Review by sunshine1983 -- The Raven's Trail (Book 1)

sunshine1983 · Post by **sunshine1983** » 19 Dec 2020, 20:11

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Raven's Trail (Book 1)" by Liz D. Marx.]

2 out of 4 stars

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After losing a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with her collegues, Chloe finds herself in the dreaded storage room at the Smithsonian Institute. The room is filled with uncatalogued boxes that need to be labeled and there are many hours of work ahead of her. When opening a box of rocks she’s immediately drawn to a familiar stone, triangular shaped and engraved with symbols. The stone has appeared in her dreams ever since she was a child, dreams of a time long before now about a Native American girl. Chloe travels across the country to learn more about this strange stone and how it’s connected to her. On her journey she finds a long lost friend and discovers a part of herself she didn’t know about.

I’ve always been interested in history. Not the type of history that focus on wars, kings or presidents, but the history of other cultures, like Ancient Egypt with Pharaos and their Gods and myths. When I found The Raven’s Trail by Liz D. Marx it piqued my interest, since it was about Native American tribes and a culture I didn’t know that much about. Since I was born in Europe, my first encounter with Native Americans was Dancing Cloud in Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman. Ever since, their history and fate has always had a special place in my heart, but I haven’t had the opportunity to read anything about them.

The Raven’s Trail is the first book in a series of two. It’s well-written and has an interesting story that’s both mysterious and thrilling which makes you constantly want to know what happens next. There’s even a bit of romance in it, without making it cheesy and over the top, which makes it a great mix. The chapters are short which I like, since it makes me want to read ”just one more chapter before I go to sleep.”

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Despite my praise in the previous paragraph I felt there was something missing for me to give it a higher rating. The story was a bit too shallow, the conflicts were solved quite easily and there wasn’t enough depth in the characters. I wish there had been an even bigger focus on the Native American background and its legends, instead of just being mentioned to bring the story forward.

I really like the tempo in The Raven’s Trail, there was never a dull moment and the story kept you interested throughout the book. Even though the romance was a bit instant, it suited the story and felt pretty realistic. I also liked the Native American vibe, even though I wish it had played a bigger part. I disliked that I didn’t get a connection to the main characters, the storyline was a bit cliché and I haven’t thought about it since I finished reading.

I think this book appeals to readers who like fast-paced books with a bit of romance mixed with the supernatural. I would not recommend this book to readers who take their history serious.

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The Raven's Trail (Book 1)
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