Review: Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

I really quite enjoyed Trail of Lightning, and so when this was released I jumped on it. Of course, life being what life is, I didn’t manage to listen to it until now. Funny how that happens! ^_^

It’s been four weeks since the bloody showdown at Black Mesa, and Maggie Hoskie, Diné monster hunter, is trying to make the best of things. Only her latest bounty hunt has gone sideways, she’s lost her only friend, Kai Arviso, and she’s somehow found herself responsible for a girl with a strange clan power.

Then the Goodacre twins show up at Maggie’s door with the news that Kai and the youngest Goodacre, Caleb, have fallen in with a mysterious cult, led by a figure out of Navajo legend called the White Locust. The Goodacres are convinced that Kai’s a true believer, but Maggie suspects there’s more to Kai’s new faith than meets the eye. She vows to track down the White Locust, then rescue Kai and make things right between them.

Her search leads her beyond the Walls of Dinétah and straight into the horrors of the Big Water world outside. With the aid of a motley collection of allies, Maggie must battle body harvesters, newborn casino gods and, ultimately, the White Locust himself. But the cult leader is nothing like she suspected, and Kai might not need rescuing after all. When the full scope of the White Locust’s plans are revealed, Maggie’s burgeoning trust in her friends, and herself, will be pushed to the breaking point, and not everyone will survive.

Don’t take it the wrong way. I just mean that when something is part of your identity for so long, even if it’s not a good thing, it’s hard to let it go. Even if maybe you should.

This is the continuing story of Maggie Hoskie, a Diné monster hunter who lives in a world that’s been ravaged by what is called the “Big Water” – a massive flood event that has decimated much of the United States, leaving it looking quite different than it does now.

After the events of Trail of Lightning (which I won’t spoil), Maggie is doing work with the local… police gang(?) when suddenly she is given charge of a young girl named Ben, who has a strange clan power. Then the Goodacre twins show up and say that their younger brother, and Kai, Maggie’s only friend (or maybe more) have been kidnapped.

And there were many shenanigans to be had. With locusts. Obviously. ^_^

I liked this sequel just as much as I liked book one. Maybe even more than, when I really sit down and have a think on it. I listened to this one all in one sitting, starting it at work and actually listening to it through the evening.

I love a good Urban Fantasy, and while I don’t always go in for the dystopian ones, this series is a very good example of that genre. Dinétah is an interesting setting to explore, and this volume takes us outside of the massive walls that have been erected around it into the bigger world.

I continue to like Maggie as a character, but the real winner here for me was Ben, who I thought added a lot of heart and spunk to Maggie’s often sort of bitchy presence. I also really, really enjoyed the antagonist in this one (as an antagonist) because in this particular case… given the whole dystopian nature of the world, you can’t 100% disagree with all of his ideals.

Tanis Parenteau once again did a fantastic job with the narration in this one. She gives Maggie a great voice, and tells her story well. I also loved the voice she gave to Ben, and as usual, loved the voice that she gave to Coyote. A very well done audiobook!

So, all told, I thought this was not only a fantastic sequel, but a fantastic book on its own (but definitely read Trail of Lightning first!) – there aren’t many 9 hour long audiobooks that I will listen to the entirety of in one sitting, but this one made that feat easy! 5/5 stars!

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