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eviebookish's review
5.0
***Originally published to: Bookish Blog | YA&Adult Reviews, Author Interviews, Guest Posts, News and Giveaways! @_@~
Fire The Sky is the second book in Contact: Battle For America series by the bestselling author duo, W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear. Just like the first book in the trilogy, it delivers breathtaking action, gripping plot developments, well-drawn characters, impressive abundance of historical details and, most of all, an excellent, profoundly meaningful story. Captivating and deeply moving, it's not only a very interesting look at the early stages of Spanish conquest of the American southeast, but most of all it's an immensely engaging and thought-provoking adventure of epic proportions, just as entertaining as it is harrowing, and just as inspiring as it is heartbreaking. It's hands down one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read, and one that absolutely should not be missed.
Fire The Sky picks up exactly where Coming Of The Storm left off. Gears do not waste any time re-introducing the reader to the world or the characters. There are no boring recaps and no unnecessary flashbacks. We jump right back into the heat of action. In fact, in terms of action, the sequel is even more intensive and exciting than the first part. The story moves swiftly from one adventures to another, keeping the reader glued to the pages all the way through. Reading this book is anything but relaxing. The tension is always there and it's heart-stopping! I found myself gasping and shifting nervously most of the time - it was insane!
As we go deeper into the story, we learn more and more about De Soto's exploration and conquest of the New World, his cruelty, slimness, deceptiveness and heartlessness. After all the difficulties he faced in the first book, De Soto has now changed tactics, becoming even more fierce and unstoppable, spreading false promises of peace, getting the Native nations to trust him just to turn around and back-stab them. Weakened by the disease, defenseless against the many powerful weapons and fighting tactics of the Spanish army, one by one, the Native nations fall victim to De Soto's lies. Meanwhile, Black Shell and Pearl Hand are doing everything in their power to fight back, trying to warn their People and prepare them for what's to come, struggling to save their world from destruction.
Black Shell and Pearl Hand continue to inspire me. Their devotion, readiness to sacrifice their own happiness for the cause, and fierceness with which they fight is absolutely amazing. The Gears did a fabulous job fleshing out their characters, not only bringing out both their physical characteristics and personality traits, but also brilliantly depicting all their cultural features, customs and religious beliefs. Reading about the clash of cultures was very interesting and thought-provoking, and it made me see these historical events in a totally different light.
Overall, Fire The Sky is an excellent, intelligent and highly entertaining read. It's so rich in historical detail, so full of breathtaking action, so captivating and emotionally engaging, it's simply mind-blowing. On top of everything else, it's a compulsively readable page turner and a valuable history lesson. Everyone should read this series!
Fire The Sky is the second book in Contact: Battle For America series by the bestselling author duo, W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear. Just like the first book in the trilogy, it delivers breathtaking action, gripping plot developments, well-drawn characters, impressive abundance of historical details and, most of all, an excellent, profoundly meaningful story. Captivating and deeply moving, it's not only a very interesting look at the early stages of Spanish conquest of the American southeast, but most of all it's an immensely engaging and thought-provoking adventure of epic proportions, just as entertaining as it is harrowing, and just as inspiring as it is heartbreaking. It's hands down one of the best historical fiction novels I have ever read, and one that absolutely should not be missed.
Fire The Sky picks up exactly where Coming Of The Storm left off. Gears do not waste any time re-introducing the reader to the world or the characters. There are no boring recaps and no unnecessary flashbacks. We jump right back into the heat of action. In fact, in terms of action, the sequel is even more intensive and exciting than the first part. The story moves swiftly from one adventures to another, keeping the reader glued to the pages all the way through. Reading this book is anything but relaxing. The tension is always there and it's heart-stopping! I found myself gasping and shifting nervously most of the time - it was insane!
As we go deeper into the story, we learn more and more about De Soto's exploration and conquest of the New World, his cruelty, slimness, deceptiveness and heartlessness. After all the difficulties he faced in the first book, De Soto has now changed tactics, becoming even more fierce and unstoppable, spreading false promises of peace, getting the Native nations to trust him just to turn around and back-stab them. Weakened by the disease, defenseless against the many powerful weapons and fighting tactics of the Spanish army, one by one, the Native nations fall victim to De Soto's lies. Meanwhile, Black Shell and Pearl Hand are doing everything in their power to fight back, trying to warn their People and prepare them for what's to come, struggling to save their world from destruction.
Black Shell and Pearl Hand continue to inspire me. Their devotion, readiness to sacrifice their own happiness for the cause, and fierceness with which they fight is absolutely amazing. The Gears did a fabulous job fleshing out their characters, not only bringing out both their physical characteristics and personality traits, but also brilliantly depicting all their cultural features, customs and religious beliefs. Reading about the clash of cultures was very interesting and thought-provoking, and it made me see these historical events in a totally different light.
Overall, Fire The Sky is an excellent, intelligent and highly entertaining read. It's so rich in historical detail, so full of breathtaking action, so captivating and emotionally engaging, it's simply mind-blowing. On top of everything else, it's a compulsively readable page turner and a valuable history lesson. Everyone should read this series!
a_l_deleon's review
5.0
Not only does this second book in the series grip you but you also learn just how damaging the march of de Soto was at the time. You can't help but wonder why we as humans like to forget the truths of history versus the perceptions and fallacies that are often written down about it. I'm very interested in reading the third book in this set to get the full picture and would recommend this, along with any other books written by W.Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, to anyone.
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