Review: Living through History Vividly
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2012
"The Young Jaguar" is the second entry in author Zoe Saadia's exciting Pre-Aztec Series. I totally enjoyed Book 1, "At Road's End," but possibly this novel may be even better. Any of Ms. Saadia's books are an education in themselves: with smooth writing, fast pace, and enjoyable characters who quickly elicit the reader's empathy, we learn about a period of time so long ago, and yet in many ways, so much like our own. Certainly the peoples of that time suffered and joyed, became impassioned or bored, frustrated or patient, just as do we. Ms. Saadia brings all this home vividly, and we feel as if we're reading the story of our friends, family, and neighbors-only the setting, fashions, and some of the situations are different. Probably not too many of us (in Western culture) encounter temples on every corner, each dedicated to a different deity (or do we?) yet how is this so dissimilar? Certainly we can each relate to the ongoing plot lines and to the characters, and we learn much more about the settings and the era than if we were instead reading a dry-as-dust archaeological recounting. Ms. Saadia possesses an immense talent for bringing these long-gone eras to life, making them vivid, sensory, and clear to contemporary readers. What are you waiting for? Drop everything and go buy this series!