I had a really good time reading this. It felt like exactly the type of thing I needed to kickstart my end-of-year reading/get me out of a small reading slump. It was exciting to get to see so many diverse types of queerness and identity in a setting where those histories are often erased. This novel managed to get a lot done in a short space while not feeling overly rushed.

I'm really fucking upset about Lark, though. Who would have guessed I could simp so hard for a man? I'm still mourning his life with Ada in Pagosa Springs. I do wish there was more of a clear build-up to Ada being ready to take over Alice's surgery, but I also think given the pace of the book, it was still really well done.

Yay for queer cowboys!

Content Warnings

amandalawrance's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

Content Warnings

kcbatts's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-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

3.25

Content Warnings

tak_everlasting's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

0.25

While the group initially bullied her, I thought she'd eventually be included in the band and it was aiming for a found family direction. It was not. They felt like coworkers at best, annoyed strangers at worst. I honestly felt nothing when they separated, or when they died, because the characters themselves did not care.

Content Warnings

mfrisk's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-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

I quite enjoyed the characters I got to know through this book, the settings, and the journey we go on as the characters develop and learn. This is a fun feminist western that brings a new perspective to the genre.

Content Warnings

eegekay's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

Content Warnings

miarconnell's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book definitely had highs and lows but I really enjoyed this look at early feminism and the plight of women under the oppression of religious society.

Content Warnings

nicoleherz's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense 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? No

4.25

Feminist adventure set in the wild wild west

A thrilling and inspiring story about a woman who knows she's worth more than the fate she is assigned. I loved the immediate focus on science and feminism, especially set in a time where these were not popular topics.
The characters were diverse with fascinating backstories and the author wasn't shy in taking them away from us.
Loved the happy ending, I was positive we weren't going to get one.

Content Warnings

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