I think this book personally just wasn't for me. I think it could have benefited more from being 3rd person pov, as the 1st person just kind of made it feel too modern? And some of the conversations as well. A book described as prehistoric and someone saying "See you later" just felt so weird to me. It really just kept taking me out of the story.

I really didn't care for any of the characters and I really didn't like the sister, who seemed to be 90% of Nahia's focus. Which, I understand, but it was too much. She felt far too inconsistent.

I also would have liked more of the shamanism. I would have loved to have gotten more of her actually learning because it felt like we didn't get enough of that. It was a lot of her saying her visions were just dreams and not visions, so it never felt as though she really embraced it like I wanted.

Overall, the synopsis really sounded like something I'd be interested in, but it really wasn't for me.

3.5. This was a fascinating story that explored the change of humans from hunter/gatherers to agriculturist through the lens of a fantasy novel. It was good. The story telling is well done but it is incredibly character driven with very little plot. Nothing really happens until the second half of the story. The novel needs some trigger warnings as there is attempted r@pe and the ptsd that follows such trauma. There was (and still is, I suppose) a ton of potential to explore more of the Shaman’s lore, especially Hodei.

Thank you Holiday House and NetGalley for the eARC.

Nahia by Emily Jones is definitely worth a read. I always enjoy reading historical books and I feel as though EJ created a captivating world and in depth characters, set 8000 years ago in prehistoric Spain.

Our main character, Nahia, has to navigate through her journey of being a young girl, to a leader. I enjoyed this book because the themes of female power were written well. I found the book had a good level of world building, action, and that element of a love interest which did not overpower the book.

The writing is rich and easy to follow and I enjoyed all of the descriptions in the book.

The story follows Nahia, the daughter of the leader of a hunter-gatherer tribe, but she's never seeing eye to eye with her mother the headwoman, so instead she's assigned as an apprentice to a shaman. She has mixed feelings about it - is it an exile or a sign of appreciation of her unique perspective? The plot is more about her journey, physical and emotional, showcasing the social life, flora and fauna, food, clothing and equipment and even art and religious beliefs. It also introduces a conflict between hunters-gatherers and a new group of people who are leading a stationary life of agriculture and animal husbandry.
I would of gave it a 5 stars however at times i felt a little bit confused with regards to her spiritual journey throughout the book. However i guess that it make sense that it is confusing at some points. i feel like i would of appreciate this book a lot more when i was in high schools and going through certain aspects of my life.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

I was most of the way through this book, but then skipped to the last two chapters because I didn't want to spend much more time on this.

Starting off, this book was very slow. I kind of had to force myself to read it at times. So, from the beginning, I wasn't loving this. It started boring, but I kept pushing through because it had 4 stars on NetGalley, so I decided to give it more of a shot.

Then it got worse.

Plot? Who is she? We don't know her here. There was absolutely no plot in this book. It was just people traveling for the most part. There was conflict, but it was executed terribly.

I also felt like the romantic chemistry between Nahia and Eneko was very forced. It didn't feel natural at all.

Then, to top it all off, we had the unexpected pregnancy trope. I thought that I could be generous and give this book two stars, but Nahia's unexpected pregnancy immediately brought that down to one star.

I had high hopes for this book, but ended up extremely disappointed.

I really enjoyed it: this was unlike anything i’ve read.

It was a quest of self-discovery and finding a place to belong, in a period I knew nothing about and I feel incredibly grateful for the notes at the end of the book.
The language was modern and Nahia could be slightly annoying at times but she was endearing and I got pulled into the book rather fast.

While there was a dash of romance, the story was really about Nahia and the other women of her band and the choice they made. Some were likable, some less, but all were nuanced.

I was joking that YA went through trends of eras like Ancient Greece, Medieval, Regency, Victorian, Gilded Age, Prohibition... and what if we went the opposite direction and wrote a book about the Stone Age? Well, this book is the answer to my question. While there were explorations of that era like The Clan of the Cave Bear or Wolf Brother, they are very few in comparison to how many Ancient Greek, Medieval and 19th century YA we've seen across the years.

I'm glad we've gotten a YA novel showcasing that time period, written by an archaeologist and supported by lots of research. I feel it has a lot of educational value while still remaining an engaging read. The plot is more slice of life and there are very small fantastical / religious elements relating to Shamanism and their powers and "visions", but we can classify it as historical reflecting the beliefs of the people. It's very light on any supernatural elements.

The story follows Nahia, the daughter of the leader of a hunter-gatherer tribe, but she's never seeing eye to eye with her mother the headwoman, so instead she's assigned as an apprentice to a shaman. She has mixed feelings about it - is it an exile or a sign of appreciation of her unique perspective? The plot is more about her journey, physical and emotional, showcasing the social life, flora and fauna, food, clothing and equipment and even art and religious beliefs. It also introduces a conflict between hunters-gatherers and a new group of people who are leading a stationary life of agriculture and animal husbandry.

The flora, fauna and terrain is supposed to reflect the area in Northern Spain iirc. Some are very local to it, some are common European animals and plants. It gave me a bit of a nostalgic vibe overall.

My only criticism is that the book is very on-the-nose in reminding us "men are rapists". While there are a few "good ones" who follow some code of honour, there are multiple scenes or recalled stories reminding how men are a danger to women. Maybe it is realism and historical accuracy, but there were many other unpleasant "realistic" issues like tribal wars, disease, starvation, death of infected wounds and so forth that aren't put in such spotlight as "girls, beware of men".

Since it's YA, nothing graphic happens on page and in one case when mc is assaulted it gets stopped before it fully happens, but she still feels anxiety and the after-effects of trauma of attempted SA. There is a resolution and the assaulters meet an unpleasant fate later, but I'm still left wondering: is that the most important lesson we want the reader to remember about Stone Age people? That men are drunkards and rapists? Oh yeah, there are a couple of scenes portraying men drinking alcohol ("fermented honey" and later "fermented barley") and in one they're actively dodging work while women toil. I just found this emphasis from the author odd.

One element I enjoyed is that there was a side character, a boy who wanted to leave the hunters and join the gatherers and he was allowed to do so without being treated as doing something unthinkable or going against the society rules. However, I wish we got more exploration of the subject what about queer people or people who didn't conform to their expected gender role. It's not really mentioned much.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the ARC!

Nahia is a hard book to rate. It written by an actual archaeologist about a fictional pre-historic woman who becomes a powerful shaman. It's a coming of age tale reminiscent of The Clan of the Cave Bear in style and writing. I think it will appeal to the audience that did read Clan of the Cave Bear and liked it. I didn't like COTCB, and liked this better, but I had similar issues with this story that I did with that one. It was hard to feel emotionally connected to Nahia, there is a lot of telling versus finding on your own. While the shamanism is so interesting, to me it just didn't ever feel very impactful, which is wild because it's a HUGE component of this book. The cover is absolutely beautiful, I just wish I felt more invested in the story.
The secondary characters didn’t stand out for me either, Nahia’s mother and sister never felt consistent.

I loved the authors notes about the time period at end about the peoples Nahia was based off it. That was fantastic.

Bottom line, if you liked Clan of the Cave Bear, give this a try.

Thanks NetGalley and Holiday House/peachtree for the ARC!

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in April. This a really well done fiction book about the process of the change from hunter gatherer to farming and the harm and violence to people and nature it brought to the way of life. I absolutely loved the main character and the complexity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC.

Nahia is a beautifully written book set in prehistoric Europe, right at the end of the Paleolithic era (hunter-gatherers) as the Neolithic era (farmers) started. It follows a young woman, Nahia (mid-teens), as she tries to do what's right for herself and her community, even when that means standing up to community leaders.

I really enjoyed this book. The prose was lovely, and I very much enjoyed Nahia's spiritual journey and character growth. She forms interesting relationships with various people throughout the book.

This is appropriate for older YA readers, but definitely has themes and struggles that adults will relate to.

This was an awesome story about a woman taking chances to save her people! I don't think I have read prehistoric fiction before and I loved it!

A great story of a woman stepping up to save her people even if the powerful authorities don't like it. The story is captivating and intriguing all while sending the subliminal message to stand up for what is right. Job well done!

This was the first prehistoric fiction I've read and I loved it. I wasn't sure what to expect but I got pulled into the story right away and it was honestly the book that has gotten me out of a very long reading slump.
I never truly thought about how this change from foraging to agriculture came about or how it affected people then (both foragers and agriculturists) and nature with animals. It made me think about what prehistoric people must have felt like going through this changes first hand and seeing how people and nature adapted alongside them.
I would have loved to see more of Nahia's shamanic journey and the adaptation of the rest of the Sea people to their new lives. It was also interesting how Nahia saw that this change will continue and how it will affect the nature, but still undersood Izara's choices in the end and stopped resenting her.

This was really good. This isn't my normal genre.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. Maybe a glossary and pronunciation guide would be helpful while reading. Also more physical descriptions of the characters would be really helpful.
More of Eneko and Nahia in the valley would be a dream! It was over too soon! I really enjoyed that part. It seemed so beautiful. The description of the scenery is wonderful. And I really enjoyed Nahia's confusion about her reactions towards Eneko. The fact that the reader can pick up on the things Nahia is too naive to realize makes a really good read.
The fact that you see these outsiders who come in the eyes of Nahia ONLY, is great. I felt just as confused as she was, thinking, "Who could these people be?"
This is a very unique POV and the world building was done very well. I found my self lost in this world.
Overall this was a wonderful read. You can tell that the author knows about this world and how it would go.

Nicely written story, fast read, easy to follow. Plus likeable main character with all dilemmas of young person. Great for young readers I think.

This book's greatest strength is its thorough sense of time and place. I think many younger readers might struggle with the dense prose and summary-style narration, but it will appeal to dedicated readers of historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for ARC of this book.

I didn’t go into this book with too much knowledge about the story, but I was entranced from the start. This was a fast and enjoyable read. I found Nahia to be a strong female main character, which I love to see. I also enjoyed following her spiritual journey as well as her journey with Eneko. This book was beautifully written and I’m excited to see what else this author writes in the future

The premise of this book drew me in. A story based in prehistory, written by an archeologist, just got me excited to see the world as it was and learn while enjoying an amazing fantasy.

Boy did this deliver and I’m reminded of the beggings of my love for the fantasy genre and one of the first fantasy series I read as a teen, the Earth’s Children series. Though I feel like this gives a more contemporary take on the dawn of modern humans. The intricacies of life, spirituality, love, magic and the sisterhood of being woman in a prehistoric world was so enthralling.

The world built by author Emily Jones is historical storytelling at its best. Her FMC Nahia, is a young woman destined to be the leader of her tribe but suffers exile instead when she speaks out about what she believes is best for her people. Regardless, she is determined to see her people safe. She delves deep into spiritualism with her shaman mentor Eneko, and discovers an ability to channel and communicate with spirits. Her spiritual journey is long and convoluted, leading to growth, independence, and resilience. The ending is satisfying and the authors note sharing facts and information about this time period in history was the icing on the cake.

I do love history but I will be honest and say without reservation, that even those that do not typically read historical fiction would love this book.

I wanted to note that this is not your average YA novel, so please don’t let that deter you if you’re typically an ‘adult’ reader. Though this book is appropriate for YA, it was deep and had complex adult themes.

I am just so thrilled to have been given an ARC for this book from NetGalley. Thank you!

The first thing that caught my eye was the cover. The title was simple but effective due to only having one word it made me want to know who Nahia is and what her story is all about.

I would of gave it a 5 stars however at times i felt a little bit confused with regards to her spiritual journey throughout the book. However i guess that it make sense that it is confusing at some points. i feel like i would of appreciate this book a lot more when i was in high schools and going through certain aspects of my life.

Emily Jones did an amazing job

Summary:
Set in prehistoric Spain, "Nahia" by Emily Jones is an upper YA novel with crossover appeal that delves into themes of leadership, sorcery, and the fierce bond between sisters. The protagonist, Nahia, is the daughter of the Headwoman, destined for leadership until she voices a forbidden truth about an impending invasion, leading to her exile. Sent to apprentice under a shaman named Eneko, Nahia discovers her own extraordinary abilities to communicate with spirits and channel their powers. Her journey is not just one of survival in the wild but also of self-discovery, love, and the struggle to save her people from a looming threat.

The book explores Nahia's growth from a sheltered, albeit headstrong, young woman into a figure of power and resilience. Alongside themes of conquest and violence, Jones incorporates elements of magic rooted in nature, the dynamics of power within a matriarchal society, and the complexities of love and duty.

Review:

Setting and World-Building:
Jones paints an evocative picture of the prehistoric era, blending historical authenticity with a touch of fantasy. The rugged landscapes of pine forests and the wild magic associated with them create a vivid, immersive environment. The world-building is detailed, offering a unique glimpse into a time long past, enhanced by Jones's archaeological background. However, the magic system, while intriguing, could have been fleshed out more to provide clearer boundaries and rules. Rating: 4.5/5
Character Development:
Nahia is a compelling character, evolving significantly throughout the narrative. Her internal conflicts, particularly her struggle with her role versus her personal desires, are well portrayed. The relationship between Nahia and her sister Izara, along with her connection with Eneko, provides emotional depth. Still, some secondary characters could benefit from further development to avoid feeling one-dimensional. Rating: 4/5
Plot:
The storyline is engaging with a good balance of action, introspection, and romance. The pacing keeps the reader involved, though the shifts from personal growth to broader community threats can sometimes feel jarring. The narrative successfully intertwines Nahia's personal journey with the larger historical narrative, but some plot threads are resolved too conveniently. Rating: 4/5
Themes:
"Nahia" excellently explores themes of female power, leadership, and the connection with the natural world. It touches on the harsh realities of survival, the complexities of power dynamics in a matriarchal society, and the ethical considerations of using one's abilities for the greater good. These themes are thoughtfully integrated but occasionally the message can overshadow the subtlety of the storytelling. Rating: 4.5/5
Writing Style:
Emily Jones's writing is descriptive and atmospheric, effectively transporting readers to ancient times. Her prose is engaging, with a poetic quality that suits the mystical elements of the story. However, there are moments where the narrative could benefit from tighter editing to enhance clarity and flow. Rating: 4/5

Conclusion:
"Nahia" stands out as a fresh take on prehistoric fiction, merging historical detail with fantasy in a compelling narrative. It's a testament to Jones's ability to make the distant past feel immediate and relevant. The book is particularly recommended for those who enjoy stories of empowerment, with a strong female lead, and for fans of fantasy that's deeply rooted in the natural world. While not without its flaws, particularly in secondary character development and plot convenience, "Nahia" is a notable debut that promises much from Emily Jones in the future.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

This novel is a rich tapestry of adventure, magic, and human (or rather, pre-human) emotion, recommended for those who seek a blend of history, fantasy, and a story of a young woman's rise to power.