(3 / 5)
I was an avid reader of Rae Carson’s Girl of Fire and Thorns series and I was prepared to fully enjoy her Walk on Earth a Stranger series as well. Upon finishing this first installment I am a little let down to admit that this book was good but not great. I’ve never been enthusiastic about magical realism but the historical setting and strong female lead persuaded me to set aside my apprehensions and take a chance on Walk on Earth a Stranger.
Lee Westfall is the only child of a prospecting couple in Georgia. Her life is standard for a girl of her age except she has a special gift: she can detect gold. When tragedy strikes and she is suddenly left orphaned she decides to head west as part of the California gold rush. But life on the trail for a young teenage girl who has a special gift for finding gold is precarious at best. Luckily she has her trusty rifle and best friend Jefferson (who might want to be more than friends) to help her across the country.
I’m a big fan of the western setting and I actually really enjoy books told in travelogue format but I couldn’t connect with this book. Too much of the novel felt contrived and the pacing grated on me. There were some fantastic moments where it felt like the clouds parted and the book really started to hit a nice stride, characters started to development and story arcs made progress, but this was always interrupted by some outlandish catastrophe. I liked the heroine (mostly) and the secondary characters were fine but there just wasn’t any spark to this book. Still, all these criticisms not withstanding I was interested enough to pick up the second book immediately upon finishing this one. Unfortunately that is where my interested ended. Problems from the first book were exacerbated in the second (Like a River Glorious) and at 92% through I finally called it quits. I didn’t even bother with reading the final 30 or so pages.
Final thoughts are this: If you enjoy YA, western settings, and magical realism then there is a very real chance you will enjoy this book. If not, then this is one you could live without.
Violence: Medium Language: Low Adult Content: Low