Nettie Lonesome made a leap — not knowing what she’d become. But now her destiny as the Shadow is calling.

A powerful alchemist is leaving a trail of dead across the prairie. And Nettie must face the ultimate challenge: side with her friends and the badge on her chest or take off alone on a dangerous mission that is pulling her inexorably toward the fight of her life.

When it comes to monsters and men, the world isn’t black and white. What good are two wings and a gun when your enemy can command a conspiracy of ravens?

Hey, look at me finishing Book Twos like some kinda…Book Two…finishing guy. But for real, I’m sincerely hoping to make a better effort this year at carrying on with/finishing some series! Especially those that are complete, like Lila Bowen’s The Shadow!

I absolutely loved Wake of Vultures, the first book in Bowen’s weird western series! It was just a fucking awesome read…great dialogue, some totally bonkers monster slaying, and an incredibly charismatic protagonist in Nettie Lonesome!

Conspiracy of Ravens is a great follow-up, with Bowen introducing a handful of memorable new characters, leaning into the anything-goes weirdness of this version of late-1800’s America, and taking our hero Nettie on a very personal journey.

So…in Wake of Vultures, we saw Nettie dressing as a man, which made her life a bit easier in some aspects. And she sort’ve identified as a man at times. But in Conspiracy of Ravens, Nettie begins to completely identify as a man, going by Rhett Hennessy (or sometimes Rhett Walker), and thinking of himself as a man, with he/him pronouns. Rhett is also really unsure of his sexuality, and that is…*ahem*…heavily explored in this book!

I don’t ever read reviews before starting a book, but when I finish a book, I’ll look at a few just out of curiosity. I’ll read some of the glowing reviews & some of the one-star reviews, and obviously any written by folks I know through Bookstagram or Twitter. So…I guess I was a little surprised to see a particular sentiment across a few reviews for Conspiracy of Ravens. That some folks felt Rhett beginning to identify as a man should have been…a bigger part of the story?

Or something.

Which is weird, because it’s definitely a big part of the story. But it’s not THE story. The story is the story. Rhett becoming a man is just an element of the story. And I think that’s just great. It’s not supposed to be a plot twist or a big reveal. It’s just part of this character’s arc, and I think Bowen really blended it seamlessly into the story. There doesn’t need to be any more or any less about Rhett’s transition, because it’s Rhett’s story, and that’s that.

I hope what I’m saying makes sense, because I was really scratching my head over the reviews. Like, why do people feel there needs to be X amount of time dedicated to Rhett’s transition? Yes, it’s a big part of his story, and it’s well represented here. It’s just not the WHOLE STORY.

I’ve gone on a bit of a rant & not said a ton about the book, I fear. Well, the book is a goddamn blast! There’s shapeshifting, horse riding, gnarly frontier medicine, and a Sasquatch named William. Rhett begins to understand more about what it means to be The Shadow, and to really be able to control his thoughts when he shifts into a bird.

Oh, and Rhett & Sam’s relationship is just fucking adorable & unpredictable.

Conspiracy of Ravens is a great sequel, and a book that REALLY leaves you hanging (in a good way)! I’m absolutely loving this series, and can’t wait to see what Lila Bowen has up her sleeve for the last two books! This series is like some beautiful mashup of True Grit and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I am HERE FOR IT!!!