trippyotter's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
I didn't even know spaghetti westerns were a thing! Of course, I've seen the old movies, but I had no clue it existed in books too!
And OMG, Kate! I adore her, and I loved Bowman for staying true to dialog because it makes the story everything and so much more!
And OMG, Kate! I adore her, and I loved Bowman for staying true to dialog because it makes the story everything and so much more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit and Grief
raelin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I did not enjoy this. The general plot of “girls dad is killed and she seeks vengeance against the band of raiders that came after him” was fine, but the devices that were used to execute that plot were terrible.
The way the Apache are depicted was awful. Liluye and the terrible life forced upon her and her tribe was dismissed and brushed aside. Kate would not even call her by her name after being instructed to do so time and again. There are too many examples of the poor and thoughtless way these people were treated in the book to list. One example:
Jesse was not intriguing as a character, let alone a romantic interest. He was a terrible person turned monster at the prospect of gold. Add to that super racist and just yuck.
Just a flat predictable book, other than a semi surprising moment when I do not recommend reading on any level. I hate finished it, and am disappointed I didn’t just give up halfway through when Liluye was introduced and dismissed all at the same time.
The way the Apache are depicted was awful. Liluye and the terrible life forced upon her and her tribe was dismissed and brushed aside. Kate would not even call her by her name after being instructed to do so time and again. There are too many examples of the poor and thoughtless way these people were treated in the book to list. One example:
Spoiler
The way her request to leave the gold alone is just dismissed, after time and again she helped Kate against her instincts was sickening. Then Kate PASSED ON THE JOURNAL SO SOMEONE ELSE COULD RAPE SACRED LAND. Gross. At the *very least* Kate could have destroyed the journal. At medium she should have returned the gold to the earth, and destroyed the journal.Jesse was not intriguing as a character, let alone a romantic interest. He was a terrible person turned monster at the prospect of gold. Add to that super racist and just yuck.
Just a flat predictable book, other than a semi surprising moment when
Spoiler
Maria is outed as a terrible person, and a depiction of a worthless Mexican to add to the racism of this book, but we knew there was a ghost shooter so it really wasn’t much of a reveal, and that she had teamed up with Rose was not at all surprising.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Racism, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Torture, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Physical abuse
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