Review: Lies by Oliver Dahl

Lies by Oliver Dahl

Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Ann Putnam Jr., one of the leading accusers during the Salem Witch Trials (1692) knows that something is wrong. After a horrifying encounter with Tituba, her friends were cursed. Miraculously untouched by the effects of the witch, Ann acts bewitched as well, in an attempt to accuse and hang her friends' torturers. This tragic experience of guilt, abuse, power, and love gives a first-person view into the spine-chilling months where neighbor turned on neighbor at the word of a little girl.

- Lies on Oliver Dahl's Website

First Sentence:

The wind out of the northeast from the distant Atlantic billowed my dress slightly, lifting the hem off the frozen, snow-covered January ground.

Last Sentence:

The tree that would constantly serve as a reminder of something I wished I could forget, the symbol and record-bearer for everything I regretted; the last thing on this earth that knew of my lies.

  Lies chronicles the story of Ann, a teenager who lives through the Salem Witch Trials first hand. Based on historical facts, the story follows the beginnings of the trial as Ann makes a grave mistake that will alter her life forever. Whenever she begins to spin a web of lies, she realizes too late that she's the one caught in the web.

  Okay. First things first. Oliver Dahl, the author of Lies and two other books, is sixteen. Wow. Whenever I first received Lies, I fully expected to be going easy on Oliver because of his age. How wrong I was. His storytelling abilities outshine many of those older than him. Oliver Dahl is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the literary world. Mark my words.

  This story is such a good read. The weaving of history throughout makes it more intriguing. Often times as I read Lies, I would pause to go search Wikipedia for articles to learn more about the events I was reading about. The imagery is built up so well that you're easily immersed in the world of Salem. The characters are the right kind of crazy for everything happening to make sense.

  As I said, Oliver Dahl is talented. Though Lies is a quick read, you'll be left feeling satisfied at the end. I would recommend Lies to any fan of historical fiction. The protagonist is younger, but the story ascends her age. You cannot go wrong with reading Lies.

  

Find out more about Lies on Oliver Dahl's website, Twitter, and Goodreads.

**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Oliver Dahl.