Review: Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Page Count: 336
Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

I really, really loved this book. It was action packed and so fun to read. There were so many wonderful moments and intriguing characters that kept the story interesting throughout. It was quite enjoyable!

Kate was fierce and full of sass. She had a single minded determination to avenge her father's death, and that is what propelled the entire story. I liked Kate. She was tough and tomboyish and wasn't afraid to stand up to some pretty rough characters. I don't think I have what it takes to survive the way that Kate did, so I can appreciate the effort it took for her to make this journey.

Romance was never part of Kate's plan, so Jesse was a pleasant surprise, especially for me. I liked him. There, I said it. I'm glad he was in the story because he made it more interesting for me. I was worried about how much influence Jesse would have over Kate. But Kate wasn't as impressed with Jesse as I was, and I liked that her plan and actions weren't swayed one bit by him. She made her own decisions and took responsibility when things went bad. I liked that I was able to see a softer side to Kate when she was with Jesse, but being around him didn't make her weak.

This was such a fabulous adventure story. I really wanted to like this book, and I was pleasantly surprised because I liked it SO much more than I thought I would. The story was done so well. There was an awesome protagonist out for revenge, shootouts galore, dead people piling up in Kate's wake, and a small touch of romance. Combine all that with a rugged and harsh landscape in an old time setting, and it makes Vengeance Road a wild ride that is definitely worth reading.

I've never done a review with GIFs before, but I felt compelled to add this as a post script today.

There was a tv show called The Young Riders that aired from 1989-1992 that I loved. Does anyone remember this series, or am I just old?

I saw Jesse as a cross between a young Clint Eastwood and Kid from The Young Riders. Seriously swoony, if a bit rough around the edges. Kate described Jesse as always squinting, so I have a fondness for squinty eyes now. I thought Jesse was pretty awesome, and I liked that he wasn't perfect.

Kate reminded me of Louise (Lou) from The Young Riders, who posed as a girl and became a rider on the Pony Express. Lou was shot, and Kid was the only one there to help her. He was quite surprised when he 'discovered' Lou was a girl!

My rating: 4.5 stars