The Hunted Tribe

Declaration of War, Book 1

De: Roma Gray

Narrado por: Terry F. Self

A teen descendant of a Native American tribe cursed by an ancient creature may be the only one who can save his bloodline in this YA supernatural thriller.

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?

©2017 Roma Gray (P)2017 Roma Gray

Had no idea I'd like this so much

A prehistoric dinosaur, witchcraft, spells, and teenagers. Okay, that's not going to make a good story, no way!! YES, WAY!!! I'm new to Ms. Gray's books, but I will be catching up very fast!!! The narration for this story was spot on. Mr. Self had me convinced Elizabeth was a grandmother, a snarky on at that. Kudos all around!!!

Not just another YA supernatural story

Schizophrenic vegan teen teams up with his native American grandma to kearn witchcraft and defeat an ancient dinosaur spirit.

Sound crazy? Well, it is! in a good way!
Kidding about the schizophrenic part, although the main character does have parts of his personality that grow and come alive.
(no spoilers!)

I found the characters in this story to be its greatest asset. Very unique, and despite their almost dorky behavior at times, extremely believable.
Having grown up in the area the story was set in, I appreciated the authors way of putting me there with her words.
Well written, slow burn, twist at the end!
At times the vegan recipes and dialogue about the food in those scenes bordered on preachy and the author spent an unusual amount of page time describing the food.
Nevertheless I actually found myslef dreaming about it!

Parts of the story reminded me of Stephen Kings It, Netflix's Stranger Things and the classic film, Stand By Me, yet it was uniquely it's own story.

Some people may be turned off my the characters at times goofy and epic nerdiness, but I for one loved the naive innocence of the teens in this story.
It took me back to times in my life long gone.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in YA supernatural thrillers, or just plain enjoys fun, fresh and unique tales.

The narrator really did a great job too, accents, and excited delivery, not boring whatsoever.

Five Stars.

A slow burn and a welcome change

The subject matter here is one that isn't explored very often in YA fiction, and when going with something like Native American mythology it can be very easy to do it a disservice. Not the case here. Roma Grey does a great job of writing fully realized, diverse characters and transitions from the elderly to the young gracefully. Her monster is something I don't exactly want to spoil here, but I will say it's definitely unique and not typical of the genre. That alone would make for a reason to pick this up.

Terry did a pretty good job of narrating and handling the voices well. His style of speaking was a little too blunted for my taste, but I can recognize that as a matter of preference, not a reflection on his talent. He's very good here, and I think he warrants a solid rating and it's easy to endorse him.

I hope this book series gains steam and finds a following.

Declaration of war

YA horror is not my genre but this was enjoyable. The pace was steady and the action peppered with moments of downtime with the characters, allowing me a closer glimpse into them as fully realized contributors to the story line

Roma's raptor ridden revelations!

Ok, so I like alliteration, and I may have misinformed you of what the Grishla really is, but the point is that this is a stunning take on dinos in a semi modern era. The book is a mix of dino horror, magic, and the ages old battle of good vs evil. What I love about Gray is that she always has a great twist, amazing concept, or surprise that hits you from nowhere. Here, I honestly think that my favorite concept wasn't the good vs evil, but the Vegan vs Carnivore throwdown. On another note, as a declared carnivore I did think there were a few points where the veggies are essential (i.e. detailed reecipies and descriptions of the chow itself) was a tad overcooked. Sorry, Roma!

Regardless, Sean, must battle an ancient enemy with powers and abilities her barely has a grasp of, and the theme of honesty, loyalty, and bravery is resounding throughout her story. The book itself, her debut novel I might add, hits the ground running with one hell of a chase scene and the pace never really slows down from that point. If this were a physical book, I am reviewing the audio after all, I would call this a page turner. Audible does let you increase the narration speed, but that is not fun to listen to at reading speed. So, you just have to suffer and listen to Terry Self do his ever amazing and impressive job in reading this book to you. I have heard Terry numerous times, but I kind of found it endearing to realize that this was the first time he and Gray had partnered up, and that made my listening experience all the more special. Self has never let me down as a reader/narrator, the man knows how to tell a story, and Gray surely knows how to write one. Her characters are realistic and three dimensional beings, wrought full of emotion and drive.

I wish I had gotten this book when it had first been released, rather than now, because I have been missing out on a fantastic story, and as a huge fan of Roma's I can say that while I can see improvement in her later works, this story is a powerful stand alone tale (that does have a semi sequel) that does not suffer any of the normal freshman errors. Her pacing, plot, and characters are all on point, and the story will grip you, so don't miss out on an amazing book by an awesome author and notable narration by Mr. Self.