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A review by tobin_elliott
Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant, K.C. Grifant
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.