Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman // Book review

Hello, beautiful people!

It's been quite a while since I wrote any review on my blog, because let's be honest, reviews are the types of posts which get the less views (I'm guilty of not reading that many blog reviews as well, oops). However, I read an ARC of Retribution Rails a few months ago and as I absolutely adored it and it comes out today, I really wanted to talk to you all about it! Besides, I wrote a review for Vengeance Road, the first book in this companion duology, two years ago (!!), so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to start writing reviews again.

Retribution Rails (Vengeance Road #2) by Erin Bowman

Publication date: November 7th 2017 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Genres: young adult, historical fiction, adventure

Number of pages: 384

Goodreads summary: REDEMPTION IS NEVER FREE

When Reece Murphy is forcibly dragged into the Rose Riders gang because of a mysterious gold coin in his possession, he vows to find the man who gave him the piece and turn him over to the gang in exchange for freedom. Never does he expect a lead to come from an aspiring female journalist. But when Reece's path crosses with Charlotte Vaughn after a botched train robbery and she mentions a promising rumor about a gunslinger from Prescott, it becomes apparent that she will be his ticket to freedom—or a noose. As the two manipulate each other for their own ends, past secrets are unearthed, reviving a decade-old quest for revenge that may be impossible to settle.

In this thrilling companion to Vengeance Road, dangerous alliances are formed, old friends meet new enemies, and the West is wilder than ever.

MY THOUGHTS

“So you can either be scared yer whole life or you can try to enjoy it. I suggest the latter. Otherwise yer gonna blink and find yerself old and weary, talking yer last breath and regretting that you passed yer years tense and worrisome.”

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All the quotes used in this review might have changed in the final copy.

Before I actually start this review, here is the quote that might be enough to convince you to read it:

“Reece Murphy was a boy who became a man while riding with the devil.” 

From the first few pages, I fell in love with Retribution Rails. Truth be told, I hadn't read any summary of it, but as I loved Vengeance Road, I was confident I would enjoy it. What I hadn't expected was to fall in love with the story, to the point that I loved this companion novel even more. Once again, Erin Bowman did a lot of research to recreate the setting of that time, and I was transported all the way there, alongside the characters. 

It's been a long time since I read a book with two points of view, but I thought it was so well-done here. Sometimes, the characters take a long time to meet and you don't understand how they'll come together, but in this case, Charlotte and Reece's paths were intertwined from the first few pages and I loved how Erin Bowman did it. Reece was that boy who had been given no choice, who seemed to be a villain from the outside, when the truth was so much more complicated than that and the lines between right and wrong were blurred. On the other side, Charlotte was this badass girl through her words, who wanted to be a journalist and to be independent. Their backgrounds were so interesting and I liked that we still got subplots involving Charlotte's family, as the main plot drifted away from it. Their dynamics were so well-developed, because it started with prejudice, mistrust and fear, and it was so interesting to see them change their minds. Besides, old characters from Vengeance Road played an important role in Retribution Rails, I loved to see what they had become.

Now, when it comes to the plot, I loved how it was linked to the events taking place in Vengeance Road. The novel started as Reece and Charlotte's story, before the reader discover that the stakes are so much higher than that. Would I recommend you to read Vengeance Road before Retribution Rails? I do, because it's awesome and it makes a lot more sense when you have that background, but you can understand without having read it. In short: it's up to you. 

Anyhow, the plot was so gripping, I read this book in a few sittings and there weren't any dull moments. Retributions Rails is a page-turner with amazing action scenes and such an interesting historical background. Moreover, my feelings got all over the place. “Why would you do that to me?” Is all I ask. I'm sorry, but I need to recover from everything that happened in the end. I just need more from these characters and I'm totally up for another companion book (but sadly it won't happen)(please do it though), for I want to see everyone again.

Overall, this book was absolutely amazing and I loved it even more than Vengeance Road. I thought that the two points of view balanced the book perfectly, I was so attached to the characters that I don't really want to let them go (I'm still in denial) and the plot was so gripping. If you think you don't like historical fiction, please reconsider. Vengeance Road and Retribution Rails might change your mind.

That's all for me today, folks. Please let me know if you've read Vengeance Road or anything else by Erin Bowman, or even if you're planning on doing so!

Lots of love,

Lucie

Welcome to the Wild West! | Revenge and the Wild

Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto

Published: February 2nd 2016 by Balzer + Bray

Genre: young adult, historical, western, fantasy, steampunk

Goodreads summary: The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Nine years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

REVIEW

Western books seem to be a trend in YA fiction since last year, and I can’t say that it bothers me, as I’ve now read all of them (Walk on Earth a Stranger is still my favourite <3). Michelle Modesto crafted a unique western novel, though, because it included some aspects of the Wild West I hadn’t seen in the previous books published, but also because there were so many paranormal aspects.

The world was complex, because it was, of course, set in the Wild West and we could find all the tropes that go along with that, it even had cannibals, but also every paranormal creature you can think of (even leprechauns!). While this aspect intrigued me and made sense because of an aspect of the plot, it felt a bit too much at times, because there were too many plotlines for a standalone book, in my opinion. Nevertheless, Michelle Modesto built an interesting and unique world.

Moreover, it had steampunk elements, which intertwined with the fantasy aspects and I loved that! I was excited because of that, and it did not disappoint. Indeed, Westie had a mechanical arm, but there also was Alistair, who had a machine in front of his mouth to be able to speak, and a machine that could help magic.

Westie was a great heroine, she was very flawed and struggled with addiction. I could understand the choices she made, because of her past – well, cannibals ate her family and her arm, after all – even though it was quite questionable at times. She was a strong and badass character most of the time, but I was quite annoyed when she kept blushing whenever one of the love interests said something, it didn’t actually fit with her personality. The secondary characters were all very interesting and I liked that we actually had a cast of diverse characters. Of course, it would feel weird not to have that in a western setting, but I still appreciated it. It feels like YA western authors get this.

This book was entertaining and had many plot lines, like I mentioned earlier, so I didn’t have the time to get bored. However, I was disappointed in the fact that from the beginning, Westie knew who the antagonists were, but had to spend the whole novel assembling proofs against them in order to do something. There wasn’t any surprise in the identity of the antagonists because of that… Not even with the plot twist, as I had guessed it. Moreover, I would have liked the villains to be more fleshed out, because in the end, they felt a bit flat.

What really bothered me in Revenge and the Wild was the romance. It felt like Westie had three love interests, she was blushing way too much, and it was so obvious who she would end up with. At the same time, yes, it showed that despite her mechanical arm, men could still be interested in her – when so many were scared of her – but it felt a bit too much, as every “interesting” man liked her. Nope.

Overall, Revenge and the Wild was a promising debut with great characters and a unique setting. However, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the antagonists and felt like the romance was a bit too much. I will probably read Michelle Modesto’s next work, because she has so much potential.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Do you like YA western novels? What's your favourite?

I fell in love with historical fiction all over again | Walk on Earth a Stranger

Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy #1) by Rae Carson

Published: September 22nd 2015 by Greenwillow Books
Genre: young adult, historical, fantasy

Goodreads summary: Gold is in my blood, in my breath, even in the flecks in my eyes.

Lee Westfall has a strong, loving family. She has a home she loves and a loyal steed. She has a best friend—who might want to be something more.

She also has a secret.

Lee can sense gold in the world around her. Veins deep in the earth. Small nuggets in a stream. Even gold dust caught underneath a fingernail. She has kept her family safe and able to buy provisions, even through the harshest winters. But what would someone do to control a girl with that kind of power? A person might murder for it.

When everything Lee holds dear is ripped away, she flees west to California—where gold has just been discovered. Perhaps this will be the one place a magical girl can be herself. If she survives the journey.

The acclaimed Rae Carson begins a sweeping new trilogy set in Gold Rush-era America, about a young woman with a powerful and dangerous gift. 

REVIEW

I was hesitant to dive into this book, because I didn't finish Rae Carson's debut, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, even though I had heard great things about it. Nevertheless, since there was this western trend last year, I added it to my TBR. I had already read Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman and Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee, but Walk on Earth a Stranger is by far my favourite of the three. I also have to say that I couldn't resist the cover, and the cover of Like a River Glorious is even more gorgeous.

This book isn't for everybody, because the whole plot is just about getting to California, so it's just about the characters' journey. Of course it was slow-paced, but I was warned about it when I got into it, and I found it wasn't boring at all, since Carson introduced us to interesting characters and a realistic plot. Moreover, I really loved the writing style. Now that I think about it, it's logical that she chose to write a whole book about their journey, because it was so long to cross the country at that time, and since there will be two more books, I can accept it. I still found that despite the slow pace of this book, a lot of things happened, it was all about the caravan's journey and its accidents.  

It felt true to this time period and I was really invested into it. At some point it was really hard to read because there was a disgusting scene but it had to happen. I totally felt like the author did her research, because I could actually picture all the places she talked about. I couldn't help but think of Frontierland in Disneyland Paris, which always brings back happy memories.

I really enjoyed reading about these characters, they were so different from each other, basically a band of misfits, the ones left behind while the other caravans started their journey. Because of that, I found them to be realistic and easy to attach to. Lee was an enjoyable main character, not the typical 19th century girl, because she was an only child and had to do men's chores. Also, another character wanted to be like her, she wasn't the only one to have a different mentality about women's place.

Moreover, she wasn't the only character to be different from what to expect from this time period : Carson introduced us to a diverse cast of characters that actually represented - at least in my opinion - people going to California at that time. At the end of the novel, the people in the caravan actually had a family dynamic which I found so cute.

There wasn't really romance into this book and I didn't mind at all, because it was part of Lee's character. Of course, there was some hints here of what to expect for future books. I don't really know what to think about it yet, because I don't think it will be a big plot device... It should just be portrayed as a part of life, which I'm okay with. 

My only little regret with this book is that... I needed more of the fantasy aspect. I'm confident Lee will use her power more in the next book and I'm really excited about that. I loved the ending because it showed a lot of things were going to happen in the sequel, and now I'm a little too excited for it. I just loved this book so much, because I feel like it made me love historical fiction again, which used to be my favourite genre of them all.

If you're a history nerd like me, you should love this book! Yes, it was slow-paced, but the writing totally made up for it. I was really attached to the characters and can't wait to see what happens next, because they now are where things will get interesting.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Do you think I should try a second time to read the Girl of Fire and Thorns?

 

The Storyspinner & Rebel of the Sands | Mini-reviews

These books have in common that I was really excited about them, but I was disappointed and they took me forever to get through. *sigh* I still liked them but I won't really recommend them.

The Storyspinner (The Keeper's Chronicles #1) by Becky Wallace

Published: Marchi 3rd 2015 by Margaret K. McElderry
Genre: Young adult, High fantasy

Goodreads summary: Drama and danger abound in this fantasy realm where dukes play a game for the throne, magical warriors race to find the missing heir, and romance blossoms where it is least expected.

In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer’s life can get tricky. And in Johanna Von Arlo’s case, it can be fatal. Expelled from her troupe after her father’s death, Johanna is forced to work for the handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. Too bad they don’t get along. But while Johanna’s father’s death was deemed an accident, the Keepers aren’t so sure.

The Keepers, a race of people with magical abilities, are on a quest to find the princess—the same princess who is supposed to be dead and whose throne the dukes are fighting over. But they aren’t the only ones looking for her. And in the wake of their search, murdered girls keep turning up—girls who look exactly like the princess, and exactly like Johanna.

With dukes, Keepers, and a killer all after the princess, Johanna finds herself caught up in political machinations for the throne, threats on her life, and an unexpected romance that could change everything.

REVIEW

The synopsis of this book appealed to me, because it seemed to include all that make a good high fantasy novel. Alas, it was a miss for me. I've heard a lot of great things from bloggers about this one and I didn't really understand what the fuss was about.

First of, this book has a ton of points of view. If I'm being honest, the points of view of the Keepers could have been reduced to one, because the interesting storyline was actually with Johanna and Rafi. Because the points of view switched all the time, I couldn't get attached to any of the characters and most of the time I wanted to skip some chapters - but I didn't, how brave. The romance was so cliché and pretty abrupt, because it seemed like they hated each other most of the book, but apparently no? I still liked the aspect of "they were supposed to be engaged" years ago.

The world-building was… Conventional with all these princess, dukes and so on stuff, but it lacked a little, in my opinion. I was just expecting more during the whole novel and it failed to deliver. For example, why the Keepers? Three of the points of view involved Keepers, so can I know what it's all about? Nope apparently. Moreover, I found names like "Keepers" or "Performers" to be pretty conventional and unoriginal.

Finally, the plot *sigh*. From the synopsis, it's pretty obvious who the princess is, right? But the whole book is just spent trying to figure out this "mystery", and the identity of the princess is just revealed at the end. It was way too long to do just that, I thought it would be resolved in the first half of the book. Because of that, the Keepers' storyline was boring, while I like Johanna and Rafi's. If we didn't have the Keepers, it would have been the same I think…

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book, since I read it until the end. The chapters were short so it was easy to read, at least. I have no interest reading the second book though. Also, I was wondering why did the author take such a long time to reveal the princess' identity when there are only two books?

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1) by Alwyn Hamilton 
                                                                                    
Published: February 4th 2016 by Faber & Faber (will be published in the US March 8th)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Western

Goodreads summary: "Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."

Dustwalk is Amani's home. The desert sand is in her bones. But she wants to escape. More than a want. A need. 

Then a foreigner with no name turns up to save her life, and with him the chance to run. But to where? The desert plains are full of danger. Sand and blood are swirling, and the Sultan's enemies are on the rise.

REVIEW

Funny enough, when I first heard about this book, there were almost only 5 stars reviews on Goodreads, but now I saw a lot of 3 stars, so I'm not in the minority, ha-ha! Don't get me wrong, it was one of my most anticipated debuts of the year, I tried so much to like it, but sadly it didn't work that much. I enjoyed it, but it's part of this 3 stars book category where you don't love it but don't hate it.

The first chapter was engaging and full of guns, so I was so pumped to continue. Alas, it turned into a journey-ing type of book soon after and I got bored. It took me 6 days to get through it, which is insane considering that I'm a fast reader. Right at the end, it picked up and became badass and interesting again, but I had lost most of my interest in it. I finished it because it was a physical copy, but had it been an e-book I'd have DNF. So yes, I had a huge issue with the pacing. Nevertheless, I'm happy I sticked with it until the end, because it got so much better.

I think this book tried to be a lot of things, but it didn't work for me. It was a mix of Western and Arabian setting but it didn't really worked together. I like both aspects, but I felt like it didn't do well together. I was so excited for the Arabian setting, with jinnis and magical horses, but I didn't get nearly enough. We saw the horses in the beginning, but not its fantastical capacities. The jinnis part was more at the end of the novel, so I liked it better but still. If I had been more interested in the story, I could have seen the plot twist coming but nope. And I didn't feel blown away.

I really enjoyed the world building though, from the stories to the desert. I wish you could have seen something else than the desert all. the. time. because it felt so frustrating. I hope that, if I continue with this series, we'll see the palace at some point.

The real reason I'm mad about this book is… The rebellion. This book is called Rebel of the Sands, but yet, the characters only get to the rebellion around p. 220 and it disappointed me so much, because it's what I had been expecting during the whole book! The title was so misleading in this way, ugh. When they got to the rebellion, I got what I wanted, which made me really happy, so I still liked it.

Have you read any of these books or do you want to? Did you feel the Storyspinner ended up to be a conventional and alas unoriginal story? Are you planning to continue with this series? Do you know other books with jinnis (except Exquisite Captive, ugh)? 

A promising book based on Chinese folklore that let me down | Soundless

Title: Soundless
Author: Richelle Mead
Published: November 10th 2015 by Razorbill

Goodreads summary: From Richelle Mead, the #1 internationally bestselling author of the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines, comes a breathtaking new fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore.

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei's home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into a crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.

But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

REVIEW

Funny thing well definitely not for the author, every time I’m going back on the Goodreads’ page of this book, the ratings are getting lower and lower. To be honest, I was so excited about this book, because it was based on Chinese folklore, it was a fantasy, and it was written by Richelle Mead, author of the amazing Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. However, if I hadn’t known she was the author of this book, I wouldn’t have guessed, because it was so different from her previous works.

In the beginning of this book, I felt so bored, the pacing was really slow and not a lot happened. Fei and Li Wei decided to do something 25% in and this book wasn’t even 300 pages long! I was confused during the first chapters of the books, because I felt like the world had just been thrown at me, with no explanations. I felt it was more a dystopia than a fantasy, because it had such a typical dystopian novel plot… When Fei regained her hearing, I found it pretty easy, because she just had to read the words of someone who could read to understand what it was like, it was unrealistic.

Fei was a brave main character but she didn’t stood out to me, she felt like every other YA heroine I’ve read before, I lacked of connection toward her. I really didn’t like her relationship with her sister, because Fei was doing everything in her place – without asking her opinion sometimes – it was pretty irritating, especially when you know that Fei was the younger of them. I had actually forgotten that detail and thought it was the contrary, until I read other reviews, it’s how confusing it is. The romance she was into was pretty cheesy and predictable, like : “Oh I’m promised to someone I don’t love but this guy I’ve always swooned over starts to get interested in me.”

The plot started to be interesting when Fei discovered other villages. However, the climb before that took forever, I just wanted it to stop. The explanation behing why Fei’s village was lonely and treated differently was interesting, but I wasn’t blown away or anything…

This book is labelled as “Chinese folklore” but sadly, it was almost non-existent. Actually, it felt like the only reason I could think this book was set in a China-esque country was the name of the characters AND THAT’S ALL. This Chinese folklore I was promised was set in the last two chapters of the book…

Final thoughts:

I was expecting a lot of this book, because I love Richelle Mead, she always writes funny books with swoon-worthy characters. I’ve always loved getting into one of her books, because I knew I would love it. I was expecting the same of this one, but I felt let down. It was a short book where not a lot happened and that felt more like a slow first book in a series. I have this weird feeling that Richelle Mead was trying to prove she could do other things than Vampire Academy and Bloodlines by getting a book published as soon as possible (The Ruby Circle, last book in the Bloodlines series, was published in February, this one in November), but it didn’t work. I didn’t see a lot of research concerning Chinese culture, I think she didn’t know how to put it in the book.

Have you read books based upon Chinese folklore? Do you have any recommendations for me? Are you a fan of Richelle Mead? What did you think of that new novel of hers and are you excited for her new series, The Glittering Court?

A fast-paced western read with a tough female lead | Vengeance Road

Title: Vengeance Road

Author: Erin Bowman

Published: September 1st by HMH Books for Young Readers

Goodreads summary: Revenge is worth its weight in gold.

When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers—and justice. What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate’s quest for revenge may prove fatal.

REVIEW

Western is pretty new to the YA genre, but I think it is a trend I will totally enjoy! I actually only saw one western movie in my life, a few months ago, it was SO LONG but I enjoyed the plot. I’m a history major at uni, so of course I like historical fiction. I’ve read a lot of books set in that time period – Something Strange and Deadly is set in 1876 – but never about the Golden Rush.

I was immersed in the book straight away, because Bowman chose to use the slang of that period, it worked beautifully, it made me feel like I was there. I think the author did a lot of research; the atmosphere is accurate, like what we see in Western movies.

I really enjoyed our main character Kate, how tough she was, when she was supposed to be at such a time period. She disguised herself as a boy not to draw attention, she was so much into fighting, and didn’t want to be a wife who stays at home to take care of the children. If I recall well, she was at a marrying age but it wasn’t her goal at all, even if she might have picked the interest of some guys. There was a romance in the book, but it was such a minor part of the plot, I really enjoyed that, because it wasn’t what Kate wanted after all.

"That sounds real nice, boy," he says. "Now for the love of God, lower that damn pistol."

"All right," I says.And I do.Right after I shoot him through the skull.

The plot was really interesting; with kick-ass action scenes, however sometimes I was a little bored because it felt repetitive. The way Bowman included folklore was really interesting and was relevant to the plot. There was a nice plot twist I didn’t see coming at the end of the story, I enjoyed it quite a lot. I really liked that an Appalachian girl was an important character to the story, because she was part of a different culture all together, it was a way to add some diversity to the story. Also, Kate’s favourite book is Little Women, which was one of my favourite when I was a kid I was so happy about that!

"Then you ain't found the right book yet," I says. "There's something for everyone."

FINAL THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed this book, its genre is quite new in YA, I think I will enjoy this trend a lot: I still need to read Walk on Earth a Stranger and I’m eagerly anticipating Revenge and the Wild (it’s steampunk!) next year. However, I don’t think those kind of books are for everyone, because you have to be okay with people dying all the time. Those books aren’t a romantic representation of the Wild West, but as close as possible from the truth.