Colleen’s Kindle: End of 2022 Reads, Part 1, @Jacqui Murray

Let me introduce you to some novels I absolutely loved reading in November! Please enjoy. Click the image to find the book on Amazon.com. ❤

Born in a Treacherous Time, (Dawn of Humanity Book 1) by Jacqui Murray

My Recommendation:

Meet Lucy (Woo-See), a Homo Habilis individual who lives in Africa 1.8 million years ago. In this book, we arrive at the dawn of human development. Many creatures share this world, but these primitive beings display emotions like love and empathy. In fact, many of the characters were problem solvers, a necessary skill if one is to survive in this world.

Life is a constant struggle, and to make matters worse, there is Man Who Preys, the next generation of humans who hunt Lucy’s people, the Man Who Makes Tools tribe. These quiet creatures prefer to live in harmony with the land and the animals which populate it. Lucy and her pack are still deeply part of the animal kingdom, relying on their senses to survive.

We follow Lucy through her early years onward. Lucy’s special skills of healing and hunting (not something the females of her kind usually did) make her a valuable asset to a tribe.

Murray’s research lends credibility to the story through the world building. Her choice of words makes these primitive creatures real without adding a modern edge. For the word “moon,” she uses the descriptive words, “night sun” as seen through the eyes of the creatures inhabiting the land.

I couldn’t put this book down. As soon as I finished this first book, I jumped into the next book in the series. If you love great world building and interesting characters, “Born in a Treacherous Time” will transport you into our prehistoric past. The book is so realistic, I had a hard time believing it was a fictional account of early man.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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Laws of Nature (Dawn of Humanity Book 2) by Jacqui Murray

My Recommendation:

In the “Laws of Nature” we continue to follow Lucy, the Homo Habilis female, her pre-historic canine, named Ump, and her tribe as they migrate across Africa. Survival is a major concern. The tribe battles sabertooth tigers, various creatures, and other tribes, including Man Who Preys. The clever Lucy always helps the tribe survive.

One of Lucy’s companions was Ump, a large pre-historic dog. Their relationship intrigued me. I especially liked how Murray emphasized the teamwork between the two creatures when hunting for food. Lucy and Ump communicated with body language. I’ve done this with my own dogs, including my cats.

By now, I’m emotionally connected to these characters. Lucy has started her own pack, including Boah—a young Tree Man, Ump the canine, Garv, who is a humanoid, Voi—who is Lucy and Garv’s son, and Wild—a humanoid female raised by canines. There is also a humanoid from the Man Who Preys tribe, called Xha, who wants to be part of this caring group of creatures. He’s rejected his own kind because of their cruelty toward others.

This second novel is action packed and full of obstacles for this unusual cast of characters. I think I loved the second novel as much as or more than the first book. Murray’s characters are full of surprises!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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Natural Selection (Dawn of Humanity Book 3) by Jacqui Murray

My Recommendation:

In this third and last novel of the Dawn of Humanity trilogy, Lucy works to keep her tribe of people safe while trying to free the members of her old tribe who were enslaved by Man Who Preys. I enjoyed how Xha and Lucy worked together to rescue the people.

We’re also introduced to some new characters like the female Canis tracking Ump, looking for a mate. We learn of a Homotherium kit, a type of saber-toothed cat who is also searching for a pack. Lucy welcomes all as long as they wish to live in harmony with her pack.

There is also a sort of reckoning between Xha (Man-Who-Preys) and Lucy (Man Who Makes Tools) when he realizes his own prejudices toward others different from him.

He says, “It wasn’t long ago, I considered your kind, Man-Who Makes-Tools, inferior.” I thought this was a significant shift in man’s evolution. The awakening of empathy might be what propelled humans to the top of the food-chain.

This novel also shows the evolution of love and what it feels like to belong to a family unit. Boah, the gentle Tree-Man, touched my heart deeply. I loved his character and his connection to Lucy as a mother figure. The message is simple… we’re all family. Yet Lucy is a goddess in her own right. She struggled to prove herself, just as women still do today.

This is an excellent series. I’ve enjoyed every book in the trilogy, and even though it’s fiction, I can’t help asking, what if…?

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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