Spirit Warriors: The Concealing by D E L Connor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Spirit Warriors is a Young Adult story set in Montana, USA. It is an extremely well written tale about a group of friends growing up in the freedom of the wild landscape. The group have grown up re-enacting battle scenes with General Custer and Chief Crazy Horse. The story is narrated by 16 year old Emme, the daughter of a Montana Rancher. Her group of friends include Charlie the love of her life and the descendant of local Native Americans. Under the watchful eye of Archie, the foreman on the Flying A Ranch and Charlie’s Grandpa, the teenagers camp out in Tepees and learn the stories of The Native American ancestors.
Charlie believes his destiny is to protect Emme and that all the teenagers will need to join together as spirit warriors to fight an evil spirit. Machayiwiw will come soon and threaten the lives of the group, to be at their strongest for battle they must join with animal spirits and use their strengths for the coming battle.
Lilly is Emme’s best friend, but she spends her time with her friends, avoiding going home to a father who constantly abuses her. She is thrown a life line by Oscar Hines who leaves his ranch to her upon his death. She is wiser to her own destiny than Emme can believe, and her cheerful character humbles those who know her.
When Jack Arrington arrives to live with his uncle on the Flying A Ranch he befriends the group instantly. They must trust him and let him in on their secret lives. The group have a very close and supportive friendship which would be the envy of many teenagers, their dress code for the school prom is a prime example. Meanwhile the evil is drawing closer.
The author captures some great emotional moments between the teenagers and the events which surround Lilly. It brought tears to my own eyes on more than one occasion. This book deals with social issues which face many teenagers in todays society. I liked the setting where the children grew up in the countryside with horses, farms and native traditions. The historical lessons involving the spirits of the ancestors brought great meaning to the story and the interactions with the adults in the story worked well. I know I’ve read a good book when it stays with me for several days and I keep thinking about it. This book is not just for the YA market, adults can enjoy it too.
This review is based on a free copy of the book sent to me by Booktrope.com
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
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Della Connor will also be our guest author on the blog tomorrow, come back and read more about her book and her writing.
Rosie Amber 