Review: Seed

Seed by Lisa Heathfield

My rating: 4 of 5 stars




I received a copy of Seed from the publisher in return for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down, I picked Seed up earlier this afternoon and before I knew it it was dark outside and the rest of the day had gone without me realising.

What would you do if you discovered everything you'd learned or been taught was a lie?

Pearl has just become a woman and is looking forwards to one day becoming the companion of Papa S like many young girls have done before her. It's all she's ever wanted but the arrival of three new members to the community begins to awaken doubts within her and she finds herself questioning everything she's been brought up to believe in.

Pearl lives a happy, content and perfect life, she has everything she could ever need. A roof over her head, a family who loves her and food on the table. Food that is grown lovingly by the hands of the community she has grown up in, the only one she's ever known. The community of Seed.
Seed is run by Papa S, they all look up to him, they live their daily lives following his beliefs and thanking Mother Nature everyday for all she provides. Secure and happy in the knowledge that as long as they stick to the beliefs and live their lives by the rules their leader has put in place, that life will go on as Mother Nature has planned, together, perfect and happy, safe from the outside world. But things aren't always what they seem to be.

Seed is a coming of age story with a difference, it's both beautiful and horrifying and will open your eyes to the stark truth that goes on in places all over the world. We all want to have that ideal life, to be surrounded by people we love and to feel safe and content with everything we have but sometimes things are too good to be true. The story is beautifully written and the characters give us a peek into a world that many of us will have heard of and found ourselves wondering, what were they thinking? How couldn't they not see what was going on? Why didn't they leave or question things? To us looking in, these questions seem so simple, the signs so blaringly obvious but on reading this book you find yourself understanding why they didn't leave, why they weren't seeing what was really going on and why they didn't question things. The power that someone can have over a group of people is scary to witness, how easily someone can manipulate and control, how far they will go to make sure they maintain that control.

I really wasn't expecting this book to touch me in the way it has, It just grabs you, and doesn't let go. The character development was fantastic and I felt for them, I just wanted to grab them and save them, show them that the outside world isn't such a bad place.

Reviews also posted to my blog: Scarlet's Web
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