Book Review: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Brief Summary: Maggie has clan powers which make her very good at killing everything. In a world that’s post apocalyptic, that’s a handy skill to have.

Genre: Mythological Urban Fantasy

Warnings: Lots of violence. Lots and lots. Gory scenes as well.

Review:

Setting

The setting of this book takes place on the Dinétah (what was known in this world as the Navajo Reservation) and it is post apocalyptic. Because of mass weather issues (such as hurricanes, floods, and such), the world is in shambles with exception to Dinétah which is, oddly enough, going through a drought but they’re doing quite a bit better than most of the world. It’s a creative look at this scenario. The author does give detail to the surroundings when it warrants it.  It’s not overly flowery writing on the setting which I appreciated but enough for you to get a good footing on what is where and what the area would look like.

Characters

This story is absolutely character driven. Maggie is this Monster Slayer due to being trained by Neizghání who is a legend and a god. She is fleshed out and has great character development throughout the book. Her heart is broken due to Neizghání because she perceives that he thinks her a monster.  There is also Kai with his charm and his own abilities that come to light later. He’s a great contrast and partner to Maggie throughout the story. There is also Grandpa Tah…who I wish would adopt me.  Any character with more than a few pages of screen time seemed fleshed out to me.  I mean, I could go on and on about Coyote but I don’t want to spoil the book.

Plot

With this book being so character driven, there’s not a solid full plot. And I wouldn’t say there isn’t a plot (I’ve seen that as a complaint) but rather it is small plots being woven together. Usually there are side plots that all connect to an over arcing plot but in this case it felt like just a bunch of side plots coming together. It is very much character based than singular plot based.

Overall

Between the lovable, though flawed, characters and refreshing take on a world gone to hell, I loved this book a lot. I can’t wait for the next in the series to see what happens. I heavily recommend it to those who like action and character driven stories. Also, if you are a fan of mythological based fantasy, this will be right up your alley.

Rating: 4/5

May you get lost in a book,

Chrissy