Revenge and the Wild

by Michelle Modesto

Overview

True Grit meets True Blood in this delightfully dark and fantastical Western perfect for fans of Gail Carriger, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black. This thrilling novel is a remarkable tale of danger and discovery, from debut author Michelle Modesto.

The two-bit town of Rogue City is a lawless place, full of dark magic and saloon brawls, monsters and six-shooters. But it’s just perfect for seventeen-year-old Westie, the notorious adopted daughter of local inventor Nigel Butler.

Westie was only a child when she lost her arm and her family to cannibals on the wagon trail. Seven years later, Westie may seem fearsome with her foul-mouthed tough exterior and the powerful mechanical arm built for her by Nigel, but the memory of her past still haunts her. She’s determined to make the killers pay for their crimes—and there’s nothing to stop her except her own reckless ways.

But Westie’s search ceases when a wealthy family comes to town looking to invest in Nigel’s latest invention, a machine that can harvest magic from gold—which Rogue City desperately needs as the magic wards that surround the city start to fail. There’s only one problem: the investors look exactly like the family who murdered Westie’s kin. With the help of Nigel’s handsome but scarred young assistant, Alistair, Westie sets out to prove their guilt. But if she’s not careful, her desire for revenge could cost her the family she has now.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062366153
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

Editorial Reviews

This strong debut will delight fans of the genre” — Kirkus Reviews

“Modesto’s genre-bending novel offers full-bodied romance and electrifying twists.” — Publishers Weekly

“A page-turning, steampunk-esque Wild West adventure crawling with supernatural creatures.” — School Library Journal

“A good match for reader who like their fights bloody and heroes unapologetically brash — Booklist

“Impossible to put down.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Publisher

A good match for reader who like their fights bloody and heroes unapologetically brash

Booklist

Impossible to put down.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

A good match for reader who like their fights bloody and heroes unapologetically brash

Booklist

2015-11-03
For years, Westie's hunted the cannibal family that killed hers and took her arm; now they've arrived in Rogue City to invest in the machine her adoptive father, Nigel, is building to protect the area's humans from magical creatures, but he's reluctant to believe her. Nigel designed her mechanical arm and later rescued another child victim, Alistair, and built his mechanical voice box. While they used to be close, he's distanced himself from Westie (long in love with him), which hurts. Her friend Bena believes her, but her people, the First Nations Wintu, are losing their ability to work the magic that keeps them safe and sustains the dome, and they need Nigel's machine. As evidence mounts that the Fairfields are indeed cannibals, Westie's drinking habit returns. Determined to vanquish it for good, she chooses a cure (vampires are involved) that's equally dangerous. Shadowing her everywhere, Alistair remains aloof, unlike James, the handsome newcomer and the Fairfields' nephew, or Costin, the dangerous, alluring vampire with a thing for Westie. Her strong character—smart, impulsive, funny, and unfeminine (in a good way)—ties this sometimes-reckless conflation of genres into a mostly convincing, mostly seamless whole (the extremely low-maintenance horses are an exception). This strong debut will delight fans of the genre, especially its Western subdivision, and despite a few passages that make the Donner Party look like vegans, the suspenseful plot should keep even squeamish readers engaged. (Steampunk. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews