Retribution Rails by Erin Bowman

Challenge #39 ~ “A western.”

retributionrails

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

My opinion in three sentences:

I thoroughly enjoyed this – not as much as its prequel, sure, but it’s a definite favourite book from this year. The dual perspective kept the momentum going throughout, and the characters were very distinct and individual. Plus, whilst tying into the events from the last book, Bowman explored an entirely different aspect of the society and culture, not only making it accessible as a stand alone, but more interesting, too.

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

I was a tad hesitant about what this would bring – it’s been so common in the last decade for there to be unnecessary sequels designed to maximise profits (especially in young adult literature). This, however, is not one of them. Bowman brought something entirely different and fresh to the table with this instalment, offering just enough of a nod to book one without arduous repetition. You didn’t even need to have read the prequel all that recently (if at all) – it’d been years for me, yet I fell right into this one.

A warning for the book:

Bowman’s language, especially in Reece’s sections, is distinctive and probably not to everyone’s tastes. It’s a western and Bowman very much leans into that with the phrasing, vocabulary, and grammar, which is certainly different than most books. It’s less strong than in Vengeance Road and I found it added to the authenticity and wasn’t a challenge to the reading process at all, but it’s something to bear in mind if you usually cringe at cliché speech or bad grammar.

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