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aliciaclarereads 's review for:
Trail of Lightning
by Rebecca Roanhorse
read for PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge: a book inspired by mythology, legend or folklore
This was probably more of a 3.5 star, but I'm rounding up because I think this series has such excellent potential, and I'm excited for the next installment.
Trail of Lightning is a fast paced post apocalyptic adventure in a world where Navajo legends and myths have returned to Earth. It has a lot of Mad Max vibes as our heroine races around a desert landscape in the midst of a drought. After being abandoned by her immortal god mentor, Maggie has finally returned to monster hunting. However, she discovers that these are not run of the mill monsters, but have a darker and more sinister purpose. There's magical clan powers, intense fight sequences, a budding romance, and a deep dive into trauma and its effect on our lives. And honestly, if that's not enough to sell you on this book, I don't what could!
I'm not even slightly familiar with Navajo myths, and Roanhorse is not very explanatory in this book - which I don't think she should have to be! I actually did a really quick read through of the Navajo mythology page on wikipedia just to give myself a very basic overview so that I'd have a better understanding of the myths. It helped to put certain characters into a better perspective which really paid off as the story progressed.
My favorite aspect by far was by far how Roanhorse weaved trauma into the story. Maggie has not recovered from the tragic event that lead to her becoming a monsterslayer nor the abandonment of her mentor. We grieve with her as she attempts to reconcile these moments in her life with her quest of destroying the new batch of monsters. Frankly, it's so beautiful, raw, and honest. The character development of Maggie is splendid! She's not really "likable" because she's basically all rough edges and has trouble letting people in. BUT she's a really dynamic character, so I don't think likability should even be a factor.
My main gripe was how fast the book moved. The end has SO MUCH ACTION, but pieces of it were paced much faster than others. The big fight scene before the final fight scene was... perfect. However the final confrontations felt rushed, and I'm still not sure I understand everything that happened.I have no idea why Kai's other clan power was such a betrayal? I mean i get him being persuasive is manipulative, but why did he think Neizgani was going to kill him? I don't know and I'm so CONFUSED It also takes place over so little time that I felt a bit of whiplash. That said, it doesn't drive me away from wanting to continue this series.
If you're looking for a book derived from mythology that isn't Greek or Western, give this book a try. I definitely have similar vibes that I had from reading the first Percy Jackson book, although this isn't middle grade so it is MUCH, MUCH more mature.
This was probably more of a 3.5 star, but I'm rounding up because I think this series has such excellent potential, and I'm excited for the next installment.
Trail of Lightning is a fast paced post apocalyptic adventure in a world where Navajo legends and myths have returned to Earth. It has a lot of Mad Max vibes as our heroine races around a desert landscape in the midst of a drought. After being abandoned by her immortal god mentor, Maggie has finally returned to monster hunting. However, she discovers that these are not run of the mill monsters, but have a darker and more sinister purpose. There's magical clan powers, intense fight sequences, a budding romance, and a deep dive into trauma and its effect on our lives. And honestly, if that's not enough to sell you on this book, I don't what could!
I'm not even slightly familiar with Navajo myths, and Roanhorse is not very explanatory in this book - which I don't think she should have to be! I actually did a really quick read through of the Navajo mythology page on wikipedia just to give myself a very basic overview so that I'd have a better understanding of the myths. It helped to put certain characters into a better perspective which really paid off as the story progressed.
My favorite aspect by far was by far how Roanhorse weaved trauma into the story. Maggie has not recovered from the tragic event that lead to her becoming a monsterslayer nor the abandonment of her mentor. We grieve with her as she attempts to reconcile these moments in her life with her quest of destroying the new batch of monsters. Frankly, it's so beautiful, raw, and honest. The character development of Maggie is splendid! She's not really "likable" because she's basically all rough edges and has trouble letting people in. BUT she's a really dynamic character, so I don't think likability should even be a factor.
My main gripe was how fast the book moved. The end has SO MUCH ACTION, but pieces of it were paced much faster than others. The big fight scene before the final fight scene was... perfect. However the final confrontations felt rushed, and I'm still not sure I understand everything that happened.
If you're looking for a book derived from mythology that isn't Greek or Western, give this book a try. I definitely have similar vibes that I had from reading the first Percy Jackson book, although this isn't middle grade so it is MUCH, MUCH more mature.