In this second installment of the "Etta, the Brave" series, Etta visits the desert's magical Noah Gorge, where wild mustangs roam free. She becomes the target of men intent on capturing and harming the wild horses--and on harming Etta herself. Lost in the twisting desert canyons after dark, Etta and her young cousin look for their parents and for two friends who have been captured and held hostage. Etta uses her special gift to speak with the mustangs and other desert creatures as she seeks to evade capture and find help. Lee W. Collins's "Etta, the Brave" introduced Henrietta Jananne ("Etta") to the world. A plucky heroine with an unusual gift, Etta learns about life and friendship from a host of animal friends who accompany her on her adventures. She is surrounded by a cast of human characters as well, including her adoring grandparents, her parents, and her best friend, Sarah. Etta embarks on adventures that test her courage and endurance, but whether she is being hunted by a malevolent mountain lion or pursued by modern-day horse thieves, Etta utilizes her wits and skills to stay a step ahead. She is, after all, Etta the Brave. Kirkus Reviews: A plucky tween heroine must protect her loved ones and exotic wild creatures in Collins’ young-adult thriller. Etta isn’t your average tween girl: Like her grandparents, Etta can communicate telepathically with animals (“She could direct messages to an animal using just thought, what she called her ‘inside voice.’ The animal would reply, and Etta could ‘hear’ the animal’s voice inside her head”). Not surprisingly, that talent comes in handy in this second volume of author Collins’ Etta the Brave series. In this outing, Etta and her extended family travel to a desert town in Nevada to the wedding of Joy Morrison and Albert Gomez, who rescued Etta’s grandfather in the series’ first book. At the wedding, Etta makes a new friend: Albert’s niece, E. J. The next day, E. J. and her older brother, Cole, lead Etta, her mother, her younger cousin, Jules, and her aunt, Anne, on a horseback ride to Noah Gorge, where the wild mustangs roam. That’s also where their troubles begin; the party witnesses a helicopter herding horses and comes under fire. Etta and Jules are separated from the rest, who are captured by three ATV-riding armed rustlers. Etta and Jules, who, Etta discovers, also can talk to animals, must evade capture while making their way back for help, and gain some much-needed animal allies along the way. Etta’s adventure proves to be more than a little predictable—a writer doesn’t give a character a superpower if they don’t plan to employ it. But it’s how Etta gets to that point that makes this book so enjoyable. What’s intriguing about the cousins’ power is their inability to control the animals; they can only suggest that the creatures do something. Collins introduces more and more characters as the story approaches its denouement, skillfully keeping them from tripping over each other. The characters’ collective shrug after the climax strains credulity, yet that can be forgiven when set against the colorful backdrop of Etta’s engrossing journey. This enthralling exploit is built on humanity, not magic.