Seed by Lisa Heathfield

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Seed is the story of Pearl, who grew up in her own tiny community of the same name.  She loves her home, loves her family, and looks forward to the day when she can become a companion to Papa S, the leader of Seed.  Nothing goes the way Pearl ever expected, and when people from the outside join Seed, she begins to doubt everything she has ever known.

The characters of this story are excellent.  Every one of them, even the ones you'll hate, are developed and presented well.  They will, along with the twisting plot, elicit many emotions from readers.  You'll love some; you'll detest some; you'll want to reach in to the pages and rescue some. 

There are times when the writing seems stilted and juvenile, but that only added to the authenticity of the book.  Pearl is uneducated, unaware of the world outside of Seed, and struggling to learn the truth about everything before it's all too late. 

Some will find this book hard to read.  The themes of child abuse, sexual abuse, and cults are difficult to handle, but Heathfield manages to relay the horrors without overly-graphic detail.  My skin crawled on more than one occasion, and I was relieved when the book reached its conclusion.  Although not a happy ending in the traditional sense, I couldn't help but feel that it was the right one for Pearl.

Seed by Lisa Heathfield: Horrific in its honesty, and will make you want to see Pearl through to the end.  Available from booksellers and libraries March 10, 2015.