Review: Wind Catcher by Jeff & Erynn Altabef

Title: Wind Catcher (A Chosen Novel, #1)
Authors: Jeff Altabef & Erynn Altabef
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Paperback, 304 Pages
Published March 2015
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Summary: Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can’t make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense. When she stumbles upon a series of murders she can't help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there’s some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her. All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average—could never be average. Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

I received a copy of Wind Catcher from author Jeff Altabef himself in exchange for an honest review, and I'm really glad I did! I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one because I've never really read anything that deals with Native American heritage and customs, but as my four-star rating shows, I definitely ending up enjoying this one.

As the summary explains, Juliet Stone is a half-Native-American teenage girl who just wants a normal life, but she has anything but. From having a father who spends him time rotting away in jail and not caring an ounce about her to a single workaholic mother to a super-ritualistic Native American grandfather, Juliet's life is as far from her definition of "normal" as it gets. To make matters worse, a series of murders begins to occur throughout her tiny, normally safe town, and her grandfather appears to be in the center of all of them.

This was a definitely a different book. I've never read anything like this! Juliet has the voice of an average teenage girl, even if her life is anything but. It was interesting to read about Native American customs, and I love learning about new rituals and customs that I've never heard of or experienced before. So aside from everything else, this book is great for expanding your cultural knowledge!

As for the rest of the book, the only thing that bothered me the slightest bit was that sometimes the conversations between Juliet and her peers that were the same age as her just seemed unrealistic. She was using SAT-style words in everyday conversations with her best friends...that irked me a little bit. Some people can be language buffs, but I just felt like it made the conversations awkward and unbelievable. At some points the dialogue was totally believable and at other points it just seemed too formal and awkward. I kind of wish it stayed consistent, but that's the only thing that I have to say I wasn't crazy about in this book. That and the fact that Juliet seemed to pass out at the end of every other chapter.

As for what I loved - the plot twists! So many awesome things happened throughout this book that I wasn't expecting - and I won't spoil them for you, so go pick up the book yourself! Several times I was majorly impressed with the way the authors managed to catch me off guard. I would sit there and say "What?? That doesn't make any sense!" But then I would think back to the details and realize that the clues were there and I just missed them. Hats off to the authors for planting some evidence that wasn't too noticeable and managing to catch me off guard.

All in all, Wind Catcher was a gripping novel with a totally different plot that takes readers for an interesting journey. In addition to learning more about Native American culture as a whole, I was intrigued with the plot itself and the idea of someone being Chosen and fulfilling a destiny she has no choice to face. Thank you again to Jeff & Erynn Altabef for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from the authors in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own and neither the other nor the publishing company had prior knowledge of the content of this review until its publication on the 16th of March in the year 2015.