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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
There was this one climatic scene that despite being heavily telegraphed seems to be sticking with me, because it’s about boundary blurring between powerful male teacher and female student and the abusive nature of that kind of relationship: The student’s confusion, the time it takes for the grey areas to take on the necessary contrast. The more I think about it, the more I think this book did a superb job of addressing that subject in a nuanced way, even while the rest of the book felt very in your face, emotionally.
It took longer than usual for the characters to grow on me. The Navajo setting is great, but I was expecting more slow patience and mysterious silences from elders... I know that ‘s my own prejudices... but I did ask myself a few times who the target audience is, and why everyone seemed so American. Unfair comparisons with other Native authors and the Tony Hillerman crime novels, I guess. The plot also never grabbed me; I never had that need to find out what happens next. That’s fine, just not what I expect from a genre book with a kick-ass cover. Maybe it’s just the YA-ness of it? I got annoyed many times, so annoyed that I stopped reading, but I kept coming back to it and in the end, all the annoying stuff was satisfactorily resolved, the plot managed a few surprises and I do wonder what happens in the next book in the series. So I would recommend it, but don’t come at it with all the expectations I had.
It took longer than usual for the characters to grow on me. The Navajo setting is great, but I was expecting more slow patience and mysterious silences from elders... I know that ‘s my own prejudices... but I did ask myself a few times who the target audience is, and why everyone seemed so American. Unfair comparisons with other Native authors and the Tony Hillerman crime novels, I guess. The plot also never grabbed me; I never had that need to find out what happens next. That’s fine, just not what I expect from a genre book with a kick-ass cover. Maybe it’s just the YA-ness of it? I got annoyed many times, so annoyed that I stopped reading, but I kept coming back to it and in the end, all the annoying stuff was satisfactorily resolved, the plot managed a few surprises and I do wonder what happens in the next book in the series. So I would recommend it, but don’t come at it with all the expectations I had.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I so wanted to love this book, but tragically I think it wasn't for me. Reading the setting, I literally couldn't imagine a book more written to my tastes!! Climate dystopia? Badass monster hunting protagonist? Mad Max vibes?! Not to mention, I LOVED Black Sun by the same author.
The setting actually was fantastic - this future imagining of Dinétah was vivid and well-developed (the wall?!) and I really enjoyed getting to know Maggie in the first third of the story.
But,,, I think the writing is very different in Trail of Lightning than in Black Sun. Because our protagonist Maggie has been through some extreme trauma, she is a very closed-off and secretive character. Her story is told through jarring flashbacks or, more often, not told at all. I understand that this is the first in a series, but her motivations in the back half of the book were confusing and the whole finale was seriously a mystery to me. Because the reader is given so little information about a pivotal past relationship that Maggie had, it was hard to care about a confrontation later in the book. I also struggled with the pacing and narrative structure generally, where it felt like characters would whisk off onto unrelated tasks, rather than a steady build to the climax.Coyote's betrayal was indicative of this. Both his character and that of Neizghání are so mythicized, not only is it crazy that Maggie easily defeats both of them, but it was confusing and jumpy to have them both betray our main characters in pretty convoluted ways, on top of the monsters that seem to fade in and out of relevance.
My other issue is a totally personal nitpick, and his name is Kai.One of my biggest pet peeves is when an author makes a plot twist just a little too obvious. I swear, from Kai's first interaction with the Longarm I knew he could use clan powers to manipulate people. It's so blatant it's frankly unbelievable that Maggie wouldn't figure it out until the last 20 pages, and then to have such a tropey moment of shock and betrayal felt inauthentic to her whip-smart, suspicious character.
Yada yada yada. The more so-so I feel about a book, the more chatter I have about it. I think lots of people would love this, but if you're on the edge, my read it instead is Black Sun because it was just so better written.
The setting actually was fantastic - this future imagining of Dinétah was vivid and well-developed (the wall?!) and I really enjoyed getting to know Maggie in the first third of the story.
But,,, I think the writing is very different in Trail of Lightning than in Black Sun. Because our protagonist Maggie has been through some extreme trauma, she is a very closed-off and secretive character. Her story is told through jarring flashbacks or, more often, not told at all. I understand that this is the first in a series, but her motivations in the back half of the book were confusing and the whole finale was seriously a mystery to me. Because the reader is given so little information about a pivotal past relationship that Maggie had, it was hard to care about a confrontation later in the book. I also struggled with the pacing and narrative structure generally, where it felt like characters would whisk off onto unrelated tasks, rather than a steady build to the climax.
My other issue is a totally personal nitpick, and his name is Kai.
Yada yada yada. The more so-so I feel about a book, the more chatter I have about it. I think lots of people would love this, but if you're on the edge, my read it instead is Black Sun because it was just so better written.
adventurous
dark
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The world has been put back into the hands of the Dine'/Navajo. After a great flood the water has risen and few land masses remain, one is the reservation were the Dine' were shucked off to many years ago. With this new beginning comes the old gods, the magic and the oral histories become life savers. Everything old is new again and those remaining need to relearn the ways. Monsters, witches and twisted souls meet in this Mad Max-ish world of survival.
Maggie, has her clan's magic in her, it's a killing magic, and she kills the monsters. She was trained by one of the gods to use her magic, it makes her unpopular till somebody needs her. When the monsters get more dangerous she reluctantly takes on a partner who is a healer with magic. It's not an easy match, or a welcome one. Many things will challange this partnership, old loves, secrets, betrayals, death and magic.
I struggled with the first 1/4 of this book. I was stuck on some of the Navajo language used. I really missed to knowing what some of the words ment. My in laws are Navajo and helped with some but a brief guide would have made the experience more. The more I read the more I was investing in this world and these characters. When I finished the book I felt I'd said good bye to family I would miss. I can't wait for the next book in the series. This is an author to follow.
Maggie, has her clan's magic in her, it's a killing magic, and she kills the monsters. She was trained by one of the gods to use her magic, it makes her unpopular till somebody needs her. When the monsters get more dangerous she reluctantly takes on a partner who is a healer with magic. It's not an easy match, or a welcome one. Many things will challange this partnership, old loves, secrets, betrayals, death and magic.
I struggled with the first 1/4 of this book. I was stuck on some of the Navajo language used. I really missed to knowing what some of the words ment. My in laws are Navajo and helped with some but a brief guide would have made the experience more. The more I read the more I was investing in this world and these characters. When I finished the book I felt I'd said good bye to family I would miss. I can't wait for the next book in the series. This is an author to follow.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes