Book Review | Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen

Title: Wake of Vultures

Author: Lila Bowen

Series: The Shadow #1

Age: Young Adult

Genres: Paranormal, Western

Publication Date: October 27, 2015

Publisher: Orbit

Source: Review copy provided

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Play Store | iBooks 

Synopsis: 
A rich, dark fantasy of destiny, death, and the supernatural world hiding beneath the surface.

Nettie Lonesome lives in a land of hard people and hard ground dusted with sand. She's a half-breed who dresses like a boy, raised by folks who don't call her a slave but use her like one. She knows of nothing else. That is, until the day a stranger attacks her. When nothing, not even a sickle to the eye can stop him, Nettie stabs him through the heart with a chunk of wood, and he turns into black sand.

And just like that, Nettie can see.

But her newfound sight is a blessing and a curse. Even if she doesn't understand what's under her own skin, she can sense what everyone else is hiding -- at least physically. The world is full of evil, and now she knows the source of all the sand in the desert. Haunted by the spirits, Nettie has no choice but to set out on a quest that might lead to her true kin... if the monsters along the way don't kill her first.

My Rating: 

Quote(s) I Like:
"As I see it, you have two choices, the same choice as every animal. Hunt or be hunted. What will you choose?" - Coyote Dan

"Why don't more people eat snake? It tasted like chewy chicken, don't cost nothing, and doesn't shit all over the yard." - Nettie

"Science is a powerful teacher. And hunger is a cruel mistress." - Coyote Dan

"Can you shoot?"
"Yep"
"Can you fight?"
Nettie shrugged. "I can stab a monster in the heart. Probably stab a man too."
"You look like you eat a lot."
She looked down at herself. Another shrug. "I don't know here you think I'm putting it. But I can cook beans and eggs, kill and roast a rabbit, or fry up biscuits. I ain't above eatin snake."
The Captain aimed a finger at her chest and stepped closer, so close that she could see the spots on his nose in the moonlight. "What makes you think you're worthy of being a Durango Ranger, Rhett?"
"Didn't say I thought I was. But I'm bound to hunt the Cannibal Owl, and if it kills me because you wouldn't help, I'll haunt you until you're cold in the ground." She looked to Dan. "I can do that, right" Coyote Dan shrugged.

My Thoughts:
This book was definitely an intriguing one for me. I loved how diverse it was and the fact that it was a Western paranormal novel made it even more interesting for me. I don't read many Western novels because the lingo can bore me sometimes. I'm not going to lie, the first few chapters irritated me, but I kept reading and I'm so happy I did because I ended up enjoying this book a lot. I love that the main character is a young black girl. I love that she is pretending to be a boy. I love that she is sort of the "savior" in this novel. Just amazing.

Nettie Lonesome was left in the dessert and taking in by her Mam and Pap. She doesn't know where she is from, but she knows that she wants to break horses and work with Wranglers. She must pretend to be a boy in order to live her dream. She doesn't want to be a wife or slave girl. She doesn't know love or care, so life just isn't peaches and cream. When she is attacked at night by a monster and kills it she opens up her eyes to a world that is full of many monsters. Nettie is so bold, sarcastic and such a strong girl. I loved her witty remarks. I love how she did what she had to do to be free. I love the bonds she made with various monsters and humans. I loved everything about her.

With Nettie killing her first monster, she woke something up in herself and now she is the Shadow that will save them all. I loved that Nettie met Coyote Dan -- he was freaking awesome. I enjoyed Dan because even though he was a monster, he wasn't brutal at all. He was caring and kind to Nettie and told her like it is when need be. Some of the other monsters were cool to; not all of them were evil.

The journey she as given to hunt down and kill the Cannibal Owl was completely fascinating. She learned so much about herself and the world around her. She is stuck in two worlds and she lives as two people. On one hand she's human, but she's neither really human or monster because shes a shadows. She also is a girl only pretending to be a boy for her freedom. The romance was okay -- sometimes all over the place, but thankfully it didn't take away from the story for me at all.

I love Nettie and can't wait to see how things go for her in the sequel!

Have you read this book?