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matos's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thank you Erewhon for the final copy of this book!
Jesse Murphy takes the job to reach California and find her father before her sister gives birth and it’s excited to take a job that allows her to dress up as a boy. Ben Foley, it’s a white passing boy escaping slavery and running from his family. They sign up for a special run for the Nightland route of the Pony Express. A special route that runs between words and has its own rules.
They start a magical journey while being followed by the harsh realities of life. It’s a journey to discover themselves, to confront themselves and their ideas of the world, to understand that there’s more than the daylight reality. It's the book equivalent of a road movie, the action and the danger never stop; and for me that’s the problem. I’m more of a character reader and the action was too much sometimes.
The other thing was that I was expecting more Native American folklore and less fae. It was well integrated, and it’s a me thing, not the book's fault.
I will read more of the author for sure.
Jesse Murphy takes the job to reach California and find her father before her sister gives birth and it’s excited to take a job that allows her to dress up as a boy. Ben Foley, it’s a white passing boy escaping slavery and running from his family. They sign up for a special run for the Nightland route of the Pony Express. A special route that runs between words and has its own rules.
They start a magical journey while being followed by the harsh realities of life. It’s a journey to discover themselves, to confront themselves and their ideas of the world, to understand that there’s more than the daylight reality. It's the book equivalent of a road movie, the action and the danger never stop; and for me that’s the problem. I’m more of a character reader and the action was too much sometimes.
The other thing was that I was expecting more Native American folklore and less fae. It was well integrated, and it’s a me thing, not the book's fault.
I will read more of the author for sure.
meriam88's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nsnider2214's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.75
eico_23's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
abishop23's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cortsundoku's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rebeccafm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
DNF. This just isn't for me. The publisher sent me this ARC to try and I gave it a go. I never would have picked it up on my own.
ejpass's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: dual POVs, fantasy, fair folk, historical fantasy, LGBTQ characters
Big thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The book follows Jesse and Ben on their journey from Missouri to California, each of them hiding their own secrets. The plot gets more complicated when they discover what they're delivering via the Pony Express, and just how far some people will go to intercept them...and just how dangerous those people can be.
Once Jesse and Ben get on the road things are pretty fast paced. While the two don't trust each other initially, they fall into camaraderie once they're on the road. I enjoyed their friendship and the hint that it could become something more. They work well together and can balance one another out a little bit since they also have different methods of going about things.
Jessamine becomes Jesse fairly early on, though she doesn't begin experimenting with her gender until about halfway through the book, though it is hinted at that it's coming. I thought it was interesting to see how Jesse transformed over the course of the book, and not just by coming into themself, but also in relation to the world around them. Jesse is probably what you'd consider a 'typical white person,' where they believe that they'd stand up against racism when it comes time but doesn't realize that the time is 'always.' I did appreciate the efforts Jesse made to learn, though.
Ben is Ben, from the beginning. He does grapple with his identity of being mixed race, but he has very clear goals from the get-go and things only change toward the end. His past is haunting him, in more ways than one, and he does struggle with some (or sometimes a lot) of it. While Ben is at peace with himself at the end of the book, I do wish he'd gotten somewhat of a more satisfying conclusion.
Mock was...an interesting character, to say the least. She's an odd child, prone to her whims, which can make her fun to read, but at the same time there were moments when she did annoy me with her insistence for things that weren't explained. As much trouble as she caused, though, she did help Jesse and Ben, and she did seem genuinely apologetic for the trouble she caused. I do think she just wanted to help and didn't know any other way.
The plot with the fair folk was interesting, and I almost wanted it to last a bit longer. I feel like Jesse and Ben don't really get a good grip on that aspect of things until the climax, where there's a bit too much going on for a full explanation and understanding to take place. I would've liked more processing time prior to the end, but I'm not really sure how that would've affected how things played out.
One thing I don't understand is how "don't kill him" turned into Jesse's problem. He didn't promise not to (and technically he doesn't), but then later on a different character makes it seem like Jesse broke his promise, which is inherently impossible when Jesse didn't promise in the first place.
Overall, this was a relatively fun book about identity and what we owe others (and ourselves). I liked the setting and thought Jesse and Ben made a good duo. The one thing I didn't really like was the whole deal with Morgan (and I do question why Jesse left her very pregnant sister without a horse), but I suppose if we're playing with the idea that actions have consequences and magic is never free it makes sense.
Recommended for people who like: dual POVs, fantasy, fair folk, historical fantasy, LGBTQ characters
Big thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The book follows Jesse and Ben on their journey from Missouri to California, each of them hiding their own secrets. The plot gets more complicated when they discover what they're delivering via the Pony Express, and just how far some people will go to intercept them...and just how dangerous those people can be.
Once Jesse and Ben get on the road things are pretty fast paced. While the two don't trust each other initially, they fall into camaraderie once they're on the road. I enjoyed their friendship and the hint that it could become something more. They work well together and can balance one another out a little bit since they also have different methods of going about things.
Jessamine becomes Jesse fairly early on, though she doesn't begin experimenting with her gender until about halfway through the book, though it is hinted at that it's coming. I thought it was interesting to see how Jesse transformed over the course of the book, and not just by coming into themself, but also in relation to the world around them. Jesse is probably what you'd consider a 'typical white person,' where they believe that they'd stand up against racism when it comes time but doesn't realize that the time is 'always.' I did appreciate the efforts Jesse made to learn, though.
Ben is Ben, from the beginning. He does grapple with his identity of being mixed race, but he has very clear goals from the get-go and things only change toward the end. His past is haunting him, in more ways than one, and he does struggle with some (or sometimes a lot) of it. While Ben is at peace with himself at the end of the book, I do wish he'd gotten somewhat of a more satisfying conclusion.
Mock was...an interesting character, to say the least. She's an odd child, prone to her whims, which can make her fun to read, but at the same time there were moments when she did annoy me with her insistence for things that weren't explained. As much trouble as she caused, though, she did help Jesse and Ben, and she did seem genuinely apologetic for the trouble she caused. I do think she just wanted to help and didn't know any other way.
The plot with the fair folk was interesting, and I almost wanted it to last a bit longer. I feel like Jesse and Ben don't really get a good grip on that aspect of things until the climax, where there's a bit too much going on for a full explanation and understanding to take place. I would've liked more processing time prior to the end, but I'm not really sure how that would've affected how things played out.
One thing I don't understand is how "don't kill him" turned into Jesse's problem. He didn't promise not to (and technically he doesn't), but then later on a different character makes it seem like Jesse broke his promise, which is inherently impossible when Jesse didn't promise in the first place.
Overall, this was a relatively fun book about identity and what we owe others (and ourselves). I liked the setting and thought Jesse and Ben made a good duo. The one thing I didn't really like was the whole deal with Morgan (and I do question why Jesse left her very pregnant sister without a horse), but I suppose if we're playing with the idea that actions have consequences and magic is never free it makes sense.
kayciedoom's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0