Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto (Review)

Genre:	YA, Steampunk, Fantasy
Publication Date:	February 2, 2016
Pages:	384
Published By:	Balzer + Bray
Website	Michelle Modesto Goodreads
My review copy:	From Edelweiss for Review

Buy it:Amazon ~ B&N ~ Chapters

Synopsis

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 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. Nine 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.

Quotes

He kept glancing at her face to make sure he wasn't hurting her.  Each time their eyes met, he stole a little piece of her that she'd been trying to take back for the last three years.

  Olive looked at her mother, who was staring curiously at Westie.  The little girl frowned and strangled her doll.  It was handmade, similar to the dolls Westie's mother used to make her, and had a pink dress with a crisscross pattern all over it.  The girl twisted its head until it popped off.

  She replied in her own tongue, self-conscious about saying the Wintu words properly.  "I have a whole lot of dark things growing in my heart these days, but I'm here to tackle just the one."

My Thoughts

  Revenge and the Wild was nothing like what I expected, but I'm not really sure what I was expecting looking back.  However, this isn't a bad thing because I can say with all surety that this is a book that many will enjoy.  Not just enjoy but hopefully devour just like I did.  This book is a unique mash up of different genres, that were put together in such a way that reading it was as easy as the river flow.  Modesto managed to stir up steampunk, fantasy, historical fiction and makes it into something seriously awesome.  

  There was a plethora of amazing and unique characters in this book.  The diversity was quite wonderful and made the book much more fun to read.  The setting is a unique old Wild West type town and is filled with not only the diverse people but a diverse group of creatures.  Vampires, trolls and leprechauns to name a few.  What amazed me beyond this was the authors ability to seamlessly mold all of these elements, without having information dumps and providing the right amount of detail each time.  I was lost in this fantastically written world, with detailed characters and a pace that didn't let me down even once.   

  Westie is an amazing heroine.  Seriously I completely adored her.  She is typical in the sense that she is stubborn, hard headed and sometimes gets ahead of herself, but she is true.  There is no hidden agenda with Westie, and the reason for her actions are clear.  This is not to say that she doesn't occasionally hide or hold back some of her emotions, but when she acts there is a clear cut reason.  From time to time her judgment isn't perfect but her heart is in the right place... Okay so revenge may not always be right but when cannibals eat your family, it's kind of an exception I would say.  Beyond her judgment and actions, she is also seriously kick ass.  This is a girl that knows how to hold her own and would find disappointment in a lace parasol, but you add some hidden weaponry to it and she is in.

  The romance in this one never takes over but floats close to the surface.  Despite Westie feeling that she is nothing special because of her mechanical arm, she gets a lot of notice.  However, no matter how many admirers she only really has eyes for one.  The one that she believes will have nothing to do with her romantically.  The best part about this is that this story was written without a single drop of instant love.  Not one admirer of Westie didn't develop those feelings over time or for a reason.  She's kind of a bright light that attracts more than it wants, because all she wants is Alistair.  Alistair that seems to feel more than he ever lets on and yet he supports Westie so much more than she realizes.  Alistair does not see himself as better than Westie, but seems to value her above himself for her courage and heart.

  This was a spectacular debut.  Michelle Modesto has set the bar high for the remainder of the debuts that I will be picking up this year, and the year has just begun.  This book exceeded any and all expectations, this includes the ones I developed as I read.  I will be picking up a finished copy asap because this is the type of book I will go back to when I need that fresh jump start.  For fans of books that will give you a little bit of everything or if you just want a great read, I highly recommend that you pick this one up!

Posted by Tiffany