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patti_cake08's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
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
4.75
This book was so goddamn GOOD. It was incredibly well researched, the pace was great and the characters' development is palpable. You become stunned to see how much the protagonist Violet has changed during this moment where she's looking at her own reflection, a year into the story, and go "woah she's gone through some shit."
I love the evolving group dynamics, the amazing representation where it FEELS INTEGRAL to the story rather than forced in the middle of an ever-changing U.S.A., the conflicts with the different indigenous groups, the true consequences of the Civil War and the Chinese immigration into the country. There's so much you learn riding along with the Railwalkers about life post-Civil War.
And then, top it all of with an enemies to friends to lovers dynamic between two women whom you see grow and fall in love with each other, and you got an incredible story.
My only real criticism is there wasn't a grammar check for the Spanish dialogues, but, hell, the author wrote and edited it herself. I will cut her the slack since she has created my favorite sapphic cowgirls (I'm probably using the term wrong but you get the gist).
I love the evolving group dynamics, the amazing representation where it FEELS INTEGRAL to the story rather than forced in the middle of an ever-changing U.S.A., the conflicts with the different indigenous groups, the true consequences of the Civil War and the Chinese immigration into the country. There's so much you learn riding along with the Railwalkers about life post-Civil War.
And then, top it all of with an enemies to friends to lovers dynamic between two women whom you see grow and fall in love with each other, and you got an incredible story.
My only real criticism is there wasn't a grammar check for the Spanish dialogues, but, hell, the author wrote and edited it herself. I will cut her the slack since she has created my favorite sapphic cowgirls (I'm probably using the term wrong but you get the gist).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape and Slavery
probably_reading_right_now's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book has such a great concept I really thought I’d love it, but Violet really ruined this whole book for me. She doesn’t really have much of a character arch, and in 400+ pages I was hoping a little more would happen. Her piety was really grating at times, her “naivety” and “ignorance” were really over exaggerated and I think her moral dilemma with killing these terrible men could have been better portrayed because the way it was written really seemed like she was defending the men, rather then dealing with her internal struggle. Even having multiple firsthand experiences, and seeing and hearing the after effects of what the men who The Railwalkers went after we’re capable of she didn’t gain any understanding of at least that portion of it. When she finally did it seemed like nothing for most of the book then all at once at the very end.
I liked Mei, Linus and Rory they were so well written and super interesting characters, but they were frequently used as sort of learning opportunities, or character building for Violet. Sitting Bear could have been a good character but unfortunately he was really flat, boring, and his character’s personality relied on stereotypes. I think had he been taken out of the book entirely it wouldn’t have made much of a difference to the storyline. Aside from my dislike of the main character I think this book could have benefited from multiple POVs especially being 400+ pages it would have changed it up a little more and kept it interesting because I started to get bored about half way through and it started to really slow down. I wish this were just The Railwalkers and their story because that would have been way more interesting to me.
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