Title: Like A River Glorious (The Gold Seer Trilogy #2)
Author: Rae Carson
Published by: Greenwillow Books
Released: 2016
Source: Library
Summary: After an arduous journey, Lee Westfall has finally made it to California. The gold is here, and it is singing for her. Lee has formed a sort of family with her wagon train friends. They look for the spot to make the best claim, and with Lee's ability, they are sure to find their fortune. Lee still has to worry about her Uncle Hiram finding her. He knows what she can do, and won't stop until he has her ability for his own.
Can Lee make a fresh go in California or will her past catch up? The road to gold is filled with danger.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the first book, Walk On Earth A Stranger, so I was really excited to read the sequel. I really enjoy historical fiction, and the time period of the California Gold Rush is really interesting and exciting to read about. In the end, I'm just kind of mixed about Like A River Glorious. I don't think it was as good as the first book.
This book started off pretty good, it had an exciting, action-packed start. I enjoyed Lee and her friends setting up the place that would be Glory, California. I did think everything was going too smoothly in the beginning. I thought there had to be a trap coming up ahead. I wish that Lee had spent more time in Glory, because that was the part I enjoyed most.
My love for the sequel started to fade during the middle section. Lee started to annoy me more during the middle. Considering the predicament she was in, she was very bossy, and made a lot of useless commands. I just felt like she was kind of useless. I didn't always understand the way her mind worked, and I had trouble sympathizing with her character. I just didn't enjoy Lee very much. She was very hot and cold, and judgey.
I also just felt very uncomfortable at the Hiram and Lee dynamic that was going on. It just felt kind of icky. It didn't feel like Hiram saw her as a niece, but rather as someone he was attracted to. I might have read into it wrong, but that's just the feeling I got. Hiram was a messed up character. I wouldn't even say pure evil, but just mentally disturbed.
I think the biggest reason I lost love for the book was the preachy tone it took on. It sort of felt like a barrage about the evils of the white people. A lecture into why everyone should hate the white man. I'm not stupid, I know bad things happened in history. When I read historical fiction though, I like reading a more romanticized version of it. I would think that other people do too. In a way, this book just felt very PC and liberal in its hit-them-over-the-head messaging. I didn't enjoy that.
And that is what brings me more annoyance towards Leah's (Lee's) character. She didn't feel super authentic to her time, to the thoughts and ideals she grew up in. I mean, think about it, she has no problem following the Manifest Destiny mindset. Exploring and moving to a new territory, putting down a claim, but then criticizing others for taking native land.
Lee also had a sometimes frustrating view on her own gender. Sometimes she acted so disdainful when people would bring up her gender. Her thoughts on marriage were kind of irritating. Again, she didn't act like a character of her time. Sure, married women didn't have a lot of rights, but I don't think unmarried women were any better off. Lee was just kind of a puzzle that I grew irritated of.
I also felt the power element was just not as exciting as I thought it would turn out to be.
So, this sequel was just kind of meh. The preachy, lecturing tone really took away my enjoyment. Personal preference, I don't want to be hit over the head with all the injustices of history. If I'm going to go back in time, I want an experience not overly focused on misery. I'm curious to see where the last book goes. Hopefully Lee gets less irritating, they all find heaps of gold, and everyone lives happily ever after.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.5/5
Not as Magical as the First.
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