Reviewed by ibeforem on
Lizbeth "Gunnie" Rose is a gunnie (basically, a bodyguard/escort to get people through the badlands) who has suddenly found herself without a crew. Her country is not the US that we know. Franklin Roosevelt's assassination, quickly followed by the depression and an influenza outbreak left the country vulnerable, and many parts have been taken over by other countries. Most notably, Russia now controls the west coast, and the Romanovs were never killed. Instead, they, along with Rasputin and his magic-using Grigoris, have fled across the ocean and now rule safely from California.
Two of these Grigoris have shown up at Lizbeth's door, looking for her help to find a man who happens to be her dead father's brother. Except she hasn't told them about her connection. And it seems that someone is very intent on stopping them.
The alternate history aspect of the story left me feeling somewhat unmoored in time for much of the story. It took me a long time to really wrap my mind around the time period, and I continued to struggle with the setting throughout the novel (this is a book that could have really used a map). I tried to just think of it as a western, but there are cars, which sort of messed with the pictures in my head. My issues with the setting are the only reason I'm giving this 3 stars rather than 4.
But beyond that, I did enjoy the story here. Lizbeth is a strong female lead, but she's not invincible. Harris is not afraid to show her hurt and struggling. There's magic in the story, but it's not always the saving grace. The second book just came out, and I hope I get a chance to pick it up soon!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 17 January, 2020: Finished reading
- 17 January, 2020: Reviewed