The Book of David

By: Kate L. Mary

Narrated by: Jelyne Helms

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Neglected by her mother, abused by her stepfather, and trapped in an oppressive cult, Willow Sands has lived the past three years with the shadow of her 15th birthday hanging over her. That was the day her mother handed her over to David, the son of their leader, promising her a future even more bleak than she’d ever imagined. Now, with her 18th birthday and the day of her wedding fast approaching, she’s almost come to accept her fate.

Hope was the last thing Willow expected to feel this close to her wedding, but that’s exactly what she finds in Jared. The more time she spends with him, the more haunted she becomes by the freedom she let slip through her fingers all those years ago. She knows if she wants a real future she’ll have to break free of the crushing grip the cult has on her, and the more she gets to know Jared, the more determined she becomes to gain her freedom once and for all.

Trigger Warning: This book deals with the subject of rape and may be disturbing to some listeners.

©2019 Kate L. Mary (P)2019 Kate L. Mary

The Story of Willow

This author has written numerous books in various genres that have been favorably received. My understanding is that this stand-alone is significantly different than many of her previous books, and I can't help but wonder why she chose to write it. This book covers three years in the life of a young woman, Willow, living in a religious cult on a secure compound. She is there because her mother brought her there as a child, not from any desire on her own part. The book starts with Willow's rape, at age fifteen, by the fiancé chosen for her by the cult's leader, David. According to cult law, a girl is betrothed and raped at age fifteen and then left, more or less alone, until her eighteenth birthday when she is married to her rapist, all of this conveniently clothed in cult nonsense about it being the will of God according to David. During these three years of Willow's life, we learn of her well-deserved fear and hatred of both her fiancé and her abusive step-father and the complete indifference of her mother. Nearing her eighteenth birthday she finds an unlikely friendship, and then love, with Jared, a young man also raised in the cult. The descriptions of Willow's misery and deprivation are vivid, and I suppose the book stands as a reminder of the dangers inherent in personality-driven worship of anyone, religious leader or otherwise. There's a happy ending, of sorts, but the book makes it clear that the culture of the cult survives. I finished the book with neither that warm glow usually found at the end of a good romance nor the sense of having had my eyes opened wide that I found at the end of Educated, by Tara Westover. In essence, I was just happy to reach the end of a rather discomforting book. The narration was adequate. I requested and received a copy of this audiobook from the author and have voluntarily left this review.

Great story!!!

The story was told very well and doesn’t give gritty details that aren’t needed. The narration was good too. I didn’t really know what to except with it and was pleasantly surprised! Definitely worth a credit!!!

Enjoyable listen

I enjoyed listening to this book. It is a story of two young people trying to escape from a religious cult. Maybe a bit longer than it needed to be, but still a good listen.

The Book of David

Willow is beat down by everyone in her life, her mother, her stepfather, her cult leader, and especially his son. She was given no choices and no voice. It made me feel so bad for her at times. She is a fighter and she doesn’t back down easily – at least in her mind. She is a strong person and it is nice to see her stand up for herself when she can.
I really enjoyed watching the friendship and common bond Willow developed with Jared. He had a loving parent in his life – but living in the same cult as Willow, he felt the struggles and hardships the same as she did. It isn’t an easy story to read, but I did enjoy it overall. I was given this free review copy audio book by the author courtesy of Audiobook Boom at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Phenomenal Narration

The Book of David was a great listen, it's beautifully written and emotional with incredible characters. It's different other Kate L. Mary's books that I've heard; however, still enjoyable. Jelyne Helms does an excellent job with the narration; her performance is outstanding. I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Great book

What a great story of a young woman’s strength and the terrible tragedy of cults. Really good performance

Great Read

The Book of David was a good read by Kate L. Mary. Willow has been neglected by her mom, abused by her stepdad, and trapped by a cult. Unfortunately her fifteenth birthday is hanging over her. Her mother handed her over to David, the son of their leader. The day of her eighteenth birthday will also be her wedding day. She never expected to find Jared and find hope in him. She's haunted by the freedom she let slip through her fingers years ago. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

Another wonderful book by Kate L Mary

I absolutely loved this book. I highly recommend this book. Kate did an awesome job with this book. So much of it rings true in many places

Engaging

This book was very engaging. I was a bit hesitant to listen as I wasn’t sure how I felt about listening about rape, however the author did a fabulous job with describing enough, but not to much! The performance was amazingly well done. The story is great and easy to follow. I found myself feeling the emotional aspect of this book deeply.

Okay story about a cult

Listened on Audible. Good narration. The narrator does a clear performance and her voice fits lead character, Willow, well.

I was a bit bored by this. A lot of the book is just cult stuff, and it’s not even an interesting cult. It’s the typical, non-surprising type of cult that men are the rulers and the women are subservient. Girls are raped by their intended when they are 15, and then forced to marry that person when they are 18. Father David is the cult leader that says he talks to God and their rules are from God. Willow’s wedding is approaching in a few weeks; she is very frightened of her intended husband since the night he aggressively raped her when she was 15. She dreams of escaping again; she escaped briefly after her rape, but she’s scared to try again; her mother has been threatened if she doesn’t follow through. Her mother is a shell of a person, but Willow still tries. The majority of the characters are simple because of brainwashing and lack of education. The “adults” in this cult are the weak and vile that have corrupted the youth of this cult. Father David’s son is a villain along with his father, but he too has been brainwashed. These people think they are doing the right thing because they follow a false God in Father David. Willow is trying to figure out how to improve her situation when she meets fellow cult member, Jared. A connection grows, but both are unsure and fear being punished. It’s a sweet, simple connection. The story just wasn’t for me, but the author did a good job of showing how cult brainwashing works, and how difficult it is to think and live beyond the cult.