Book Review:Like A River Glorious (The Gold Seer Trilogy, #2)

The Gold Seer Trilogy is one of those series that I just wish everyone knew about and would read. This is such a great story about an independent young woman traversing America to start anew during the California Gold Rush. Westerns seem to be the new trend in YA genres and I’m definitely okay with that. And Like A River Glorious (The Gold Seer Trilogy, #2)  by Rae Carson is a perfect example of that.

After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The second epic historical fantasy in the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, the acclaimed author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

The Good

• The Characters- I love that everyone in this series is super independent and tough. I guess that makes sense if you think about what kind of people survived the wagon train across the US back in the 1800’s. Also, diversity!!! You’ve got biracial characters, people of color, LGBTQ… I mean for a series that’s set in the 19th century, I’d say that’s pretty damn unique and wonderful. We need more of this!
• Leah – Leah is one of my favorite female heroines. She’s super badass and doesn’t need anyone else saving her. In fact, she’s always the one saving everyone else. I also enjoy watching her develop as a character throughout these first few books. She’s starting to see the bigger picture, rather than just focusing on saving herself. In this book, her eyes are much more open to all of the injustice that is going on around her – especially in regards to the treatment of the Native Americans in California.
• Plot – The plot in this book was a bit more fast-paced than in the first novel, especially once Leah gets entangled with Hiram. Also, I appreciated how the injustices done to the Native Americans takes focus in this book. This was a real issue during the migration into California that doesn’t get touched on often. I saw that some people were offended by it and thought that not enough focus was placed on it. There was also mention that Leah’s attitude towards the Native Americans was terrible, and that she shouldn’t have been the ones to save them. Well I saw it differently. To me, this was definitely shedding light on the terrible injustices done towards them and while showing the ignorance and selfishness of Leah. I believe we will see even more of this in the next book in the series, as Leah and Jefferson have to deal with the backlash personally in regards to their relationship and Jefferson’s heritage. Don’t give up on this one yet!

The Bad

• The Ending – I think it felt a bit rushed once the climax ended. I understand that Carson was trying to make a transition towards what the finale’s Big Bad will be, but it didn’t really work for me. It was a little sloppy and didn’t really fit with the tone of the rest of the book. It’ll be very interesting to see how this all turns out in the next book since it came across as though all of the problems had been wrapped up and taken care of.

Just read this series, people! It’s so fun and unique, you won’t be disappointed. 🙂

Final Verdict: 4/5 Stars

Have you read The Gold Seer Trilogy? What are your thoughts on Like A River Glorious? What did you think of the ending?