Like A River Glorious by Rae Carson | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The sequel to the New York Times–bestselling and National Book Award longlisted Walk on Earth a Stranger. 
After her harrowing journey west to California, Lee Westfall has finally found a new home—one rich in gold, thanks to her magical power, a power that seems to be changing every day. But this home is rich in other ways, too: with friends who are searching for a place to be themselves, just as she is, and with love. Jefferson—her longtime best friend—hasn’t stopped trying to win her heart. And Lee is more and more tempted to say yes.
But her uncle Hiram hasn’t given up his quest to get Lee and her power under his control. When she’s kidnapped and taken to him, Lee sees firsthand the depths of her uncle’s villainy. Yet Lee’s magic is growing. Gold no longer simply sings to her, it listens. It obeys her call. Is it enough to destroy her uncle once and for all?
Rae Carson, acclaimed author of the Girl of Fire and Thorns series, takes us deep into the gold fields as she continues this sweeping saga of magic and history, and an unforgettable heroine who must come into her own. Like a River Glorious is the second book in the Gold Seer trilogy.

Like A River Glorious by Rae Carson is the second in Carson’s Gold Seer trilogy, and okay I am 100% treating this book like a middle child. You see, I read it back in September 2016 and now here were are typing this post in March 2017, with a semi-review posted in September. I mean, how is it that I have yet to get around to a full review of this GLORIOUS book? Well, I’ll tell you straight up blame it on the pregnancy.

For real, that first trimester exhaustion is no joke. Yet, Rae Carson has this magical ability to write words that make me read through the exhaustion I was feeling and actually finish reading the book instead of immediately falling asleep (that was a thing that was happening during the first trimester). Also, wow, by the time this posts, I might actually have the cause/product of the first trimester in my arms.

I digress, though. Like A River Glorious picks up where we left off in Walk On Earth A Stranger. Leah and her group of traveler friends are now staking their claim in California. They’re working the land together and mostly finding success. Leah is using her gold finding skills to help the group out, even though they don’t quite know her secret. Becky Joyner develops into a real asset to the group – I mean, she is running a restaurant with her terrible food, yet she’s successful. Anyways everything seems wonderful until unfortunately, Leah’s uncle comes back into her life and well, tragedy strikes. There’s a long sort of interlude and she ends up kidnapped and at this other camp/stake that her uncle has staked. And so, there’s a fair bit of action with this middle book.

As you all should likely know by now, I am 1000 percent team Leah Westfall. I find myself rooting so hard for her as I read. The girl does not have it easy. She’s got this amazing ability that she of course has to hide because other people are mad sketchy. She’s been orphaned thanks to her no good dirty rotten uncle. OH and then? She finds out an awful secret about her parentage. Let’s just say that bio-dad isn’t who she thought it was all along. When she’s kidnapped and in Hiram’s camp, she’s forced to act the lady and wear dresses. She also has to be as clever as possible so that Jefferson and Tom don’t end up getting hurt because of her non-compliance. There’s a whole lot on the line for Leah and the stakes feel totally real and I loved it.

The romance and attraction from the previous book, Walk On Earth A Stranger, continues to develop in Like A River Glorious. Of course, of course I continue to ship Leah and Jefferson because they’re such a good couple. They bring out the best in each other. Leah is kind of resistant because she doesn’t know if she can commit. Jefferson is so patient though. I just loved the pairing of them, and will continue to root for them to receive a happy ending in Into The Bright Unknown.

Aside from the romance, Rae Carson does an interesting job with the world building. In Like A River Glorious, there are Native Americans, they are not just erased. In fact, there’s bits where Hiram treats them truly abhorrently. However, when they get out, they don’t fall all over themselves to thank a white savior or anything. I won’t say either way how Carson’s treatment of Native Americans is because I’m not enough of a Native American to judge (both my mother’s great grandmothers were full Oneida). She also brings in a Chinese character named Mary who is absolutely the greatest and who I’d like to read some books about.

I have literally zero regrets about reading Like A River Glorious by Rae Carson. This book of course exceeded my expectations and has me desperate for the conclusion to the series. I am basically obsessed with any book Carson writes, OBVIOUSLY. It does not suffer from any of that second book syndrome that happens on occasion. And yes, it is the kind of book that keeps you reading when you are exhausted and all you want to do is sleep because you are growing a human inside of you and they are just sucking away all your energy. BUT YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT because it’s that GREAT. I seriously cannot give a more glowing endorsement and recommendation.

Other reviews of Like A River Glorious by Rae Carson:

• S. Krishna’s Books – “depth and incredible world building“
• The Book Hookup – “I loved almost every single second of it“
• Step Into Fiction – “everything I wanted it to be and more“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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