The Spirit Keeper by K.B. Laugheed

Morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on two TLC tours. First up is K.B. Laugheed's The Spirit Keeper.

Katie O'Toole longs to escape her life: a father who drinks, a miserable mother, and an overcrowded farm where she seems to take the brunt of punishment and ridicule is almost too much to bear. She's finally packed a bag with plans to to run off to the city when the family farm is ransacked by natives. Fortunately for Katie, two of the men seem to have established themselves as her protectors. Katie calls them Syawa and Hector and soon learns that she is part of a vision quest Syawa set off on over two years before. He calls her the Creature of Fire and Ice and believes she will bring a gift to his people. Katie agrees to accompany the men and the trio soon grows very close. But danger awaits them on their long quest and Katie worries that she may not be the person Syawa believes she is.  

K.B. Laugheed's debut is a story of survival and love on the frontier but it's also a story of acceptance and understanding. Katie knows little of the world beyond Pennsylvania with the exception of the stories she's been told about the old country. Syawa and Hector, on the other hand, know little of the world beyond the other tribes of the Americas. Together they teach one another about the culture and histories of their people. I thought Laugheed admirably handled this aspect of the tale, outlining things like the difference in trade (and the understand of wealth), religion, and mythology wonderfully between the characters.

The Spirit Keeper is told from the perspective of Katie as she recounts their journey. In truth, by the time I reached the end of the tale I realized it was only half of her story and I did wonder if we'd see more of her tale to come. (Supposedly we will - in an interview with the author over on Qwillery, Laugheed noted that she is working on part two.) That said, Spirit Keeper is a story in and of itself - I don't want to give the impression that this first cannot be read and enjoyed completely on its own, simply that returning to the story would be welcome indeed.

The Spirit Keeper is a quick read and one that's both exciting and - at times - a bit heartbreaking. I had a few teary moments while reading, I must admit. I definitely look forward to more from this author and these characters!

Rating: 4/5

To see more stops on the tour, check out the official TLC tour page here. For more on the author and her work be sure to visit her website here.