Review: Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen

I had heard so many good things about Wake of Vultures that when I got the chance to read it from Orbit, I jumped, flew, ran off the cliff edge.

Summary

Nettie Lonesome lives in a land of hard people and hard ground dusted with sand. She’s a half-breed who dresses like a boy, raised by folks who don’t call her a slave but use her like one. She knows of nothing else. That is, until the day a stranger attacks her. When nothing, not even a sickle to the eye can stop him, Nettie stabs him through the heart with a chunk of wood and he turns to black sand.

And just like that, Nettie can see.

But her newfound sight is a blessing and a curse. Even if she doesn’t understand what’s under her own skin, she can sense what everyone else is hiding—at least physically. The world is full of evil, and now she knows the source of all the sand in the desert. Haunted by the spirits, Nettie has no choice but to set out on a quest that might lead her to find her true kin . . . if the monsters along the way don’t kill her first.

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

As I’ve said, I had heard so much about Wake of Vultures and I was not disappointed. This is an entirely fun Western themed fantasy with a person of color non-binary bi character. After I found that out, I screamed, “SIGN ME UP”. (Do you think I screamed aloud or internally?) If this line doesn’t sway your mind to pick this up. Try this one on. Wake of Vultures is a book full of shapeshifters, the necessity of self-love, and a lush world – which is saying a lot since it’s set in a desert.

If I haven’t sold it to you by now, let me tell you more about the main character, Nettie. Nettie is so feisty and spirited, but even more so, she has to go on a major journey. I don’t mean only just the need to kill some monster, I also mean the need to take a good long hard look at herself. Nettie has to realize the implications of her relationships with her ‘parents’. She also needs to learn more about the broader world and the people who can surprise you – in good and bad ways.

Wake of Vultures hooks you from the beginning. It’s totally supernatural and it’s also about a moment that changes how you see the world and those within it. In many ways, it’s about a pivotal moment, that you may not even realize will change you so utterly, so irrevocably, but it does. There are fantastic conversations about the power of women, the possibility of power in this heavily man-centric world, and how to be true to yourself. Check out Wake of Vultures on Goodreads.

Discussion

What is the longest book on your TBR?

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