On a trip to buy ponies, Frank Ross is shot dead by Tom Chaney, one of his own workers, for a horse, $150 cash, and two Californian gold pieces. When Ross's unusually single-minded fourteen-year-old daughter Mattie arrives to claim his body, she discovers that the authorities are doing nothing to find Chaney. Then she hears of Rooster - a man, she's told, who has grit - and convinces him to join her in a quest into the dark, dangerous Indian territory to hunt Chaney down and avenge her father's murder...
-----------------------------------------
My goodness this book was such an exciting read. I really enjoyed it and read it cover to cover in less than twenty-four hours. The story follows fourteen-year-old Mattie as she attempts to extract revenge for her fathers murder. It is made clear from the first chapter that she is no ordinary teenager. This girl has courage and is not intimidated by men or any obstacle that may stand in her way.
The book also has two strong male characters, but it really is Mattie that keeps you reading. I did like Rooster, he comes across as gruff and cross but I think deep down he was a nice guy. I'm really not sure if that is how everyone would feel about him, he was more likely written as a character to dislike but I didn't always feel that way.
The one thing I really found annoying about this book was the chapter lengths. I am a reader who likes to stop reading at the end of chapters and not for example at the top of a page within a chapter. However the some of the chapters really went on for what felt like forever. For example, one chapter went from page 108 to page 168! Now that is simply down to personal taste but I really gained nothing but annoyance from this.
The pace was nicely set and I was on the edge of my seat in many parts. It isn't overly gruesome or graphic although it does have some deaths. I am not a fan off great detail when it comes to death so liked the way that was dealt with. Overall the story was gripping and I really was hooked to the very last page.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I loved the story and found it a thrilling read. However the chapter length was disappointing at times which did cause some annoyance.
No comments:
Post a Comment