Initial Impressions 12/4/15: 3.5 stars 
 Well for something that was marketed as a fantasy, that sure had very little fantasy in it. I had expressed this concern/complaint on Twitter and received word that whoever was doing the marketing for this book thought it would be best since Rae Carson's previous series was fantasy but I find it to be quite the let down. Yes, there is a bit of magic with Lee's ability to find gold but it's just barely used in this book and mostly serves as a reason for her to set off on her journey to California more than it being an active concept in the plot. 
 WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER is essentially The Oregon Trail but in a book form. The book is largely just the journey from Georgia to California and there's so little magic in there that I ended up fairly disappointed. I suppose it's a trilogy but I don't think that's a good excuse to hold back so much of that magic when it's going to play a role in future books... Unless future books don't develop that concept much either. I feel like there's not much incentive to continue reading this series if this book is any indicator. Or maybe I'll just wait and see what the reactions are from people who felt similarly about the first book. Sadly, I won't be rushing to pick it up. 
 Thank you to HarperTeen for the review copy! (in audio!) 
 Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 1/8/16: I had heard some really good things about WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER and naturally, I was super excited to see fantasy elements in a historical fiction aspect. I always love discovering new books where genres collide and I was so excited to see magical elements in American history instead of a more high fantasy feel. When I received the audiobook for review from HarperTeen, I couldn't resist starting right away! 
 WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER is essentially the Oregon Trail but in book form and with more backstory for each character. Leah Westfall embarks upon a journey to California after a traumatic incident at home in Georgia leaves her with virtually nothing left to stay for. The book definitely took on that Oregon Trail-feel for me with important points like Independence, MO and several things you might have encountered in the game while "on the road". That's not really the point or inspiration of the book but that really was a big feel of it for me since I've read very little about Pioneer times! 
 The hard thing for me throughout the book is that is really didn't feel too much different than the Oregon Trail for me. There was the Gold Rush aspect which was interesting but aside from travelling from Georgia to California to go find the gold, there wasn't too much happening (yet) with the Gold Rush. I didn't realize at the time that this is actually the first in a series so the book actually closed off one leg of this adventure but even knowing that now, it still feels like not too much happened here. Personally, I have trouble with "journey" stories. As much as the journey itself is an adventure, it's not enough to really hold my interest. A journey itself really isn't enough plot for me so I just felt like there really wasn't much going on aside from traveling. 
 Another big issue I had with WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER is that it was so heavily marketed as a historical fiction/fantasy blend but there really wasn't much magic in the book at all. Leah's abilities are introduced and lightly explored but aside from that (and being a motivator for her to leave for California), I didn't really feel like the magic was involved much in the book at all. Again, I suppose a thing that will be explored in the rest of the series but since it didn't grab me in the first book, it leaves me wondering if I even want to continue with the series. 
 The journey to California seemed to be such a big part of the book that I felt like I was just missing so much from plot, characters, and other points of action. I easily finished the audio and mostly enjoyed the book but it seemed to drag for a while when all the characters were doing was travelling and there was little to no magic to really bring that fantasy element around. WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER may just not have been the book for me and I'll probably think on this a while before I decide if I want to continue the series or not.