I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It contained great insights into an expat integrating into African society, the difference of cultures, corruption and living through a period of tribal unrest. The book had lots of action and I found it hard to put down although it could do with a bit of editing in places. ( )

Imagine, one minute you are planning your perfectly ordinary life with 2.5 kids, then someone pulls the rug out from under you and you end up in a part of Africa you've never heard of before. It's social shock; cultural shock; and fear rolled up into a ball. The author does an amazing job of portraying all of that. There is so much emotion; so much vivid imagery in the writing, that I felt as if I actually had been to Africa.

Aime is fantastic. She grows so much throughout the book, I ended up adoring her! 4.5/5 stars ( )

An exciting prologue draws the reader into this novel, though the story itself takes a while to catch up. Meanwhile the protagonist is frequently annoying as she complains about her life. But soon she’s on her way to Africa where “if Amie thought she was going to have an easy life… she was very much mistaken. In her wildest dreams, she could never have imagined the challenges she would face.”

There are certainly many challenges that Amie will have to overcome. First there’s just the change from England to a whole new continent. The author offers a very convincing and well-researched depiction of African life and logic, inviting the reader to see through different eyes. But just as Amie begins to settle, the cracks begin to form.

A trip back to England offers that ex-pat belonging-nowhere feeling so familiar to me. But will Amie have the chance to make a new home there? Fearsome adventures, exciting challenges and complex coincidences ensue in the latter part of this book, bringing the reader back to that jail cell of the prologue and the terror inherent there. There might be a few too many coincidences overall, but it all makes for an exciting read.

Disclosure: I was given a copy and I offer my honest review. ( )

I found this book to be enjoyable and informative. According to Clarke’s bio, she lived in Africa for many years and this shows in her storytelling with the rich details about Africa and its culture. I found it interesting that they don’t think of themselves as a Third World Country, but they have no idea how to maintain any of their infrastructures. Corruption and bribery are the norm for the day, from the richest to the poorest. Towards the end of the story, there was an insightful exchange between some of the English characters about the rampant poverty and Africa’s standard of living. The majority of the world lives in poverty compared to the few pockets of civilization that doesn’t. And even then, our First World Countries are rife with people living in poverty, just not to the extent as Third World Countries. So, count yourself lucky if you’re one of the few fortunate ones.

The story did grab my attention right from the beginning, then bogged down to a snail’s pace. This is not a page turner. It didn’t pick up pace again until over halfway through. As I said, there is a lot of detail, which will always affect the pace of a story. So be prepared to spend some leisurely time with this one. I did think the ending was a little too contrived, but it does set you up for the next book.

As for Amie, I really didn’t like her. She was whiney and always looking for validation. After all the trials she went through though, she did change and I did come to root for her. Her husband Jonathon was hardly a character at all. I felt he could’ve been developed more, but I think that happens in the second book. Besides Jonathon, there were tons of other secondary characters. You would expect that in an epic journey that takes you from England to the wilds of Africa and back again. I loved the tribe of small people and their lifestyle, such a contrast from the rest of modern African culture.

If you love travel and adventure, especially in Africa, I recommend this book. I give it 4 feathers. ( )