Struck by Lightning

 Trail of Lightning (5 Points)

What incredible work! The writing, setting, world-building, and characters are all deeply intriguing and I caught myself chasing the story once I had read the first page. I'll try to collect the thoughts a little more throughout, but I'd love to start with the world. 

As I've said before, I've always loved the concept of what the world could be after society-shattering events and this book creates a very compelling idea that the majority dies out, and a once minority carries on. I found it very realistic as well that while this book focuses on Native American culture and enhanced spiritual powers that come from the end of the world, it still maintains much of what people are familiar with in terms of where they live and how they operate on a structural level. The language and culture are neatly interwoven into the background of a world that survived massive flooding, and then reintroduced powers and abilities for those who have originated under the tribes who have survived. These people have adapted in a believable way and didn't set out to change themselves drastically to fit stereotypes or conquer what was left in the world. Rather, they became tougher and more aware of the dangerous new world they lived in, and reinforce their wisdom by returning to the foundations of their culture to empower themselves. And society still carries on as a gritty, awful, selfish society that is more divided than unified, but that ties off all the societal realism with the neat bow that I can respect.

When it comes to the protagonists and their respective powers, I think there is a very natural and subtle embellishment of human ability when it comes to gaining clan power and I can appreciate that, despite my limited knowledge, this does not feel like an over-exaggeration or flamboyant inflation of the power that these clans may have been known for. The setting and the powers feel very believable, and I know that these characters are not completely immune to harm or repercussions. I also feel that the character behave believably and I can understand individually where Maggie and Kai come from with how they act or communicate. Maggie also symbolizes a huge step in terms of representation for young readers that I can deeply appreciate, and the author doesn't spoonfeed us cultural details as much as I worried there might be when it comes to young adult fiction. The wording and meanings of certain phrases are rather intuitive or explained in a concrete way that ties into the story rather than a large and boring tangent. 

Overall, a refreshing and delightful read full of carnage and culture that I'd place upon the shelves next to Rick Riordan's work, but it still remains a more adult and far more refined novel in comparison. It was an absolute joy to read and made me really miss my desert home town and long drives into the dunes of Utah.