Forever TBR (To Be Read): In Plain Sight by Senayda Pierre

Thursday, August 13, 2015

In Plain Sight by Senayda Pierre

Blurb:

“Hide in plain sight. Grandfather’s mantra is forever ingrained in me.”
Sahalie is the last of her lineage, bearing supernatural abilities gifted by the Spirits. She knows that in order to unlock her full potential she needs to find her mate. Yet in order to protect herself Sahalie knows she cannot reveal her secret abilities nor share her lineage with anyone but her true mate. She feels an instant and an undeniable connection with Yuma. Her Spirit Animal, a sassy little red fox is also drawn to the man’s Spirit Animal, a powerful tiger.

The problem?

Yuma is the son of an Elder. An Elder’s son means Yuma is neck-deep in community politics and drama. And she wants none of that. While Sahalie tries to avoid Yuma, the pull of true mates is evident and soon they find themselves unable to stay apart.

“What is it about you Sahalie?” I voice the question that’s haunted me since I first locked gazes with her.

Yuma has a very difficult decision to make… Will he follow his heart and Spirit Animal’s wishes and claim Sahalie as his true mate or will he uphold his duty to the communities and follow through with an arranged mating?

Yuma’s life-altering decision will affect everyone… not just him and Sahalie but the future of all their communities.

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25426143-in-plain-sight?ac=1

Buy links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LUBz0w

B&N Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-plain-sight-senayda-pierre/1122360610?ean=2940152042795
iTunes/iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/in-plain-sight/id1021338385?mt=11
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/in-plain-sight-39

REVIEW

I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I agreed to review this new release for Senayda Pierre. I am familiar with a previous release of hers Willfully Compelled and I enjoyed that book a lot. The idea of Spirit Animals struck me as a unique idea and was definitely interested to see where the author would go with it.

What a roller coaster this book was!

Within the first few pages it is more than obvious that the author did a great deal of research. I was intrigued with the idea of Silver Fox and Sky Woman. As the book unfolded I have to be honest and admit that I assumed this book would be a cut and dry - hero[ine] finds mate and are revealed to be Silver Fox and Sky Woman reborn. WRONG!

Sahalie has been hiding her true heritage among her people her entire life. [Sidenote: the author makes it plain that these people that live in within this community are NOT human. They are more in tune with the elements Earth, Wind, Air and Fire and are paired with an actual animal that is their Spirit Animal] Unlike the majority of her community, she has the ability to possess two Spirit Animals and has to conceal this or else her life would no longer be her own. As a result of bad pairings in the past their race has become severely diluted and a lot of the prominent bloodlines that once existed have now disappeared. It is Sahalie's wish to temporarily leave the community to go to college so that she can study genetics and figure out what her community's issue is. Unfortunately, while pursuing her education a member of her family passes away and she returns home.

Sahalie returns home and that is where she meets Yuma. It is obvious to me that Yuma and Sahalie are true mates and I am ecstatic. I assumed that the rest of the book is Yuma's pursuit of Sahalie and then their final come together.

Yes they are true mates and yes Sahalie leads Yuma on a merry chase, but Sahalie's initial path is not with Yuma. And this was so hard for me to accept because of the way that it is delivered. Yuma has community responsibilities seeing as how he is being groomed to be a future Elder. He is meant to have a political marriage that will tie their particular community with an equally successful community. What is messed up is that Sahalie is never told this. She goes through the motions of discovering and falling in love with and never being told, by Yuma might I add, that they can't be together. It was absolutely horrible to have in the back of my mind that this beautiful pairing of Yuma and Sahalie can't last. I stayed positive and assumed at the end of the day that Yuma would go against tradition and his father and make the right choice i..e. Sahalie.

The journey for Sahalie to become who the Spirits mean for her to be does not completely include Yuma and I found that to be refreshing. She has a destiny and a purpose - to help her people and the way to do so takes her away from her comfort zone and the community she has grown up with.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters, no matter how flawed and spineless I initially found some of them to be. The author took great pains to impart upon the reader all of the emotions that these characters are feeling at any point in time and I felt them. They were amazing. Each scene leading up to that horrible moment was so bittersweet, but I loved how it paved the way for Sahalie to accept and fulfill her destiny (for lack of a better word). I absolutely loved every character in this book and appreciated each one. I want a Spirit Animal!

I will most definitely read this book again and would love it if the author were to revisit these characters.