ALA Booklist (Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2015)

Eva is mostly content with her life in Righteous Path, an isolated religious compound led by Ezekiel, a man who claims to speak directly with God. When Ezekiel orders fourteen-year-old Eva to stop attending school with the other children and devote her energy to making jewelry to sell at the market, she is disappointed to miss her lessons but excited about the chance to see the wider world. Once she witnesses the kindness and generosity of the "heathens" in the city, however, as well as Ezekiel's growing egomania and paranoid, misogynistic behavior, she starts to question whether he is as holy as he claims. Though some readers may be frustrated by Eva's initial diffidence to Ezekiel's bald-faced narcissism, her earnest first-person narrative offers a meaningful glimpse into the importance of her faith, her gradual realization that she is in danger, and her brave escape plan. It's impossible not to root for Eva as she learns to trust her instincts and her own feelings. Teen readers fascinated by religious cults will be drawn in by Eva's story.

School Library Journal (Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2015)

Gr 9 Up-Fourteen-year-old Eva and her mother are members of the Righteous Path, a 17-member cult located in Colorado. Eva struggles to be obedient and is justifiably afraid of Prophet Ezekiel's fierce moods and demands. Her faith is further shaken when her mother must suffer a difficult pregnancy without medical attention or proper nutrition. Eva and Rachel, the youngest of Ezekiel's 10 wives, are sent down the mountain to purchase supplies and sell Eva's handmade jewelry in the nearby town. Eva is fearful and amazed at the contrast between her stark, strict life and the freedom of the "heathen" world. She is also surprised at the kindness of the people she meets, contradicting everything Ezekiel has told them. Meanwhile, Ezekiel has become paranoid that outsiders may try to attack them and spends most of their money buying guns instead of food to last through winter. With the help of a young man whom she meets in town, Eva learns more about the broader world. Her forced betrothal to Ezekiel pushes Eva to take action, leading to a gripping climax. Fixmer, a therapist who has counseled former religious cult members, has written a taut psychological drama with believable and sympathetic characters. The first-person narrative sustains a tense mood throughout, with frequent referrals to tragic real-life cults, such as the Branch Davidians of Waco, TX. This book is similar in theme but less violent than Carol Lynch Williams's The Chosen One (St. Martin's Griffin, 2009). VERDICT Readers will be caught up in this realistic story of a brave girl rebelling against a fundamentalist society. Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

Voice of Youth Advocates

Fixmer's second bookthe first was Saint Training (Zondervan, 2010)again presents a story through a religious lens. In Saint Training, issues of the day (1960s), including changing gender roles, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and modern vs. traditional Catholicism are presented from the perspective of a young, devout Catholic girl. In Down from the Mountain, a fourteen-year-old cult member gradually realizes that her true wishes and desires are in conflict with the cult's ideologies. Initially, Eva feels fortunate to live in a secure, isolated compound in Colorado with her many mothers and other members of the Righteous Path, the 444 people chosen to survive Armageddon and go to heaven. Members live communally but stoically, with scarce food, punishments, and censorship under the strict rule of the greatly revered and feared leader, Reverend Ezekiel (who is "married" to the mothers). Eva begins to recognize hypocrisy in the cult's ways and dogma; her epiphany in a bead shop and a series of disconcerting events are harbingers of an uncertain (and likely dangerous) future.Fixmer presents a fascinating inside look at daily life in a religious cult in this suspenseful coming-of-age story. Readers learn of the psychology that compels continued membership despite the demanding lifestyle. This book should spur readers to learn more about cults in the United States and, perhaps, encourage them to not accept the "status quo" in their own lives.Christina Miller.