Sara's Gift: Comes the Crow

Sara's Gift #1

by Carol Stucki

Sara Stillsen is fourteen and has a gift for healing animals, but no one knows. She was told she would come into more power in her fifteenth summer. It's becoming more difficult to keep her gift a secret in the small ranching community where she lives. Come follow Sara as she discovers the source of this gift, while trying to keep it hidden from her family and friends, and falls in love along the way. With her spirit guide, a wolf-hybrid named Foxy, and Cherokee mentor, "Uncle Buck," she will learn the source of this gift. The crow is sent to protect and teach her about her gift. Now, at fifteen she must face her biggest decision. Sara will need to choose to continue the path of becoming a healer or walk away and be an ordinary teenager.

Genres: Young Adult

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2010

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say? I LOVED this book. The author's depictions of small-town life are dead on, and the way she weaves the descriptions of rodeo into the story are excellent. Ms. Stucki interweaves two plots into one story. In one, she tells a fantasy/Native American story of Sara, a high schooler who discovers she has a gift for mystically healing animals. In the other, she offers a realistic story of a fledgling romance. Both are handled artfully. I found the use of dialogue to be exceptional. The story is light, which makes this a fast read. The only thing missing was a true conflict. While Sara has an internal struggle regarding her "gift," the struggle is only subtly implied. A good, old-fashioned problem would have made this story even better. What a great debut novel. I can’t wait for book two!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a giveaway. Initially I found the writing slightly jilted, but quickly became engrossed in the story. It is a story of Sara's "coming of age", not only as a normal teenager, but also in recognizing and developing her gift to heal animals. The message of love she feels for the animals she heals and cares for is powerful. She also displays that love for her family, friends and all those in her community. Along the way Sara falls in love with JD who discovers her gift of healing. Sara is a stong female who has 2 older brothers to contend with, and is able to stand up for herself. Knowing little of the rodeo circuit I enjoyed the accounts of the rodeo activities. I look forward to the next book.

[Kathryn174 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I have a cavity… and it’s all Sara’s fault. This story is well written and engaging, but seriously does this type of life exist? Happy parents, happy kids, personal exchanges all with respect and well intentioned humor. No one gets upset or angry? Friends are true.

I think this was a great debut book for our author. And I wouldn’t mind reading more. My only reservation is that the family and friend structure just doesn’t seem realistic to me.

I want to thank the author for signing my copy of the book.

P.S. I believe there is a typo on (if I remember right) is page 258. There is a question mark instead of a period after something a character questioned. The question is poised between quotes with “so-and-so asked?” afterward.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and loved getting to know the amall town life of a young lady. I enjoyed learning about the rodeo and all the events. Sara was a great character. Very spunky and rather mature for her young age. I also enjoyed the growing romance between her and JD. It was also fascinating to see her grow in her powers. I also enjoyed some of the secondary characters. Overall, it was a wonderful book and I am looking forward to reading the nexrr book.

[Kirstin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, but was disappointed with the ending. The beginning was a little difficult to get into, but I enjoyed the concept of the book a lot. I liked the characters, but in the beginning the many names were difficult to keep track of. All in all, if you like animals and YA fiction, you may like this book.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads. This is a very sweet and innocent book, very wholesome, no drama. This is definitely a book for the young adult with a love of animals. The descriptions of the sensations Sarah gets while healing are pretty accurate. I found it a little bland and lacking in the depth of characters. But overall a good read.

[Jie Hao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! It's amazing how Sara could stay calm while having so much trouble. Also I'm really jalous of how she met love. I also really like the setting of the book. The ending is cool too. If I'm her, I don't think I can still smile till the end.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on goodreads giveaway. My daughter loved it!

[Montana]

thanks goodreads

[Read for your future! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Syra's review here:
http://readforyourfuture.blogspot.com...

[Kristina Franken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book for anyone

FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.