Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Ash Like Vengeance by J.L. Delavega is the second book in the Western fantasy Revere Trilogy. In book one, Smoke and Other Storms, the Revere family, an all-female criminal gang led by Moira "The Raven" Revere, survives on the Rim through smuggling, theft, and violence aboard their train, the Absolution. Navy, the group's bomb maker, requires costly eye surgery after an accident, so her sister, Adelaide, joins a dangerous mine expedition to raise the money. When the family is framed for a heist, they all become wanted fugitives. Now, in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy, three Revere family members seek refuge, unaware of Adelaide’s fate. In Hannah, Adelaide is heinously punished for a crime the family didn’t commit, leaving Aunt Tess devising a plan to destroy the town, using Adelaide’s position. The problem is that they're not the only ones using Adelaide.

“A good plan doesn’t have to be complicated or clever. It only has to work.” In a remarkable feat of skill and creativity, J.L. Delavega provides perfectly rendered first-person point-of-view shifts between Adelaide and Tesla and makes them think and sound completely different from one another. Adelaide, who gave us the first line of this paragraph, tends to be driven by immediate action, while Tesla is more methodical, and thoughtful. They are not together in the book, but they are completely symbiotic, and it's so well done. The world-building pulls together actual, tactile feeling while still delivering more. A refinery, where Adelaide is trapped, with its grim, industrial setting and imagery of smoke and ash not only represents the oppressive environment and her feelings of guilt and loss but also ties directly to the title, Ash Like Vengeance. Delavega’s writing is sharp, intelligent, and punchy, and I'm all in for the third and final installment when the universe gives it to the readerverse. Very highly recommended.