Review: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse (The Sixth World, Book 1)

Synopsis: Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last best hope. But what Maggie uncovers about the monster is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine. 

Maggie reluctantly enlists the aid of Kai Arviso, an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel the rez, unraveling clues from ancient legends, trading favors with tricksters, and battling dark witchcraft in a patchwork world of deteriorating technology. 

As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive.

Welcome to the Sixth World.

Review: As others have remarked, there is no shortage of Urban Fantasies featuring Native American heroines – but this is the first I know of actually written by a First Nations author.  And it shows. While the other authors treat the subject with respect, Roanhorse creates a tone and world unlike anything I’ve read before.

The main character, Maggie, is a brilliant mix of strength and vulnerability, with a sense of completeness and depth that isn’t normal in UF books. And the secondary characters add more than just pillion for her to interact with, but come complete with their own richness and complexity.

Add in the post-apocalyptic nature and the First Nation mythology, and you have one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve already read it twice (a big deal for me) and it was perfect the second time too.

If you read no other book this year, read this one!

Bookmarks: 4.5 of 5

Awards: TBD

ISBN: 978-1-5344-1350-4
Year Published: 2018
Date Finished: 2-11-19
Pages: 287