We Burn Daylight Bret Anthony Johnston

 

My thoughts

This book could have been a five star for me but it lost a couple of stars for two reasons. One being that the character of Jaye was written to act way older than she was stated as being. That was ok and made it a four star until I read the acknowledgments. The fact that the author says it was not about David Koresh. If he would have said it was loosely based on Koresh and the town of Waco, TX that would have helped. It was very much indeed about that horrific event. Yes in fiction form but it should have said "based" on. That is my humble opinion. 

I was entranced by this story. I remember when the cult and awful events of that time happened. How horribly it was addressed. The FBI, cops, and whatever other law enforcement was there messed things up horribly. Yes the main character, Perry, should have been brought down. But according to this story and the real life story, he was in town and having gun shows all the time. They could have taken him at any time without causing many deaths. Without all the destruction. Again this is my humble opinion. Now and back then. 

Two teenagers tell most of this story. One being the sheriffs son, Roy, ages 14. The other is Jaye, who came from California with her mother to join Perry. Jaye was just way to mature for a 15 year old. She did everything. She stood up to Perry like he was nothing. I didn't buy that either. I did like the story though so bear with me please. If not for her age it would have felt so much more realistic. Jaye had been a shy somewhat introverted young girl. She and her mother came to see what Perry and his commune was all about. It sounded very much like they were trying to groom Jaye for Perry even though her mother was wildly crazy about him. I mean she left her husband to move to Texas and be with Perry. I get that. It happened a lot in cults. 

Roy was a kid who had a good life. His mother was a nurse and his dad the sheriff. He was a good kid and did what he was suppose to do. Until he didn't. That is when things went crazy in this story. lol At least for me. There were a few things that just didn't add up for me in this book. The fact that the cop didn't run after Roy when he ran into the compound. That they didn't look for him like he was the sheriff's son. Oh wait, he was the sheriff's son. Go figure. Yes it would happen but in this book I just didn't buy that. This man, Roy's dad, would have moved mountains to find his son knowing what was coming.

The FBI botched the arrest of Perry. They caused so many deaths. Yes Perry deserved to die in my opinion for what he was doing to young girls. But so did their parents for allowing it. Not that this book was in any way graphic. You only read that it did happen. No details. No graphics. I also didn't buy the ending. The sheriff would not have gone along with it. Not the man I read about anyway. He would have found a way for things to be ok. 

I figured out what happened to the two youngsters and was not surprised by the ending. But I had no idea who the podcaster what. I was pleasantly surprised. I like him and was hoping he would find out the truth. 

This book had great potential and it looks like I am in the minority with this opinion. I liked it but it did not wow me like I had hoped it would. It was a fast paced story and after the FBI got called in it got exciting. But I just didn't think a few things were so great and I do believe it is about David Koresh, or loosely about him and the events of that time. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #RandomHousePublishingGroup, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Three stars.

About

An epic novel of star-crossed lovers set in a doomsday cult on the Texas prairie that What would you sacrifice for the person you love?

“Symphonic and suspenseful . . . In an epic act of empathy, Bret Anthony Johnston inhabits every point of view, from doomed devotees to perplexed law enforcement.”—Geraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of March

Waco, Texas, 1993. People from all walks of life have arrived to follow the Lamb’s gospel—signing over savings and pensions, selling their homes and shedding marriages. They’ve come here to worship at the feet of a former landscaper turned prophet who is preparing for the End Times with a staggering cache of weapons. Jaye’s mother is one of his newest and most devout followers, though Jaye herself has suspicions about the Lamb’s methods—and his motives.

Roy is the youngest son of the local sheriff, a fourteen-year-old boy with a heart of gold and a nose for trouble who falls for Jaye without knowing of her mother’s attachment to the man who is currently making his father’s life hell. The two teenagers are drawn to each other immediately and completely, but their love may have dire consequences for their families. The Lamb has plans for them all—especially Jaye—and as his preaching and scheming move them closer and closer to unthinkable violence, Roy risks everything to save Jaye.

Based on the true events that unfolded thirty years ago during the siege of the Branch Davidian compound, Bret Anthony Johnston’s We Burn Daylight is an unforgettable love story, a heart-pounding literary page turner, and a profound exploration of faith, family, and what it means to truly be saved.