Book Review: Walk on Earth a Stranger

Okay, YA westerns! I see you and I like you. So yeah, I’ll just be honest and go ahead and say that I thoroughly enjoyed Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson.

Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift.

When it comes to writing, Carson keeps it simple. There’s no flowery language or pages filled with great quotes to write down, it’s just simple but engrossing. She’s able to describe with world that pulls you in and paints a picture but it doesn’t leave you oohing and ahhing. I don’t know what it was, but I just really enjoyed it. The writing was there to tell you a story and by God, it told you a story. For me, I felt myself turning page after page to see what was going to happen next. I didn’t want to put this book down, I had to know what trouble would befall Lee next. There were a few plot twists here and there, but nothing big. This was just a story about the journey out West during the Gold Rush. And I really enjoyed the unique spin of Lee being able to divine gold. It added just enough to the story to really draw you in. I also appreciated that Carson wasn’t afraid to break your heart and not sugarcoat life on the trail. Characters died and bad things happened, just like it did in real life.

There's not a place in the whole world where everyone isn't willing--no, eager--to give a girl up to a man.-2.jpg

I loved Lee. She’s a character that grows on you as the book goes along. You don’t always agree with some of the choices she makes but I like that she isn’t perfect. She makes mistakes and runs into problems. I think my only issue with her is that the problems does face, she tends to get out of a little too easily. I want to see her struggle a bit more in the next book. However, I do like that she isn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands. She does what she thinks she needs to do to survive, including disguising herself as a boy. But I enjoyed seeing that even though she enjoyed that freedom, she still missed wearing a dress. For some reason I found that so realistic and just very human of her.

While Lee was great, the secondary characters were all awesome. They each had their own personality and story and I really found myself invested in what was happening with them. I loved how close they all became and enjoyed watching them develop throughout the story. I do want to see the next book explore their stories a bit more and get a bit deeper with them, especially Jefferson. Jefferson is a really interesting character (yay for diversity!) and I think there’s more to his story that hasn’t really come out yet. I want to see him have some major interactions with the Indians and really confront that part of his himself. I’m dying for him to be a side plot line as the series goes on.

There's not a place in the whole world where everyone isn't willing--no, eager--to give a girl up to a man..jpg

I didn’t have any major issues with this story like I’ve read that some people had. I think all of my problems can be solved as the trilogy goes along and are some of your typical first book problems. I don’t know if it’s just me and my current enjoyment of the YA western trend that’s occurring, but I just really found myself loving this story. It was exciting but not some big thrill ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat. However, I cannot wait for the next book to be released and I will definitely be buying this one now! Big thanks to my library for having a copy and now adding to my to be purchased pile. My wallet really appreciates it, haha!

Final Verdict: 4/5 Stars

Teaser Tuesday – April 12th, 2016

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme currently being hosted by MizB @ Books and a Beat. All are welcome to participate!

Rules:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Open to a random page.
  • Share two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page.
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! You don’t want to give too much away so as to not ruin the book for others!
  • Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Physical Book

23398607

Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) by Rachel Caine

The rot extends deeper, into every branch and root, for the Library now seeks not to enlighten, but to enslave. We are only the most visible casualties of a silent war, and as they lock collars on our necks and tell us it is for our protection, we know that worse will come.

-page 189

I’m almost 50 pages into this book and I’m in love already. It’s part dystopian-part steampunk-part alternate history and full of fun. I will say that I’m a little confused as to what’s going on but that’s because the world-building is still being explained as it’s so early in the book. But I am loving the premise! As an ancient history nerd, I’ve often wondered what life would be like if the Great Library had never burnt down. Thank God for Caine wondering the same damn thing and bringing it to life!

NetGalley ARC Book

29224960

Ascension (The Indigo Project) by Christopher De Sousa

“I don’t believe I’d have the right to question your sanity, given our bizarre line of work,” she contended. “I’ve just never known them to pursue such lengths before in support of our cause.”

-65% finished

So this book is interesting/confusing/unique. I am seriously confused by what’s going on, as there’s been a bit of an info dump but not enough to explain anything. Like I think there’s demons, aliens, Illuminati, and like mythical creatures all being mentioned and introduced. Seriously. All that’s missing now are some wizards and a princess! But I’m finding myself so intrigued that even though I’m confused about 80% of the time, this story is just pulling me in. Also, the writing is extremely dense and reads like literary fiction. It still surprises me while I’m reading. I mean, come on, teenagers do not think or talk this way! Has anyone else read this book so far? Does it all come together at some point? It’s like a train wreck that I can’t look away, I have got to finish it!


What’s your Teaser Tuesday look like? If you participate, leave a comment with a link to your post or just leave a comment with your own teaser! I love to be teased. 😉