Reviewer: Sandy
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I’m conflicted over whether to like Anaii or to hate her for her scheming ways. I know hate is a powerful and negative word but the way she treated the men in her life, I just felt so fed up. I wanted to yell at the men to move on… find someone else; I just didn’t get what made her so special that they stayed. Anaii, has the gift of wind. She talks to the wind and listen to their reply, warning and heeding to their advice. Being special, the other women in the village are resentful towards her which also includes her since sister Shala. While Shala talks about the village men, Anaii mind is elsewhere and does not care that the time is approaching for marriage. Sha-copay, her father is concerned over his brother Askook who is estranged and who is at war with Sha-copay’s tribe. Using Anaii’s talent, their tribe is able to be prepared for battle but exactly why Askook’s tribe attacked is the question Sha-copay is wondering. As Anaii escapes for a few minutes of freedom, she discovers Jayttin in the field. A young beautiful female discovering a young captivating male in the tall grasses, the attraction between the two is imminent. Promises are made, stories are told and then the ball is dropped! Jayttin is from Askook’s tribe yet he is drawn to Anaii. As Anaii mind is spinning, she remembers Elan. Elan, the boy from her village who wants her hand in marriage, whom she has known since she was a child, oh how her memory has failed her. Anaii is now juggling two young men who claim their love for her while in the same vicinity. This just blows my mind! How she carries on and these men are in the same area while she contemplates their love has me wondering if she put a spell on them. What power she holds in her hands. Let’s not forget we have the villages at war. This tension, this confusion and it doesn’t stop there. The adventure is just starting, so be ready. Battles must be fought, tears must be shed, the wind calls and Sha-copay still wants a wedding.
I kept thinking if I had the power of the wind, what would I ask? Would I really want to know? Once you got the hang of the names in the book it was easy to read. I was so drawn to Anaii’s power over these two men that I could not put the book down. I realized that Elan had known Anaii since they were children but she had turned him down at his marriage proposal but yet he hung on to his dream of marrying her. Then there was Jayttin, he was a sweet talker and he had great dreams (yet would they turn into reality?) but just the thought of who he was should have put an alarm in her head. It’s one of those times when you are reading, you are saying to yourself “don’t go there…this looks like a trap” and you squirm as you read the lines on the page. That is exactly what I did every time Jayttin and Anaii where together. This book sure took me out of my normal lines of reading but it was a great escape. The story lines were not twisted just a straight linear line that just kept going.
4 stars
