Carson does nice work adding nuance to her side characters, showing minor evolutions that challenge the racism, sexism, and classism deeply rooted in most of the people Leah encounters…Fantasy readers will likely find Leah and her gold-sensing core to be intriguingly different than the usual heroine.

Narrator Erin Mallon doesn’t waste any time revealing the peculiar blend of vulnerability and daring that make Lee Westfall, the narrator of this historical novel, so unique. Her voice cracks with fear but is grounded in strength as, following tragic events, she begins a difficult journey to California to mine for gold. For her own safety, she disguises herself as a boy, but this isn’t the only secret she’s keeping. She possesses an uncanny ability to sense whenever gold is near. With the exception of Lee’s subtle Southern drawl, Mallon deftly distinguishes between Lee’s diverse group of traveling companions with pitch and pacing rather than dialect, moving the dialogue along smoothly. E.M.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

★ 06/22/2015
Carson (the Girl of Fire and Thorns series) launches her Gold Seer trilogy with a winning story set in 1849 gold rush America. Fifteen-year-old Leah Westfall lives a happy life with her parents in Georgia during the waning years of that state’s gold boom. Leah has a magical ability to locate the precious metal, but her gift becomes a liability when she is forced from her home by a villain determined to control her and make himself rich. Disguised as a boy, Leah—now Lee—decides that her best chance for freedom is to travel to the newly discovered gold fields of California; to get there, she must make a long, hard trek across the country with few resources. Carson’s story is simply terrific—tense and exciting, while gently and honestly addressing the brutal hardships of the westward migration. Even minor characters are fully three-dimensional, but it’s Leah who rightfully takes center stage as a smart, resourceful, determined, and realistic heroine who embodies the age-old philosophy that it isn’t what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Ages 13–up. Agent: Holly Root, Waxman Leavell Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Lee is an ambitious, generous, kind and scrappy character…Fans of Carson’s work will enjoy this road-trip-turned-Western, and newcomers will love the flair she brings to her characters and settings.

Pure storytelling gold. …The author capably crosses genres and breaks stereotypes, and the result is an absorbing adventure that only hints at the thrills that will surely come in the next two books.

An empowering and powerful read perfect for one who enjoyed history and adventure. …Carson takes us on a wild wagon journey peppered with drama and mystery.

With an organically diverse cast, three-dimensional characters, a vividly evoked setting, and the lightest touch of romance, Carson’s novel captures the trepidation and exhilaration of journeying into the unknown.

Carson is known for her world-building and strong female characters and she handles everything with carefully constructed, well-researched aplomb. It’s a book that illuminates an important segment of American history…sustaining YA interest through adventure, fantasy, and romance.

Narrator Erin Mallon doesn’t waste any time revealing the peculiar blend of vulnerability and daring that make Lee Westfall, the narrator of this historical novel, so unique. Her voice cracks with fear but is grounded in strength as, following tragic events, she begins a difficult journey to California to mine for gold. For her own safety, she disguises herself as a boy, but this isn’t the only secret she’s keeping. She possesses an uncanny ability to sense whenever gold is near. With the exception of Lee’s subtle Southern drawl, Mallon deftly distinguishes between Lee’s diverse group of traveling companions with pitch and pacing rather than dialect, moving the dialogue along smoothly. E.M.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

2015-06-06
Acclaimed for her fantasy, Carson now travels the Old West. Fifteen-year-old Leah lives on a farm near Dahlonega, Georgia, a town built around an early gold rush. She and her parents keep secret the fact that she has a mysterious "gold sense": she can find gold the way diviners find water, and despite the shabbiness of their homestead, the family is hiding 3 pounds of gold dust. When her parents are murdered and the gold stolen, Leah suspects her only living relative, who threatens to use her talents for nefarious ends. Leah and her childhood friend, a half-Cherokee boy named Jefferson, run away and join a wagon train headed toward California's newly discovered gold. Leah's narration details the adventures of their journey with a disparate group of travelers who often come across as archetypes more than fully fledged characters. There's the racist who attacks peaceful Indians, the selfish man who overloads his wagon with luxury goods, the runaway slave, the clueless itinerant preacher—none drawn with enough depth to make him or her memorable. Leah dresses as a boy for half the journey, and the revelation of her gender is accepted too readily to seem historically accurate. Along with other minor historical gaffes, Carson can neither sustain the tension of Leah's parents' murders nor put Leah's magical powers to interesting use. The tepid, resolution-free ending beckons potential sequels. (author's note, dramatis personae) (Historical fantasy. 12-14)