Mini Reviews: The Last Harvest || The Passion Of Dolssa

The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett

Genre: Young adult horror

Pages: 352

Publication date: January 2017

“I plead the blood.”

Those were the last words seventeen-year-old golden boy quarterback Clay Tate heard rattling from his dad's throat when he discovered him dying on the barn floor of the Neely Cattle Ranch, clutching a crucifix to his chest.

Now, on the first anniversary of the Midland, Oklahoma slaughter, the whole town's looking at Clay like he might be next to go over the edge. Clay wants to forget the past, but the sons and daughters of the Preservation Society—a group of prominent farmers his dad accused of devil worship—won't leave him alone. Including Ali, his longtime crush, who suddenly wants to reignite their romance after a year of silence, and hated rival Tyler Neely, who’s behaving like they’re old friends.

Even as Clay tries to reassure himself, creepy glances turn to sinister stares and strange coincidences build to gruesome rituals—but when he can never prove that any of it happened, Clay worries he might be following his dad down the path to insanity . . . or that something far more terrifying lies in wait around the corner.

Likes: Well, that was severely messed up. I did not expect that ending. This is for sure a horror story. The plot is wild, and there’s all the blood and guts you could ever want. I would have adored this book as a teen.

Seventeen-year-old Clay is not having a fun time in life. After the death of his father, weird stuff starts happening in Clay’s town. Either Clay is going insane, or his classmates are possessed by demons. (Personally, I vote for the demons. Have you ever met a teenager?) Clay is a deeply flawed person, but I care about him. He has a sense of humor and tries to do what’s right. He wants to take care of his family and figure out what’s happening to his friends, but he’s battling against a force that is more powerful than him. Still, he keeps fighting when everything seems hopeless.

The atmosphere is spot-on. I love the creepy farm town setting. If you enjoy those movies where spooky stuff happens in the crops, you need to read this book. The story begins when Clay runs over a calf with his combine. You know from the first chapter that this is going to be bizarre and intense. None of the characters (including Clay) can be trusted. Nobody is safe. I understand why some Goodreads reviewers question if this book should be called YA. It’s definitely the most gory YA horror book I’ve read. That’s not a complaint. I would have been thrilled to read this novel as a teen. 

Dislikes: The plot moves fast. Occasionally, it moves faster than my brain could process it. The author withholds information to keep the reader guessing, but some events are too mysterious for me. I didn’t always understand Clay’s motivation. Actually, this is one of those books where a lot of weird stuff happens, and the only explanation is “Demons.” I prefer to have more reasoning behind the weirdness in books.

I also wondered why Clay doesn’t show more reaction when his friends are brutally murdered. I know that this is horror, and someone dies every few chapters, but Clay is like, “Meh, he’s dead now. Let’s go back to solving mysteries and hitting on my girlfriend.” Usually, murders would cause more angst. Clay is annoyingly overprotective of his sisters, so he overreacts when they hang out with boys, but he’s not too bothered when his classmates get disemboweled. It’s odd.

The Bottom Line: Not perfect, but an entertaining horror novel. I will definitely check out the author’s other books.

The Passion Of Dolssa by Julie Berry

Genre: Young adult historical fiction

Pages: 478

Publication date: April 2016

Dolssa is a young gentlewoman with uncanny gifts, on the run from an obsessed friar determined to burn her as a heretic for the passion she refuses to tame.

Botille is a wily and charismatic peasant, a matchmaker running a tavern with her two sisters in a tiny seaside town.

The year is 1241; the place, Provensa, what we now call Provence, France—a land still reeling from the bloody crusades waged there by the Catholic Church and its northern French armies.

When the matchmaker finds the mystic near death by a riverside, Botille takes Dolssa in and discovers the girl’s extraordinary healing power. But as the vengeful Friar Lucien hunts down his heretic, the two girls find themselves putting an entire village at the mercy of murderers.

Likes: I first heard about this book when it was named a Printz Honor Book in 2017. As soon as I saw the synopsis, I knew that I needed to read it. It’s historical fiction (one of my favorite genres) about religious fanaticism (yes!) and witch hunts (YES!). After reading The Passion of Dolssa, I can confirm that it deserves its Printz Honor. It’s a thought-provoking book.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, but the two main characters are Dolssa and Botille. Dolssa claims that Jesus uses her to perform miracles. She’s on the run from a friar who wants to execute her for heresy. Botille is a matchmaker who finds Dolssa half-dead on the side of the road. When Botille brings Dolssa home to her family’s tavern, things get complicated.

The ending is twisted. This is one of those books where you don’t realize how much you like the characters until they’re about to die. It’s devastating to see resourceful Botille try everything to protect Dolssa and be thwarted at every turn.

I love that this novel is about friendship and sisterhood. Too many YA books focus on romance. There are romances in this one, but they’re in the background. That always makes me happy.

My favorite element of the book is the questions it raises. Are people so caught up in policing each other’s beliefs that they miss the miracles happening in front of them? If a religious leader tells you to do something that feels wrong, should you listen or go with your gut?

“What they don't understand, they destroy.” – The Passion of Dolssa

Dislikes: This is a long book with slow pacing and a lot of characters. I struggled to get interested in it and stay interested. The beginning is too slow and directionless for my tastes. By the end, I was hooked, but it took me about a week to read the first 300 pages. I kept putting the book down and getting distracted by other books.

The Bottom Line: If you like young adult historical fiction, I recommend reading this one, but be prepared for slowness.