by Rebecca Roanhorse
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set in a future, post-apocalyptic world, Trail of Lightning has many of the hallmarks of classical, dystopian fantasy, with a few notable additions.
Centered around the remnants of Navajo communities surviving in a post apocalyptic world, Trail of Lighting tells the story of Maggie Hoskie, a young woman endowed with clan powers which make her a highly gifted killer. And in a world where monsters forged out of black magic and Native American myths are roaming free, a highly gifted killer can be a good thing to have.
The former protege of the immortal monster-killer Neizgwhání, Maggie must unearth the origins of a new breed of monster which is threatening her world.
For me, what made this book worthwhile was the character development, and the glimpses of Navajo tradition and culture. There were vivid characters throughout who, while they might not have been the leading protagonist or antagonist, were clearly drawn from the author’s personal experience. The quirks and individual mannerisms of these characters was a large part of the appeal of this book.
There were a couple of rough spots in the writing, where events appeared to be driven purely out of plot convenience. Taken as a whole, however, Trail of Lightning was a fun ride, with plenty of interesting characters to help carry the story.
I will add the usual (obvious) trigger warning: this is a dystopian fantasy, with all of the violence and bloodshed that we have come to expect from this genre. If someone's squeamish about that sort of thing, then this isn’t the book for them. But if you’re in the market for a dystopian world with a unique setting and characters to match, this novel can be a great place to start.
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