Poet Tongue (The Skin Walker Series #1) by Kyla Stan

Poet Tongue

(The Skin Walker Series #1)

by 

Kyla Stan

"She threw herself away – and was reborn as a white wolf with a prophecy.

Seventeen-year-old Violet Ashton is labeled as a Goth girl and secretly desires to find her purpose in a metal band. She wants a real connection, but her boyfriend Jake would rather party and thinks love is a joke. Trying to navigate through her senior year of high school while dealing with emotional abuse and bullies finally wears Violet down, and she believes everyone would be better off if she were dead. Fleeing society’s brutal ways, she tries to kill herself by cutting her wrists.

Tohon, the gorgeous warrior son of a prominent Skin Walker chief, a race of beings that shapeshift into wolves, is expected to one day succeed his father and find the perfect mate to spend his life with. But Tohon breaks the ultimate Skin Walker rule: stay away from humans. When Tohon smells Violet’s blood and saves her from committing suicide, he accidently bites her, forever marking her as a wolf and awakening an ancient prophecy. Violet has the power to destroy the enemy hunting Tohon’s pack – but only if she is willing to risk her life.

Leading the greatest war in Skin Walker history is only part of the problem. Violet must also face long-buried issues of trust as her feelings for Tohon become something more than she ever expected.

Is Violet a raging animal, or a gentle spirit? And can she face down the greatest enemy she has ever known in order to have the things she wants the most? Filled with Native American mythology and dark fantasy elements, Poet Tongue is the first novel of the Skin Walker Series. "

A young adult novel based on Native American culture. I'll be honest, the only reason why I wanted to try out this book was because I'm very interested in Native American culture. I'm a huge fan of Madeline Baker, Janelle Taylor and some of my favourite books are 

Love Medicine

by 

Louise Erdrich

House Made of Dawn

by 

N. Scott Momaday

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

by 

Velma Wallis

The Legend of the Bluebonnet

by 

Tomie dePaola

Lakota Woman

by 

Mary Crow Dog,

 

Richard Erdoes

So basically I chose this one because I  was very excited to read another book based on the fascinating native american culture. And the author did not disappoint, however I do feel that there were some major loopholes in the story. I don't want to give any spoilers so I will not go  into details. Te character portrayal was really good and interesting. I personally think that Violet's character has a lot of potential and can be developed into a great character with time. The plot along with narrative also flows smoothly and without any hitch.

We also get glimpses of how the native american villages used to operate in 

previous times before the Europeans came to America. I especially loved this part of the book a lot. (maybe because I like historical things).

Overall I think this is a great YA novel and a beginning of an awesome series. The twist in the end was just marvelous! Even I did not see it coming at all. I had to read the last few lines a second time to make sure that I'm reading correctly. No no I'm not going to tell you, you will need to read it to find out but I will definitely suggest any young adult fans to give it a try and I think anyone who loves to read native american historical fiction or legends or culture should go for it too.

Author Bio:

Ever since she was a child, Kyla Stan enjoyed creating fantasy stories. In fact, she has a notebook from when she was a child filled with stories that are being updated for a modern young adult audience. Kyla knew at a young age that being a writer was her dream, so she pursued it at the young age of sixteen.

Kyla hopes her writing will help other people with mental illness, such as anxiety and depression. Kyla also wants people to be aware of environmental issues, some of which are reflected in her dark mermaid novel titled Forbidden Tides and the first book of the Skin Walker Series, Poet Tongue. She has a degree in Communications, and a master’s in English and Creative Writing. Kyla is also an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston and teaches academic writing.

Kyla loves animals, and lives with her cat Chippy, a seventeen-year old plecostomus named Suckerfish, two adorable gluttonous goldfish; Lucky and Chance, and nine frogs; Fudge, Gordita, Milagros, Spot, Little Froggie, Prince, Tiger, Sirena, and Celeste. When she isn't writing, Kyla loves to watch baking competitions, play video games, and create various forms of artwork.

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