Book: Vengeance Road
Author: Erin Bowman
My Rating: 3 “What in tarnation?”
So, I read a YA Western, y’all. What a ride. I’ve actually had this book on my kindle for over a year, but when I first tried to read it I couldn’t get passed the weird western vernacular. Just for reference here’s the first sentence:
“It weren’t no secret Pa owned the best plot of land ’long Granite Creek, and I reckon that’s why they killed him.”
The entire book is like that. No one has proper grammar. So, why did I pick it up again a year later? Well, honestly, my library card expired and I needed a book to read right away and there it was just sitting on the shelf in the kindle app. Once I got used to the language, I settled in because it was actually a cool tale. Kate’s dad is killed suddenly and her entire life gets turned upside down. Seriously. She discovers that her dad struck gold before she was born and he kept the map in a journal. He lied to her about everything, even her own name. So she decides to get revenge on the gang who killed her dad for a treasure map. From page one it’s nothing but action (and a few “tarnation’s”) until the end.
I loved it! Honestly, I could see it play out in front of me like all the John Wayne movies I watched with my dad as a kid. Kate is tough as nails and stubborn as a mule, which of course makes sparks fly when she meets Jesse. A man determined to help her whether she wants help or not. Silver, the horse and Mutt, the dog are their own characters and I obviously fell in love with them immediately.
Toward the end I felt a little confused because there was a new character introduced that really threw me off. But it was a twist I didn’t see coming and I do love when a story is unpredictable. Mostly, my complaint was with the weird western speech. It did take a lot of effort for me to ignore it, but I’m glad I did. And there is a second book that I’m adding to my list, so clearly I’m willing to read more!
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.