A Mountain in the Air: A Trilogy by Laura Koerber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book consists of 3 novellas all closely connected. The first one called ‘Coyote’s Road Trip’ is about a man named Jim who is also a coyote shapeshifter. Bored with his life, he sets out on a long drive to find his new forever home. Along the way, he meets a young girl named TJ who is hitchhiking. He takes it upon himself to see her safely dropped off with her brother in Rainier. Once getting to Rainier he meets Rachel in an old ghost town with very few tenants. Rachel is also a shapeshifter so instantly the pair get along.

The second novella, ‘Raven Woman’s Tavern’, takes place shortly after the first book. Rachel and her boyfriend Jimmy take it upon themselves to care for the townspeople, supplying medicine, toiletries etc. Some things are bought while others are acquired illegally. So when a troop of militia appears to drink in the tavern, the townspeople are nervous and want them gone ASAP. Once they come back a second time after a wallet disappears from one of the men, Rachel realizes she needs to do more to get rid of them.

The book then focuses on Baylor, the only one in the Militia group who appeared nice. The group becomes abandoned and after not following the leaders orders, he is quickly thrown out of the group. Lost in the woods he finds a raven who seems to be leading him somewhere.

Last but not least the last novella, ‘A Mountain in the Air’. This takes place a couple years after the second book. Settling in nicely, the townspeople are making changes for the better. While acquiring some necessary things to do so, Jim comes across TJ from years prior. He can tell she is not doing too well and invites her to live in the town. Meanwhile, Val seems to be dying and keeps dreaming about a man who disappeared in the 90’s. He went to Mt Rainier never to return. The dreams are so vivid that they have to be real don’t they?

This trilogy was quite interesting. It was written as a day in the life genre with a supernatural element. There are shapeshifters and ghosts mingled in with regular humans coexisting within the same town. Each character had their own personality and reason to be there. The author did a really good job portraying each person.

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