When Victoria Dawes, a proper young Englishwoman, sees her
parents killed by savage beasts, she embarks upon a journey of revenge. Her journey will take her to Albuquerque NM,
in order to enlist the aid of seasoned monster hunter Cora Oglesby. Before Victoria’s parents can be avenged,
first they must face the menace of a Navaho skinwalker.
Collins’ first novel, Dead
of Winter, was one of my surprise finds of 2012. It was a solid weird West
tale featuring a unique voice and great plot twists. Needless to say, I was excited to read the follow
up. Unfortunately, She Returns from War is more than a bit of a letdown.
It’s not that this is a bad novel. Plot, pacing, characterization, etc are all
good. But none of it really stands out
against the competition. Told from Cora’s
POV, her voice was a distinctive feature of the first novel. She
Returns from War is told exclusively from the POV of Victoria Dawes. After immersion in the roughhewn mind of Cora
Oglesby, Victoria Dawes is a rather milquetoast choice.
Additionally, a large part of impact of Dead of Winter hangs upon a very significant plot twist. While my expectation is not that Collins
should try to replicate this each novel, the plotting in She Returns from War is
rather straightforward in comparison.
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