5/5 stars — a girl-gang adventure with dark, emotional undertones

Maggie Hoskie's story continues in Storm of Locusts, which picks up a month after the previous book. This time, she's up against the White Locust, leader of a mysterious cult and a monster in his own right. To track him down—and recover her estranged monster-hunting partner Kai—Maggie is forced to venture outside the protective walls of Dinétah and into the unknown dangers of what used to be the southwestern United States.

While I enjoyed Maggie and Kai's dynamic in Trail of Lightning, I loved the trio (Maggie, Ben, and Rissa Goodacre) even more. All Rebecca Roanhorse's characters come with dark secrets and troubled pasts, but she never fails to fit sympathetic characters together in ways that allow for mutual healing. That was the case for these three, although Maggie's emotional defenses slowed the process. It was gratifying to watch the trio grow into a strange little family.

And teenage Ben is a wonderfully rounded character, badass without being emotionally stunted or shying away from female-typical interests.

The plot was fast-paced but not overwhelming. Roanhorse's writing feels perfect for a television adaptation (which, please! The Sixth World novels would make an incredible show), with beautifully written action sequences and crisp, cutting dialogue. As after Trail of Lightning, I wanted more—more of the detailed post-apocalyptic setting; more of the developing bonds between various characters and enmities between others; more of Maggie learning to trust herself, her skills, and her loved ones.

I recommend Storm of Locusts to everybody who enjoys speculative fiction, and of course to readers who liked the first book. (And honestly, if you can spare the money and you're so inclined, buy both novels in physical form. The covers absolutely blow me away every time I look at them.)