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I read both of these books within a month of each other, and so it's very hard not to compare them. They were both fantastically good, but if I had to sum each on up in one word, the first book would be "gripping" and the second "compelling."

The Chosen One Carol Lynch Williams

Kyra lives with her family in a polygamist religious compound. The current prophet has isolated the community and banned all reading except for the Bible. Kyra has been chosen, meaning that she, at age 13, will marry her uncle, age 60. She will be his 7th wife.

Kyra knows she has sinned. She has snuck out at night to kiss a boy and hold his hand. Even worse, she sneaks out during the day to visit the book mobile.

I am not a huge fan of books where reading opens a whole new world to a character and the power of books blah blah blah. You tend to be preaching to the choir. At worst, it's just authors talking about how important they are to the world.

This isn't like that. Kyra likes her books, but they serve as her personal, private rebellion. It's also not the main plot line, but the bookmobile (and the fact it's mobile) is a very important device in the plot. If that makes any sense.

When Kyra is promised to her uncle, she is torn--torn between her desire to run, to flee and her family--running means never seeing them again, it means her mothers might be reassigned to other men, men who are not as nice as her father is.

William's language is immediate, Kyra's thoughts are short, concise, almost choppy, which leads the tension and the drama as she decides what to do.

Powerful, amazing stuff.

Sister Wife Shelley Hrdlitschka

Unity is a fundamentalist religious community in British Columbia and the home of three very different girls. Celeste has impure thoughts and has feelings for a boy in her community, but she it is almost time for her to be assigned to a husband. Nanette, her younger sister, is pure and pious and cannot wait to be assigned--she feels she is ready to be a wife and a mother. Taviana is from the outside and was living on the streets until someone from Unity found her and brought her in.

After Taviana is kicked out of Unity, Celeste is assigned to the father of the boy she likes and she wants to leave Unity, but she can't figure out how she would be able to leave her family.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the three girls' points of view. The subject matter is compelling enough, but it's a slightly quieter and slower book than The Chosen One. But, I liked the different points of view presented. Celeste's husband, while quite a bit older, is not a bad guy, but a complex character who tries to be kind and gentle and nice. Nanette sees nothing wrong in her lifestyle and can't understand why Celeste doesn't just pray harder to rid herself of such impure thinking. Taviana knows Unity isn't for her, but is grateful for the safe place it gave her when she needed one the most.

I liked this one better, because it was more nuanced and complex. It wasn't as gripping and terrifying, but it had much more meat.

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Shelley Hrdlitschka is hearing nothing but good things about her latest novel, Sister Wife. Called “brave” by one reviewer, Shelley tackles the topic of two girls growing up in a polygamous community in this fictional book for young adults.

Shelley was recently interviewed by Stephen Clare on his blog Scenes of the Crime, and talks about her inspiration for writing this novel (media coverage of the community of Bountiful, B.C.) and what she found most challenging (representing all the sides of the issue fairly). Check it out!

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I'm so mad! I read Sister Wife as an ARC about a month ago and absolutely loved it. It was even going to my Young Adult nomination for the Cybils until I saw that according to Amazon, the book wasn't being published until November, making it ineligible. SO I nominated another title that I enjoyed this year and NOW the book by Shelley Hrdlitschka is listed as having been published October 1st. Sigh. I'll see if I can get one of my other blogger friends to nominate it...it was definitely in my top 5 books read this year.


Celeste was born and raised in Unity, a small community that follows the Movement, a religious lifestyle that practices polygamy and resides without a lot of modern conveniences. She has always had to fight to fit in, whether it be with her huge family, her friends, or even within her religion, always wondering if she were meant to be a wife and mother. At 15, she is set to be assigned to a husband very shortly, a man who will be much older than her, already married to several other women, and a father to many. Celeste is not sure she can be happy within that lifestyle, as her younger sister Nanette has felt she is destined to be a part of. Celeste wishes to rebel against the process, but does not want to bring heartache and shame to her family.

Told in alternating voices of Celeste, Nanette, and Taviana, a girl who once lived in the "real world" and stayed for a time in Unity, Sister Wife takes an in-depth look into the life of polygamists and how some women truly believe it is their destiny to be married to a man with other wives and some simply do not. This book is a completely unbiased look into this lifestyle, allowing for the heart of the characters to really flow outward and the message of individuality to come across strongly.

Very well-written and filled with realistic and honest characters, Sister Wife is not to be missed, especially after the recent media coverage of the polygamists sect in Texas. This really is an unbiased view, allowing for the real plot to come through. I loved it.

If you want to learn more about the title or to purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.

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