Audible Book Review: Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

This is an entertaining fantasy with a female protagonist.

Trail of Lightning
By: Rebecca Roanhorse
Narrated by: Tanis Parenteau

Series: The Sixth World, Book 1
Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 08-07-18
Language: English
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy, Native American
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
The sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse have destroyed most of the planet…yet out of these waters, Dinétah, a former Navajo reservation, has been miraculously reborn. Listen along as Tanis Parenteau's impeccable narration, capturing the rhythms of Navajo speech, fully envelopes you into the Sixth World.
When Dinétah needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie - a monster hunter and supernatural killer - is its last, best hope. Trail of Lightning follows our heroine as she walks the land alongside gods, heroes of legend, and monsters alike. Reluctantly, she enlists the aid of an unconventional medicine man, and together they travel Dinétah, unraveling clues from ancient legends and trading favors with tricksters. As Maggie discovers the truth behind the killings, she will have to confront her past if she wants to survive - for what she uncovers about the monster she is sent to find is much more terrifying than anything she could imagine.
©2018 Rebecca Roanhorse (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Review:
Maggie lives in a post-apocalyptic world that is rebuilding after a massive wave wiped out much of earth. Maggie is a fringe outsider in a group known as Dinétah, a former Navajo reservation that has survived in the deserts of what used to be Southwestern US.

As a young girl, Maggie lost her grandmother to monsters. She was rescued by a man who is viewed as a supernatural, immortal monster hunter who appears with a thunderbolt. He helped Maggie to learn and develop her own supernatural clan powers as he trained her to be a monster hunter. She was enamored and believed he was her mate until one day he questions her motives and walks away. Months later Maggie continues to hope he will return.

In the meantime, Maggie takes jobs to hunt monsters and rescue people from monsters when she can. After failing to get anyone else to respond, a family calls in Maggie to rescue their daughter from an unknown monster.

Maggie discovers a monster unlike any she has seen. She seeks advice from one of her few friends in town. The grandfatherly man, Tah, encourages Maggie to accept his grandson, Kai, a training witch doctor, as a partner. Kai explains that the monster appears to be a creature created by a powerful witch doctor.

Maggie is soon visited by the trickster, Coyote, who directs Maggie to fulfill a quest for him which will deliver a tool to uncover the person who is creating the monsters. Reluctantly Maggie allows Kai to join her as they investigate the monsters. They seek out ancient legends and face danger and death before Maggie ends up lured into a deadly confrontation.

I liked the world-building which includes connections to Native American traditions and legends. Maggie is a very tough young woman, full of angst, and I did not find her to be a totally sympathetic character. I liked Kai but he is also hiding secrets. The ending of this book includes a climax that leaves a cliff hanger for the next book. The dystopian is heavier on fantasy and romantic conflict but is entertaining enough that I may look to pick up book 2 in the future.

Audio Notes: Tanis Parenteau does a very good job with the narration. I liked her natural accent and distinct voices for the characters. The audio production enhanced my enjoyment of the story.

Source: 2/2/2019 Audible Daily Deal $2.95. This qualifies for 2020TBR, 2020Audiobook and 2020Alphabet goals.