Healer (Hardcover)

Imara is fighting against her instinct, she's desperately trying to see the good in people but heck, with a talent like hers, it's a very difficult task. It can't be fun seeing and feeling the lies that come out of people's mouths, see when they're manipulating, she sees the entire spectrum of emotions, yep, that's her special talent, it's no surprise she avoids people. Image the headache and heartache such a talent brings! But Imara has grown significantly since the first book, she's slowly allowing herself to trust, only a few and only very tentatively, but she's trying, especially with what happened to her, nope, read the books to find out, I'm not gonna tell...

It was great to see Imara and Naki mending their relationship, the love has always been there but when your hila (power) is so strong and vivid, Imara had a hard time just BEING. Everyone lies right? But some lies are to protect, some lies are to deceive, some lies are for self preservation. And now that Imara has, sort of, understood the nuances, she and Naki are closer. Now that she's... different...she starts working with Abe to save kids being kidnapped and forced into slavery. I mentioned her growth, but gracious me is she upping the ante! No more withdrawn and reclusive, she's now in the real world, fighting real foes, even cobras! But the betrayals, oh boy do they sting! Just goes to show, maybe Imara wasn't so wrong in her distrusting....

I enjoyed the varied characters, they all added a special something to the story, Husani for instance, is the biggest flirt, any and every woman grab his attention, he almost can't help himself. And the discovery of who Keiko is, well wasn't that earth shattering! It's a remarkably fast paced and action filled book, not letting up for a second, propelling me onwards, reading like one starved for words. I got my fix handed to me by the author as she took me on a rollercoaster ride of note! The intricacies of the plot are guaranteed to keep one's attention, between the gangsters kidnapping children on the one side and the Taggers, especially Takara on the other, the very small crew are doing whatever they can to prevent total mayhem. I loved the Kenyan and Egyptian back and forth, I also loved the setting, the world Kay crafts and the my goodness are these characters complexly brilliant! A splendid, different read, I loved it

Imara and her friends, now that she has learned she can see GOOD emotions along with the negative ones and actually has friends, are involved in rescuing children from trafficking in Cairo. She has moved in with her sister, Naki, in Kenya, but thanks to technology advances, air travel is ridiculously easy and quick. (Alaska to Cairo in an hour!). Her work is intense and busy, often lasting late into the night, so she has to decide if her priorities are more with the lifesaving work she is doing, her new and intense relationship, or trying to revive a friendship with her sister, something they both truly want. The characters grow a lot in this book compared to the first. They are all fighting internal battles as well as a major war with a mob and a cult trying to take over the city. One of the main characters, Abe, finally accepts something major about himself that seems like it will change the whole course of his life. I found this book to be more fast paced than the first book.