Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

4.5 Stars

The Sixth World - Book 2

I loved it! 

When I read the first book last July, I immediately pr-ordered this one and that's something I NEVER do.  But oh, I'm glad I did!

We return to Maggie's story, some 4 weeks after the events of the previous book and our Maggie isn't really in a happy place.  Kai has not returned to her and she's trying to feel hopeful, but worry and concern and her innate pessimism is kicking in.  Suddenly, one of her bounties goes dreadfully wrong and she ends up responsible for a teenager with a strange clan power.  And thus, the adventure begins.

We meet old friends and new friends as Maggie and her 'team' track the latest danger to Dinétah to try and stop him before he can cause a new apocalyptic disaster, as well as saving Kai from his grip, and are aided and hindered along the way by some very interesting folk.

It's wonderful getting to know the Goodacre twins better and the new addition of Ben, the teenage girl with strange powers does a lot for Maggie's growth.  (I have to admit that because Ben is the name of my ex-husband, I had a bit of a struggle with it.  *LOL*)

The world expands as Maggie grows and the author does a lovely job of telling the story of both.  Her words are a joy to read, and as with the first book, there was more than one occasion of ... just one more chapter, just one more.  :)

This is one of those books where I wish I was able to write amazing reviews, because it certainly deserves it.  But, because I can't, take a look at this one... "And the waters prevailed"  I just wish I was this good.  *LOL*

So when do we get Book 3????????

Trail Of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

4.5 Stars

The Sixth World - Book 1

Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. Way more than I expected to, if I'm honest. :) Why? Because I'm not such a huge fan of contemporary, urban-ish (I say ish because it doesn't really take place in an urban environment) fantasy. But this book kept popping up in some of the oddest places on my Twitter timeline and recommended by a few folks whose taste I trust and since the price was right (I did a price-matching thing on Kobo - it was $2+ cheaper at Amazon) I went ahead and picked it up.

So what we've got is a post-apocalyptic (after the Big Water) world where a reformed Navajo nation, Dinétah, is the setting for a Mad Max Fury Road - esque tale. The Diné mythology is thick and fascinating. And is a nice change from all the fairy and elf urban fantasy. I admit to only knowing wee bits and pieces of this mythology and I think some of I know is coloured by what I know about our Canadian First Nations, so I found myself doing a few google searches to clarify things for me. And that's good! I was learning stuff! Never too old for that.

The main character is a young woman, Maggie Hoskie, with a well-earned but not well-respected reputation as a Monsterslayer. Life's not been easy for her when we first meet her and it's about to get even tougher as she deals with monsters, gods, clan magics, secrets and betrayals. I liked her. And I liked the characters around her too.

I liked the pacing of book too. It read well, kept me turning pages (virtually, 'cause I was using my Kobo) and I did the just one more chapter thing more than once.

So all in all, this was, for me, a really fabulous read! I highly recommend it.