ShakespeareZombie

ShakespeareZombie

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Revenge & the Wild by Michelle Modesto


When Westie was a child, her family traveled westward with a caravan. Her younger brother had been ill, so the family lagged behind the rest of the group. They stopped to rest at a cabin where a kind family offered hospitality. Appearances can be deceiving, and the family turned out to be cannibals. Only Westie escaped, leaving the rest of her family behind.

She was rescued and adopted by Nigel, an inventor. He created the machine that replaced the arm she lost to the cannibals. Together, they saved Alistair, who had also been attacked by cannibals. Nigel created the mask that allows him to speak again.

Rogue City is a strange place where magical creatures live alongside humans, though not always happily. The native people created a barrier around the city to protect the people from the creatures, including a stipulation that if they kill a human, they will die. The magic has been slowly fading away as the land is being stripped of resources. The barrier is getting weaker and the creatures are getting sick.

Nigel invented a machine that will produce magic from gold. It has the potential to save everyone. He only needs money to get the gold. The mayor gets Nigel in touch with a wealthy family to invest. Westie is dumbfounded when the Fairfields look exactly like the cannibals who ate her family.

Westie is an interesting character. She is rude and coarse and she used to have a drinking problem. It can sometimes be difficult to like her, but you get the feeling that she wouldn't care either way. Apparently she is pretty, pretty enough to attract Alistair, the Fairfields' cousin James, and vampire Costin, as well as other young men. Yet, she is always a mess, running around in messy clothes and focused on seeking vengeance for her family.

I liked Revenge & the Wild a lot. The wild west mixed with supernatural is unique. There was a twist that I guessed pretty early on, but I dismissed it as improbable. Wouldn't you know that I was right?

I received my copy of Revenge & the Wild from Edelweiss, courtesy of Balzer + Bray. It's available for purchase now.


Three months down...

So, I haven't been great with posting reviews this year. I think about writing reviews, I tell myself that I am going to write reviews, then I end up not writing reviews. I stare at the screen for a bit, then distract myself with internets or I get too tired to function or I hit a wall with writing and give up until tomorrow. It's getting really difficult and I keep falling further behind. Tonight, I wanted to focus on publishing a review before April...but my nephew decided to spend the night and demands my computer. It's always that way, isn't it?

I'm going to try to be better, try to catch up. In the meantime, the only thing I can think to publish right now are pictures of the pretty copy of The Rest of Us Just Live Here.


The pretty under the cover

Autograph!