G224 Book Review of The Spirit Keeper by K.B. Laugheed

Name of Book: The Spirit Keeper

Author: K.B. Laugheed

ISBN: 978-0-14-218033-4

Publisher: Plume

Type of book: 1747-1748, travel, Pennsylvania, Irish family, alcohol, classes, ranks, lessons, romance, Native American male/Irish female

Year it was published: 2013

Summary:

A fiery frontier woman falls deeply in love with her Native American captor on an epic journey

The thirteenth child conceived of miserable Irish exiles, Katie O’Toole dreams of a different life. Little does she know that someone far away is dreaming of her.

In 1747, savages raid her family home, and seventeen-year-old Katie is taken captive. Syawa and Hector have been searching for her, guided by Syawa’s dreams. A young Holyman, Syawa believes Katie is the subject of his Vision: the Creature of Fire and Ice, destined to bring a great gift to his people. Despite her flaming hair and ice-blue eyes, Katie is certain he is mistaken, but faced with returning to her family, she agrees to join them. She soon discovers that in order to fulfill Syawa’s Vision, she must first become his Spirit Keeper, embarking on an epic journey that will change her life—and heart—forever.

Characters:

I really found myself falling in love with Katie; Katie is physically strong, courageous, determined and realistic. She didn't pick things up with lightning speed but instead it took her time to get adjusted, to face her fears and so forth. She also has ability to put herself in someone else's shoes as well as forgive. Hector is best described as the strong silent type who is always there for Katie and is loyal to her as well as to Syawa. He and Katie also stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. Syawa is easy-going, talkative and is at peace with himself as well as patient. He is also good at manipulating and does what he can for those around him. There were other characters as well, but those three are the important ones.

Theme:

Sometimes things are not what they seem.

Plot:

Its written in first person narrative completely from Katie's point of view. This is also kind of written in a diary form and I sensed realism in the book, at least from the time Katie lost someone she loved to the time she found a new one. I enjoyed friendship between Katie, Hector and Syawa, and would have liked to see more of him. I also liked Katie's stories of how she grew up in the farm as well as how she gains confidence and is literally a force to be reckoned with.

Author Information:
(from TLC website)

K.B. Laugheed is an organic gardener and master naturalist who has spent a lifetime feeding the earth.  Her efforts have culminated in The Spirit Keeper, her first novel and largest contribution to the potluck so far.
For more info on K. B. Laugheed and her work, visit her website, kblaugheed.com.
Opinion:

Umm, where's the sequel? Must have sequel now. Have to know what happened to Katie O'Toole and Hector... okay, I'll stop being a zombie. For me personally this was really an amazing and attention-grabbing novel; there's unexpected romance, a very strong and admirable heroine and I felt that there's realism in the book. I have to admit that the language startled me a little in beginning, but once I got started reading it, I couldn't stop, and the pages flew by quickly as I got my breath taken away more and more. I found it an entertaining novel that left me hungry for more. The book didn't leave me breathless though, which is the reason for four stars. I also would have liked a map or something to see where Katie and Hector stopped and continued to travel to. Also, contrary to the summary and the title, this isn't a fantasy novel.

This is for TLC Book Tour

K. B. Laugheed’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Wednesday, November 20th:  Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Monday, November 25th:  Book-alicious Mama
Tuesday, November 26th:  SusieBookWorm
Wednesday, November 27th:  Book Drunkard
Friday, November 29th:  WV Stitcher
Tuesday, December 3rd:  Unabridged Chick
Wednesday, December 4th:  Books Without Any Pictures
Thursdya, December 5th:  Book Marks the Spot
Monday, December 9th:  From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, December 10th:  Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Wednesday, December 11th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday, December 12th:  Ageless Pages Reviews
Friday, December 13th:  Reading Reality
Monday, December 16th:  Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, December 18th:  Must Read Faster
Friday, December 20th:  A Novel Review
Monday, December 23rd:  Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)

Comments

  1. Heather J @ TLC Book ToursNovember 23, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    In college I remember a unit on frontier people who were captured by Native American tribes and chose to live their lives with the tribe when given the chance to leave. It was fascinating, and now I'm looking forward to reading this book!

    Thanks for being on the tour.

    ReplyDelete

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