Okay, this books went beyond my expectations. I grew up on westerns, I love them. This book was like reliving every single western I have ever seen and loved, and then some. Erin Bowman has a beautiful way of describing the setting and characters that pulls you into her story and drags you along until you’re as breathless and filthy as the main character Kate.

That’s what was so great about this book. Bowman spared no gruesome, nasty detail. Everything was dirty, the gunfights had bloodshed, the dead were described until I wan’t to vomit. It was awesome! It was like all 111 minutes of True Grit had been smashed into a YA book. (Except it was even better than that.) I also appreciated how the inevitable love angle wasn’t overplayed. Kate and Jesse’s story didn’t overshadow the main plot and didn’t distract from all that stomach turning action. The characterization was also really good. I love that I could go through this book and not really like Kate. She’s brash and sometimes stupid, but that makes her real and wonderful and I love that she’s who she is and not some default stock character shoved into the protagonist slot.

For full review look here:

https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/05/11/review-vengeance-road/

The fact that I have not stumbled across YA westerns before now is shocking to me. This book was fantastic! It’s rough, it’s bloody, and it has everything I could have ever wanted in female character (besides being bisexual, but I’m counting my blessings). This book deals with a lot of tough subjects, something that I’m really glad to see in YA. There’s death and suicide mentions and attempts, which I think is something very important to portray. There is actually a lot of death in this book, so beware.

The story follows two well-developed minority girls through the American west, where they encounter a trio of cowboys and join forces to reach California. Stacy Lee has a very immersive style of writing that pull you along with her characters. Her description is impeccable, with phrases such as “A red moon has appeared, a bullet wound in the dark skin of the night.” (Pg. 61) Samantha (Sammy) and Annamae (Andy), the two protagonists, are also easy to follow and fall in love with. They are a refreshing pair in the world of white YA females, and their characterization is unique and original. Despite my own religious beliefs I enjoyed the incorporation of Annamae’s faith in God and the way that shapes her character and the way she interacts with the others in her party. She and Sammy have different ways of thinking. Sammy, being Chinese, draws a lot from the Chinese zodiac and Eastern philosophy. These beliefs were introduced seamlessly through the story, adding a unique dynamic to the story line.

The male characters, Cay, West, and Peety (who’s Hispanic) are great additions to the story rather than hindrances. They provide good compliments to their female counterparts and are dynamic as well, which is refreshing when one considers how many boring male characters there are in the world.

I didn’t have a lot of issues with this book. There is use of strong language including different racial slurs throughout it, and there was a moment when Annamae was described as having “skin the shade of pecans” though. Food descriptors for skin are usually good to avoid. Overall though Under a Painted Sky was a thrilling and wonderful read. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes strong female leads, minority characters, and wild west stories that leave you hanging on the edge of your seat.

I picked up this book on an impulse. I’d seen it on a few Instagrams and had it on my radar for a bit before being overwhelmed by the amount of new releases I wanted to read and promptly forgetting about it. For once I’m glad I have poor impulse control.

Marguerite is a likable and driven protagonist who launches herself into other dimensions chasing her father’s murderer. She has spunk, which I appreciate in a female character. She is surprisingly dynamic. She has her own goals set and works to see her journey through. This book is a love story, but Marguerite does not lose herself in the pursuit of a man’s love, nor does she let it distract from finding out what happened to her father, which is so, so nice.

This book begins very slowly. In fact, it doesn’t really pick up until about a third of the way in, when Marguerite reaches an alternate universe in Russia. Caludia Gray does a good job of juggling characters and creating likable relationships, both romantic and familial. Her characters are all interesting and real. Her concept is also fascinating; a girl hopping through different dimensions to track down her father’s killer and get revenge? It’s a wicked idea. Gray doesn’t really explain a lot of the science behind the Firebird machine or the way Marguerite and Theo travel through dimensions, which was a bit disappointing. However, as it is the first book of a trilogy there is some wiggle room for expansion. She does however consider the darkness within different people and characters, allowing both the male protagonists and Marguerite to show some dimensions you don’t normally see in YA. (Plus there was sex, and it was done decently!)

The romance between Marguerite and Paul develops slowly and nicely. It is nice and real, not overtaking the main storyline. Marguerite keeps her own character despite the two guys in her storyline, which is wonderful. The overall crafting of the story could have had some more fleshing out, but I was still very surprised by how good the books was. So bravo to Gray for an interesting and lovable read. I’ll definitely be picking up the next instalment of the Firebird trilogy.

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I am not a romantic in real life. It makes me wildly uncomfortable when someone attempts to be romantic with me, I’m not even sure I would know if someone was trying to be if I’m being totally honest. The concept of the idealized relationship and activities had in said relationship is lost on me. In books however I can sometimes find the stomach for romance. I have a few ground rules about it though. 1. It can’t be abuse. I’m looking straight at you 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight. 2. I like it to be original, or at least mildly so. If you’re going to do a romance the least you can do is go full throttle and put your characters somewhere different and have them be ridiculous. I mean, life is already ridiculous. 3. It can’t be forced. This happens a lot with straight romantic interests I’ve noticed, they’ll be thrown together and then made to make out before they even really know each other’s last name. *cough* Captain America: Civil War.

Anyways. If I’m going to read a romance, I try and find one that adheres to those three rules. I read Anna and the French Kiss mostly on a recommendation from a friend and I was very skeptical at first. I always am when it comes to contemporary YA romance. A lot of it sucks. Past experiences aside, I enjoyed this book. It was cute and sweet in all the right ways and hurt just right. Anna and the French Kiss is the cheesy rom-com you watch with your best friends on movie night.

Full review here: https://aggietheskeletonreads.wordpress.com/2016/07/25/review-anna-and-the-french-kiss/