Page Turners: Vengeance Road 

3 Things:

Female hero.

Classic Western plot line.

Aimed at young adult readers.

Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman provides readers with something rare: a strong female character in an old, rather familiar setting, the mining towns of Arizona in 1877. After a tragic event in her life, Kate Thompson sets off on the journey of a lifetime through the Old West. The rest of the book follows a revenge story, one of which contains daring friends, a trail taking them to gold, and a gang of ruffians to fight. This 320 page adventure gives readers, as

the author says, “…the cutthroat days of the Wild West come to life for a new generation.”

The book contains quite a few swear words and some violence, which makes reading through the novel rather unpleasant, but the plot line saved the book from being entirely painful to read. A plot twist or two seemed predictable while reading, but that didn’t deter the overall writing. A few more chapters about the main character’s past may improve the novel and provide more description. A subplot added into the book did not distract from the main ideas. The book portrays side characters realistically, they act like normal teenagers and friends do.

A strong female heroine that is relatable and not two-dimensional serves as a reason to give up writing for many, but Bowman easily displays a well-rounded character. Kate, a determined young woman sets an example for young female readers to stay motivated and to be passionate in all things they decide to take on. Characteristics such as determination, respect for others, and a value of relationships help set her in a good light.

The environment described alludes to the variety of Western shows, movies, and books that went before this one. The book even brings in history of some of the cultures mentioned, such as the Apache Indians who lived in Eastern

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Arizona, where the book takes place. The intricate variety between characters, settings, and ideas made the entire story easier to envision and lifelike. A reader can put themselves alongside the characters and their journey, share their emotions and experiences.

No traces of a sequel to Vengeance Road can be found on Bowman’s website, but she previously wrote a series titled: Taken, which I may eventually read through. Vengeance Road jumped to my list of favorites as soon as I began reading. Besides this being one of my first experiences in this genre, this book highlighted something new for me to explore as a reader, which I am extremely grateful for. I look forward to other writings from Bowman in the future. 

The novel can be purchased online here.

This author can be reached on Twitter: @julz_lozano

For my last book review, read Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1