The Right to Belong

Kawokee, Book 2

By: Reid Minnich, Stacy Bender

Narrated by: Caren Naess

Born to human parents, Max has never seen another Kawokee. Hungry for acceptance, he steps out into a world where he is seen as a dangerous animal because of his foxlike appearance and the virus he carries. Encouraged by finding a friend, he ventures into a public place and is almost killed. The incident thrusts him into the social spotlight where he becomes both villain and a hero. Between these violent titanic forces, he must fight for the right to belong.

©2020 Stacy Bender (P)2021 Stacy Bender

Yes! To the Kawokee Universe!

Reid and Stacy have their story. This is it! If you’re here, you’ve probably read or listened to one. OMG! I’ve never been so angry with the bad guys! I literally want to harm them! This book carries the series on to its next big reveal! Brilliantly crafted. Wonderfully read. Ummm. Get It! It’s soooo good! Max is my heart!

World class story with themes relevant to today

I believe in starting with the strongest point, and giving you fine details later. This book is 8 hours long, and I completed it in 8 hours, 15 minutes. I could not pull myself away for more than a fast lunch break. If that doesn't convince you to try this book, the rest of this review probably won't either.

The Right to Belong is a sequel to Kawokee, And while you should read Kawokee first, to get context to what even is a Kawokee, you can start with this book and have a great time. This story takes place a few generations after Kawokee, and so only passing references are made to those characters.

This book is absolutely stunning. You will follow a young kawokee named Max, who has never met a friend in his life. Kawokees are adorable little fox people, and people hate them because they carry a disease which makes humans infertile. They also look like adorable fox people, and because they have a foxes' muzzle, they can't speak all the same syllables humans can. Max is finally able to meet an online friend and classmate in person for the first time, and he feels like he has found a place in his world. But, as a person who looks very different from the majority, Max quickly finds himself in a dangerous situation, and the story evolves from there.

There isn't much in the way of metaphor, the topic of the book is fairly obvious. But it's executed with perfection, the pacing is great, and you never sit waiting too long to see what happens next.

The characters are great, all of them believable, most of them likeable. While it can be a little bit overwhelming in the climax, where several minor characters are introduced in rapid succession, the major characters of Max, his family, his best friend, the best friend's family, and the factions wishing to use Max for political gain, are all 3 dimensional characters. Even the antagonist of the story, who is revealed fairly late, acts in a way you can believe a real person may behave, given the stakes.

Max's story is so striking because it's such a simple desire. Max wants to make friends, and not live in fear. There's nothing supernatural or other worldly about his story, it's just a little fox man trying to make his way in the world.

When it comes to narrator, Caren Naess absolutely nails every character. At first, it may feel slightly odd for a woman to narrate the male leads, but the Kawokee feel right in a higher tone, and Caren has a solid lower register to pull off the human males reliably. She also keeps you at exactly the right spot in the story, she never lingers on a spot where we need to move, and she isn't afraid to slow down the narration just a little bit when we need to take a breath and re-evaluate the situation. It is a perfect fit between author and narrator, and I hope that she returns for book 3 of Kawokee.

A sure winner

You would be stupid to avoid this book! My love of this books exceeds all expectations