Michelle Modesto

"Nigel used to tell her poisons were like women, placed in beautiful packages but deadly within. Westie had rolled her eyes when he told her women also preferred poisons when dealing in death. Less messy. He knew nothing about women."

This book is a smorgasbord of damaged characters and Grade-A nasty, man eating (literally) villains. Westie is delightfully obscene and gritty with a penchant for pummeling people with her mechanical arm and probably one of my all-time favorite heroines. A show more steampunk western with deranged cannibals, elves and werewolves, magic-influencing Native Americans, vampire-run brothels, and all other creatures of lore one could dream up.

"She was a wild thing. Wild things didn't fear other predators."

Revenge and the Wild is not a pretty story. Truthfully, it's pretty fucked up. We follow Westie on her quest for vengeance against the people that ate her family and took her arm. She lives kneedeep in creatures in the rather lawless town of Rogue City with her adoptive father, a respected inventor, and her childhood best friend and fellow cannibal victim Alistair. Struggling with alcoholism and her blinding need for redemption, Westie's life takes a dramatic turn when the family she suspects of cannibalizing her own show up to invest in Nigel's latest invention. While the premise is dark and not without its fair share of gore, at its heart this story is a love letter to diversity and the natural world. Revenge and the Wild was shocking in the best way and my only regret is that it's not longer. show less

(Full disclosure: I received an electronic ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

DNF at 60%.

The synopsis for this book had me seriously pumped. Like, you had me at "cannibals." Everything else - the epic genre mashup; a foul-mouthed, unladylike, semi-mechanical heroine; the throwback to my favorite childhood computer game; and monsters galore - was just gravy. My expectations were off the chart, especially given my recent reading streak: The Unquiet, Wolf by Wolf, Shallow Graves, Cinder, show more Scarlet, Menagerie. I thought for sure this'd be another home run.

Alas, it was not to be. Some of the elements were quite stellar. Exhibit A: The monsters. All manner of creatures call Rogue City home: elves, leprechauns, vampires, werewolves, ogres, bakhtaks, and banshees; Westie even has her own pet chupacabra named Jezebel (a rescue chupacabra, no less!). There are zombies in the form of The Undying; consuming creatures (or too much vampire blood, which has healing properties in small amounts) will turn humans into raging monsters. Kansas was overrun with them; the plague is what precipitated Westie's family's migration across the treacherous wagon trails. And out west, the creature wars made life equally difficult. While the wars are over, tensions between monsters and humans remains high. It's only the Wintu tribe's magic that keeps the creatures of Rogue City from killing their human neighbors (though it seems mighty unfair that this curse only goes one way).

The steampunk gadgets are pretty rad too. Westie's mechanical copper arm can literally crush skulls, and Alistair's clockwork mask - which both conceals the scars he suffered in a cannibal attack and houses a voice box that allows him to speak - are badass. There are mechanical horses; airships and land engines; baloons and aeroskiffs; and metal telegraph birds. Nigel's latest big invention, Emma, involves using gold to amplify the earth's magic, which is slowly being depleted by industrialization.

And there's no wanting for creativity when it comes to the genres: Revenge and the Wild is various parts western, steampunk, fantasy, and horror.

This book is brimming with potential. So where did it go wrong for me?

Perhaps most importantly, the characters mostly felt flat and one-dimensional. Nigel, Alistair, Costin, Isabelle, Bena - there's very little complexity or character development with them. E.g., Bena is the strong, silent warrior type; Isabelle is a flighty, superficial, boy-crazy society girl; and Costin is the suave, sexy, mysterious vampire (at least he doesn't sparkle?).

On the other end of the spectrum, Westie is all over the damn place. She runs from hot to cold in seconds, wanting to cuss Nigel out one moment and hug him the next. She's a horrible friend to Isabelle; she seems to despise all that is feminine about the girl, which led me to wonder why they were friends at all. This is especially egregious considering that Isabelle forgave Westie for accidentally breaking her fingers with her prosthetic arm when they were children - when everyone else still holds a grudge.

There's actually a rather jarring contrast between the gory subject matter and Westie's seemingly childlike behavior at times. She's slow to pick up on things - such as when Nigel has to explain the trick with the gold to her at length - yet we're supposed to believe that Nigel trusts Westie's judgement enough to let her hunt down cannibals all by her lonesome. She insists on spying on the Fairfields even when she knows she can't keep a poker face around them. She's her own worst enemy, and not always in a compelling or believable way.

Also, Westie's account of how she escaped from the cannibals? Full of more holes than a living dead girl.

Under other circumstances I might have powered through the entire book - it isn't terrible, and I've certainly made myself finish worse. But my arms broke out in a really nasty poison ivy (?) rash right before I started. I was in desperate need of a distraction, and Revenge and the Wild just wasn't getting the job done.

Maybe I'll pick it back up later; maybe not. Whenever I'm lucky enough to get my hands on a really good book, I find myself thinking about it all the time. On rare occasions I might skip out on dinner with the husband or forgo my favorite television shows in order to get back to it. This book, though? Out of sight, out of mind. Major bummer, seeing as I was so, so looking forward to it.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2016/02/01/revenge-and-the-wild-by-michelle-modesto/ show less

A supernatural, steampunk Western YA? Sounds brilliant and absorbing, right? Sadly, it was just okay. Lots of cliches, a slow build and a Luke-and-Leia relationship where one of the parties knew the truth frankly led to a lot of "meh". It was kind of a hot mess, but not enough of one to be entertaining for that reason. Like an overly-trimmed gown, it needed fewer embellishments to show off its lines and really be a stunner.

This review first appeared on A Weebish Book Blog

REVENGE AND THE WILD by Michelle Modesto is a book I have put off reading since 2015. I knew I had made a grievous mistake in waiting so long the minute I started reading. I began the first few pages to get a feel for the novel and the next thing I know it’s three hours later and time for dinner. REVENGE AND THE WILD is the most exciting, original, and surprising novel I’ve read in eons.

Westie is tragically orphaned when her entire family show more is brutally butchered by a vicious family of cannibals. She is adopted by Nigel Butler, a famous inventor, and has called Rogue City home for the last nine years. When investors arrive to purchase an invention from Nigel, Westie is unpleasantly surprised to discover they look suspiciously like the cannibals that slaughtered her family.

Calling this book “unique” is an understatement. It features pretty much every paranormal/mythological creature known to man, steampunk mixed with magic, and the dangers of the Wild West. The only way I can think to describe it is the Wild, Wild West meets Soulless and the Brother’s Grimm. Even putting it in a specific genre is difficult. There’s a little bit of everything in REVENGE AND THE WILD and I’m both awed and mystified that Modesto was able to pull it off so perfectly. She must be as magical as her writing!

The novel also features a diverse cast of unforgettable characters. Westie, our brave, wild, and tortured heroine is flawed, impulsive, and seeking justice for her murdered family. She also shows remarkable character growth throughout her journey.

Alistair, Nigel’s assistant and Westie childhood friend, is a scarred loner who prefers to sticks to the shadows. He’s also very protective of our tortured heroine. His past is just as gruesome as Westie’s and he’s determined to keep Westie alive on her risky journey even if it means going on the dangerous voyage alongside her.

Our secondary characters were just as memorable; the vampire anti-hero Costin, the mysterious aristocrat James, and Bena, Westie’s loyal companion and member of the magic Wintu tribe. I eagerly lapped up every detail about them and couldn’t wait to discover the roles they played in the story.

Michelle Modesto created a masterpiece with REVENGE AND THE WILD. The characters’ emotions were my own as I laughed, cried, and felt heartbreak the likes of which I’ve never experienced. Modesto’s writing is just as unforgettable as the story and I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us (but dammit, why is this not a series?!).

REVENGE AND THE WILD is a wild adventure perfect for readers who are new to steampunk or veteran readers of the genre. It also would appeal to paranormal and fantasy fans like myself. This was only the second steampunk book I’ve ever read, and I can confidently promise it won’t be the last. show less