'Until the Beginning' by Amy Plum

Amazon / Goodreads

When Juneau's clan disappeared, she lost so much more than her friends and family. She soon discovered everything she thought she knew about her life was a lie. Her people's gifts were actually secret abilities that others wanted, desperately enough to kidnap an entire village.

Juneau and her new companion Miles's cross-country journey to find her clan has led them to a game preserve in New Mexico. Now Juneau's people are finally within reach, and she will stop at nothing to save them. But she has a target on her back too, because unbeknownst to her she is the key to unlocking everything. To rescue her people - and herself - Juneau must discover what she, and her abilities, are truly capable of. 

Juneau was still kickass. She was awesome. Discovering cool-ass powers and new places. She was cool. Juneau had powers. She has spirit and fight. I liked that. She was one of those characters I had a deep respect for. She cared about family. She cared about friends. She was ruthless when she needed to be. She was a fighter when she needed to be. But she could also relax. (She had to get used to the modern technology first.) I thought that her discoveries about the truth of her clan and her important part was interesting. Following that was a major dilemma. Should she stay? Or go? Trust them? Or not? She was forced to choose. And I respected her decisions. 

I started to grow respect for Miles. He became this strong character. Charismatic. A leader. He was born for this position. He was born to lead. I thought his becoming was great. He changed. The Yara changed him. The Rite changed him. He was connected to nature. He was connected to the world. This opened him up. Miles had many bad things happen to him. He had to suffer through many things. His mother's depression. His father's ruthlessness. And Miles had to accept these things. And with Juneau's help, he accepted his life. All these things made me accept his personality. 

The plot wasn't the best. The scenes at Hunt's farm/ranch/whatever were cool. The most of the book was traveling. While I don't mind a cool traveling-across-America book, this book wasn't meant for cross-country trips. I felt like it should have been more about the clan and discoveries. 

The clan rescue scenes were great, though. Miles's true nature came out. I liked that. And Juneau was willing to do what she had to for her clan. I liked her devotion. These scenes were pressured. They were careful. I liked how the action came in. And how the clan fought. They fought with everything they had because if they didn't...well...let's be positive. And all the betrayals? Oh man. You don't always expect betrayals. 

The romance was a bit unexpected for me. I didn't think we needed that.  It was awkward for me. I felt like they didn't have too much chemistry. And you guys know how romance sits with me. I was never a big fan. 

I thought that Juneau did gain something because of the romance. She gained a friend. Someone to trust. And she needed that definitely. I felt like Juneau gained a friend, but she didn't need a boyfriend. The romance wasn't needed. A good friend is always great, though. 

The two were...okay, though. How they worked together. They were a good team. Her way with nature and her survival skills combined with his tactic knowledge. (Thank god for video games!) It was something else. Sadly, they didn't get many chances to work together. Sigh...

The ending was great. A good end. It came the story closure. They were no questions. I felt like the characters got justice. (I have to agree with what happened to Whit. He deserved it.) 

The last scenes were great. Reunion with the promise of meeting again. The oracle part? Funny actually. I enjoyed that. Miles played oracle, telling Juneau exactly what she wanted to hear. That was great. 

The story ended. And there isn't anything I want from it. That's a great thing.

Weather:

Sunny with a chance of clouds and 50% chance of rain

3.5/5