The Valley of Sage and Juniper

By: Shay Galloway

Narrated by: Makeda Grant

Steadfast Genesis and defiant Isaiah are content on their famed grandfather's ranch, nestled against the Rocky Mountains. When a mysterious new preacher arrives, called Leader by his congregation, the foundation of their legacy is shaken. Their pious mother, wooed by Leader's commanding presence, becomes a devout member of his fold, pulling the sisters into his reach and revealing that the congregation is more than it appears.

©2023 Shay Galloway (P)2023 Shay Galloway

A beautifully written story of innocence lost

Story: From reading the cover summary, I thought I knew exactly what to expect from this book. I figured I was in for another plucky young heroine exacting some sort of resounding defeat on the tyrant of the day - an implausible sort of Rocky Mountain Katniss Everdeen scenario. I could not have been more wrong. Shay Galloway has managed pen a real accomplishment with The Valley of Sage and Juniper. Her writing evokes that familiar sense of other that makes us all see ourselves and our families in her characters, while managing to retain the feeling that it is rooted in something deeply personal and authentic to the author. It is an excellently written story of the power of family and loyalty, of innocence lost and wisdom gained, and of the sometimes all too real human cost of tradition, zealotry, and dogma. There is no plucky young heroine, the character's rare triumphs are pyrrhic at best, and the melancholy of the world they live in is haunting and palpable. But all the while there is pride in the suffering, joy in the rare victories, and the persistent sensation that the sun will still come out even if not tomorrow.

If you enjoyed the western series Godless, you will love this read for its hard scrabble setting and tone, its powerful female characters, for the complex but plausible situations created by its many antagonists, and its reverent candor on the many proud and pitiful human experiences that underpin the story of America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In terms of like subject material, I would recommend this as a fictional pair to books like Under the Banner of Heaven and the limited series Keep Sweet, Pray and Obey. While it is not overtly related to the actual events of either title, its early chapters accomplish the difficult job of making personal a story akin to the experiences of any number of nameless women and children caught in the riptide of small town, dirt road, American fervor.

Performance: The narrator was clear and enjoyable to listen to, and their accent added some dust and grit to the story that really helped create some immersion for the setting. Although well read, she was just a bit slow spoken on this reading for my taste. I preferred listening at about 1.2x speed just to keep it at the pace that I would normally speak.

Disclaimer: I know my profile will populate my last name, so I want to be clear that the author did not solicit, endorse, compensate, moderate, or otherwise contribute to the content of this review or my decision to post it.

Well worth the read.

Love how this story of two sisters really grips you in, I just had to know what was going to happen next. It is a true emotional experience, I found myself really feeling for them like they are real people.
This is without a doubt the best read I have found this year, highly recommend it to anyone whole loves a good story.