Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman is the first in a unique YA Western series set in the historical gold-mining era.
“Revenge is worth its weight in gold.
When her father is murdered for a journal revealing the location of a hidden gold mine, 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 western YA lived up to it’s reputation of embracing the old-time Western world.
I really liked how our main character was a girl with that hard, outlaw exterior. Her drive to find her father’s killer guides us into a captivating revenge story. The end of the first chapter exhibits this essence perfectly. She really begins to feel unstoppable.
The setting gave me a Holes movie kind-of feel (AKA the one with Shia LaBeouf). With the desert feel but add a revenge story, some shoot outs, and Indians, and this is that book. If you love reading stories where the character does everything, even some questionable things, to find out the truth, this is the book for you.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. There is a romance in this book which was a little turn-offish for my personal taste but I have to say that it balances the vengeance of the story with a little light-heartedness. The whole story wraps up with a bow at the end that was a little expected. Overall, it was an entertaining read, and I will be continuing on with the next companion novel.
Published: 1 September 2015
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult Western / Historical Fiction
Pages: 327
How I Read It: Paperback
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Happy Reading,
