One of my favorite books of the last few years was Rae Carson’s Walk on Earth a Stranger. It is a genre mixing blend of two of my favorite types of books- historical fiction and fantasy. There was also a bit one of my least favorite genres (romance) in it, but even that didn’t stop me from loving it. It was the story of a girl (Lee Westfall) living in rural Georgia during the late 1840s. Lee is not a normal girl though- she has the ability to sense gold.
Her parents don’t want anyone to learn this secret fearing that people will take advantage of Lee to get rich. One day, Lee returns to her home only to find both of her parents murdered and their small stash of gold stolen. She fears that someone has learned her secret and wants to run away from her small hometown to a place where no one will know her secret. Then she hears about the huge gold rush in California that could make her rich. She decides that the promise of a fresh start is worth the risk.
Like a River Glorious picks up where Walk on Earth a Stranger ended. Lee has arrived in California and must figure out how to use her powers without attracting suspicion. Unfortunately, Lee’s Uncle Hiram is following her and he might not have her best interests at stake. She also is not sure how to handle her relationship with her best (and only) friend Jefferson. Should they stay a team of best friends or should they try to be more than that? Hopefully some of these questions will be answered when it is released on September 27th! And if you haven’t read the first in the series you have a few weeks to catch up.
After her harrowing journey west to California, Lee Westfall has finally found a new home–one rich in gold, friends and love. But when her uncle Hiram kidnaps her to control her powers, Lee finds her powers have grown. But is it enough to destroy her uncle once and for all?
Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend — who might want to be something more. She also has a secret. Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it. When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California — where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.