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jhutch1324's review against another edition
5.0
Wow!! I'm giving this one five even though it was less than 2 weeks ago that I went back and reviewed some of my old ratings and lowered a couple that I thought maybe I had been a little overzealous with the fours and fives on. This one deserves the five all day everyday.
This novel is billed as a feminist horror western. The oddness of that combo alone is what really real me in, and imagine my surprise when I found out that there is a history of lone women homesteading. After this novel I will be seeking out more about the subject, because it is such an interesting subject all on its own.
We open the novel with Adelaide Henry and her frantic rush to douse her childhood home and parents corpses in fuel so that she can burn the entire thing to the ground. Adelaide is a black woman who has grown up in California on her parents farm. She rides off with a trunk and is headed for Montana. That's where she understands a lone woman can take advantage of the government's offer of free land for homesteaders. Her journey getting there is interesting, but by far not even close to the meat of the story.
The trunk that she has brought with her (and it's contents) all the way from California is what haunts her, and at times others. She settles into Big Sandy, Montana and tries to keep her head down while she earns her land. What follows is not how she wanted her experience in Big Sandy to go.
Along the way she meets some really great characters like Grace and Sam, a mother and son duo who are surviving by themselves living as outcasts in Big Sandy. She also meets the proprietor of the local watering hole called The Blind Pig, and her significant other Fiona Wong.
I can't say too much at a risk of spoiling any part of this wonderfully layered novel. I love how even in the last 20 pages I was surprised by a couple of twists.
I enjoyed the author's writing first and foremost, I like how he explains things and describes things without being overly wordy or in a way that feels like someone is just trying to fluff up the vocabulary of the novel. I also really enjoyed the way he made even mundane twists and turns into the novel suspenseful, I enjoy that in a book that I am expecting to be afraid of while reading. I look forward to reading some of his other works, and I'm going right now to look for more.
This novel is billed as a feminist horror western. The oddness of that combo alone is what really real me in, and imagine my surprise when I found out that there is a history of lone women homesteading. After this novel I will be seeking out more about the subject, because it is such an interesting subject all on its own.
We open the novel with Adelaide Henry and her frantic rush to douse her childhood home and parents corpses in fuel so that she can burn the entire thing to the ground. Adelaide is a black woman who has grown up in California on her parents farm. She rides off with a trunk and is headed for Montana. That's where she understands a lone woman can take advantage of the government's offer of free land for homesteaders. Her journey getting there is interesting, but by far not even close to the meat of the story.
The trunk that she has brought with her (and it's contents) all the way from California is what haunts her, and at times others. She settles into Big Sandy, Montana and tries to keep her head down while she earns her land. What follows is not how she wanted her experience in Big Sandy to go.
Along the way she meets some really great characters like Grace and Sam, a mother and son duo who are surviving by themselves living as outcasts in Big Sandy. She also meets the proprietor of the local watering hole called The Blind Pig, and her significant other Fiona Wong.
I can't say too much at a risk of spoiling any part of this wonderfully layered novel. I love how even in the last 20 pages I was surprised by a couple of twists.
I enjoyed the author's writing first and foremost, I like how he explains things and describes things without being overly wordy or in a way that feels like someone is just trying to fluff up the vocabulary of the novel. I also really enjoyed the way he made even mundane twists and turns into the novel suspenseful, I enjoy that in a book that I am expecting to be afraid of while reading. I look forward to reading some of his other works, and I'm going right now to look for more.
snorlaxative's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
biblio_ione's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
rainbowbiscuits's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
sabs_16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
lourdeslo's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so well written and yet left me pondering for sometime after . It definitely was a pleasant surprise and unlike anything I’ve ever read before . I wish it was longer . Victor does a wonderful job of making a reader feel like they are in the story . There are so many elements that come together in the end. I really had to sit for awhile to really take in everything that happened in this book. Very good. Must read.
luluread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
ros_scallydandler's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
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
No rating yet as read for the BookTube.
madamelame's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0