Words I Write Crazy: Week 38 Reviews: Walk On Earth a Stranger, Like a River Glorious, Into the Bright Unknown

Saturday, September 24, 2022

Week 38 Reviews: Walk On Earth a Stranger, Like a River Glorious, Into the Bright Unknown

From Goodreads:

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.

From Goodreads:
After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn't given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he'll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The second epic historical fantasy in the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, the acclaimed author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

From Goodreads:

The stunning conclusion to Rae Carson's New York Times–bestselling Gold Seer trilogy

Leah Westfall’s journey has been one of ever-present peril, hidden magic, harsh realities, loss, life, determination, and love. She has searched for a place to belong and a place to call home, and people who can accept a girl with magical powers that prove to be both blessing and curse.

Rae Carson has been lauded as one of YA's best writers of fantasy, and fans of Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and Westworld will be riveted by the conclusion of this remarkable historical fantasy trilogy.

Leah is poised to have everything she ever dreamed of on the long, dangerous journey to California's gold fields—wealth, love, the truest friends, and a home. Thanks to her magical ability to sense precious gold, Leah, her fiancé Jefferson, and her friends have claimed rich land in California Territory. But their fortune makes them a target, and when a dangerous billionaire sets out to destroy them, Leah and her friends must fight back with all of their power and talents.

Leah's magic is continuing to strengthen and grow, but someone is on to her—someone who might have a bit of magic herself. The stakes are higher than ever as Lee and her friends hatch a daring scheme that could alter California's history forever.

With a distinctive heroine and a unique interpretation of American history, Into the Bright Unknown strikes a rich vein of romance, magic, and adventure.

My first review of Walk on Earth a Stranger
My Review:
Oh, these were such amazing reads! I read the first book a while ago, and then just never continued, so I had to reread before continuing, and I'm so glad that I did because boy, this series is so fantastic! I enjoy these characters and their stories so much!

I forgot a lot about Walk On Earth a Stranger, which is why I needed the reread. I loved getting to know these characters and their struggles again, though oh, there are some really heavy losses! I loved the family that they became, and that Glory was what they built!

A big part of this series is about women's rights, and slavery. Of how those who aren't white men are treated terribly, from African Americans to Native Americans to Chinese. Of course slavery is the worse, but being a women in those times, they were considered property, of their family, or their husband, and they couldn't own anything. So I really enjoyed those discussions, they really brought up some emotions!

The villains in these books, it was oh, so satisfying to watch them go down! The fact that what they were doing was almost always technically within the law, was infuriating, so it was really great to see them being taken down, they were just so awful!

Loved reading these books so much, and I can't wait to read more by Rae Carson!

Author: Rae Carson
Series: The Gold Seer Trilogy #1, 2, 3

First Read: December 12th, 2015
Read: September 21st, 21st, 22nd, 2022

Source: Own/Library, Edelweiss/Bought/Library, Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and they're Historical Fiction 2022 Book and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book, And Like a River Glorious and Into the Bright Unknown are WoW Books, and Like a River Glorious is a WTC Book! And Into the Bright Unknown is a End of Series 2022 Book!
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Published: September 22nd 2015, September 27th 2016, October 10th 2017

Walk On Earth a Stranger: