Wake of Vultures

The Shadow, Book 1

By: Lila Bowen

Narrated by: Robin Miles

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

RT Award winner, 2015

Supernatural creatures create chaos across an unforgiving Western landscape in the first book of a propulsive and cinematic fantasy adventure starring ever fearless Nettie Lonesome.

Nettie Lonesome dreams of a greater life than toiling as a slave in the sandy desert. But when a stranger attacks her, Nettie wins more than the fight.

Now she's got friends, a good horse, and a better gun. But if she can't kill the thing haunting her nightmares and stealing children across the prairie, she'll lose it all—and never find out what happened to her real family.

The Shadow:

• Wake of Vultures
• Conspiracy of Ravens
• Malice of Crows
• Treason of Hawks

©2015 Lila Bowen (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Gritty and well-realized... The unforgiving western landscape is home to supernatural beasties as diverse as the human inhabitants, and no-nonsense Nettie is pragmatic and brave. Themes of self-worth, gender, and the complexity of identity are treated with frank realism and sensitivity, and the narrative is a love letter to the paranormal western genre."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"I don't care what else you've seen in the bookstore today. Buy this book because it's the thrilling, delightfully written, and important one you've always wanted to read."—Kevin Hearne

"Wake of Vultures doesn't just fly—it soars. Lila Bowen brings in a wild fantasy quite unlike anything I've ever read, with a voice that's weird and wonderful. Bowen is truly a talent to watch. Hot damn, is this book good."—Chuck Wendig

Refreshing

I love myself a good weird west novel and this is certainly an interesting one. I was pleasantly surprised by the main protagonist, who is not only coming of age, but is really trying to discover who and what she is. This novel is definitely for the more open minded amongst us. (If you’re a bigot I definitely suggest you pass on this, because you won’t have a good time reading, and that has nothing to do with the quality of this novel, but more with the quality of you) I definitely recommend this. I’ve been reading a lot of western themed novels lately, and this is one of the better ones.

Recommend

I particularly enjoyed the choice of narrator for this piece. The story felt a little too forced into a politically correct gender conversation, but the author did express that this was her intention. Good plot; great pacing. Violent.

Unexpectedly Great!

I picked this up during a sale, not expecting much. Now I've finished it and picking up the next one. Amazing narrator and inventive world. Full of wisdom, fire, and unexpected turns. A little bit American Gods, some spaghetti western, and a dash of Josh Whedon make this an unexpected ride!

A book I didn't realize I needed

This was a really great read. I enjoyed it a lot. I feel like Nettie is a great character a lot can relate too. Still struggling to find herself and still trying to remain true to what she is. A western with the paranormal is such a great genre too.

wasn't my style

I didn't like lonesome dove, and maybe that is why I don't like this story much. I appreciate the diverse protagonist but did feel that her diversity was more important to the author than the story at times.
tldr: not terrible just not my favorite.

Gender Neutral Wild West

A sympathetic adolescent protagonist coming-of-age story in a world of monsters. I had some difficulty relating to the main character but her/his nobility transcended my initial confusion. The narration was solid throughout and was highlighted by her voicing of twanging Western dialects and perhaps the best portrayal of children's voices I have yet encountered.

Quest for Self in a myth-infused old West

The questions "Who am I? Where do I come from? What is my purpose in life?" are as old as humanity. Nettie Lonesome is an abused and exploited orphan who wants to discover her history every bit as much as she wants to find her rightful place in the world. She's been told all her life that no one wants a half-black, half-native girl around. For her own self-protection, Nettie's taken to wearing boy's clothes. People are far less likely to mess with you if they think you're a boy. Plus, women seem to have only two fates open to them: marital servitude or prostitution. When Nettie gets the chance to hire on as a horse trainer, she changes her name to Rhett and hopes she/he won't be scrutinized too closely.

Wake of Vultures is set in an alternate West populated with the monsters of mythology, pop culture, and the all-too-human varieties. The story is engrossing with plenty of thrills, adventures, and battles.

I'll admit I may be biased. I read a lot of books about Joan of Arc as a child. When I discovered Mary Edwards Walker in my family tree, I was over the moon. So reading about Nettie/Rhett warmed my heart more than a little.

Amazing!!

I loved everything about this audiobook. The reader was great, giving a unique voice to each character, the fantasy western world was immensely cool, and the descriptive writing about one’s struggle with identity was poetic. Looking forward to reading more in this world! Be prepared to be introduced to many different creatures in quick succession, and to fall in love with the main character. She/he/they is a hero.

Needs an editor, but a story that pulls you in

The setting is a way out there version of the wild west where life is spartan but can have nice moments too.

The hero has been held in slavery and ignorance and has had no experiences outside that, so she is very knowing about some things (beatings, verbal abuse and the threat of sexual abuse) and innocent in others. Despite this our hero is able to learn there is more to the world than she thought good and bad, and that she has the right to make her own choices. this gives the book the feel of YA, but more if it's a prequel for a regular adult series about to start.

for the YA feel with adult content and the doubled descriptors ( night deep purple flowers, high sharp cheek bones...) I'm giving it 3 stars for the story but 4 overall with excellent narration. it's an interesting new world the authors created and the characters are people you want to get to know better. I look forward to hearing the next book in the series.


WARNING: There are no graphic sex scenes, but the heroines experience that being a woman is inherently dangerous and makes you an object is based on the women she has seen around her choosing to use sex as a commodity/weapon, or having it stolen as a commodity by men. There is also a rape scene halted just before the worst happens that is chilling and handled well by the author but may be triggering. Definitely would not recommend this book for tween or early teen readers.

A Very Interesting Read

What a wonderful adventure in the world of cowboys and Indians and a person's struggle to define themselves and learn what it is to find their identity.