Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Review - Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse







Title: Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World, #1)
Author: Rebecca Roanhorse
Pages: 305
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: 28th November 2019


Blurb from Goodreads:

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters.
 
Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unravelling clues from ancient legends, trading favours with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology.

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.
Welcome to the Sixth World.












My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*






Maggie Hoskie is a monster hunter. With her clan powers and training from the Monsterslayer himself, Maggie has built herself quite the reputation.
One day, a community goes to Maggie as a last resort, hoping that she will find a missing girl taken by a monster.

Maggie ends up finding more than she bargained for, and unwillingly agrees to allow Kai Arviso, a medicine man from outside the Dinétah (what was the Navajo reservation before the Big Water), to tag along with her as she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the monster.

As Maggie and Kai travel through the Dinétah, they encounter more monsters, gods and dark magic.

Can they stop the monsters?

Can Maggie confront her past?




It was the premise of Trail of Lightning that drew me in - a monster hunter living on a reservation sounded like a pretty interesting read to me!

The setting of the Dinétah (what used to be the Navajo reservation before the sea levels rose) was different as I don't think I've ever read a book set on a reservation before. The idea of a big wall around the Dinétah made it feel quite isolated and enclosed, but we get to see several different places on Maggie's travels so it was hard to imagine the size of the Dinétah.

My favourite things about the book were the Native American aspects of it - the gods, lore, and the clan powers - which made the book feel pretty unique.

I liked Maggie as a protagonist - she was relatable and likeable. It was interesting how much her relationship with her former mentor had defined her, and it was understandable given what had happened to her.

I couldn't help but like Coyote and his trickster nature.

The romance was one that I have no strong feelings about.

The plot was good and held my attention to about halfway through, when I found myself losing interest, and after that I struggled to get back into the storyline. Unfortunately, it got to the point where, in the end, I didn't really care what happened to the characters, which I thought was a shame as I did start off enjoying the book.

The writing style was easy to follow and understand.

For me, the book didn't reach its potential, but I really liked the uniqueness of the setting and the Native American characters and gods.




Overall, this was an ok read.







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