“Lijah” by Ella Beckett

Lijah: Linderhaven Series, Book One

Ella Beckett
Linderhaven Seed Company (2026)
ASIN: B0H85J41HN
Reviewed by Amanda Caswell for Reader Views (9/2026)

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but the juxtaposition of a couple embracing in front of a cemetery drew me in from the moment I saw it. And this book did not disappoint!

Ella Beckett opens Lijah, the first novel in the Linderhaven series, with a mystery that immediately pulled me in beyond the mysterious cover. I had to know what happened to his parents and who Elijah Meadows was. And why was Lijah sent to Linderhaven at all. I really liked how the book drew me in and kept me reading with interesting and unanswered questions that kept unraveling throughout the book.

The premise of the book is around Lijah, who lives in a society covered by the Council, The Seven Families, and a collection of powerful ministries. They oversee nearly every part of what is otherwise an ordinary life. But even the police are called the Peace Force, and at school Lijah has been taught that democracy was a dangerous system from the past. It’s fascinating how people worry about being accused of hoarding ordinary household goods, and communication is restricted. When I say there is never a dull moment in this book, I really mean it! Government authority is something the people have learned not to challenge.

And while there isn’t a giant explanation of how the government works before the story can begin, the rules show up through Lijah’s daily experience and can actually be so unsettling that, as a reader, they make you stop and think.

Lijah himself was the reason I kept reading. The 16-year-old character is so likeable. He’s sarcastic, impulsive, funny, occasionally selfish, and very convincingly a teenager. He doesn’t immediately become a brave rebel determined to overthrow an oppressive government; he actually just wants his parents back and suspects practically everyone around him. Considering what has happened to him, I couldn’t blame him.

The book gets even more interesting when Lijah starts building his life there. I won’t give away too many details, but let’s just say the supporting cast is one of the novel’s biggest strengths. Sadie, Simon, Tessa, Naomi, Mother Ruth, and the other residents and staff give Linderhaven a personality beyond its imposing walls.

Lijah makes friends easily and also eventually takes on work in the barn. Like any teenager, he also gets into trouble and falls in love. There were several moments when something from much earlier in the story suddenly clicked into place for me. The author is so good at giving us just enough information without immediately helping us find those answers.

Lijah is surprisingly a quick read, but the middle section does slow a bit as Lijah settles into life at Linderhaven. The last portion of the book moves much faster than the middle, and several storylines that initially seem unrelated begin to come together.

What impressed me most was how thoroughly my perception of Linderhaven changed without the shift feeling like a trick. Early in the book, I felt the same instincts that Lijah had to look for threats everywhere.

Despite its teenage protagonist, Lijah is adult fiction, and readers should pay attention to the author’s content warning. The story deals with missing persons, child abduction, domestic abuse, sexual violence, and homicide. Some of the later material is considerably darker than the coming-of-age story at the beginning might suggest.

By the end, I wanted to know what happens next. For the first book in a series, that’s exactly where I wanted Lijah to leave me. Like any great novel, I was left wanting more.