Ghost Girls and Rabbits - Cassondra Windwalker

Flush with the victory of winning the election as Alaska's first Athabaskan Senator, Noni Begay wakes to find herself buried alive. When her coffin lid opens, though, it's not to rescue but to six years of captivity, betrayed by the one person she trusted most. Escape will require not only all her strength but all the strength and stories of the ancestors she had until now imagined were only a useful device, an accessory she wore to win votes and social media followers.

Mary Nelson's only daughter, Ryska, went missing ten years ago, with no one but her mother to search for her. Having used up every favor and chit she has, Mary is willing to risk everything on one last ploy to save her daughter from the monsters-even if she has to become one herself.

A chilling psychological horror novel excoriating the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in North America, Ghost Girls and Rabbits is an unforgettable read perfect for fans of Scandinavian noir and literary horror, told by two fractured minds in the trappings of myths truer than mirrors.

What did I think?

I love reading Cassondra Windwalker's books as you just never know what to expect and Ghost Girls and Rabbits is no exceptions.  It was a bit like falling down the rabbit hole as I didn't know what on earth was going on at first but it all becomes clear as you read on.

Mary Nelson will do anything to keep her missing daughter's face at the front of people's minds and she has a very cunning plan to do just that when Senator Noni Begay goes missing.  It is no surprise that Mary's mental health has taken a beating and I'm surprised she managed to function as well as she did for so long.  

It's a very claustrophobic story that is beautifully written both from the captive and the captor's points of view.  The scenery also plays a part as it's set mainly in an isolated cabin in Alaska and the snow feels very menacing and traitorous as it shows up every footprint.  

Inspired by missing Alaskan native women, Ghost Girls and Rabbits is an incredibly poignant and powerful book.  Cassondra Windwalker's prose is lyrical and poetic as she takes the reader deep into the minds of her main characters.  It's an unforgettable and important book that I highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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All This Will Be Lost - Brian Payton

Synopsis:

A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

April 1943.  In the bloody turmoil of war, John Easley, a journalist mourning his lost brother, is driven to expose a hidden and growing conflict: the Japanese invasion and occupation of Alaska's Aleutian islands.  But when his plane is shot down he is forced to either surrender or struggle to survive in a harsh wilderness.

A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

Three thousand miles to the south, Helen Easley cannot accept her husband's disappearance - an absence that exposes her sheltered, untested life.  Desperate to find and reunite with him, she sets out on a remarkable journey from the safety of her Seattle home to the war in the north.

A LOVE STORY LIKE NO OTHER

An evocative, richly atmospheric tale of life and death, commitment and sacrifice, All This Will Be Lost is a gripping story of survival than illuminates the fragility of life and the fierce power of love.

What did I think?

This is an incredible story - a story that stayed with me long after I read the final page.  I laughed, I cried and I prayed that Helen and John would find each other again.  John really surprised me at times, and the strength he found to survive against all the odds was inspiring.  I liked the fact that Helen and John weren't painted as a perfect couple - they had their fair share of disagreements but Helen didn't hesitate in setting off across the country to find John.  You could even feel that she was close at one point - they perhaps saw the same eagle and I felt that their meeting was just around the corner but Helen got shipped out of Alaska and I began to despair again.  But like the Easley's, I didn't give up hope.

The beautiful writing paints a vivid picture of a desolate landscape and Brian Payton really gives a voice to the people of the Aleutian Islands, a place I'm ashamed to say I'd never heard of.  He also shows a different side to the Japanese soldiers as we're often so quick to think of their brutality in prisoner of war camps.

An amazing story of love, survival and the tragedy of war.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.