It's Book Review Wednesday, and I've got an unusual one for you today! This is an intriguing mix of dinosaurs and Native American lore with a Young Adult twist. Pretty solid read, all things considered…
The Hunted Tribe
The War has Begun... Deep in the North American forests lurks an animal spirit known as the Grishla. The Grishla is so ancient it pre-dates the human race by several million years, and it is so powerful and reclusive only very insightful witches know of its existence.
Five hundred years ago, the Dwanake tribe possessed such witches. Drunk on their own power and arrogance, these witches attempted to enslave the Grishla. Enraged, the creature began hunting and killing the Dwanake.
Desperate, the tribal elders ordered experiments on the Dwanake children to create the ultimate witch to defend their people.
Sixteen-year-old Sean Wolf is that witch.
But Sean is so powerful that he cannot control his own magic. Will he be able to defeat the Grishla or will he destroy himself and everyone that he loves?
My Review: 4.5 Stars
An implacable terror. An ancient curse. A young teenager is the world's only hope.
Sean is an angry teenaged boy with a terrible power locked within him. Elizabeth is a desperate grandmother who wants to ensure the survival of not just her family, but her entire tribe. When they are faced with a monster that has hunted their tribe for centuries, the two must bring together the secrets of witchcraft and modern ingenuity to defeat the unstoppable evil.
The Hunted Tribe weaves together Native American and Druidic lore with a deft hand, mixing the two in a tale that will grip you until the very end. Blood sacrifices, creatures of nightmare, and animal spirits--hang onto your hat for a heart-stopping tale of horror that will have you questioning everything you believe to be true.
Here's a Taste:
The unseen creature in the woods stared unwaveringly at the three boys, the sound of its heavy breathing rose hauntingly out of the fog.
I've got to get them out of here, Sean thought.
I've got to get them moving, or we're all dead!
A strong wind kicked up ash from the fire, and Sean felt his eyes sting. Blinking hard, he saw the fire was growing substantially dimmer by the moment. Eventually, he realized something else was happening a well. A dark shadow moved across the campground, turning everything gray. Searching for the source of the growing gloom, Sean looked up. Overhead, dark clouds were passing across the large orange moon, blotting out their main source of light. He glanced to the fire once more—only a few red embers shimmered in the dark.
"The fire is almost gone," said Sean, reaching the end of the log. He reached down and picked up Jimmy's bag. "We need to leave. We need to leave now!"
"No, no, it's fine," said Bear, although Sean noted his voice was growing nervous as well. "He's more scared of us than we are of him."
Sean seriously doubted that.
He looked back up into the sky. The clouds had now completely blocked out the moon. Checking the status of the fire yet again, he watched as the last ember turned dark. Slowly, with deep apprehension, Sean's gaze returned to the creature. Its red eyes seemed to be glowing even more brightly now.
"Hey, guys," came Tom's voice. "Jimmy doesn't know about the bear. He's in the woods. He's going to come out any second, and he doesn't know!"
"It's ok. We're between the
coyote and Jimmy," said Bear, stressing the word coyote. "We have his full attention. Besides, one coyote isn't going to attack us. We're too big."
"I'm telling you guys, that is not a coyote!" insisted Tom. Sean heard Tom taking a few steps back. "He's too big!"
"You're nuts, he's not..." Said Bear, but abruptly cut himself off.
The eyes moved. Not toward them, but up and up as if the creature were standing on its hind legs. The eyes finally stopped moving when they reached a height of about seven feet. In the fog and darkness, Sean could faintly make out a dark impression of a body, a black shadow nearly hidden within the gray shade of the trees.
He figured maybe Bear would say something like, "Ok, it's a bear, but he'll still keep his distance." Only Bear, Tom, and Sean never got a chance to say anything. Suddenly the creature let out an impossibly loud, high-pitched shriek that continued to build and build until it ended in a horrific roar. The sound was beyond loud, beyond terrifying, and Sean clamped his hands over his ears as the penetrating roar drowned out all reasonable thought.
Sean recognized the cry. He had heard it once before in his dream with Srinam. Any hope that he possessed that this was an ordinary animal had now died. They were, beyond any doubt, staring into the eyes of the Grishla.
"RUN!!!" yelled Sean, pivoting on his right foot and taking off at full speed into the woods. He prayed the other two would follow his lead, but feared Bear and Tom would hold their ground. He knew in his heart, if they hesitated, they would be dead and nothing Sean could do would save them.
About the Author:
Roma Gray began writing at the age of 8 and wrote her first novel when she was 13. Her two published books are “Gray Shadows Under a Harvest Moon” (short story collection) and “The Hunted Tribe: Declaration of War” (novel).
Her favorite holiday of the year is Halloween. This is why she writes what she refers to as ‘Trick-or-Treat Thrillers’, stories with a Halloween feel about them.
She lives in Oregon with her two cats, dog and parrot.
Find the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Hunted-Tribe-Book-Declaration-War/dp/1530508088/
Visit her website:
http://trickortreatthrillers.com
Connect on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005601256861
