This is one of those books that throws you right into the scene with the characters, who have a whole lot of background together and independently that kind of seeps out at you by a variety of show and tells. I had to check more than once that this was actually the first book of the series, because I really felt like I was missing some larger story. I would have liked to have read more about Kate's run in with the pedophile, the one who had cut her throat in such a terrible way.

Apparently there are a lot of alcoholics in Alaska. Also, outhouses and Russian ancestry. The latter I was unfamiliar with, but I suppose it makes sense given their their propensity for trapping beavers and sea otters. The more I read about Russian history in Alaska, the more they sound like dicks.

I wanted to know more about Chopper Jim. He was more interesting to me than Jack, though the latter's intense fear of heights was an interesting flaw in a main male character.

This was painful to read. You find out mid-way through the book that Julie's mother seemed to have suffered abuse as a child too, but at that point it was too late for me to feel anything but disgust for her and her behavior. This is to say nothing of her father, abusive, mentally unstable and unable to see her mother's emasculating insults as what they truly were: goading to become a part of assaulting and traumatizing their daughter. How do these people find each other?

It seems unreal that this could happen for so long (and to a variety of other children too, with lesser degrees of severity) and not be noticed by medical professionals or school administrators or anyone! Her memory is really (and terribly) quite amazing.

On a side note, the SHEN therapy experience Julie has as part of her recovery reminds me of She's Come Undone, going into a comforting almost womb-like state.

Saba's character took a while to grow on me, much like Emmi's did. In fact, the only character I liked straight from initial contact was Nero (the crow). It was difficult for me to accept their flaws; Emmi was so incredibly irritating, the way she would flout her sister's authority, even when she could see it was for her own safety and Saba was just so fucking stubborn about anything and everything. It was gratifying to see them sloooooooowly start to grow as people, though it was a frustrating crawl.

Throughout this book, I was hoping Young would explain the strange connection Saba had with DeMalo, but I got nothing. To be honest, I was rooting for the two of them to be together instead of Jack, or at the very least, for something to come out of that small bit part! Blood Red Road does appear to be the first in a series, so hopefully I'll see something more tangible in the future.

I did, however, enjoy the idea of a roving group of female warriors.