Nicely done tale. Teens and adults will likely enjoy this mixing of a Cree legend with modern day life. I think it's interesting to see how the Cree teen and the city boy get along in the wilderness after their plane crashes. Especially as they are being hunted by a older evil creature. Great mix! Good, suspenseful and scary!

When the plane crashed, fifteen year old Jared finds that the pilot is injured and can't help to get them rescued. Kyle Badger, a fifteen year old Cree Indian helps Kyle get out of the plane. Jared can't get cellphone reception at the crash. He decides to climb a hill but Kyle tells him no, it isn't safe. Since Kyle can't keep Jared from climbing the hill, he goes with him. They have several experiences with the Wihtiko and Wesakechak.

The author writes an excellent survival story mixed with Cree legends. Wihtiko is a man-eating spirit being and Wesakechak is a trickster figure. It is very realistic. There is tension between Jared and Kyle due to the differences in their cultures and beliefs. It was interesting for me to see how the boys matured as they rise to the challenges that they are given climbing the hill. This is a novel anyone can enjoyed.

I could only make it a third of the way through this book before I decided to stop wasting my time. It is poorly plotted and poorly written.

The book starts with a plane crash and a 'fish out of water' set-up: the 16 yr old rich city boy on board survives but has landed in the Canadian wilderness, rescued by a 16 yr old native boy. The passenger can't get his cell phone to work and demands help to climb to the nearby mountain in search of phone access. But the native boy has been told time and again, 'never venture to that mountain top.' He's never been told why the mountain is off-limits but has accepted it as a bad place. Part fairy tale, part adventure, part thriller, these two opposites will face their fears and grow as they do what every protagonist has always done when presented with a definite limit: they blithely charge ahead. This book could easily be a young adult book; I read it as an adult book. The book is an engaging and exciting tale.

Jared awakens in a downed jet. He was flying in his father's private jet for his annual visit. Now he's in trouble. The pilot is bleeding, they're down in a swamp and he can't get cellphone service. He has no idea what to do...

Myrick Marketing and Media and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Kyle is the first on the scene and helps Jared get the pilot out of the plane. They cover him with a blanket and then go for help. That's where the first problem crops up. Kyle wants to go his camp where his grandmother and father are and Jared wants to go up a hill to get cell phone reception. Jared is used to getting what he wants and he heads up the hill by himself. Kyle tells him his grandmother has warned him about staying away from the hill but Jared doesn't listen. Finally, Kyle follows him. They should have listened to grandma.

This tale is set in Canada. When you get out in the middle of nowhere in Canada, it really is. Jared has no sense of direction, has never even been camping and hates being in the position he is now. Kyle is angry that Jared won't listen and knows that he's being looked down on because he's an Indian. They have plenty of time to discuss those issues and find each other's hot buttons on the trail. The problem is that they are not alone.

From the top of the hill where there is still no cell phone service, they can no longer see the swamp, the plane, or his grandparents camping spot. They didn't just go up a hill; they moved to another time. The worst part? The time they are in has a monster in it.

They have to figure out how to get back to the right spot in time and how to stay alive while doing it. It turns even more critical when they find the wall between them and the current time is coming down and they have to find a way to capture the monster before he moves into the world they live in.

There's myth, legend, shapeshifting and coming of age all wrapped together in this story. I have some Yakima Indian relatives, so the storyline drew me in. I have camped in the woods and had closer contact than I wanted with a bear. I sure wouldn't want to meet the monster in this story...

Pajama Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Hill. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Jared wakes up to find that he has been in a plane crash on his Dad's company jet. Rescued by Kyle, a local teenager with a chip on his shoulder, the boys end up in the spirit world without a clear exit back to their actual lives. Chased by a creature that has existed in many legends in many different cultures, Jared and Kyle need to learn how to rely on each other and how to use their surroundings to their advantage. As a member of the Cree tribe, Kyle has a lot that he can teach Jared about life in the bush, as well as the real world.

The Hill is a story about survival for two teenagers from very different worlds. Jared's privileged lifestyle is no match for the harshness of the bush, not to mention his jaunt through the spirit world. I was not expecting a novel with references to lore and legend, as I thought that this was a book about survival. The addition of the unexpected made the book more interesting and kept the plot moving. Well paced with completely developed characters, The Hill is a book that I would recommend to readers who like YA adventure with a twist of horror and paranormal elements.