Blood Atonement

The title of Blood Atonement perfectly sums up what the book contains: vengeance and redemption in the Old West. It’s a powerful story of a man’s love for a woman and the lengths he will go when tragedy strikes.

At least, that’s what it should be, and what it hopefully will be for some. For the most part, I found it to be about a man, by a man, and very likely for a man, leaving it rather alienating to me. The plot was interesting, but the story and writing felt Dust Bowl dry and sparse. The romance between Porter and Rose felt forced and not quite powerful enough to inspire such vengeance. In this case, my review should be taken with a grain of salt; I simply may not be the intended audience.

I wouldn’t recommend this book widely, and probably not to any of my friends. Those who enjoy stories that focus heavily on revenge may enjoy it, though, or those who like books with far more action and introspection than description. It has a strong premise but failed to engage me at any level beyond that.