Trail of Crosses (The Lost Colony Series #2)

Jo
Grafford
Genre: 
Historical

Jane Mannering is one of the 115 Quaker colonists who intend to settle Roanoke. Right off, she and others are ambushed by Indians and taken to be sold as slaves. While on their way to be sold, a youth, George, carves a Maltese cross with his initials into a tree. This is their agreed upon secret signal for distress. At the auction, Indian chief Dasan wants Jane to be his concubine. He bids on her but another chief, Wanchese, bids against him. Dasan buys five colonists. Wanchese rescues them and takes them to his tribe. They are integrated into the tribe. Wanchese lays claim on Jane although she swears she will never go to him. Over time, Jane starts learning to appreciate Wanchese as a man, no longer seeing him as a savage.

 

What an intriguing and unique plot!  However, this novel is very slow reading. It gets bogged down with too much detail. It would be a better read if it had less detail and more action. There is also a plethora of missing words throughout the piece. The interest comes in, however as it speculates on what became of the lost colonists of Roanoke. The characters have depth, including the extraneous players. Ms. Grafford does an excellent job capturing the stoicism for which the Native American is known. It is a very interesting novel that stimulates the reader to question, “What became of the rest of the Roanoke colonists?”

 

Belinda Wilson