Reviews

Revenge by Dani Hoots

sissiambre10's review

Go to review page

fast-paced

3.25

beastreader's review

Go to review page

4.0

This is my first introduction to author, Dani Hoots. For which, this book did get me hooked and wanting to check out more books by this author.

I am a fan of westerns and sci fi, so when you say western sci fi book; I say sign me up. Thus how I came to read Revenge by Dani Hoots. This book has a great cast of characters. Each character has an equal part in the overall storyline.

Ellie is the only female presence. She is great. She has a take charge attitude and helps to keep the group focused on their mission. Zach who is Ellie's best friend might be my favorite. He brought comedic relief to the story. Then there is Cornelius aka Cor (Ellie's ex) and his new boyfriend, Gabe. They help to round out this group of four.

The story does start out a bit slowly but does progress quicker the further you get into the storyline. With it really picking up momentum in the latter half of the story. I look forward to book two.

czarinameansqueen's review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. I picked it up mainly because the cover was gorgeous, but sadly I was disappointed.

My main problem with this book was it was trying to do too much. The story is relatively small. It could have probably done well as a smaller arc in a larger book and told in fewer pages. Something that added to this problem was there were just too many narrators in the story, which felt like it contributes to the lack of character development in the main cast of characters. The story might have been a lot stronger if it had focused on one, maybe, two narrators and built more information to their POVs. My last main issue with this book was the amount of describing feelings over telling them. Every character described not only their own actions before they did them, but would often also describe what the other main characters probably felt before they did an action. This led to a lot of repetition of descriptions in different characters POVs which destroyed the flow of the scenes.

I really wanted to be drawn into the world but struggled to do to the lack of worldbuilding. The characters move throughout a few placed in the book yet it feels like it's all taking place in the same city. Each place didn't feel unique enough, other than maybe a character stating that "this place was different because of Blank", each place the characters encountered felt the same and led to the world feeling a lot less fleshed out as it could have been.

The part of the book that probably drove me the most crazy was there was so much unnecessary fluff in a lot of the scenes. So many extra lines of dialogue and description that kept making me ask myself why do I need to know this? Many of the chapters would have been so much more exciting if it had cut down on so many of the unnecessary details.

kady_cordova's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

What a world!! I'm floored!

I loved it!! This is so much more than I thought. As a YA/NA LGBTQ+ sci-fi western I was floored with the detailed and dynamic world Dani has created. I was on the edge of my seat and needed to know what happened next. I loved the diverse range of characters, sexualities (I love Zach!), and connection. I cannot wait for BOOK TWO!!!!

An adventurous escape into another world so imaginatively created, it's so complex and has elements of magic, shifters, sci-fi, futuristic, cowboys, assistants, and dystopian feels.

I love fantasy and other worlds but this is the first SciFi (ish) western I've read and omg I'm hooked. The characters are so wonderfully vivid you feel like you're along for the ride as you cheat death at every turn, reveal secrets that will shock and be on the edge of your seat as you discover a truth that could change everything.

My only comment would be that the writing style was a bit unique and "backwards" in terms of certain phases being said "in the wrong order" I feel I only noticed this or had an issue with it because of my dyslexia which made parts a little challenging to read and flow through. This would totally be because I received an ARC, so this might not be the case with the final cut!

I really enjoyed the pace of this book and I was never bored or wondering where this was going. I liked the friendships and connections and am interested in seeing how the dynamic between Ellie, Cor, and Gabe. I feel for Gabe and his love for Cor, knowing he's not necessarily number 1. I worry for him and what the future holds for the whole gang.

These four have worked their way into my heart and I can not wait for the next book!! I need it now, I have so many questions, OMG!

bookworm151719's review

Go to review page

4.0

This was a different sort of read for me since I don't really like westerns and I'm not as big on sci-fi as I used to. However, this was a super cute read, even my husband liked it and he's picky with books that I read. He said it reminded him of Cowboy Bebop.

dodie_sullivan's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-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

3.0

authorabbylattanzio's review

Go to review page

adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Such an interesting concept! Reminiscent of Firefly. Love the ace representation!

emeraldsky's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

First off, this cover is gorgeous. The world has a Firefly/cowboy Bepop feel, which is one of my favorites. I liked the variety of four different POV. The plot was interesting and I'm excited to see where the next book goes! LGBTQ+ rep, too.

book4grace's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious 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

5.0

iheartya311's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Although I love this cover, I was apprehensive about this book after reading the blurb (westerns and/or sci-fi aren't really interests of mine) but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story. The plot is unique and flows well. Character development and world building were executed with expertise, but I found myself often confusing the characters with each other. I usually struggle with alternating POV, and I did a little bit with this one but not much. First person POV, however, remains my arch nemesis and unfortunately plays a big role in how much I enjoy a book. Gabe was my favorite character; he seemed sweet, sincere, and protective but still mysterious. The writing was a tad simple at times but overall it moved the story along at an engaging pace. I wonder what will happen next!!