Wake of Vultures

WAKE OF VULTURES is an incredibly ambitious novel. A fantasy western set in an alternate version of Texas, it has a terrific teen protagonist and a colorful supporting cast. This is a book about identity, and about the various meanings of the word "monster." It's about the lies your told about yourself and your world, and what you do with them. The setting is vivid and the magic is dark. As I listened to it on audible, I'll also note the terrific work by narrator Robin Miles, who brought the book and its various and diverse characters to life beautifully. This was my first book by Delilah S. Dawson/Lila Bowen. It won't be the last.

Woke Buffy in the wild west.

Review Originally posted on The Book Unicorn I received a copy of Wake of Vultures from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Wake of Vultures is such a unique read. It's a mix of western and fantasy/paranormal. Normally I wouldn't think those two go well together, but somehow Lila Bowen makes them work. She creates a host of fascinating, endearing characters and puts them in an equally fascinating world. And the diversity! So much diversity! I was really impressed by the time I finished reading. I wasn't sure what to think of this book at first. The first few chapters were a bit too strange and jarring for my taste. In fact, it wasn't until halfway through the book that I really began enjoying this story. But once I did, I couldn't put it down. I found myself sneaking in chapters whenever I had any down time. I'm not generally a fan of westerns, but I still really enjoyed Wake of Vultures. I'd recommend giving this book a read. I'm really interested to see where Bowen goes from here!

Unique!! I liked Nettie/Rhett and her affinity for horses a lot, and the secondary characters kept the story interesting. This book has me wanting to watch some Westerns now, but I feel like they'll be disappointing after this because they won't have harpies, werewolves, or vampires! I did feel that in the middle of the book, things got pretty heavy-handed re: Nettie's internal dialogue & her discussions with Winifred about gender & sexuality. If there had been less talking & more showing, I would've appreciated it more, but maybe for the younger crowd it would be more appreciated as it is. I also thought the story timeline was crazy! Everything happens to her in the span of 2 weeks?? I feel like it should've been longer just to give poor Nettie a chance to recover from all the crazy lol

3.5 stars I liked this book and I'm glad I finally read it. It was a good story and I'm definitely planning on reading the second book despite hearing some negatives about it. I wasn't a big fan of the writing style of this book. I will say that right off the bat. I think the way it was written meant it took me longer than necessary to get drawn into the story because I felt disconnected from Nettie. I just didn't get why I should care about her while I was reading. At least, not at first. Another grumble is that it took a long while to get going. Cos Nettie was stumbling about in the dark so was I and I didn't like it because it meant it took forever for the story to truly get going. I hate when a book drags it's feet. The beginning could have been shortened down a touch I think so she met Dan far sooner and began her journey. That was just me though. I don't want it to seem I didn't like it because I did. Nettie was this fantastic character. She wasn't worldly and educated and that showed but it didn't make me like her less. In fact I liked her more for her fresh and innocent view if the world. She had had a bit of a black white view of things as she knew no better. Men were good and women bad. She identified more as male but recognised she was female and i loved how she completely brushed off the whole sexual identity. She had no qualms about someone being gay and didn't stress herself too greatly on how she fell in terms of sexuality. She had enough to deal with. Really it was a great read and my grumbles are simply with writing style the story itself was solid. Lets see what comes in book 2.

Nettie Lonesome isn't a slave, but she sure is treated like one. With no idea where she came from, she goes about her life doing what Mam and Pap tell her because they took her in when nobody else would. She has nothing to go on but what they tell her. Then, one day she is attacked by a stranger and her whole life changes. Are there really monsters in the world? I really liked this book. I found myself rooting for Nettie. I think what makes this book special is its uniqueness. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.