Some say the author’s greatest superpower is the reader’s curiosity, and Jimmy Cajoleas uses this full force in his novel Minor Prophets. In Minor Prophets there is always a new hook after every chapter that keeps you from putting it down, always another secret or surprise just around the corner, waiting to be discovered.

The story revolves around Lee, a teenage boy who just so happens to have mind-altering visions about the future. His mother scolds him for them and his sister ignores them, but when his mother dies in a car crash and his stepfather is a suspect he finds himself on the run along with his sister, to a place they had only heard of in stories: The Farm. The Farm is an enchanting place with a doting Grandma, a trusted mentor, and a community that adores and praises Lee for his visions, labeling him as their savior and leader. It’s too good to be true! Everything that Lee has ever wanted, he becomes enraptured with his newfound future and becomes blinded to reality. Is The Farm really all that it seems, or is there a dark secret lurking behind the scenes?

Jimmy Cajoleas does a great job keeping you on your toes, unleashing just enough information to ignite your curiosity, and keep the pages turning. Cajoleas blurs the line between right and wrong, good and bad, to a point where there is no clear hero or villain. He shows the human need for acceptance and love, and just how far we’re willing to go for it.

Although a little slow in the beginning, Minor Prophets is a great read that chills the skin with it’s twisted plot and shaded characters. Guaranteed to leave you bewildered as to what you just witnessed, Minor Prophets is for anyone who appreciates humanities crooked nature as well as the dark secrets it has to hide. -Kira Kaplan