Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating glimpse of native life in North America
Review: "The Sacrifice" is a fascinating story of a young woman who struggles with herself, her tribe, and her environment to find her place in society. Obviously a great deal of research went into the portrayal of the Native tribes, their customs, religion, and habits, which makes the book a great learning experience as well as an entertaining one. Many books about Native Americans describe interactions or conflicts with whites, and a story that omits the white settler angle is refreshing. Moreover, the main character is a young woman who has a unique position in her tribe but must nonetheless struggle to prove herself -- a modern context with which I suspect most readers, or at least most female readers, can identify.Historical, social, political, and ethnic perspectives notwithstanding, this is a gripping story of a young person's trials in coming to adulthood. Not usually a reader of young adult fiction, I enjoyed the book very much.
Rating:
Summary: Vivid and compelling
Review: Diane Matcheck has written an extraordinary first novel in The Sacrifice. It successfully combines elements of adventure, culture, and romance with vibrant and living settings and a fabulous main character. Weak-one-who-does-not-last is not an instantly likable character, particularly since in the beginning she is 'bad in the heart' and vengeful and angry towards her tribe, the Crow Indians. However, she undergoes a remarkable transformation from spiteful, inconsiderate child, obsessed with becoming the Great One at any cost. Weak-one's metamorphosis into a mature, admirable woman, although occasionally a little hurried, is exceptionally well done and the main focus of The Sacrifice throughout her journeys. The ending, as suits this novel, is triumphant, if not castle-on-silver-clouds happy. It actually has more impact this way. By the way, the title, The Sacrifice, is very appropriate in many ways throughout the book, and it is through hers and others' sacrifices that Weak-one becomes who she does. The Sacrifice is definitely recommended for everyone who enjoys survival-in-the-wilderness stories, Indian stories, or teenagers looking for a coming of age novel that says a lot about destiny and direction. Unsurprisingly, I can't think of another book similar enough to it to recommend. I guess I'll just have to impatiently wait until Diane Matcheck writes another novel. Ailanna
Rating:
Summary: Vivid and compelling
Review: Diane Matcheck has written an extraordinary first novel in The Sacrifice. It successfully combines elements of adventure, culture, and romance with vibrant and living settings and a fabulous main character. Weak-one-who-does-not-last is not an instantly likable character, particularly since in the beginning she is 'bad in the heart' and vengeful and angry towards her tribe, the Crow Indians. However, she undergoes a remarkable transformation from spiteful, inconsiderate child, obsessed with becoming the Great One at any cost. Weak-one's metamorphosis into a mature, admirable woman, although occasionally a little hurried, is exceptionally well done and the main focus of The Sacrifice throughout her journeys. The ending, as suits this novel, is triumphant, if not castle-on-silver-clouds happy. It actually has more impact this way. By the way, the title, The Sacrifice, is very appropriate in many ways throughout the book, and it is through hers and others' sacrifices that Weak-one becomes who she does. The Sacrifice is definitely recommended for everyone who enjoys survival-in-the-wilderness stories, Indian stories, or teenagers looking for a coming of age novel that says a lot about destiny and direction. Unsurprisingly, I can't think of another book similar enough to it to recommend. I guess I'll just have to impatiently wait until Diane Matcheck writes another novel. Ailanna
Rating:
Summary: This girl is really tough and cool
Review: I could hardly put this book down, you can't wait to see what happens next. The main character is a girl who doesn't fit in but is very tough and a warrior. She has adventures and also falls in love and finds out what courage and love really are. There are some gross parts but it's still really good.
Rating:
Summary: This is a really awesome book!
Review: I couldn't put this book down! It had some really cool characters and a tough heroine. The true facts about Native American life and the human story behind it is really good. I almost cried at the end, it's really action-packed and sad, too. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: I decided to read The Sacrifice after seeing some of the reviews on Amazon.com, and being intrigued by the plot description. The book was even better than I'd expected. I liked the fact that the Native American culture stands alone without the author having to show the impact of the arrival of white settlers--I can't think of one other book that's simply about Native Americans with no Europeans in it. Originality is always good. It's also an exceptional story, which should appeal strongly to readers of all ages: the writing's simple enough for young readers to understand, while no older reader will be bored with the story (I'm 16). The book is historical fiction, with maybe a very small bit of fantasy, but it can be enjoyed by readers of fantasy, adventure stories and historical fiction alike. I thought The Sacrifice was extraordinary, especially for a first novel. I recommend it highly, and I'll be looking forward to Diane Matcheck's next piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended
Review: I decided to read The Sacrifice after seeing some of the reviews on Amazon.com, and being intrigued by the plot description. The book was even better than I'd expected. I liked the fact that the Native American culture stands alone without the author having to show the impact of the arrival of white settlers--I can't think of one other book that's simply about Native Americans with no Europeans in it. Originality is always good. It's also an exceptional story, which should appeal strongly to readers of all ages: the writing's simple enough for young readers to understand, while no older reader will be bored with the story (I'm 16). The book is historical fiction, with maybe a very small bit of fantasy, but it can be enjoyed by readers of fantasy, adventure stories and historical fiction alike. I thought The Sacrifice was extraordinary, especially for a first novel. I recommend it highly, and I'll be looking forward to Diane Matcheck's next piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent novel full of gripping suspense
Review: i found this excellent novel a plesure to read. it really forfilled my expectations. This novel is a must for any reader interested in fictional novels.
Rating: 
Summary: The Sacrifice
Review: I gave The Sacrifice 2 stars. I didn't really like the book. I didn't like the tpoic of the book. The plot was very un believable. There wasn't much action or adventure. It was just like someone was telling you a story.I would recommend my book to kids fourteen and older. I recommend the book to people this age was so that they could read and comprehend what is going on in the story. Also,they need to have an intrest in native americans. If you don't have an intrest in Native Americans ( like me) then you can't enjoy the book.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I picked up this book from my local library. Instantly, I got absorbed in the story of an nameless, outcast Indian girl who ran away from her tribe after her father's death. She felt a need to prove herself because her twin brother who died many years ago was destined to be the Great One, and nobody believed that she might be the true Great One. She wandered in the wilderness, getting burned by geisers and fighting a grizzly. After braving nature, she was captured by another Indian tribe and prepared to be a sacrfice for their god. Will Wolfstar, her new friend from the tribe, help her? The ending stunned me, but I loved this chilling novel. The arrogant, proud young woman was humbled by her trials and even got a name. Read "The Sacrifice" to find out what the name is and what happened to the brave girl.
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