Trail of Lightning

Executive Summary: I'm generally not a big fan of Urban Fantasy, but I liked this one enough that I might continue on. 3.5 stars.

Full Review
Every time I read a new urban fantasy book, I come in with low expectations. I have a pretty poor track record with most I've tried in the last 10 years or so. I was a bit intrigued by the setting of this one, but I probably wouldn't have picked it up if it hadn't been selected as the September S&L pick.

I always prefer character-driven stories, even when it's the world building that intrigues me. That often means the book is made by how much I like those characters. I have to admit I found most of the characters in this book unlikable. So I'm a bit surprised I liked this one.

It may be that Maggie grew on me as the book went on, or it may be that my interest in the world building carried my interest enough to make up for it. Despite living and growing up in the United States, I know very little about Native American culture or their gods. We learned a bit about the Iroquois tribes native to where I grew up, but that was only one unit during a middle school history class.

Most fantasy tends to use European religions and culture. So I probably know more about those as a result of all the fantasy I've read than from actual historical reading. I have no idea how accurate the lore is, especially when set in a sort of post-apocalyptic setting. However it made for a nice change of pace.

Plot-wise I didn't find this book particularly remarkable. For that reason I'm not in a real rush to check out the next book. But I liked this one enough that I may pick it up at some point.