★For Matrimonial Purposes Review★

Although there are a lot of negative comments about this book on Amazon.com, I for one loved it. I found it in the library while I was browsing, and I was really excited when I found this one. Indian novels being one of my favorite subjects of literature, I couldn't wait to sink my claws into this.
As soon as I started reading this book I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. The story follows a young lady named Anju, an independent Indian girl living in New York city away from her family in Bombay. While she lives away from her home country she still wants to stick to the tradition of finding a husband and settling down like all of her past friends who still live in Bombay. I related to this character because I am half Japanese and I feel the same struggle of not wanting to stray from the Japanese way while being influenced by western culture.
The down side to this story in my opinion, was that it was a hurried ending. The story took a long time to unfold, and then it suddenly ended. Again, I enjoyed the novel very much and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this subject matter, but there were some downsides to it. It was a very easy read, and if you are looking for an in depth description of Indian culture this book probably won't fit the bill. But I say go for it! :D

Book Review, People of the Raven

Hello, today I am reviewing the book People of the Raven by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear. They are the authors of an exceptional series ("The People Series") which are fictional tales that focus on North America's "forgotten past". The settings are usually hundreds of years before Europeans discovered the north american continent, and really dissects the way people lived back then.

I've been reading this series for almost two years now (I've read about 5 of them and 3 by just Kathleen O'Neal Gear), and I absolutely LOVE the books they've written. It is DEFINITELY a series I would recommend to anyone. All the books (in my opinion) have plenty of mystery, romance, action, enlightenment, etc! They hit all the points I would want in a novel.

NOW on to People of the Raven. This book's setting was somewhere around the coast of Washington I believe, and it described a lot of beach scenes and forest, and COLD. There were good guys and bad guys, and a whole lot of drama and action. There were battles and loving relationships that developed throughout the book, and it was a definite page turner. I think it was one of my favorite people books (although I adored people of the Weeping Eye and Thunder the best).

The story starts out with the discovery of the Kennewick man (Caucasian male). It's a mystery, and the Gears developed an idea, a story out of this anomaly. The time this novel is set in has a huge impact of the people living their daily lives and influences much of the events in the story. At a time when people are struggling to keep up with the changes of the Earth's climate, a power struggle between two peoples occurs, and folds out into a tale of twists and turns!

**From the Gear-Gear site: One day a strange and beautiful red-haired woman, Evening Star, stumbles into his council lodge and begs him for sanctuary. Rain Bear soon learns that she is an escaped slave from the North Wind People, the Raven People's mortal enemies. If he offers to protect her, the North Wind People will attack, but if he sends her back, Rain Bear knows Evening Star will be tortured and perhaps killed.

But when Evening Star warns Rain Bear that the North Wind warriors are already on their way to Sandy Point Village, Rain Bear must decide at once if he should take his people and run or gather them into a battle that could result in the Raven People's complete demise.