Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Review: Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17564519-walk-on-earth-a-stranger
Walk on Earth a Stranger
(The Gold Seer Trilogy #1)
by Rae Carson
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Publication Date: September 22nd 2015
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 432
ISBN: 9780062242914
Genre: Young Adult | Historical | Fantasy
Source: Edelweiss

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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?

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research. (Goodreads)
To be honest, Walk on Earth a Stranger was not at all what I expected. I went into the book expecting a story about a girl who had the ability to find gold, and proceeded to do so. That's totally not the story I got with this book at all. This is a story about a girl who loses everything she has, who ventures across the country with a talent for finding gold, and a hope for a new life.

Lee (Leah) Westfall was an amazing character; she is one of those characters who is an amazingly strong heroine who  proves time and time again that she is completely able to take care of herself, which she's totally not supposed to do since it's 1849 and she's a young lady. I love this about her so much. When everything was falling apart around her, when she could have given up and given in, she didn't. She hung in and did exactly what she had to do to survive, and I appreciate that about her so very much. I think she's definitely earned a spot on my Most Loved Heroine list!

Not only was Lee a wonderfully written character, there are SO many secondary characters throughout the story that you will fall in love with. Some you won't exactly like at first, but by the end of the story, you will love them. I'm not going to name any names, because I want you to figure it out for yourself, but you seriously can't help but love them all! Well, there are a few that you're going to really dislike, but you'll know them when you meet them as well.

I can really tell that Carson did her homework while writing this novel. She included SO many details throughout the story, all of which I could visualize perfectly as happening during the time period. The journey from Georgia to California, which now would only take days to complete, took months and months back then, only being able to go 5-15 miles a day, and then dealing with the treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather, illnesses, and food and supply shortages. I can't even begin to imagine taking this journey, but I enjoyed 'riding along' with Lee as she went on hers. The storyline for the book captivating and completely unique, I loved it, and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the books in the series. I really wish there were more books written in this time period as well.

I was more than a little thrilled when the city that I live in appeared in the story. It's really so hard to imagine the city as it was back then, especially when so few people lived in the area. I  really just can't imagine, especially considering all the growth and overpopulation that we have now. I would have loved to have seen the city back then, as I imagine it was a beautiful sight.

Overall; I really, really enjoyed Walk on Earth A Stranger. I can't wait for my finished copy to arrive, and for the next two books in the series to be released! I would love to know what is going to happen next for Lee and her crew. Check this book out, I know you'll enjoy it!

Happy Reading!

1 comment:

  1. That is really cool that your city is in the book. I'm a nerd so I'd probably look up old pictures of the city at the library so I could picture everything as it was in my head while I read the book. :)

    I was expecting more of a fantasy novel but I loved this! I'm a big fan of historical fiction and the author did a great job with the setting and details. She also seems to excel at creating these strong and admirable female heroines. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

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