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A review by wizardingwisteria
Outlawed by Anna North
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I initially rated this at 5 stars because of how much I loved the world building, but after taking some time to process I think this is closer to a 4.5. The world building is immaculate. This author nails the western vibe right on the head, but looking back I wish the characters were a bit better
The world in combination with the writing style and plot made this such an enjoyable read for me. At first the writing style seemed meandering and slow, but as the story began to pick up I started to appreciate Ada's perspective a lot more. The plot kept me entertained from start to finish. I loved seeing the gang execute their plans in such an organized fashion. It reminded me so much of Red Dead Redemption with the leader of the gang, the Kid, giving me flash backs to Dutch van der Linde at some points
Loved all of the representation in this book, but it could have been improved. The main character is cis and hetero but almost every member of the gang is gay and/or non-binary. There is a moment where one gang member asks Ada if she likes men and Ada considers the fact that she never saw women as an option for her. She basically shrugs and thinks to herself "maybe I like women, idk, haven't tried." Beyond that thought Ada doesn't attempt to explore her own sexuality further. I think that was a missed opportunity
A lot of the characters felt underdeveloped. Even though this book is on the shorter side, I found myself wishing that the author took more time to make the characters, the gang members specifically, more complex instead of giving them a paragraph or two of backstory and then putting them on the shelf. Ada's love interest ended up feeling flat as well which made their relationship more difficult to believe
Despite it's issues, I could see myself re-reading this in the future
The world in combination with the writing style and plot made this such an enjoyable read for me. At first the writing style seemed meandering and slow, but as the story began to pick up I started to appreciate Ada's perspective a lot more. The plot kept me entertained from start to finish. I loved seeing the gang execute their plans in such an organized fashion. It reminded me so much of Red Dead Redemption with the leader of the gang, the Kid, giving me flash backs to Dutch van der Linde at some points
Loved all of the representation in this book, but it could have been improved. The main character is cis and hetero but almost every member of the gang is gay and/or non-binary. There is a moment where one gang member asks Ada if she likes men and Ada considers the fact that she never saw women as an option for her. She basically shrugs and thinks to herself "maybe I like women, idk, haven't tried." Beyond that thought Ada doesn't attempt to explore her own sexuality further. I think that was a missed opportunity
A lot of the characters felt underdeveloped. Even though this book is on the shorter side, I found myself wishing that the author took more time to make the characters, the gang members specifically, more complex instead of giving them a paragraph or two of backstory and then putting them on the shelf. Ada's love interest ended up feeling flat as well which made their relationship more difficult to believe
Despite it's issues, I could see myself re-reading this in the future
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Infertility, Animal death, Grief, Miscarriage, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Pandemic/Epidemic