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ipomoea's review against another edition
4.0
I received a digital advance copy in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss.
I was super excited about this trilogy when I first read about it. It's hard to find western-set YA, which was a huge plus for me. Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy had such a fantastic main character, I wasn't sure that Leah could live up to Elisa.
I was totally wrong. Leah is a flawed, strong, fun character and one that wouldn't work for me anywhere but in a Old West setting. I love the California Gold Rush as a setting for YA, I think it's underrated and ripe for coming-of-age stories.
The book opens in California, where the remaining folks of the wagon train have started to settle, tentatively calling their home Glory, California. But because nobody can be happy, Leah's Evil Uncle Hiram (I seriously picture him twirling his mustache 24/7) decides to give everyone hell because he wants Leah to come be his witchy woman, as opposed to her own witchy woman.
Guys, Uncle Hiram is SUPER CREEPY, and he has a weird fixation that is bordering on Donkeyskin for me. I don't want to be specific and nothing explicit happens, but I spent a lot of the book going NOOOOOO. Dude is just WRONG.
So the book is Leah being Hiram's gold witch on call, and her trying to figure out how to GTFO and take Jefferson and Tom with her (because of COURSE they need hostages to ensure her good behavior).
There's some discussion of the enslavement of local Native American tribes, despite California nominally being a free territory/state. The conditions that they're kept in are brutal, and not shied away from. But I'd like to know more about Carson's research into the times and the tribes, something that I also wanted in the first book (which would have concerned different tribes in different areas). Y'all, this is what reading Debbie Reese does for me (and it's a good thing!), it makes me question all portrayals of Native Americans in books. There's only so much you can cover in a YA book but I wanted to know more about the Maidu and their role in the gold rush and what they dealt with.
That said, there's even less discussion of the role of Chinese laborers in the Gold Rush, despite having a camp of laborers at Hiram's mine. The only Chinese character with a name and backstory is Mary, Hiram's cook and camp prostitute (because of COURSE :-/ ).
I'm still recommending this series to teens who don't want your typical YA fantasy books (and I still enjoyed the hell out of it!), but for a time period that's pretty rich with multiple ethnic/racial groups, I'd like more about them, not just as props to Leah's journey, but as their own people.
I was super excited about this trilogy when I first read about it. It's hard to find western-set YA, which was a huge plus for me. Carson's Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy had such a fantastic main character, I wasn't sure that Leah could live up to Elisa.
I was totally wrong. Leah is a flawed, strong, fun character and one that wouldn't work for me anywhere but in a Old West setting. I love the California Gold Rush as a setting for YA, I think it's underrated and ripe for coming-of-age stories.
The book opens in California, where the remaining folks of the wagon train have started to settle, tentatively calling their home Glory, California. But because nobody can be happy, Leah's Evil Uncle Hiram (I seriously picture him twirling his mustache 24/7) decides to give everyone hell because he wants Leah to come be his witchy woman, as opposed to her own witchy woman.
Guys, Uncle Hiram is SUPER CREEPY, and he has a weird fixation that is bordering on Donkeyskin for me. I don't want to be specific and nothing explicit happens, but I spent a lot of the book going NOOOOOO. Dude is just WRONG.
So the book is Leah being Hiram's gold witch on call, and her trying to figure out how to GTFO and take Jefferson and Tom with her (because of COURSE they need hostages to ensure her good behavior).
There's some discussion of the enslavement of local Native American tribes, despite California nominally being a free territory/state. The conditions that they're kept in are brutal, and not shied away from. But I'd like to know more about Carson's research into the times and the tribes, something that I also wanted in the first book (which would have concerned different tribes in different areas). Y'all, this is what reading Debbie Reese does for me (and it's a good thing!), it makes me question all portrayals of Native Americans in books. There's only so much you can cover in a YA book but I wanted to know more about the Maidu and their role in the gold rush and what they dealt with.
That said, there's even less discussion of the role of Chinese laborers in the Gold Rush, despite having a camp of laborers at Hiram's mine. The only Chinese character with a name and backstory is Mary, Hiram's cook and camp prostitute (because of COURSE :-/ ).
I'm still recommending this series to teens who don't want your typical YA fantasy books (and I still enjoyed the hell out of it!), but for a time period that's pretty rich with multiple ethnic/racial groups, I'd like more about them, not just as props to Leah's journey, but as their own people.
giulay's review
3.0
"And that’s important to understand, Olive. Even wen we lose someone we love, we still have a chance at happiness."
One thing I particularly adored in this book, is how clear Leah’s love for Jefferson is but still, she refuses to marry him because if she does, she won’t be free anymore. And I’m just like YES; YOU GO GIRL! INDEPENDENCE!
And it might be a super small detail but her strong desire to independence and freedom is so pure and important. And you know why? Because even if she loves him (and believe me, she does), she’s still willing to be the person SHE wants to be, and do the things SHE wants to do the way SHE wants to do them. Amen, sister!
Leah is such a strong and intelligent main character. She’s simply splendid! And the relationship that with Jeff is SO MUCH MORE than simple lust or attraction. I was a fan.
The whole community they lived with is fantastic, and diverse and so alive.
Also, MAN, Leah’s uncle is twisted af!
Another thing I particularly enjoyed, was how the story is full of meaningful and super important quotes about feminism and equality. Both very important topics and I am just simply glad that they were thrown into this story of pioneers.
Okay, so. I’ve basically only listed positive things, right? Then, why in hell is the rating a mere 3 stars?
Well, for as much as I enjoyed the book as a whole, I was not captivated by the story. The plot didn’t grab my attention and I kinda had to push myself to continue reading.
As I said, I enjoyed the book (and especially the characters) but not so much that I actively wanted to stay awake way past my bedtime to read it.
I will still read the third and final book in this trilogy as I love the characters so much, and I really wanna know how everything will wrap up.
“You can do this, Lee,” Jefferson whispers as others pass us, waving their invitations to be let inside.
“I can,” I say. “And I will.”
One thing I particularly adored in this book, is how clear Leah’s love for Jefferson is but still, she refuses to marry him because if she does, she won’t be free anymore. And I’m just like YES; YOU GO GIRL! INDEPENDENCE!
And it might be a super small detail but her strong desire to independence and freedom is so pure and important. And you know why? Because even if she loves him (
Leah is such a strong and intelligent main character. She’s simply splendid! And the relationship that with Jeff is SO MUCH MORE than simple lust or attraction. I was a fan.
The whole community they lived with is fantastic, and diverse and so alive.
Also, MAN, Leah’s uncle is twisted af!
Another thing I particularly enjoyed, was how the story is full of meaningful and super important quotes about feminism and equality. Both very important topics and I am just simply glad that they were thrown into this story of pioneers.
Okay, so. I’ve basically only listed positive things, right? Then, why in hell is the rating a mere 3 stars?
Well, for as much as I enjoyed the book as a whole, I was not captivated by the story. The plot didn’t grab my attention and I kinda had to push myself to continue reading.
As I said, I enjoyed the book (and especially the characters) but not so much that I actively wanted to stay awake way past my bedtime to read it.
I will still read the third and final book in this trilogy as I love the characters so much, and I really wanna know how everything will wrap up.
“You can do this, Lee,” Jefferson whispers as others pass us, waving their invitations to be let inside.
“I can,” I say. “And I will.”
red_cat9's review
4.0
I am an adult who is often drawn to the storylines of YA books, but am often disappointed by them being watered down or speaking from a perspective I don't relate to anymore. I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Walk The Earth A Stranger, so I was excited to pick up where the last one left off. The scenery is what really drew me in to the series, being set in an untamed West full of nature, adventure, and hard work. Magic plays a key role in the plot but doesn't make much of a show throughout the story, so think of it more as a historical fiction than a fantasy. In the last book Lee was searching for independence, and a lot of the themes of female equality in that book were intensified here and given a louder voice. Lee struggles with enjoying her hard-won freedom and the constant pressure to give it all up or have it taken from her. But it didn't stop there. We get into the issues of racism and slavery, too, in a much different way than one might expect. There is such a wide array of characters that were well realized and rounded out, including different races and sexual orientations (although we haven't delved too deeply into that subject quiet yet). Heavy subjects are touched on lightly, without being too graphic, but the theme and intensity are still there. I will say I saw the climax a mile away, but the journey to get there made it worth it.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
A pale companion to the first book. Awkward pacing, a lackluster plot, and an unnecessary twist to Leah's abilities made this a drawn out read at a time when I needed a little bit more to immerse myself in when taking a brain break from the political climate. Carson put in the work to make this an inclusive picture of the time and I appreciated her note at the end, but the most interesting characters in the book get so little for showing so much promise. I believe this is a trilogy, but it ends at such a way that I feel almost excused from the third book unless it is entirely compromised of Mary's story.
eliseofsoleanna's review
3.0
EDIT (7/3/23): Done a lot of thinking and after reading other reviews I’ve decided to drop this to a 3 star. It’s a well written book but it has a white savior complex that feels kinda icky considering the topics covered.
--
This is how you write the second book in a trilogy.
After coming off of the abomination that was The Scorch Trials, Rae Carson's second story of Leah Westfall and her gang of mining misfits was a breath of fresh air. Only this time around, Carson was definitely pulling no punches. Will someone please take the Hoffman family far away from her because she's likely only going to continue bringing them pain and misfortune. I can't believe how good this book was. Like I already loved the first book but Carson blew the next one out of the water. The character development of everyone was realistic and smart and well-thought out, especially Lee. She's already the epitome of a woman living in a man's world, but Like a River Glorious just sees her shine a new light...figuratively and literally. Though a good chunk of the original cast of Walk on Earth a Stranger was absent for the latter half or so of the book, the characters that were present throughout the second book (and those introduced here) felt purposeful. Except for Tom. I... I still don't understand why Tom was there. But maybe that was because Jeff and Lee's relationship was more prominent in here and boy am I glad they finally settled the matter once and for all in the end.
Overall Like a River Glorious was a step-up from the first book on all levels, but I think what I appreciated most about this book is that it didn't feel like your typical second-book-in-a-trilogy. It felt like a complete standalone adventure. Even if it contained the same characters, the plot didn't feel like it was being stretched in order to reach an overarching conclusion in the next book. If anything, this feels like it should be the last book, that this should just be a duology, which is why I am very excited to finish up the series when the final book releases in October.
But seriously, could someone send word to the Hoffman family, they might be cursed.
--
This is how you write the second book in a trilogy.
After coming off of the abomination that was The Scorch Trials, Rae Carson's second story of Leah Westfall and her gang of mining misfits was a breath of fresh air. Only this time around, Carson was definitely pulling no punches. Will someone please take the Hoffman family far away from her because she's likely only going to continue bringing them pain and misfortune. I can't believe how good this book was. Like I already loved the first book but Carson blew the next one out of the water. The character development of everyone was realistic and smart and well-thought out, especially Lee. She's already the epitome of a woman living in a man's world, but Like a River Glorious just sees her shine a new light...figuratively and literally. Though a good chunk of the original cast of Walk on Earth a Stranger was absent for the latter half or so of the book, the characters that were present throughout the second book (and those introduced here) felt purposeful. Except for Tom. I... I still don't understand why Tom was there. But maybe that was because Jeff and Lee's relationship was more prominent in here and boy am I glad they finally settled the matter once and for all in the end.
Overall Like a River Glorious was a step-up from the first book on all levels, but I think what I appreciated most about this book is that it didn't feel like your typical second-book-in-a-trilogy. It felt like a complete standalone adventure. Even if it contained the same characters, the plot didn't feel like it was being stretched in order to reach an overarching conclusion in the next book. If anything, this feels like it should be the last book, that this should just be a duology, which is why I am very excited to finish up the series when the final book releases in October.
But seriously, could someone send word to the Hoffman family, they might be cursed.
rebelbelle13's review
4.0
I'm happy to say that the sequel to Walk On Earth a Stranger did not suffer from sophomore syndrome. This book was just as well written as the first, and continued just where the first left off. There was sufficient character growth from most everyone central to the story, and there was enough conflict for a sequel to make sense. Lee's uncle Hiram was the natural villain of the story, as he had been in the first installment, albeit more off-stage. I was happy with the eventual comeuppance of all of the deserving villains, and am not sure where the last book of the trilogy will take us. The only hang-up I had here was Lee's refusal to admit her feelings for Jefferson. Why does every YA author assume that romantic angst is a wonderful thing that everyone wants? It's so obvious those two are going to end up together- just pull the plug already. I was happy to see all of the characters that had been in the first novel return- the Major, Becky, Jasper, Hamton, Henry, Thomas, the Hoffmans and all the children. The other thing I appreciate is characters get hurt, sick, and die- Carson keeps it very real and very raw and true to history. There is prejudice here, and racism, and torture, and death, all for the sake of money and power. She doesn't pull any punches and rather accurately describes the desperate search for gold and property in 1800's California. I will most definitely be finishing out the series this year.