Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: September 1st, 2015
Pages: 318
Song I Played While Reading: Drag Me Down by One Direction
Rating: 3.5 stars
When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mind, eighteen-year-old Kate Thompson disguises herself as a boy and takes to the gritty plains looking for answers- and justice.
What she finds are untrustworthy strangers, endless dust and heat, and a surprising band of allies, among them a young Apache girl and a pair of stubborn brothers who refuse to quit riding in her shadow. But as Kate gets closer to the secrets about her family, a startling truth becomes clear: some men will stop at nothing to get their hands on gold, and Kate's quest for revenge may prove fatal.
This was a super fun and fast read for me. I would've finished it in a day if I had the time, but work and a concert got in the way.
Our batch of characters were a quirky bunch, but nonetheless still really enjoyable, though I wasn't able to really connect to the them. Since this was such a quick read, I didn't feel of the emotions they went through: anger, betrayal, humiliation, sadness, and fear. Maybe it was just the way Kate acted and thought, but it didn't really feel like she was mourning her father at all. That could just be the way people acted in the West back then, but I had to hand it to the girl for being strong. If my father died I would be an absolute mess, not off riding to kill the guys.
I absolutely swooned over the love interest in here, the ending was SO. FRIGGIN. CUTE. I couldn't even deal with it. I keep going back and reading it and sighing all over again. For some reason I was picturing the brothers as Dom Sherwood and Matthew Daddario. They just reminded me so much of Jace and Alec, and with the new Shadowhunters tv show coming out, those actors popped into my head and never left. I didn't mind though, cause those two are fiiiiiiine *fans face*.
Liluye was probably my favorite though, holy SASS. This girl took absolutely no shit, and I love how she kept calling out the rest of the crew for being assholes. She also was utterly fearless. I mean, I would be a little scared to sleep with a group of people who don't like me, so kudos to her for being not only a badass, but herself. She didn't try to change herself to be like the brothers, or even clam up so they wouldn't get mad at her. She was a breathe of fresh air.
The writing was pretty good, but I was having difficulties picturing some of the things she would describe. I'm pretty sure it's because of the slang. That took me completely by surprise, though it wasn't at all hard to read.
Overall, a super fun read that I highly recommend picking up. There aren't many YA westerns out there, so I'm excited that I got to read something a little new and different!
Quotes
""That sounds real nice, boy," he says. "Now, for the love God, lower that damn pistol."
"All right," I says.
And I do.
Right after I shoot him through the skull."
"He likes you."
I flop in the other direction and tug my blanket tighter beneath my chin. One blasted wink and I got knots in my stomach? A wink from eyes that ain't ever open properly to begin with! Maybe it were a twitch, a squinty flinch or something. Maybe a bug flew in his eye."
"I strip off my flannel and drop it with the rest of my gear. "You coming?" I ask Lil.
"I washed last night. I will walk."
"Walk where?"
"White Eyes always need a destination," she mutters. "They do not know how to simply be."
""Huh?"
"Water. Only bit for the next few miles."
"Aw, hell." Jesse exhales heavy. Suddenly, I got a fearsome thirst and scratchy throat. The canteen slung over my shoulder feels mighty light.
"White eyes are hopeless," Lil says. "There is always water if you know where to look."
"Sass," Jesse mutters. "How helpful."
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