This is a western adventure with supernatural elements, featuring two main characters who sign up for a special mission with the pony express, only to get more than they bargained for. The basics of the plot are great, I love the concept of combining the western genre with fantasy elements, and the characters-one a white passing freed slave the other questioning his gender identity-were interesting and played off each other pretty well. I did think some of the discussions of the diverse issues surrounding these character were a bit heavy-handed, but for a YA novel it wasn't too bad. I did particularly like Jesse's pov starting with she/her pronouns and transitioning to he/him as his gender identity changes. I did think the plot was a bit hard to follow, things could've been explained better and it sometimes felt like scenes were jumping around. I didn't particularly like the ending either, but that's a personal preference. While this book wasn't really for me, it has some great elements that I can see other readers really enjoying.

4/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: dual POVs, fantasy, fair folk, historical fantasy, LGBTQ characters

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be posted to my book review blog on 8/11 and Instagram on 8/13.

The book follows Jesse and Ben on their journey from Missouri to California, each of them hiding their own secrets. The plot gets more complicated when they discover what they're delivering via the Pony Express, and just how far some people will go to intercept them...and just how dangerous those people can be.

Once Jesse and Ben get on the road things are pretty fast paced. While the two don't trust each other initially, they fall into camaraderie once they're on the road. I enjoyed their friendship and the hint that it could become something more. They work well together and can balance one another out a little bit since they also have different methods of going about things.

Jessamine becomes Jesse fairly early on, though she doesn't begin experimenting with her gender until about halfway through the book, though it is hinted at that it's coming. I thought it was interesting to see how Jesse transformed over the course of the book, and not just by coming into themself, but also in relation to the world around them. Jesse is probably what you'd consider a 'typical white person,' where they believe that they'd stand up against racism when it comes time but doesn't realize that the time is 'always.' I did appreciate the efforts Jesse made to learn, though.

Ben is Ben, from the beginning. He does grapple with his identity of being mixed race, but he has very clear goals from the get-go and things only change toward the end. His past is haunting him, in more ways than one, and he does struggle with some (or sometimes a lot) of it. While Ben is at peace with himself at the end of the book, I do wish he'd gotten somewhat of a more satisfying conclusion.

Mock was...an interesting character, to say the least. She's an odd child, prone to her whims, which can make her fun to read, but at the same time there were moments when she did annoy me with her insistence for things that weren't explained. As much trouble as she caused, though, she did help Jesse and Ben, and she did seem genuinely apologetic for the trouble she caused. I do think she just wanted to help and didn't know any other way.

The plot with the fair folk was interesting, and I almost wanted it to last a bit longer. I feel like Jesse and Ben don't really get a good grip on that aspect of things until the climax, where there's a bit too much going on for a full explanation and understanding to take place. I would've liked more processing time prior to the end, but I'm not really sure how that would've affected how things played out.

One thing I don't understand is how "don't kill him" turned into Jesse's problem. He didn't promise not to (and technically he doesn't), but then later on a different character makes it seem like Jesse broke his promise, which is inherently impossible when Jesse didn't promise in the first place.

Overall, this was a relatively fun book about identity and what we owe others (and ourselves). I liked the setting and thought Jesse and Ben made a good duo. The one thing I didn't really like was the whole deal with Morgan (and I do question why Jesse left her very pregnant sister without a horse), but I suppose if we're playing with the idea that actions have consequences and magic is never free it makes sense.

Thank you, Erewhon, for allowing me to read The Nightland Express early!

I don't like to beat around the bush. I didn't like this book.

I need to let this one sit in my brain for a bit. I liked the themes that we were tackling with this story, but I’m not sure they hit or were resolved the way that I wanted.

I liked the development of the supernatural elements of this world and would have loved to learn more. I also would have loved more exploration into Jesse and Ben’s struggles with identity. Having both trying to happen at once left me feeling like I didn’t get enough of either.

The nightland express is a western with supernatural elements, and has a dual pov. Ben - a white-passing freed slave, and Jesse, who dresses up as a boy but then starts to question their gender. Ben and Jesse sign up for the pony express and are given a special mission. They're transporting something special to California. On their way they have to learn to trust each other, and confront what they thought they knew about the world.

I thought the supernatural elements were very intriguing, especially at the start of the book. I really wanted to know what was up. We learn about this with the characters, and we don't know anything more than they do.

For Jesse's questioning of their gender identity, I thought it was original to switch between she/her and he/him pronouns, but I felt like this went on for too long without really exploring gender identity and without Jesse coming to a conclusion. This is something I wish had been given more space.

I liked the decolonial thinking, and the way the spirit world was connected to this world, and the subtle critique of colonialism.

Overall, I thought it was well written, and a good story, but the ending fell a little flat for me.

CW: racism, transphobia, animal death, drugging an animal

J.M. (Joe) Lee is a Minneapolis author, illustrator and writing mentor with a background in linguistics and film. He was the winner of the prestigious Jim Henson’s the Dark Crystal Author Quest and author of Shadows of the Dark Crystal, the official prequel fantasy novel to the 1982 classic fantasy film.

In antebellum America, two teens bury their secrets and join the historic Pony Express, soon discovering that the mortal world is not the only one on the brink of war.