Erin Bowman

When Kate Thompson's father is killed by the notorious Rose Riders for a mysterious journal that reveals the secret location of a gold mine, the eighteen-year-old disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers and justice. What she finds are devious strangers, dust storms, and a pair of brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, she gets closer to the truth about herself and must decide if there's room for love in a heart so full of hate. In the spirit of True Grit, the cutthroat days of the Wild West come to life for a new generation.

Vengeance Road

Christine

WILL DESERVED BETTER

ALSO WHAT HAPPENED TO EVELYN???

Briar Rose

*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads

I wanted to love this book.

I am a child of the West, daughter of generations of pioneers (raised, as you might expect, on Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey). My grandmother's father, born in 1887, lived to be 101, dying just after I was born. Though I don't remember him, my childhood was filled with the rhythm of the stories he passed down, among those from many other close relatives--mountain men and trappers; children who grew up in covered wagons; farmers and ranchers and one great-uncle who broke out of the Texas Rangers' jail (mostly to say he'd done it).

I'm excited that Westerns are coming back into fashion. I was especially excited about VENGEANCE ROAD, because it sounded good--and, well, look at that cover. I'm shallow about beautiful covers.

I could not love it, sadly, though it had some positives. The first and foremost reason I could not love it was because the dialect is very wrong. The Western dialect, which I grew up speaking as a "first language," may sound uneducated to outsiders, but it has its own consistent internal grammatical rules. It also has a powerful and beautiful storytelling tradition--which does no good unless you understand it.

Dear authors: Please do not write in a dialect with which you are unfamiliar unless you are going to make a SERIOUS effort to familiarize yourself with it.

Read books written by people who either speak the dialect natively, or who did their research well (ideally the former). Watch movies for which the same rules apply. Listen to stories being told by people who speak the dialect. (This website is a great resource for that.) While you are doing those things, pay attention. Then, once your book is written, get beta readers who speak the dialect. They will tell you what you've done wrong so you can try to fix it.

The Western dialect does not consist of misspellings and incorrect grammar. No one in real life has ever said, and I quote: "I's gonna said rude." We might say, "He done it" or "I seen him leave" or (in the older, pioneer generation) "He taked a bath." We would never say "I's gonna said rude." It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.

Beyond the dialect issues--which, I'm sure, bothered me more than most--was the lack of real consequences. I enjoy some ruthlessness--TRUE GRIT is a classic, of course--but early in the book, Kate's quest for revenge leads her to (view spoiler)[kill an innocent person. Though it is technically in self-defense, due to a misunderstanding, the man is no less dead.

This is mentioned a few more times throughout the book, but it has no real consequences, and Kate still gets her happy ending--unlike the dead man. It's that lack of consequences, rather than the ruthlessness itself, that bothered me about that particular plot point. If a heroine is going to essentially mow down bystanders in her quest for revenge, I like to see that followed through. (hide spoiler)]

Then there was the treatment of Native Americans. It could have been worse--Liluye, the Apache girl, had little interest in helping the white people, and was definitely the lead of her own story in her own mind--but it was stereotypical overall. "Indians" were presented as the violent, faceless bogeyman for much of the story, and once they appeared as individuals, Liluye and her people fit the shallow "at one with Mother Earth" stereotype you see in movies like Pocahontas.

This isn't to say there weren't positives. Kate's brutal, ruthless pursuit of "justice" (actually revenge) was sometimes compelling, and might have been more so had her actions been followed by real, permanent consequences. Kate's act of saving Liluye's life would usually have led to the tired, ugly old trope of a person of color who is blindly devoted to serving the white main character, and though the treatment of the Apache characters was tired and trope-y in nearly every other way, it was refreshing to have Liluye go, "Forget this, I owe you people pretty much nothing." There's one moment, between Kate and her love interest, that demonstrates consent in a very healthy way. And toward the end of the book, there was a twist I very much didn't see coming.

What killed the story for me was: The lack of consequences (for Kate), the stereotypical Natives, and the clumsy attempt at Western dialect, which at its best absolutely glows in storytelling.

Jillian Clare

I thought Vengeance Road sounded like it had potential; It was set in the Wild West with gun slinging cowboys and outlaws and whatnot. What I found it to be was quite lacking. I didn't mind Kate as a character (she was a badass and one of those characters that promised retribution and actively works to follow through, which I love), and I wished that Liluye had had a larger role, but I didn't care about anyone else. I couldn't take the romance seriously, and the set up of the ending really seemed a little random. I really thought that Vengeance Road had potential, especially since I genuinely liked Kate and Liluye's characters, but for me while it was an entertaining enough read, but I didn't love it.

Carley Whitehead

Ashley Holstine

Loved it!

I loved this book! Born and raised Arizonian and I love reading stories about the Lost Dutchman mine. It was also fun reading a story with so many locations I know well.

Kathryn 

I’m not really sure what I wanted or expected from a western novel but I think this was exactly it. Very gritty and it really read like a western movie.

Erin Russell

THAT ENDING THOUGH?? That really took me by surprise. In my opinion this book would have been three stars if it weren't for the twist at the end. I found Kate to be meh? I admired her drive and skill, but she was all doom and gloom for 3/4th of the book. Others might like her personality, but she just wasn't my cup of tea. And Jesse was kinda also lukewarm for me, but I liked their romance well enough. I felt he made Kate a more likable character later in the novel. The plot was the strongest aspect of the story, it's fast-paced and interesting. That's all I can ask for.

Jen Estrella

Well, that was a good kind of different.

Vengeance road is an adventure that spans the territory of Arizona, and wraps around everything Western. It's easy to see the depth of research Bowman has gone through, because this book does not sound the least bit pretentious. It was notably consistent in terms of dialogue,


  "Now you listen, and you listen good," I says. "I'm going to Goldwaters, and I'm gonna get what you ain't giving up. Then I'm gonna ride after yer friends and do to them exactly what's in store for you - what's in store for every yellow- bellied coward who goes round stringing up innocent men."
"That sounds real nice, boy," he says. "Now for the love of God, lower that damn pistol."


and environmental and cultural references.


  When I ride into town at noon, the sun is high and angry, and with luck no one’s followed me from Colton ranch. Here, the streets are so hard and bone-white parched, I bet rain would just pool and puddle if it feel. I loosen the kerchief at my neck and twist round in the saddle.



  Jessie swipes a can of milk from my saddlebags and whips up some biscuits baking 'em over our fire. They come out tough and plain and half charred, but we shovel 'em down 'longside some jerky and bacon while the horses graze nearby.


Vengeance Road makes the good old days sound interesting. Except the old days were not exactly good, but the storytelling can either captivate you or spook you, and that alone is likable. 

This book made tracing destinations and routes enjoyable. I was compelled to look at the map whenever the characters relocate, and you have to know, I turn into an incapable creature when maps are concerned. Understanding directions frustrate me, so to make me look at a map repeatedly is a rare feat. Congratulations, Bowman. I can't get your map out of my head. You did well. 

Kate is a ball of fire. She's a bad-ass woman with a goal set in stone, yet she is human beyond all her badassery, and her intermittent displays of weakness and hesitation are what makes her all the more appealing. 

I love how Bowman alternated between fast-paced encounters and windless reflections. The romance is never the focal point, but it is all the while lovely and endearing. 

Despite the chaotic atmosphere, this book delivers clear-cut messages about vengeance and greed. Greed changes character, and the thirst for blood and revenge almost always ends in despair. Revenge breeds hatred and sorrow, and greed leads to everyone's demise. 

On a personal note, this book heightened my hiking urges, though gunshots and ghost shooters, I could definitely do without. I would throw in some horseback riding while I'm at it. That would be a lively experience. 

Likewise, it took a colossal amount of self-control to refrain from devouring bacon, or any of its meaty relatives. Curses.

vivian mizuno

dnf at 50 pages.

It's been a long time since I have not finished a book and this book broke that streak. The premise is neat: a girl sets out for revenge when her father is murdered and discovers a mystery that he was linked to. It's set in 1877 Arizona and features a Western setting. 

Unfortunately, the book is written in Western dialogue that made it an insufferable read. I'm not sure if this is just my  impression or that it was done poorly, but nevertheless it distracted me from the story. The main character Kate is one I've seen a million times. She has no depth to her and frankly, was quite unlikable. Even though this book is y/a bordering on adult, it reads like a very simple elementary to middle grade novel. I thought it lacked the charm that many Westerns have to them and it was not particularly compelling or interesting.

Amanda

A fasted paced, fun book!! I loved getting to know Kate and the bothers along the way. I would recommend this book if you're looking for a quick and easy, but entertaining read!

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

My very first Wild West book, Vengeance Road did not disappoint. With the action-packed story filled with quirky and theatrical characters, an amazingly descriptive atmosphere, and a romance that bubbled slowly throughout the story, this is sure to please many.

Kate was such a badass! Right from page one that girl had my attention. A spit-fire who was out for vengeance, seeking to find the men that killed her father. She was fearless and determined, more so than was realistically logical. She was adamant about achieving this goal, and only because she felt she didn’t have another choice did she agree to let two friends of the family join her on her venture. With the help of these two cowboys, and a Native American she met in an unfortunate circumstance, Kate sets off to hunt down and kill The Rose Riders to seek the satisfaction her bitterness so badly craves.

“Now you listen, and you listen good,” I says. “I’m going to Goldwaters, and I’m gonna get what you ain’t giving up. Then I’m gonna ride after yer friends and do to them exactly what’s in store for you–what’s in store for every yellow-bellied coward who goes round stringing up innocent men.”
“That sound real nice, boy,” he says. “Now for the love of God, lower that damn pistol.”

“All right,” I says.

And I do.

Right after I shoot him through the skull.

This story was filled to the brim with adventure kept strictly to the Wild West style. From the language to the scenery, Erin Bowman definitely did her research. The dialog of the characters, down to the gun fights and Wild West setting, this story was flawless. I could picture it all happening right before my eyes. Intense, entertaining, and even quite emotional at times. This book had it all! I’m a bit overly dramatic about blood, death and torture, so a few of the scenes had me cringing, but it was kept to true YA standards and never passed that line of being inappropriate. Bravo, Erin! Very nicely done!

This book included a lot of firsts for me. It was my first Western, first historical fiction, and first Erin Bowman book. I’ve heard a lot about her Taken series, which I had decided probably wasn’t for me. Now that I’ve read this book by her, I’m questioning that decision. I really enjoyed her writing style and how beautifully this story was written, more than I thought I would initially. Her fantastic storytelling ability was extremely impressive, and I’m definitely eager to read more from her. An adventurous journey to find answers and seek revenge, while encountering all kinds of hazards and shocking twists and turns, this is a story that will keep you up late into the night reading as you won’t want to put it down. This is the very first Western I’ve ever heard of in the YA genre, and boy, was it fantastic! Bring on more books like this and I’ll be one happy girl!

(Thanks to HMH Books for Young Readers for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Liz Griffin

I’m such a fan of the author... but this book really was not for me. Perhaps the audiobook format made it worse, but quite a few story elements just weren’t to my tastes.

Melissa Railey

Megan During

tash lee

Siya S

Illeana

Sophia Minetos

Leah Patton

When her father is killed by the notorious Rose Riders for a mysterious journal that reveals the secret location of a gold mine, eighteen year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers and justice. In the spirit of True Grit, acclaimed young adult novelist Erin Bowman brings to life the unpredictable and cutthroat days of the Wild West."

Vengeance Road

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