Review: Trickster's Girl by Hilari Bell

Trickster's Girl (Raven Duet - #1)

Author: Hilari Bell

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Hardcover: 288 pages 

Published: January 3,2011

GoodReads Summary: 

"In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obssessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die.

The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying.

Kelsa has the powers to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet."

My thoughts:
I was expecting more of a dystopian when I read this novel, It seemed to have been marketed more in that genre than in paranormal. This book dealt in a different type of paranormal...Native American Mythologoy. I have never read a book dealing with that subject matter before, so hearing something completely new, .not the same old...ghosts.... or seeing the dead... or something along those lines was very refreshing. The author showed a lot of creativity with her original plot and characters.

I really enjoyed the settings of the book. The The two characters travel through some beautiful scenery (most of the book is spent on a road-trip) through Forests, National Parks and up to the Glaciers. I could clearly picture everything and the author executed that beautifully.

The magic and Kelsa's "connection with the earth" seemed a little....off to me. I was shocked that she was able to communicate with the earth on her very first try. It didn't really seem believable to me, and it should have been harder than that.

I didn't enjoy the language..."CARP" instead of "crap" just sounded a little funny, even though the author did explain the reason behind changing the swear words. It didn't really have the same effect. It was kind of like saying "Darn" instead of "Damn". It didn't really portray the emphasis properly. 

I kind of enjoyed this book, but I kind of didn't too. It took me awhile to finish it. I didn't love it or hate it. It just was an average YA read. However, the stories original premise definitely sticks out in my mind. 

Judge a Book By It's Cover: I like the shadow of the Raven, but I feel like the cover should be much more colorful, since this book takes place mostly outdoors and deals heavily in nature.

  3 Stars! 

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*Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of Houghton Mifflin and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The links in this reviews are not affiliate links.