24 August 2015

Review #304: Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, #1) by Rae Carson



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

----J.R.R. Tolkien



Rae Carson, the New York Times best selling author, pens her latest YA fantasy book, Walk on Earth a Stranger, which is the first book in The Gold Seer Trilogy, that tells the story of a magical girl who can sense the presence of gold with her magic. Told during the era of Gold Rush in America, this girl embarks on a thrilling adventure to protect herself especially give wings to her magic during this period.




Synopsis:

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.


Leah was born with a gift of sensing gold deep buried in the ground. Her parents make her swear to keep her magical power as a secret. Unfortunately, now a teenage Leah's secrets has been exposed and the man or rather say the tyrant who got to know about her abilities is in full form to exploit her power for his own benefits. In order to protect her magical abilities as well as to find her own self during the Gold Rush era, Leah flees home as a boy named Lee by chopping off her hair and by riding on horseback along with a friend through the Oregon Trail to California.

Firstly, let's just take a moment to wow at that amazing book cover, which completely justifies the book and gives an edgy feel to the story line. This book is by far one of the most interesting YA fiction that I read in a while where it is not about falling in love or fighting against the family to get a stand, instead it is about fighting for one's identity with the whole world, and I just loved it how the author never dared to turn the heroine into a stereotypical one. Yes at times, I felt Leah like Katniss Everdeen with a rage, fire and a zeal for survival for herself. Leah is not perfect yet her demeanor will impress anyone and everyone whoever reads this book.

The writing style is great, I must say since it is a historical fiction, the author did her research well to make the story historically accurate with all the facts and the details. The narrative is kept original and realistic with a hint of local dialect and the past brimming up in those speeches. The prose is evocative and the story progresses at a smooth pace and has an ability to keep the readers engaged till the very last page.

The story takes place in the Oregon Trail, I mean most of the story and by far that is the most happening and intriguing past of the book which has a power to enlighten a reader's mind with the distinct features and unique setting. Leah encounters lots of families from various ethnic groups from Red Indians to Native Americans on her trail and all the while pretending like a boy named Lee. Her zeal to survive from that cruel man as well as to find Gold like all those other families who ar moving to West in the hope of a better future. Even most of the challenges are thrown onto her path during this trail which she handles maturely and like a pro with a brilliant mind and heart. In this book one, Leah's journey through Oregon Trail to Cali was the main focus, instead of the magic and fantasy stuff, hence it felt more like reading a realistic YA fiction.

The characters are strongly developed with their flaws and perfection, layered with emotions to give them a realistic outlook and also they felt like they were pulled out of some history book, since the time and the era was very evident from their demeanor. The main protagonist, Leah, is one of a kind who is brave, determined and a strong-minded girl traveling all by herself through danger. And surprisingly most of the characters are bound to leave an imprint on to the minds of the readers even after the end of the story, thus making the readers to look forward towards the next book in the series, since it ends up in a slight cliffhanger.

Overall, this is a compelling YA fantasy novel set through the Oregon Trail with a fierce and brave heroine.

Verdict: YA Lovers: Do not miss this book of the season.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publishers for giving me an opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book. 
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Author Info:
I write books about teens who must do brave things. I'm originally from California, but I now live in Arizona with my husband, who is the smartest and therefore sexiest man I know. My books tend to contain lots of adventure, a little magic and romance, and smart girls who make (mostly) smart choices. I especially love to write about questions I don't know the answers to.
Visit her here 


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1 comment:

  1. I actually have a review copy of this one so I am looking forward to when I can read it. It sounds like it will fulfill all my expectations :D

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