Review of Totem

[Mr Benj]

Totem" by Charlie Sheldon., a book that features a story about the present and past. It will be interesting to read about Sarah and her grandfather, Tom-Tom, and find out about the different events that took place.

[Malik Bakare]

Sheldon’s Totem weaves indigenous Pacific Northwest history with contemporary stakes, creating a gripping narrative where Sarah and Carl’s quest to uncover Bear Valley’s secrets delivers a perfect, satisfying end to the trilogy.

[Devesh Patel]

Totem by Charlie Sheldon delivers a captivating finale to the Strong Heart Series, blending suspense, indigenous history, and environmental themes. The well-crafted characters, immersive plot, and insightful reflections on culture and climate make it a powerful read.

[Rady Espinoza]

The third book in Charlie Sheldon's Strong Heart Series is titled Totem. This series tells stories about the Pacific Northwest's indigenous peoples, focusing on both the past and the present. This last chapter, which comes after Strong Heart and Adrift, brings the story to a flawless conclusion.

[Bettny Andrade]

This is an interesting story in which the author carefully captures the details of the traditions of the indigenous culture to which the characters belong. This book is the final installment in the series, and it's truly promising. The story revolves around the excursion Sarah plans, but everything goes awry due to an unexpected event.

[Anu Anand]

The strange deaths of elk in Bear Valley and the mystery around them made me really curious. I’m also interested in how the story looks at the history of indigenous people and the ways they handled climate change. Keeping traditions alive is an important message. Congrats on BOTD!

[Black Indigo]

The storyline's level of suspense seems captivating, and the reviewer raised interesting questions about the way of life of the northern people at that time. The questions have intrigued me enough to read the book and maybe give the rest of the series a chance. Thank you for the review.

[Chinazo Anozie]

I wonder what secrets Bear Valley holds. It seems it would be a great idea to read the first two books of the series before delving into this one. Totem by Charlie Sheldon sounds like an intriguing read.

[Idah_Kenei]

This is a great review but it didn't impress me so much to read about what happens in the bear valley.

[Dayana Alvarado 1]

The book shows that preservation is worth fighting for even if it means going against big interests like mining.

[Gayatri Tripathi]

Thank you for such a detailed review! I’m especially interested in how *Totem* blends indigenous history, environmental themes, and mystery through the backdrop of Bear Valley. The connection to real-world issues like climate change makes it feel both timeless and timely. I also appreciated your insight on Sarah’s character—she sounds like a strong, well-written protagonist who brings emotional depth to the story. It’s great to hear that the book is well-researched and includes maps to guide the reader through such a rich setting. This sounds like a thoughtful and adventurous conclusion to the series!

[Tars]

I always greatly enjoyed reading Sheldon's books. Although, so far, it was Sydney Sheldon, but thanks to that review, I think from now on it could be Charlie Sheldon as well, because there is something extremely appealing in the described mixing of history, folklore and mystery in this series. Congratulations on BOTD!

[Amy_Jackson]

I would love to know more about history of the Pacific Northwest and also about the culture of the people. I had to look up what an elk is as I'm not familiar with the name. Quite interesting. I agree that it's best we keep traditions alive over the ages, at least the good ones

[Soma Ezenwanne]

"Totem" by Charlie Sheldon sounds interesting, and I like books with secrets and history, and the mystery in Bear Valley has me really curious.

[mrlefty0706]

"Totem" by Charlie Sheldon is the final installment and the third book in the Strong Heart Series. The story is about the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. Sarah Cooley lives with her grandfather Tom-Tom, and they planned a hike in Bear Valley with family and friends. Meanwhile, mysterious elk-kills seemed to keep happening at the wildlife sanctuary in the state of Washington. The sample was excellent although I would have preferred to read the first two books so that I would know more about the characters. Jared and Connor were playing with their pocket knives while on a field trip with their school and decided they would toss them at a nearby tree to see if they would stick. They were asking for trouble since the school principal was with the group. Connor threw his knife and it stuck in the tree. Jared then threw his knife and it struck an elk that was hiding in the tall grass. It struck the elk in one hind leg severing a tendon in the leg. The elk tried to run but the back leg would not function because of the severity of the wound. Sarah, a girl from the same school shouted at Jared for what he did to the elk since they were protected in the sanctuary. Sarah pulled out a wooden case that contained a weapon called an atlatl that was a stick that launched a dart when the stick was used with a throwing motion. Sarah used the weapon to put the elk out of its misery. Sarah raised the Atlatl and launched the dart at the elk that had dragged itself for more than 40 yards. Her throw was accurate and the dart went through the elk’s chest and heart and the elk dropped dead. Mr. Benson, the school principal approached Sarah and told her the elk were protected in the sanctuary and demanded that she hand over the weapon. In Sarah’s mind this was a mercy killing but that would have to be determined by the government. Could the elk have been saved by repairing the leg? This was not very likely. Sarah had been a problem in school and had been in trouble before. The government may not see it as a mercy killing, but they might forgive Jared since he was not throwing his knife at the elk. If someone could find one artifact in the valley the entire area would be saved from a mining operation that had been proposed. They had gone to this area of the sanctuary since someone had found the ancient remains of a mastodon that had been killed by a handmade spear that was still imbedded in a bone of the Mastodon remains. Could this be an artifact they were looking for to save the area from being destroyed by a mining operation? Carl Larsen had been investigating the mysterious elk deaths but he had not made much progress. He visited the site where the dead elk lay in the sanctuary with his niece Laurie who was age 32 but was staying with Carl because her husband Eric was abusive and she had the bruises to prove his violence towards her. Whenever he left his home, he took Laurie with him so that Eric did not go to Carl’s home and take out his anger on Laurie. The mysterious elk killings were only happening in Bear Valley. Why? Did the sanctuary need for security or was it sabotage that would be seen as a bad omen by the natives that have populated the area for more than a thousand years. One needs to read the book to learn if the secrets of Bear Valley would be revealed.