outside magazine or a pair of teenagers sneaking out could bring this down.

      Lyla navigated her world with such ease, and at first I couldn’t help the dissonance I felt as an outsider looking in and the comfort she seemed to carry. Couldn’t she see how scary and wrong this was? How the end of the world could come at any moment, yes, but that all the prepping and packing and hiding away just built fear, not tore it down? That was everything the reader in me wanted to say as I read about Lyla’s day-to-day life, but of course her comfort makes sense. She wasn’t born in Mandodrage Meadows, so it’s not really the only life she’s ever known, but it’s close enough.

      Throughout the story, Lyla slowly opens herself up to the outside world a little bit more, and this was also fascinating to see from the perspective of someone who doesn’t really live in the same world so many of us do. I thought her character was well-written and that her curiosity, discomfort, and terror were all presented well.

      Pioneer, the leader of Mandodrage Meadows, is one of the most complex and complicated characters I’ve ever read about. The story is told through Lyla’s first-person POV, so we only see Pioneer through Lyla’s eyes. We see her awe and admiration at the beginning, her confusion and hurt in the middle of the book, and her ultimate anger by the end. Pioneer is deranged, but the way his carefully composed character presents as pleasant and charismatic is. . . disturbing, to say the least.

      Gated is a difficult book to read. It moves slowly as Lyla lives out what her community truly believes is the last of days, just to culminate in a quick and breath-catching last fifty pages. It’s not a book for everyone, and throughout Gated, readers will really SEE the world that Pioneer has built, which can be difficult reading as an outsider, having already labelled this group a cult. But it’s still a book I would recommend to people who enjoy the study of cults and find them sadly fascinating, as I do.

      Final Impression: Not an easy or fun read by any means, but I thought Gated was an excellent look into a cult that is preparing for the end of the world and seeing the effect the community and it’s leader can have on a teenager’s life. I thought the society at Mandodrage Meadows was written really well in a way that both made me understand how the community to seem so compelling to people while at the same times still being disturbing.
    • 4/5
      At the brink of a falsely prophesied societal ruin, a cult known only as The Community forms around a leader named Pioneer. Not only are outsiders not allowed in... but insiders aren't allowed out, either.Pioneer's cult following borders on insane, but it's this manic totalitarian state that readers come to sympathize with once taking a glimpse at what goes on within the gates of Mandrodage Meadows. Most people would have difficulty imagining why such a group would ever form and how it could ever work at all (The Manson Family or People's Temple, anyone?), but from the inside looking out, it definitely makes sense. The perspective is unique, expertly crafted, and constantly exciting because as outsiders looking in, we never know what to expect.I personally loved Lyla's exclusive, imaginative viewpoint, and found Gated fast-paced and eventful. While it isn't at all that stylistically or structurally imposing, the plot is unpredictable and definitely made me gasp and double-take throughout.While it does have a more juvenile tone to it, Gated is overall very disturbing with its grave scenes. It may read like middle-grade fiction, but I would categorize it as YA just because of its grittier content. This is serious stuff, nothing what you'd want if you're in for a fun, light read. I did, however, find it to be a perfect escape; Parker builds the Community's world so beautifully that at times, I swear I'd lived in it.Lyla is the kind of girl who can't let go of the small things, and this is what makes her the first to wander from Pioneer's rule—which, in his book, can't ever happen. Her weakness is her passivity but she comes out of her shell when she discovers she has a strength inside of her—a strength called curiosity and ethics—that make her realize what she's been capable of all along: salvation. She has a desperate, intrinsic need to be rescued from a monster that she has yet to fully acknowledge, and her willingness to believe in good and her courage to leave everything she's ever known behind, are what will save her. When she finally faces up to reality, her insight is just what may save the misled cult members, as well... unless Pioneer has his say in the matter, that is.I really didn't like Lyla as a character. She's a decent narrator and makes mature observations, but she just acts uncharacteristically childishly; she seems overdependent and unrealistically loyal, and her whininess doesn't earn her any brownie points either. I also thought adding Cody in as a love interest was completely unnecessary. It's a shame how a good plot can ruined by one glimpse at THE one... Lyla could have easily been inspired by something bigger and better than a cute boy.Pros: Well-formed plot // Story moves swiftly // Action-packed // Doesn't hold back on the horrors and abuses of a cult leader's malicious plans // Relays the true meaning of home and safetyCons: Main character Lyla is dislikable // Narration is dull at times // Lots of plot holes and loose ends // Cody could have been eliminated as a characterVerdict: Absorbing and impressively built, the world formed in Gated is one readers will be staying up until the wee hours of the morning, just to read more about. Straightforward and deeply rooted, Amy Christine Parker's debut novel teaches a lesson on what evil and safety really are, and that neither can be prevented—and neither, guaranteed.Rating: 8 out of 10 hearts (4 stars): An engaging read; highly recommended.Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour company in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Random House and Book Nerd Tours!).
    • 3/5
      Gated is an interesting story about a girl names Lyla who lives with a group called the Community. They live outside of cities and towns and off the land and are preparing for the very worst, the end of days. They are the chosen ones and Pioneer their leader has ben preparing them for the doom of the planet.Lyla and her family move in with the Community after her sister is kidnapped and her parents start to mistrust the world outside. Pioneer gave them their salvation, a remote world where they will live and prosper and the wicked world will die.I have to admit that I was not a fan of this story in the beginning. I have trouble with people that do not question things and follow the herd so to speak. So in the beginning Lyla was annoying and I could not relate to her at all… I didn’t like her and I didn’t like the cult atmosphere.I think the turning point for me was when she does begin to question how she lives, and that comes about when a boy from the outside enters her community and she starts to fall for him and seeing the cracks in the Community’s plan and preparations.The chapters all began with quotes, from Pioneer her leader, the Bible, and other notorious cult leaders. These were interesting and set up each of the chapters more than I realized. I though they were an interesting snippet.Like I said, Lyla, I wasn’t really a huge fan of in the beginning, but she did seem to grow on me the stronger she got as an individual breaking away from the beliefs of the Community.I finished the book pretty quickly all things considered and it was enjoyable and entertaining. I would recommend for those with and interest in cults (there was a good amount of research doe to portray this group I felt), and for those that enjoy a good internal struggle in characters (because this is a big one).