Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

Isn’t that a unique cover? Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman is clearly a western and while I normally do not read westerns, I definitely enjoyed this one.  Aimed at young adults, the main character is 18-year-old Kate whose father is killed and their farmhouse burned. She swears revenge and disguises herself as Nate, taking off after the bad guys. 

There are plenty of clichés and stereotypes in this story: girl meets boy; boy helps track outlaws; girl and boy fall for each other, but overall Kate is a tough and resourceful heroine. Filled with action/adventure, violent shoot-outs and dust storms, and surprising twists right up until the end, Vengeance Road kept me reading and guessing. I especially enjoyed the details of the setting: post-Civil War (1877) and in the canyons and deserts of the Arizona Territory. Based in part on the legend of the Lost Dutchman gold mine, Vengeance Road received a starred review from Publishers’ Weekly.  

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee is an action-packed historical fiction novel which will appeal to students in grades 7 to 10.  Set in 1849, the story revolves around two 15-year-old girls, Annamae, an ex-slave, and Samantha, a recently orphaned Chinese-American violinist. The girls flee St. Joseph, Missouri under suspicious circumstances and head for California and the West disguised as boys, Andy and Sammy.  Along the way, they meet Cay, West and Peety, three cattle driving cowboys.  This unlikely band forms a family of sorts and manages to save each other’s lives several times: drowning, bullet wounds and cholera abound on the 1840’s trails.

Historical details are carefully woven into the story of Under a Painted Sky even if some of the events seem to be unlikely coincidences. But perhaps that all relates to Sammy’s musings about fate and the Chinese zodiac? Author Stacey Lee builds suspense about whether the girls will separate even though they have learned to depend upon each other: “Andy winks at me.  Her simple gesture chases away some of the bad taste in my mouth.  Somehow, she always understands how I feel, watching out for me, not just in body, but in mind. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” As the girls face many dangers, they increasingly sacrifice for each other, grow and mature, reflecting at one point that “as the Chinese saying goes, every second spent angry is one less to spend on tranquility.” Excitement, history and romance are all found in this unique and entertaining debut novel.

Starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and VOYA.