This book definitely is more of a historical fiction, which I normally don’t read, but this one was really good. I love this author and her writing. The whole Mormon aspect was really interesting to me and this book was very upsetting at times. Such a good book to read.

Not the typical type of book I usually read, however this was a good book overall. It was sometimes hard to recall characters, but definitely worth reading.

This was an interesting read. I had no prior knowledge of the massacre, so uncovering a tragic event in American history was intriguing. Because I was unfamiliar with the subject matter - as I imagine most readers would not be - it added a layer of surprising emotion I did not expect. I appreciate Hill's ability to create different narratives are distinct and have their own unique voices. It makes the story more complete, while providing interesting and varying perspectives.

This book was very good well written however when I first requested it, it didn’t mention it was historical thriller. It took me long to read it because I’m not into historical thriller and it was hard to enjoy. However the story was well written like I mentioned in the beginning. I loved that she wrote this based on true events that I have never heard about. I’m glad I gave it a chance.

None Left to Tell is a very different type of book than I usually read. However it was very well written and the characters were very engaging. I found myself hanging on to what was going on between the characters and their stories. I definitely recommend this book.

Noelle W. Ihli tells the true story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the 1857 murder of 120 settlers on their way to California. The ambush was planned and executed by local Mormon militiamen, with some assistance from the nearby Paiute native Americans. Ihli alternates between a Mormon wife, a native bride and a settler child and her mother.

While I knew a little bit about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, I didn’t know a lot of details about what happened. It was really sad and a terrible cover-up by the Mormons. Only 17 children survived the massacre. This book tells a fictional tale about some of the real life characters. It Was really interesting and sad.

Thanks to Net Galley & Dynamite Books for a copy of this novel.

I devoured this in one sitting! As a longtime reader of Noelle W. Ihli, I went into this novel completely blind and did not realize that it was more historical fiction. Therefore, I was not aware that this book was based on actual events and had never heard of the massacre it captured before. With that being said, the book was gutwrenching, thoughtful, and beautifully written. A must-read!

Wow Noelle- you outdid yourself with this story. This was quite the story! I’d never heard anything about this story and was fascinated with it. Excellent job relaying the story and intertwining the all the characters!

Beautiful. Heart wrenching. Compelling. One of the best, but most challenging books I have read in a long time. The writing is stunning. The author’s talent shines through when dealing with the incredibly difficult subject matter.

Nancy Huff and her mother, Katrina, are traveling through Utah, headed to California on a wagon train. Kahpeputz is a young Native American woman, the fourth wife of a Native American Mormon convert. Lucy Robison is a Mormon mother, caring for her family in a small town in Utah, while her husband goes off fighting. All forever impacted by the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

I have a few Noelle West Ihli books on my TBR but this was my first read. Wow! I can’t wait to get to the other books written by Noelle. Perfectly twisty!

First of all, Thank you very much for this eARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I normally love books by this author, but it was completely different than I am used to and I could not get into it.. It was very slow and I was expecting a thriller, and that may be my own fault, but it was more historical, and was a miss for me. I had a hard time keeping up with who was who and I unfortunately did not finish it. It was not for me, but I’m sure people who love more historical books will absolutely love this one!

An emotional historical thriller based on true events and a scathing indictment of the Mormon church’s history. This story uses the POVs of several characters and two time frames to weave a gruesome tale of murder and deceit. I really liked the structure and the distinct voices of the characters, but was a little disappointed in the serendipity of the resolution. All in all a solid though heart wrenching read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

NONE LEFT TO TELL
BY: NOELLE W. IHLI

MORE THAN FIVE PLUS SPARKLING STARS! I WOULD RATE THIS 100 STARS IF I COULD. THIS IS TRULY A MASTERPIECE WHO I RECOMMEND HIGHLY TO EVERYONE!

I have been thinking about how I wanted to craft this review by, NOELLE W. IHLI, called, "NONE LEFT TO TELL," which she says that the story that follows is fiction; however, it is tightly based on real events that took place in Southern Utah, in September of 1857. It's known as the MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE. Having read this, I didn't know as much as I do now, but I was cognizant of it being a disturbing part of history that I remember hearing about in college. While I read this it alternates between featuring three different women and I was so irrationally angry at this author since I found the first 52%, which features Katrina Huff, her real name is Saleta, her husband Peter and her four children, with Peter's brother and wife and their baby to be the main focus of the first half of the book which was my favorite. I understood that the book was fiction, but I was so irrational and angry by how upsetting this was. I turned my tears into misdirected anger towards the author, to learn that what I considered the strongest writing, because I felt so angry that the character who I felt so attached to because of the brilliant character development, I was stunned to learn that I loved her so much and it appears that Katrina/Saleta was most likely fictional. I thought that I was getting factual people who I found Katrina's and her depiction of her love for her family to be both the most moving and beautifully written part of the book in my opinion. Saleta Huff was real, along with Sally who the author dedicated this book to both of them. That mixed with the combination with everything else I felt it was unforgivable of the author to have manipulated me into being so attached and heartbroken for what transpired was horrific. It was devastating. It is irrational, I know but learning that I grew so attached to Katrina Huff, and finding out that my heart was broken for a fictional character, after I finished it made me so angry I had to wait five weeks, since I received my ARC the day or two before the Publication date. Since it was the best part of the book, I felt unable to write a fair review. I felt that the author ruined the whole book for me. I have never, ever had that experience before by reading a book. I knew that I'd get over it eventually, I just found myself wanting to avoid dealing with the review, since I didn't want to stir up those feelings again. After I read the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, I was further deeply disturbed about how about what ensued, that is factual which is so unforgettable and upsetting. that when I got to the end of it, I needed a break. In the very beginning two page Author's Note that said how the vast majority is factual based on the MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE, it has taken me five weeks to forgive this fantastic Author. Whom I have had time to gain proper perspective, which the author didn't know I would feel most connected to her protagonist. Also, it's her book that she has every right to write in such a way that makes her happy with it. After taking years of reading everything she could find about this horrific event that was credible as part of her research, I think that she has produced one of the most disturbing, but finally bringing to light, a horrific but necessary part of history that very few people are familiar with. Even more impressive is the courage to implicate some of the perpetrators who it took until, 2007 for the faith in which she was raised in to dig up her ancestor's body who was a young boy of 14 years old, to test whether he was poisoned. The tests were inconclusive since he died, in 1857, from skinning the hides from cattle who scratched an itch by rubbing his face and died. Which was blamed on the "gentiles," which is a pejorative word that means "outsider" or "outside the Mormon religion," who were part of the wagon train that were Katrina Huff or Saleta Huff more correctly, who were travelling through Southern Utah, on their way to settle in California from Arkansas. When the 14 year old who died, who the tests proved inconclusive since the soil was too degraded from him being dead for so long, but some of the Mormons, blamed the pioneers for poisoning him. The first 52% is in my opinion the most beautifully written and also the most heartbreaking part of this novel is mainly about Saleta or Katrina Huff, who is the main character who I felt mostly connected to her since she is the wife and mother of four children. The Huff family is featured mostly, but Katrina is the main character whose beautiful poetry I was highlighting so many passages. She was kind. The novel is on the whole one of my top favorite historical fiction novels, ever. The first half, which was captivating and so gripping that I read it at lightning speed. As long as I'm invested in the narrative about something that very few people including me only might have heard about, I don't need a fast pace to keep me invested. "IN NONE LEFT TO TELL," NOELLE W. IHLI, who is a brand new author to me, wrote a BEAUTIFULLY, but a DISTURBING narrative that had me in love with her writing style for the first 52%. My favorite part of the novel happened up to that point. In her recreation of one of the two women who she dedicated this factually based novel to was the mother of four children traveling West in a group of wagon trains. I took a long time to post this review, since I was frustrated with this talented author, because in the very beginning she stated how she spent years researching this book which she stated in her Author's Note. She said that this is fiction. However, she relied on the credible Historians to tell the story of one of the worst massacres that happened on U.S. soil before September 11, 2001. She stated that few people have any idea about THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE, besides the descendants of the murderers and her. The reason why I was so frustrated is because in that very short Author's Note which isn't a spoiler since it serves as a sort of Preface before the story begins. I knew that she said that although it's fiction, she has based the novel heavily on the factual historical record. She went on to say that for the sake of narrative flowing she altered certain chronological events, that she also made some of the characters composites of real people, and finally that she altered the real quotations for the sake of contemporary readers. I am at fault for missing that she did those things since I zeroed in on the shocking content that I hadn't been prepared for by the disturbing content, that wasn't in the synopsis on Net Galley or Good Reads. I discovered what I knew that took place in September of 1857, in Southern Utah, to what is known as THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE. I feel that the Authors Note, which I discovered for the first time what I feel the author included in her note was described how most of the book was factual, and learning what she seemed to use as shock value, or I interpreted it was is probably more accurate since I was shocked. It made me very annoyed after I read this by thinking what I read was true, only to read her ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS which was much longer, and very important that she clarifies how much of what I thought was true she used creative license. Which has taken me five weeks to write this after reading this to finally review it in a fair way, because I was angry, that I felt short changed and it ruined my love for historical fiction I felt that after reading this, it made me feel that the strongest writing in my opinion was part fiction. I loved much about what I read about in this novel having to do with Katrina Huff and the, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS along with rereading the Author's Note, I felt like this talented Author, NOELLE W. IHLI contradicted herself. I was wrong about that, also. I knew on some level that I was going to wait until I could be fair to this masterful author, and I can't explain why I was to be so flawed in my reaction that I misdirected my anger about the tragedy towards this wonderful author about turning everything I read upside down. I was angry that she didn't use Katrina Huff's real first name. I was angry that I had been left with unanswered questions even though I understood what I read. It took me all this time to process the complicated feelings to understand why I was experiencing such an irrational reaction Katrina Huff is the fictional first name who she changed her first name and who I connected with the most. She is the mother of four children whose point of view and Chapter headings consisted of three women. The most beautiful part of the writing focuses on Katrina with Sally and Lucy taking up less of the narrative up until 52% by which their character development has been established, but after the 52% mark they become featured prominently in the plot. They're introduced within the first 52% and are more important in the second half of the book along with a child, who for reasons that would spoil it for readers, I won't say why she plays an important role which I easily guessed who the child was and why she plays a huge part of the second part of this masterpiece. I will never forget this story that affected me so powerfully that it took me a month to be able to write a fair review. I finally have forgiven the author for my irrational anger at her for taking everything that I loved about the book and turning it upside down. I have never read a book that I had been so impacted based mostly in fact that it is IMPECCABLY written that paralyzed me from writing my review. I know that I will never forget this historical fiction that astonished me to not understand why I kept saying everyday that I would plan on writing from my heart, and it weighed on me that I planned on writing my thoughts about this, but couldn't day after day. I requested this a couple days before it was the Publication Date. I have nothing but praise for this novel. I applaud this author for her perseverance in bringing this story to light, while it is still very much a taboo topic that she spent years researching every credible source regarding the vast majority of the names, events, places, quotes and people in this book are historically accurate based on careful research. Her heart was in the right place of wanting to honor two characters. One who I haven't featured as a source of my former frustration was named Sally who both her and Saleta Huff this book is dedicated to whose character I also loved. Sally was kidnapped from her village at seven years old.
named Sally, whose character I also loved, who was kidnapped from her village at seven years old who was a Native American who was sold to Brigham Young 's fourth wife named Clara as an indentured servant. She was later "gifted" to the real Chief Kanosh at Corn Creek near Fillmore, Utah as a plural wife. Sally's name was Sally Young Kanosh. Her given name was Kahpeptuz. Her role is less prominent in the first 52%, but she was one of the women who this book was dedicated to. I loved Sally's character who was from the beginning mistreated by Chief Kanosh's other wives. She was kind to a young Nancy Huff, who she gave a trinket to. Nancy Huff was Katrina's youngest child. As I have said already, that Katrina Huff's, first name was fictional who I don't understand was not presented in this narrative by her real name. in this narrative as Saleta Huff her real name which as Sally Young Kanosh whose real name was Kahpeptez were the two women who, the author, Noelle W. Ihli dedicated this book to. I found out finally while Saleta Huff was a real person for who I said I connected to the most out of the three women besides Sally who was younger, probably only 19 years old. It just popped out to me why this author chose Katrina Huff as her protagonist in the first 52%, who was one of the pioneer women who was part of that wagon train traveling from Arkansas to California with her husband Peter and four children. Since I found her to be a mother of four, who is featured in the first half of the book, traveling West with her husband it would be a spoiler to reveal why she was chosen as the protagonist. I loved Katrina Huff who was important in the plot which was my favorite character who I loved her poetry that I highlighted and f loved her strength whose story I felt featured her character stunning development. But, when she described as very few people know the true story besides the descendants of the murderers by saying how this disturbing event is relegated to the sidelines of history.

She did something quite different by putting a short Author's Note in the beginning, which because of how she called the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which for me was hard to read about, but I'm glad that I did. I really think that most people would be interested in learning what happened who live in the United States, and could benefit from learning a shameful, much covered up slaughter which is still very much a taboo subject. This author has dedicated this book to two main female characters, who in the former above paragraph she dedicated this beautifully written narrative to so that they won't be forgotten, and rightly so. I think she did an incredible job of making me feel that I witnessed it first hand. At the end in her ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, of what most writers would place their Author's Note, is to flip what I read thinking it was as close to the historical record, to learn that I misread the beginning Author's Note. For example, I thought that everything in quotation marks was factual. When I reread the beginning, the author said that she has taken some liberties for the sake of clarity, pacing and coherence. "For instance condensed in the beginning her, "NOTE ON HISTORICITY," Noelle W. Ihli states that this novel is firmly rooted in real events of which she relied heavily from research from historians. Which then follows four books with the titles, and authors. Which I'm interested in reading when time permits, and grateful to this author for sharing them. She goes on to say: "I've taken some liberties for the sake of clarity, pacing, and coherence. For instance some character and location names have been changed or consolidated (there were a lot of people named Joseph in this particular story). I've also condensed the chronology of events in some places to maintain pacing and narrative. While all quotations used in this book are drawn from real historical documents, I have condensed and edited some for brevity and to enhance readability for a contemporary audience," This is the part that I am frustrated about, but the fault lies with me since I read it for the first time missing the fact that this author changed the quotations. I read it thinking that the quotes were straight from the historians, books, and research could be relied upon as fact. This is beautifully written, and while I understand why the author did it thinking it's readability is easier, but I'm honestly feel upset and frustrated that either at myself for missing that sentence. I'm also upset that she changed places, names, and especially quotes. By me misreading that nuance, I feel frustrated that she would change quotes. I ended up reading this thinking that she kept true to the factual record. It changes everything for me, who she contradicts herself by beginning with saying which I repeat the reason why. It started with "This novel is firmly rooted in real events." then says she relied heavily on research from historians. I'm frustrated that she doesn't give the reader the credit, for trusting that some of us think we can figure out the dialogue. I would like to read accurate factual historic records since I don't want name changes, quote changes, place changes since I think that it makes me question everything that I read. I'm disappointed that she would change places, the chronology of events for the sake of her idea of what she considers to be to maintain pacing and narrative. So I'm upset that she contradicts herself, and I for one feel that I was shortchanged by not getting the story as it happened, especially when she said what I've said already. When an author says, "This novel is firmly rooted in real events." To give this author credit, that she doesn't give me the reader she ends by saying: "Any deviations made from real names, events, or quotations were made with careful consideration and the goal of preserving their original spirit and intent." She starts before that issue of saying this, which I'm quoting her. "What happened during that five day attack in September outside Cedar City was one of the deadliest massacres on US soil prior to September 11, 2001. Despite this fact, most people are not familiar with the story. Those who know it are typically the descendants of the ones who perpetrated and hid this heinous crime. That's the reason I know this story. And that's the reason why I'm telling it now."

Publication Date:: October 10, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, the talented Noelle W. Ihli and Dynamite Books for generously providing me with my ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#NoneLefttoTell #NoelleWestIhli #DynamiteBooks #NetGalley

I don't think there are words to describe how harrowing this story is and how well Noelle delivered on it. While unlike Noelle's previous thrillers, this historical fiction is just as gripping from the start. Born and raised in Utah, I must admit I had never heard of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, but was eager to learn.

This was a gut-wrenching, horrifying, extremely emotional story to tell, and Noelle truly told this with the utmost care and consideration. The Afterword explains what exactly was changed from the true events that were well researched and I was shocked at how little was changed.

This booked had me sobbing, a pit in my stomach, jaw on the floor - just reeling for a different outcome than what actually happened to the victims of the massacre. This story will be one that continues to haunt me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dynamite Books, and Noelle W. Ihli for the opportunity to receive this as an ARC.

It was a slow start but it picked up. I did enjoy the story line and how it was written. Historical fiction isn’t something I truly enjoy to read but Noelle did a great job with this one.

I picked up this book primarily on the authors name. I enjoyed and LOVED her other books. Some of my favorite stories of the year are written by her.
I had something different in mind going into this story and the whole historical bit threw me. I am not the target audience for this book.
I enjoyed the darkness, the gruesome details, and the way religion was depicted, but it was painful to get there as I my heart wasn’t into it!

Having read Noelle Ihli's other thrillers, I was not expecting *None Left to Tell* to take the direction it did, and unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. This book feels more like historical fiction than a traditional thriller, focusing on the events surrounding the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857. It follows three women—Lucy, a determined survivor; Katrina, a protective mother; and Sally, a reluctant fourth wife—and weaves their stories around a tragic and lesser-known chapter of history. While Ihli’s writing is beautifully crafted and her ability to draw the reader in is clear, the shift in tone and genre made it feel different from her usual work, and I found it harder to connect with. The book is deeply emotional and heartbreaking, but be mindful of the heavy subject matter and trigger warnings. Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a miss for me but I think those who like
Historical
Fiction may really enjoy it so I went right down the middle with my rating

It was well written over all it just wasn’t a thriller. O don’t enjoy regular historical fiction which is what this is despite being billed as a thriller.

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Netgalley and Dynamite Books to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I am a fan of this author and I was thrilled to see this was based on actual events. Unfortunately, it was very much a miss for me. It was an incredibly slow start and I found it difficult to get into. I did not find there to be any elements of a thriller (I noted it being pushed as a historical thriller). The book is told from multiple POVs throughout but it felt quite dry and monotone compared to other books of hers that I have read.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a captivating read that held my attention from start to finish. The story was well-paced, and the characters felt real and engaging. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing an early copy—it was a pleasure to read!