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Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite
Jane Frances Ruby’s The Azurite Encounter is about a high school geology field trip to the Grand Canyon that is disrupted by inclement weather. High school senior Desiree Sumner still misses her grandpa, who has hiked the canyon several times. Now she carries his journal with her, which she treasures very much. When a sudden flash flood has everyone scrambling for higher ground, she is separated from the group and is rescued by a tribe hidden deep within the canyon. The leaders, Taqa, the healer, and Naturale, the hunter, tend to the black widow spider bite she has suffered while struggling to retrieve the journal from the rising creek. Her friends, including the competitive Candice and loyal Wes, desperately search for her. Can Desiree negotiate an escape from the tribe, and can her parents mend their rocky relationship?
Jane Frances Ruby’s storytelling held me spellbound with witty dialogue as the author successfully infuses the writing with everyday teen humor and the tension one expects in a survival thriller. The pacing is steady, and the story moves smoothly from the rhythms of senior year, with agricultural family life, chess tournaments, and romantic misadventures, into a propulsive flood crisis that increases the momentum. The characters in The Azurite Encounter are realistic, as the author depicts Desiree as a regular girl struggling with the loss of a beloved grandfather, worried about her parents, and genuinely connected to her friends. This book merges the geologically detailed, harsh conditions of the Grand Canyon with the mystery of a secretive tribe whose ancient medicine provides a beguiling sense of intrigue and magic.
