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a_reader_obsessed's review
3.0
3.5 Stars!
Admittedly, I’ve got eclectic tastes and lately what piques my interest has been all over the place. I will say that what caught my attention was the promise of a strong heroine, a good ole western vibe, sci-fi paranormal elements, and a touch of romance, and just so you know, this delivered!
Melinda West has been battling monsters for quite awhile. She and her partner in love and life are planning on retiring, having built up a nice little nest egg to peacefully run a ranch for the rest of their long years ahead. However, when Melinda takes back a curious stone to her self made family, she sets off a chain reaction of events that puts those most dear to her at risk of losing their souls. What follows is a race against time to catch the baddies, and it is just one impossible obstacle after the other.
Overall, I liked this story, and I liked Melinda. She’s capable, smart, no nonsense, all of which contrasts nicely with her “fiance” Lance who can charm any and everyone with an infectious smile and a few congenial words. My only complaint is that this was quite serious and our protagonists just can’t seem to catch a break ever. The stakes are seriously high and though understandable, the lack of gleeful fun was missed.
Regardless of my personal wants and needs, if a historical Wild West setting with a touch of James Bond-esque gadgety weaponry, plenty of icky monsters, the requisite demon bent on world domination, and rival bounty hunters tick off a few boxes for you, then come on over and check this out! I honestly don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Thank you to the author via BookSirens for a copy to review honestly
Admittedly, I’ve got eclectic tastes and lately what piques my interest has been all over the place. I will say that what caught my attention was the promise of a strong heroine, a good ole western vibe, sci-fi paranormal elements, and a touch of romance, and just so you know, this delivered!
Melinda West has been battling monsters for quite awhile. She and her partner in love and life are planning on retiring, having built up a nice little nest egg to peacefully run a ranch for the rest of their long years ahead. However, when Melinda takes back a curious stone to her self made family, she sets off a chain reaction of events that puts those most dear to her at risk of losing their souls. What follows is a race against time to catch the baddies, and it is just one impossible obstacle after the other.
Overall, I liked this story, and I liked Melinda. She’s capable, smart, no nonsense, all of which contrasts nicely with her “fiance” Lance who can charm any and everyone with an infectious smile and a few congenial words. My only complaint is that this was quite serious and our protagonists just can’t seem to catch a break ever. The stakes are seriously high and though understandable, the lack of gleeful fun was missed.
Regardless of my personal wants and needs, if a historical Wild West setting with a touch of James Bond-esque gadgety weaponry, plenty of icky monsters, the requisite demon bent on world domination, and rival bounty hunters tick off a few boxes for you, then come on over and check this out! I honestly don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Thank you to the author via BookSirens for a copy to review honestly
aranafyre's review
4.0
This book is a fun, entertaining adventure. The action was very well written and I loved the characters.
Melinda is a part of a monster hunting partnership but they are hoping to finally retire. However they are attacked in their home and she and her partner Lance must go on one more hunt to save their friend. What follows is a fast paced romp through a weird west setting.
I thought the monsters were innovative. Grifant did an excellent job bringing them to life. I also enjoyed the fight scenes but I did feel like Melinda and Lance were thwarted in the same a one too many times.
Melinda is a part of a monster hunting partnership but they are hoping to finally retire. However they are attacked in their home and she and her partner Lance must go on one more hunt to save their friend. What follows is a fast paced romp through a weird west setting.
I thought the monsters were innovative. Grifant did an excellent job bringing them to life. I also enjoyed the fight scenes but I did feel like Melinda and Lance were thwarted in the same a one too many times.
particularnorth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
theresahalvorsen's review
5.0
This was an imaginative and fascinating weird western about Melinda West, a gunslinger. There was a perfect amount of spine-chilling horror interlaced with intricate world-building. It's a fast read and keeps your attention as you fall into this world. There's not a dull moment or a moment you want to skim. The supporting characters are well-thought out and unique. Truly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author.
blatdriver's review
3.0
This book was good, but not great, it was like a cross between the TV show Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and H P Lovecraft.
I got this from Netgalley which was listed as Horror | Sci Fi & Fantasy, but for me I’d classify it as just Sci Fi & Fantasy, I think you could even put it into young Adult, I found it a bit too soft for a horror story, but maybe that is because I’ve became desensitised by the splatter western books by Death Head's Press, which I loved.
The writing was good, easy to read with a good mix of western and Fantasy, I would have liked to see the gunslinger do a bit more gun slinging, but overall it was good it has a similar feel to ‘The Never Ending Story’ or ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*
I got this from Netgalley which was listed as Horror | Sci Fi & Fantasy, but for me I’d classify it as just Sci Fi & Fantasy, I think you could even put it into young Adult, I found it a bit too soft for a horror story, but maybe that is because I’ve became desensitised by the splatter western books by Death Head's Press, which I loved.
The writing was good, easy to read with a good mix of western and Fantasy, I would have liked to see the gunslinger do a bit more gun slinging, but overall it was good it has a similar feel to ‘The Never Ending Story’ or ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.*
caseyadamsstark's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Who remembers that old sci-fi western Wild Wild West, with Will Smith and Kevin Kline? Or if you’re really into ancient entertainment viewing, who remembers the TV series that inspired it? Well, if either of those versions of Wild Wild West were ever your cup of tea, then Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger will be a treat.
Granted, this is less of a sci-fi story and more of a pulpy horror western, but the crossover vibes are similar. This is a plot-centric piece of storytelling with a touch of steampunk flavor for fans of, say… Supernatural. And I am a fan of Supernatural.
Author K. C. Grifant has woven a tale of monster hunters, pleasantly diverse ones, in an alt western world that resonates with parallels to our own American wild West history. She creates sympathetic villains and morally gray heroes out for justice—for themselves— and against an underworld they have yet to understand for its horrific power. It’s not necessarily deep, but it’s well written and fun. A welcome diversion for fans of multi genre pulp fiction.
I want to thank the author for providing this ARC to potential HWA readers.
Granted, this is less of a sci-fi story and more of a pulpy horror western, but the crossover vibes are similar. This is a plot-centric piece of storytelling with a touch of steampunk flavor for fans of, say… Supernatural. And I am a fan of Supernatural.
Author K. C. Grifant has woven a tale of monster hunters, pleasantly diverse ones, in an alt western world that resonates with parallels to our own American wild West history. She creates sympathetic villains and morally gray heroes out for justice—for themselves— and against an underworld they have yet to understand for its horrific power. It’s not necessarily deep, but it’s well written and fun. A welcome diversion for fans of multi genre pulp fiction.
I want to thank the author for providing this ARC to potential HWA readers.
twilliamson's review
4.0
A review copy of Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger was provided to me by Brigid's Gate Press. The thoughts and opinions in this review are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any way by the publisher.
K.C. Grifant's debut novel takes a page out of old pulp adventure novels: adventure and action take precedent, and what matters is that you have fun with the story along the way. Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger has plenty of action and fun to go around, brimming with enthusiastic ideas for excitement and future stories.
Melinda West, the western-inspired heroine of the novel, fits in well with other pulp heroes and heroines like her--a woman of action, not long and extended philosophizing, and Grifant puts all of the emphasis in this novel on action and adventure. West has a job to do, and she's going to do it or die trying. That spirit of momentum carries through the whole novel, a whirlwind of new set-pieces, minor characters, and major stakes every couple of chapters. Hats off to Grifant: this is pulp heroics through and through.
Nevertheless, as much as I thoroughly enjoyed this book (no, seriously, this book is good fun), as a debut novel is does have its flaws. Like most pulp adventure novels, the story can be pretty light on characterization or character motivation. We barely have time, for example, to get to know Melinda and Lance before they're thrust into adventure, and the stakes of that adventure continue to escalate repeatedly through the whole book without any detailed explanation of why. New characters are introduced every couple of chapters, but we don't really stay with them long enough to get a great read on them, either. But that's not entirely the point of the exercise; does it really matter that we don't know much about the bad guys or their motivations as the story trudges forward? In pulp adventure, too much exposition can be tedious, can suck the momentum away, and these are characters of action, not of extended scenes of dialogue and background. That's not to say that Grifant doesn't know when to take a moment to show us her characters interacting with one another; we learn by doing in pulp adventure, not by being told.
And to a certain extent, the story doesn't really suffer from the elements it might lack. The point of a character like Gene or Topaz isn't to delve into extensive backstory that would take focus away from the adventure; they're there to complicate the circumstances of the story, to act as complement to Melinda's skills or as obstacles to her goals. Their implied backstories are enough, and as long as the action is moving forward, the story is working. The same goes for the story's villains. Although we eventually do get some explanation for the big bad's actions in the story, much of the book is spent exploring a fairly black-and-white relationships between Melinda and the book's villains: the bad guys do bad things, and the good guys oppose them. Mileage may vary on how these elements are received, but I can't find fault in the style this book wants to emulate. This book is pulp, and these story elements are features of what pulp is and does.
Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger is a perfectly bingeable read, the kind of story best devoured on a Saturday morning, chapter-by-chapter, episode-by-episode. It's the perfect vehicle for a series, with characters worthy of their own spin-offs and adventures, an implied lore and world worth exploring and learning more about, a treat to look forward to with every new installment. There's so much to enjoy about a book like Melinda West, and I hope not to see the sun set on this character for a long time.
K.C. Grifant's debut novel takes a page out of old pulp adventure novels: adventure and action take precedent, and what matters is that you have fun with the story along the way. Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger has plenty of action and fun to go around, brimming with enthusiastic ideas for excitement and future stories.
Melinda West, the western-inspired heroine of the novel, fits in well with other pulp heroes and heroines like her--a woman of action, not long and extended philosophizing, and Grifant puts all of the emphasis in this novel on action and adventure. West has a job to do, and she's going to do it or die trying. That spirit of momentum carries through the whole novel, a whirlwind of new set-pieces, minor characters, and major stakes every couple of chapters. Hats off to Grifant: this is pulp heroics through and through.
Nevertheless, as much as I thoroughly enjoyed this book (no, seriously, this book is good fun), as a debut novel is does have its flaws. Like most pulp adventure novels, the story can be pretty light on characterization or character motivation. We barely have time, for example, to get to know Melinda and Lance before they're thrust into adventure, and the stakes of that adventure continue to escalate repeatedly through the whole book without any detailed explanation of why. New characters are introduced every couple of chapters, but we don't really stay with them long enough to get a great read on them, either. But that's not entirely the point of the exercise; does it really matter that we don't know much about the bad guys or their motivations as the story trudges forward? In pulp adventure, too much exposition can be tedious, can suck the momentum away, and these are characters of action, not of extended scenes of dialogue and background. That's not to say that Grifant doesn't know when to take a moment to show us her characters interacting with one another; we learn by doing in pulp adventure, not by being told.
And to a certain extent, the story doesn't really suffer from the elements it might lack. The point of a character like Gene or Topaz isn't to delve into extensive backstory that would take focus away from the adventure; they're there to complicate the circumstances of the story, to act as complement to Melinda's skills or as obstacles to her goals. Their implied backstories are enough, and as long as the action is moving forward, the story is working. The same goes for the story's villains. Although we eventually do get some explanation for the big bad's actions in the story, much of the book is spent exploring a fairly black-and-white relationships between Melinda and the book's villains: the bad guys do bad things, and the good guys oppose them. Mileage may vary on how these elements are received, but I can't find fault in the style this book wants to emulate. This book is pulp, and these story elements are features of what pulp is and does.
Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger is a perfectly bingeable read, the kind of story best devoured on a Saturday morning, chapter-by-chapter, episode-by-episode. It's the perfect vehicle for a series, with characters worthy of their own spin-offs and adventures, an implied lore and world worth exploring and learning more about, a treat to look forward to with every new installment. There's so much to enjoy about a book like Melinda West, and I hope not to see the sun set on this character for a long time.
bravesirtoaster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lattes_lipstick_literature's review
4.0
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*
Hello Fellow Readers,
I am so happy that Monster Westerns are a thing because they make for such fun reads, and Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger is no different. Action-packed, Grifant made an extremely interesting world, with such terrifying monsters that I am so happy I got to explore through reading. I really liked Melinda, and also Lance before *spoiler* happens and he begins to act like a jackass. Melinda was badass and an amazing shot who doesn't miss.
The book was fast-paced, which I appreciate, and made for a quick read. The one thing I didn't like was all the bad luck/ and their inability to catch a break. Things just went from bad to worse to even worse Oh My God they need a freaking miracle. It was just too many hits to take without any wins. You need to insert one somewhere so that the readers don't feel so hopeless.
Regardless of my personal feelings I really enjoyed this book.
Hello Fellow Readers,
I am so happy that Monster Westerns are a thing because they make for such fun reads, and Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger is no different. Action-packed, Grifant made an extremely interesting world, with such terrifying monsters that I am so happy I got to explore through reading. I really liked Melinda, and also Lance before *spoiler* happens and he begins to act like a jackass. Melinda was badass and an amazing shot who doesn't miss.
The book was fast-paced, which I appreciate, and made for a quick read. The one thing I didn't like was all the bad luck/ and their inability to catch a break. Things just went from bad to worse to even worse Oh My God they need a freaking miracle. It was just too many hits to take without any wins. You need to insert one somewhere so that the readers don't feel so hopeless.
Regardless of my personal feelings I really enjoyed this book.
tobin_elliott's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was in the mood for something different, and this one? Hell yes, it scratched that itch.
This is a solid western, with just a small hint of some tech, and a lot of...well...monsters. Hey, she's a monster gunslinger, right?
Overall, a straightforward story, with enough twists and turns to keep me satisfied. If I have any complaints, they're minor. The first is, I would have liked to have seen a bit more romantic entanglement between Melinda and Lance up front. They felt more like friends and partners, and it took me a few pages to cotton to the fact that they were a couple.
The second is, most of the monsters felt buglike. I will say, there were absolutely non-insectile monsters, but I would have liked to have seen Grifant go a little wilder with the monsters.
That being said, when Melinda crosses over the Edge? This is where Grifant's writing and imagination just soar. The Edge is painted as a very strange and otherworldly reality. Aside from that, there's a fantastic cast of characters, great settings, and it checks all the right boxes for anyone who loves westerns, horror, or especially both.
God, I love a good western horror.
I will say, I would not want to be the editor highlighted at the beginning of the book. While a solid 98% of the book is very good, when it goes off the rails, it really does. There's a stretch, for example of two pages (pgs 145-146) where the Irvin character, in the span of a few paragraphs, is referred to as "Irvin" and "Irvine" and "Irwin"...which is just bad attention to detail.
But aside from that? Honestly, I really loved this novel, and I'll absolutely read more from this author.
This is a solid western, with just a small hint of some tech, and a lot of...well...monsters. Hey, she's a monster gunslinger, right?
Overall, a straightforward story, with enough twists and turns to keep me satisfied. If I have any complaints, they're minor. The first is, I would have liked to have seen a bit more romantic entanglement between Melinda and Lance up front. They felt more like friends and partners, and it took me a few pages to cotton to the fact that they were a couple.
The second is, most of the monsters felt buglike. I will say, there were absolutely non-insectile monsters, but I would have liked to have seen Grifant go a little wilder with the monsters.
That being said, when Melinda crosses over the Edge? This is where Grifant's writing and imagination just soar. The Edge is painted as a very strange and otherworldly reality. Aside from that, there's a fantastic cast of characters, great settings, and it checks all the right boxes for anyone who loves westerns, horror, or especially both.
God, I love a good western horror.
I will say, I would not want to be the editor highlighted at the beginning of the book. While a solid 98% of the book is very good, when it goes off the rails, it really does. There's a stretch, for example of two pages (pgs 145-146) where the Irvin character, in the span of a few paragraphs, is referred to as "Irvin" and "Irvine" and "Irwin"...which is just bad attention to detail.
But aside from that? Honestly, I really loved this novel, and I'll absolutely read more from this author.