Somewhere to Dream

by Genevieve Graham

[kimbacaffeinate]

3.5 Last year I read and enjoyed Sound of Heart book two in Genevieve Graham’s MacDonnells series and truly enjoyed the tale. In Somewhere to Dream we meet Adelaide, a young white woman adopted by the Cherokee Indians and named Shadow Girl. Mini review: authentic, heart-warming and powerful.

We meet Adelaide and her sister Maggie after they and their family are attacked by a group of outlaws and rescued by a group of Cherokee. The two young girls are mended and accepted into the tribe. Struggling with visions and a terrible mistake, she shuts herself off from her gift until a young white man is captured and accepted into the tribe. The tale that unfolds is both heart-warming and brutal. I literally consumed this tale, and found myself fascinated by both the characters and the world around them.

Adelaide is named Shadow Girl by the Cherokee and rightly so. She prefers to live in her sister’s shadow, lives in fear from the past and fears her powerful dreams that foretell of things to come. You cannot help but feel for this young girl, as she struggles to overcome and embraces the Cherokee people. Jesse Black is a young white man, filled with anger. His eyes have often appeared in Adelaide’s dream, and she is drawn to him. Jessie is captured by the Cherokee, but Soquili believes he is his brother’s spirit reborn, and he is accepted into the fold. The two are thrust together; learning from each other and members of the tribe. I enjoyed getting to know some of the tribe members and their beliefs. Graham brought them to life and captured their spirit.

Graham beautifully captured these two damaged souls in Somewhere to Dream. Their histories are gut wrenching and sadly stories that occurred all over the untamed West. She takes us into the daily lives of the Cherokee, their beliefs and even dealings with the white man. The relationship that develops between Jesse and Adelaide is slow building. It finds its foundation on trust and healing. Graham allows us to see both sides of the struggle to claim the West, the cultural obstacles and heartaches. I personally would have liked another two hundred pages and greater detail of the period and the Cherokee culture, but Graham did an excellent job of portraying them. She doesn’t skimp on the brutal reality of this cold wilderness, and while not overly detailed it ripped at my heart and made me cringe. To see a culture so loving and in the next breath so violent was frightening. At its core Somewhere to Dream is a spiritual journey of healing, acceptance and ultimately love.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review and originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer