Reviewed by Berls on
Wow that was good! I just love the mixing of Texas History with a paranormal world. And it's such a different, interesting interpretation of a paranormal world! The types of monsters we encounter range from Greek mythology to trickster tales of the Native Americans.
There's a lot going on with gender and sexuality here too. The main character, Nettie, is a young black-native American (race is interesting too!) girl - but being a girl seems like a waste to her, so she poses as a boy. I found this interesting because Nettie's sexual identity is never really clear - it's not that she's transgender in the sense that she feels like she was born in the wrong body, but more that she wants the opportunities afforded to her as a boy. Her sexual interest seems to be for another boy, but she's not sure she doesn't feel something for Wilfred, a woman she grows close too. And she doesn't just defy quick classification, but she really wishes there were no need to classify. And really, why do we feel the need to put a label on everyone's gender and sexual identify? I loved this message.
On top of the messages though, this was just a really well told story. I liked the characters and I loved watching Nettie grow from slave to horse wrangler to so much more. And with the way the book ended, clearly there's even more transformation in her future. I can't wait to find out what awaits her and all her new friends.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 7 January, 2017: Finished reading
- 7 January, 2017: Reviewed