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Book Review of The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children, Bk 2)

The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children, Bk 2)
reviewed on + 10 more book reviews


This is the second book in the Earth's Children series. It continues the story of Ayla after she has been cast out of the Clan for disobeying Broud & daring to stand up to him. She starts out on her journey & is looking for the Others, which is her people. She searches for a long time & doesn't find anyone of the Others. Instead, she finds a lush valley which has all the resources she needs to survive, along with her many skills. She hunts & accidentally kills a baby horse's mother, so she takes it in & tames & cares for it. The same thing happens with a lion cub. The animals help ease her loneliness, but she still longs for human companionship. She misses her son Durc & the rest of her Clan family. Enter Jondalar, a man of the Others, who is on a journey with his brother, Thonolan. Ayla stumbles upon the 2 of them when she is out hunting. She is so excited to finally see people of the Others! She can do nothing to help Thonolan for he is already dead, but Jondalar is still alive, though unconsciousness. She uses her medicine woman skills to help nurse him back to health. Jondalar is astonished, when he regains consciousness, by the beautiful woman who is caring for him. They get to know each other, but it is hard because Ayla has forgotten how to speak with words & only knows the sign language of the Clan. Jonadlar eventually teaches her how to speak with words & they get to know each other & learn about each other's past. They are each others soulmates & have a deep love for each other. They have quite a few adventures in the valley & learn a lot about the earth, animals & each other. Eventually they leave the valley & set off to find more people of the Others. This was a fabulous book! Jean M. Auel is my favorite author & Ayla is my favorite Fictional character. Auel makes you feel like you are part of the story. Kept me turning the pages & wanting more! I just love this series! Read the books, you won't be sorry! Next book in the series is The Mammoth Hunters.