The Hatak Witches

De: Devon A. Mihesuah

Narrado por: Kyla García

After a security guard is found dead and another wounded at the Children's Museum of Science and History in Norman, Oklahoma, Detective Monique Blue Hawk and her partner Chris Pierson are summoned to investigate. They find no fingerprints, no footprints, and no obvious means to enter the locked building.

Monique discovers that a portion of an ancient and deformed skeleton had also been stolen from the neglected museum archives. Her uncle, the spiritual leader Leroy Bear Red Ears, concludes that the stolen remains are those of Hatak haksi, a witch and the matriarch of the Crow family, a group of shape-shifting Choctaws who plan to reestablish themselves as the powerful creatures they were when the tribe lived in Mississippi. Monique, Leroy, and Chris must stop the Crows, but to their dread, the entities have retreated to the dark and treacherous hollow in the center of Chalakwa Ranch.

But what no one counts on is the unexpected appearance and power of the Old Ones who guard the lands of the Choctaw afterlife. Blending tribal beliefs and myths into a modern context, The Hatak Witches continues the storyline of Choctaw cosmology and cultural survival that are prominent in Devon A. Mihesuah's award-winning novel, The Roads of My Relations.

©2021 Devon A. Mihesuah (P)2022 Tantor

Riveting story and such full characters

The author writes with humor, empathy, wit and some righteous indignation. I am appreciative of the lessons and honored to hear the First Nations stories woven into a really suspenseful mystery.

Will listen again.

Great storyline

I really enjoyed this book. It brought out a lot of ancestral knowledge for the Choctaw nation. That was very interesting and the story was really exciting and kept me reading.

The accuracy of stolen Indigenous bodies.

The storytelling was intriguing. Most enjoyable is the twist of the transformative beings not common in lore.

Great premise, flawed execution

First, the good stuff. I love Native American mythology, and was very excited to listen to this. I was happy to find a book blending all my favorite genres while giving Native stories a voice, and I dove in eagerly.

There is a lot of good foundation laid here for a truly spectacular series. This, combined with the supernatural aspect, the ghost story, and the mystery/police procedural plot, made me cautiously optimistic that this book might be a delicious slice of literary cake. But though the good foundation is there, it is sorely lacking in character development.

This was frustrating because the characters themselves are set up to be interesting, but beyond initial introductions, we hardly find out anything about them at all. An example of this is Leroy, the shaman who helps them through the resolution of the mystery. He is so colorful, but we barely get to see him or find out anything about what he's really capable of.

I also wanted to know more about the mysteries of the Hollow itself. We're told that it's a mysterious place full of strange happenings but that's about it. It's like somebody dangling a delicious snack in front of your face and yanking it away before you can have a bite.

As well, the writing is overexplanatory at times, not a negative didactic way, but, it seems, in a desire to clearly explain certain lore or Native legends. This could have been done differently, but as it is on the page, it's not combined very well with the rest of the story. This makes a lot of the scenes feel like they drag on twice as long as they need to.

Finally, the end is anti-climactic. It could have been epic, but it's over so fast that it seems like a wasted opportunity. After all the overly explained scenes about evidence and theory in the museum, we get the most compact version of the resolution I think could have been possible. The imbalance is disappointing.

The narrator is very good though, and has a pleasant, calming voice. I would definitely listen to other books narrated by her. People looking for an easy read who like ghost stories will find this fun, as long as they don't mind superficial character development and a rushed ending.

Stop listening because of narrator

I found the story engaging but was so annoyed and distracted by the narrator I had to stop. She was good with dialogue but when doing description she was flat and read like she was reading words rather than sentences. It reminded me of second grade when you had your turn at reading and you read one word after another without seeing the sentence and your reading conveyed no meaning or subtext.

I liked the story (and I listen to a lot) and didn’t want to ruin it so I stopped and sent for the book.

It had promise but...

The premise had my attention instantly. The progression of the story was well paced and the narrator's performance was great. Additionally, the interwoven folklore was fascinating and the turning point/climax was mystical and thrilling. However, throughout the story, the main character, Monique, is written as someone who always seems to have the upper hand, be the most righteous, or have the last word in any dialogue while the rest of the characters fall flat or lack emotional depth; this isn't a character flaw but rather a choice by the author, implicating a hidden agenda, which, in turn, dims down the fictious plot.

Most of the secondary/minor characters were written as no more than verbally incontinent buffoons or politically incorrect ignoramuses despite their professional fields and the exposition being contemporary.

Even the most amateur writer can decipher the difference between a personal opinion versus an observation.

Intriguing!

I enjoyed this one!

It took me a little while to get accustomed to the author’s style, which is largely based on simple declarative sentences. However, the narrator’s nuance and inflection helped me get past that by the second chapter.

I love stories that emerge from cultures I’m not as familiar with. This blend of a modern setting in present day Oklahoma, and the depth and timelessness of Choctaw tradition was enlightening as well as entertaining.

It was a fun read, that I’ll revisit.

the knowledge about Oklahoma

Monique was a bit of a snob. very judgemental against those not like her.

Super scary

It was a very deep story, full of turns and secrets. If you want to sleep with one eye open for the time you read this book, read it!

Excellent

I love the way that Devon Mihesuah weaves native tradional stories with modern horror. I always feel like I learn something new from each of her books. This was a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it.