Echo of the Cliffs

Juniper Sawfeather #3

by D.G. Driver

Three warriors asked the sun to grant them wishes of immortality to protect their people forever. One was turned into a merman, another was turned into a tree, and final warrior was turned into a stone.

Juniper Sawfeather has learned there is truth to this American Indian legend. She knows how it connects the mermaids she saved from an oil spill and the ancient spirit that trapped her in the branches of an Old Growth tree. Now she wants to find out if the final part of this legend is that some kind of magical stone exists. A lone mermaid finds her and shares a vision of a cliff along the ocean shore. This must be the place, and June knows she needs to find it.

Tragedy happens when her parents take Carter and her on a mission to the San Juan Strait to collect evidence of construction run-off pollution, and they are attacked by a killer whale. June is convinced that the killer whale was led by mermaids, and she is desperate to find out why they attacked and where they are hiding. Once again, Juniper is on a heroic mission, the most frightening adventure yet. A thrilling ending to this award-winning trilogy!

Genres: Paranormal

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2017

About the author

D. G. Driver is an optimist at heart, and that's why she likes to write books about young people who strive to make a difference in the world. From her teen environmentalist in The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy, a young girl teaching her friends autism acceptance and to stop bullying people with special needs in No One Needed to Know, a girl who bravely searches for a friend lost along the shore of a dark lake in Lost on the Water - A Ghost Story, a princess who desires to be more than a pampered prize for a prince in The Royal Deal, to a boy who learns that being genuine and chivalrous are the ways to win a girl's heart in All the Love You Write, Driver hopes to write characters that you'll want to root for.

When she's not writing, she is a teacher in an inclusive child development center in Nashville, and she can often be found strutting the stage in a local musical theater production.

Reviews

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this trilogy and this book was a great wrap-up to the story of Juniper, Carter, Haley and Juniper's parents. We started with mermaids, then a tree alive with a spirit and wrapped it up with a stone person/monster and mers (men and women). When Juniper's boyfriend Carter goes missing, I wanted to email the author and go to the end of the book to see if he lives. There is a lot of action in here as Juniper tries to find Carter even though everyone else thinks he is dead. It's also about wrapping up the story about the three men and what happened to them. Is it a myth or did it really happen. This ending to the trilogy does a great job of wrapping everything up and bringing things to a completion. Ms. Driver does a great job of bringing the characters to life with humor along with drama. She made me not want to put the book down and I will miss Juniper and her family and friends. Definitely pick this trilogy up if you want to be entertained.

I want to thank the author for allowing me to take this journey.

[Daisy White · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Summer reading pile just hit 45 books, so I'm reading lots of different genres at the moment. This book is the third in a YA trilogy, following Juniper Sawfeather on her rather mystical journey. Having read and loved the first two books, I was hoping for more of the same pacey writing and well draw characters, and I wasn't disappointed. The whole series is full of clever twists and reveals, and this conclusion went full speed ahead for a very satisfying ending.
I can honestly say I haven't read any other YA with an enviromental slant, and I enjoyed the fresh, sassy approach to the subject. I love YA but do get a bit fed up with lead characters being stressing about their boyfriend/girlfriend and it can get repetitive - Juniper is an exception and I was right behind her all the way. She is a strong, smart role model, but never in a preachy way, and she totally kicks butt!
Highly recommended beach reading for the Summer ;-)

[Connie Huddleston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all the Juniper Sawfeather books and of the three, I liked Echo of the Cliffs best! Juniper has matured through these three books and knows what she can do and what she wants for her life. The story that began in Cry of the Sea and continued in Whisper of the Woods comes to fruition in this final volume with a heart-wrenching story of Native American mysticism and personal trials. Driver has created a character with Juniper that could live on in many more books. But if her story ends here, you will not be disappointed.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting series. The inclusion of Native American legend to base the stories on was an excellent tool to build around lending to the character connections.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I could be Juniper Sawfeather's mother.  Juniper continually finds herself in life-threatening, precarious situations - and yet she has these wondrous, magical experiences that go along with them.  Not sure if my heart could take the life-threatening aspects.  This book is no different - I gasped more than once at unexpected events while reading. 

With its environmental focus, the inclusion of American-Indian mythology, and a young protagonist who knows her own mind and doesn't bow to the whims of high school drama, the Juniper Sawfeather collection defined itself as an intelligent YA series from page one of the first book, Cry of the Sea.

The lovable supporting characters are still here - Carter, the supportive boyfriend and Haley, the encouraging best friend, as well as those you love to hate - narcissistic Regina.  Juniper's parents are still somewhat controlling, but in comparison to the first book, I liked seeing the turbulent relationship between Juniper and her parents mature to the point that they've begun to trust her decisions and consider her opinions.  By the end of this book, Juniper forms a logical plan to carve a path for her future, leaving the door cracked for a possible return to this character at a later time - I'm hoping!

I'm sad to see this series wrap up, but very pleased with the way the author ended it in that she stayed true to her characters and the story line.  I'd highly recommend this refreshing, smart YA fantasy series.

I received a digital copy of this book from the author.

[Marie Blanchet · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Echo of the Cliffs, Juniper is done with school, and has grown as a person. While her life still isn’t going the way she wants it to, what with her parents see-sawing between treating her like an adult and still treating her like a child, the disappearance of her boyfriend and the media circus that follows her everywhere, Juniper has finally reached the point where she knows what she wants, and she’ll do anything to get it.

This is a feeling that might be familiar to a few people, if you just remove the mermaids : when you reach the end of high shcool and you’re just done with it, emotionnally speaking. When you become a competent adult not because you acquired any particular skill, but because you’re fed up with not being one. Juniper in this book still manages to wade into trouble, and she still is the same stubborn hothead as before. She is still lost and still questions her decisions. But emotionnally, she’s on another level, and what she lacks in confidence she makes up in sheer drive and determination.

This is why I maintain that D G Driver knows her stuff. This is very tricky character development to pull off, to start with an high school girl that feels like one, and to end with a girl that is ready for college away from her parents – and to get there organically.

Read full review here: https://blambooks.wordpress.com/2017/...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Washington tourism should be paying Ms. Driver for her work on the state's behalf. I felt that the book was a literary postcard of sorts and if seeing all that beauty with my own eyes wasn't on my bucket list before, it definitely is now.

'Cliffs' wraps up left over storylines from Whisper of the Woods while the Sawfeathers embark on a new mission to discover the truth behind an ancient Native American legend. It's not often that parents are this involved in a YA novel and it was a refreshing change from the norm. I enjoyed seeing their family dynamics shift as their respect for June grew.

I've probably said this about June before but she's smart, brave, and mature for her age. She's a wonderful heroine and a suitable role model for other young girls. I could go on reading about her adventures with Carter forever but if I must say goodbye, I'm glad she's finding her feet in the adult world.

If you or your teen has an interest in environmentalism or a love for nature, this is a series you're bound to enjoy. It isn't your typical YA!

[Kester Nucum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echo of the Cliffs is the stunning conclusion to The Juniper Sawfeather Trilogy as it examines the final part of the legend of the three warriors, a person turned into stone. The stakes have been raised even higher as some of the lives of Juniper’s loved ones are in danger. Without spoiling anything, I can say that Echo of the Cliffs will not disappoint fans of books one and two. The story truly does teach readers about the power of sacrifice, whether it be for love or for doing what is right. Echo of the Cliffs will make the hearts of readers pound and their eyes water with tears. I am very happy and satisfied with the ending, though I am sad to see it come to a close.