River Reflects Earth
by Anne M. Smith-Nochasak

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Why did we trust Alexa King? Narrator and chronicler Luke has been asking herself this a lot lately. Maybe it’s because the farther River and her companions travel, the more they learn how dangerous the Elect can be. Luke has so many questions, too many. Has Alexa underestimated the Emissary’s powers? Will twelve-year-old River be strong enough to resist him? Is Flo safe or one of the enslaved elderly? How will they win with no armour, no weapons, and dwindling numbers? And how does Luke fit into a revolution that doesn’t seem to want her? In the final installment of the Taggak Journey trilogy, while rebel grandmother Flo serves the revolution at home, River and her supporters prepare for the Last Battle. In the wilderness, they persevere through the elements, reunite with old friends and loved ones, and fight not only for the good of humanity, but the sake of the earth. River grows into her role in the resistance, even as she grieves all she’s lost. She lives as her father taught her: And when your arms are too tired to paddle, reach again one more time. And one more time. She is a paddler who will always reach one more time in the stormiest waters. But will this be enough in the Last Battle?

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"A call to complete our journeys with hope and persistence" —Susanne Beck, Reality Check Reviews of River Becomes Shadow "Smith-Nochasak has an impeccable ability to create intriguing and unique characters while also showing a well-honed ability of turning forces of good and evil into something much more complex." —A-M Mawhiney, author of Fugitive Rifts "A magnificent and heart-felt expedition of discovery, resistance, resilience, and ultimately hope, brilliant author Anne M. Smith-Nochasak delivers a stupendous follow-up to her incredible “River Faces North. . . " —PL Stuart, author of The Drowned Kingdom Saga "River Becomes Shadow” by Anne Smith-Nochasak continues the harrowing, futuristic dystopian tale of Taggak Journey. . . . This is a captivating, disturbing, and thought-provoking read!" —Kelly Miller, award-winning Regency romance author "There is a lot of pain but a lot of hope. It describes a world that has fallen apart, and it eerily reminds me of what could come if conditions in our real world continue as they are." —Goodreads reviewer "Smith-Nochasak has achieved a balance here, weaving the magical and fantastical with gritty brutality and just a glimmer of hope, in prose that sings." —Heather McBriarty, author of Somewhere in Flanders and Amid the Splintered Trees, for The Seaboard Review of Books

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Anne M. Smith-Nochasak is the author of five novels. Her first, A Canoer of Shorelines (FriesenPress, 2021), was recognized as one of The Miramichi Reader’s Best of Fiction in 2021. Her second novel, The Ice Widow: A Story of Love and Redemption (FriesenPress, 2022), was shortlisted for the Whistler Independent Book Awards in 2023 and a semi-finalist for the North Street Book Prize. River Faces North (FriesenPress, 2024) and River Becomes Shadow (FriesenPress, 2025) began the Taggak Journey trilogy. River Faces North was a Seaboard Review Book Pick in 2024. Anne is a member of the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Authors Association. When she’s not writing, Anne enjoys hiking and searching for the more difficult routes her characters might travel. While she grew up in Nova Scotia, Anne taught in northern communities for many years. She now lives in rural Nova Scotia in an area not unlike Flo’s swamp, with logging trails and rivers to explore.

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Anne M. Smith-Nochasak

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