Book Review: Badlands (Savage Land Book 2) by Jacqui Murray #prehistoric #reviews #neanderthal

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I’m delighted to share my latest review. Badlands is the second book in a new trilogy by Jacqui Murray. Jacqui is a well-known author of prehistoric fiction, and her new series is about Neanderthals. It is meticulously researched and vividly imagined, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. After thoroughly enjoying the first book in the series, I couldn’t wait to read the second book.

Badlands by Jacqui Murray

What Amazon Says

Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face. Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.

In Badlands, Book Two of the trilogy, the tribes split up, each pursuing dangerous but necessary goals, all at the mercy of the Nature. How they collaborate despite their inborn distrust could end this journey before it starts or forge new relationships that will serve both groups well in the future.

Available at all Amazon outlets including: Amazon US

What Jacqui Murray says about the Savage Land series

Based on a true story, this is an unforgettable saga of hardship and determination, conflict and passion. Early man is the Hero and survival — or extinction — is the journey.

My Review

5 stars – Thrilling prehistoric fiction abiut Neanderthals

This is the second book in Jacqui Murray’s Savage Lands series, set 75,000 years ago. I read the first book, and couldn’t wait to read this one. The saga continues, with the author drawing on her meticulous research into Neanderthals. She uses her great insight to bring these prehistoric people to life, and it has been a real education for me, as I never realised how intelligent and advanced they were. Getting to know these wonderful characters has been a real treat.

A volcano is erupting in the Altai Mountains, and Badlands follows two very different groups of prehistoric humans as they escape from this danger. Their ultimate destination will be the area now known as Gibraltar. The tension rises as other groups, also needing to relocate, pose a new threat.

Yu’ung is the brilliant female leader of the Neanderthal tribe, a healer and leader, who journeys ahead, temporarily splitting the tribe. The action never stops as the different groups cope with their dangerous environment and try to outwit each other. I’ve always been fascinated by early humans and how they lived their lives, so this series is perfect for me. Murray has woven a story of unique characters, each one with their own talents and personalities.  

I’m looking forward to the third book in the series, and I give this story a resounding five stars.

About Jacqui Murray

Jacqui Murray profile image

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. When not writing, she is grad school teacher, author of over a hundred tech ed resources including K-12 technology curricula, and an Amazon Vine Voice. You can find her resources at her publisher, Structured Learning LLC. She lives in So. California with her husband of forty years, Labrador Casey, and lots of contact with her adult children, one a Cdr in the Navy, the other a SFC in the Army. Feel free to reach out to Jacqui at her blog, WordDreams, or her social media platforms.

You can find Jacqui Murray here:

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Thank you for stopping by. My name is Toni Pike, a multi-genre author who loves writing thrillers for adults, non-fiction, and hilarious books for children.

I’m the author of LINDA’S MIDLIFE CRISIS, DESOLATION BLUFF, DEAD DRY HEART and The Jotham Fletcher Mystery Thriller Series: THE MAGUS COVENANT, THE ROCK OF MAGUS, THE MAGUS EPIPHANY and HOLY SPEAR OF MAGUS.

The Brody Cody Series is for children aged 6-9: BRODY CODY AND THE STEPMOTHER FROM OUTER SPACE and BRODY CODY AND THE HAUNTED VACATION HOUSE.

I’m also the author of two non-fiction books. THE ONE WAY DIET is a no-nonsense guide to losing weight and HAPPY TRAVELS 101 is a short book of travel tips.

All my books can be found HERE.

You can find me online here:

Website: tonipike.com

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