Bladestay

By: Jackie Johnson

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo

The problem with the devil isn’t that he's evil; the problem is that he's charming.

When a violent, decades-long feud between two powerful men comes to a head in the small settlement of Bladestay, Colorado, cunning resident Theo Creed must use her wits to stay alive. Disguising herself as a young boy, seventeen-year-old Theo bluffs her way into the inner circle of August Gains, the magnetic leader of the violent gang that has descended on her town. But the deeper Theo gets into the con, the more she starts to question her loyalties.

Complicating her subterfuge is a mysterious outlaw whose small moments of kindness contradict the blood he has on his hands, making Theo wonder who, exactly, is conning who. To save her town, Theo must parse facade from reality and choose between the barefaced malevolence she’s infiltrated and an evil she didn’t know lurked at home.

For those who enjoy No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy and Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee.

©2023 Jackie Johnson (P)2023 CamCat Books

Fantastic Story Exquisite Voicing

The suspense of the paperback book caused me to read it a little too fast. Listening to this story let me capture the details and depth of the plot and the complexity of the characters. So in love with Theo and eager to share this book with the teens in my life who could use a strong and thought provoking role model like her. I hope this author publishes again soon. Love her style and depth of analysis. The voicing of this story was perfection.

Absolutely loved this.

Not sure how to classify this book. YA Unforgiven with strong True Grit vibes? Not sure. What I do know is that it will take you on a ride that you won’t want to get off.

Theo is the type of character you don’t want to let go of and will be thinking about long after you have come to the end of her story.

Then you have August Gaines. The bad guy that has a tiny sliver of humanity remaining that makes it hard to completely hate him.

A fast paced fun read.

Great plot

Great edge of your seat action. Couldn’t stop listening and really enjoyed the character development.

Thrilling and compelling novel, beautifully written

the story line is compelling and exciting throughout this book, keeping the reader completely engaged with each of the complex characters. The narration was well done and tracked well even with the quick wit of the characters. Even though the book is based in the 1800s, the internal conflicts and social commentary feel relatable today. Highly recommend

Wild West with a Female MC and lots of nuance!

The narrator does a great job managing many different accents and voices in this diverse cast of charactes. An exciting, action packed teen tale of survival!