Oh, I loved this! I was concerned a bit because westerns aren’t usually my thing, but this was far more than just cowboys and Indians. Faolan is an excellent protagonist, surrounded by other flawed, real, and entertaining friends. The baddies are big bads and the fantasy element is well blended in. Much fun and thoroughly original, with plenty of drama and suspense to take you through to a satisfying ending.

I absolutely loved this gem. Kept me turning the pages. Definitely good for readers who like a unique style of western horror.

Looking forward to reading more of her work.

♡ Hurt/Comfort
♡ Western Horror
♡ Wholesome Friendships

This gave off great country horror vibes with a transmasc main character. I absolutely loved it. The writing style was nice and I really enjoyed the characters.

In a way it reminded me of the same queer horror vibes as an Andrew Joseph White book. It was definitely worth reading. This book has wholesome friendships, a mysterious and suspenseful plot that left me so curious as to what would happen by the end, comforting characters, and lovely queer rep.

If you like westerns and cosmic horror, this would be the novel for you. I believe the atmosphere is great in this book and defiantly relies on the western atmosphere. Something which didn’t work for me but I do know a few people who love it, and would find this very compelling. For the target audience, this is pretty easy to read. Another issue was the transitions, from the very first chapter we move too fast though settings which take depth of the atmosphere which is a big focus on this novel.

I’m honestly not even sure what I can say about this book. I love the idea of a Western fantasy with horror elements that mixes gunslinging and a narrative about the frontier in. Plus a queer protagonist finding their community and found family is always a bonus!

However, outside of those concepts, Red in Tooth and Claw just didn’t strike any kind of feeling in me. The horror is just a sprinkle in the book, which has this molasses pace that made it difficult to get through. Unfortunately, Faolan didn’t resonate with me as a protagonist and none of the supporting characters were that interesting either. Combined with the villain that’s not evil or fun enough to read about, the book had almost no character that I wanted to follow and invest in.

I like the idea of the monsters that exist, but they came into the story too late for me to be truly intrigued. If we had spent more time really building up those moments of tension and of camaraderie between Faolan and her new group, I would’ve been more interested in seeing them survive and more scared for them at the possibility that they wouldn’t.

The atmosphere and spooky Western vibes are partially there, but not enough to make up for everything else that didn’t work for me. Overall, Red in Tooth and Claw doesn’t deliver on what it promises and ended up just being a “meh” read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This review will be published on my blog (clearsummers.wordpress.com) and Goodreads on September 24, 2024.

Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride is a riveting and imaginative novel that immerses readers in a darkly whimsical world of supernatural intrigue. McBride’s clever writing and richly developed characters create a compelling narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. The book’s unique blend of fantasy and sharp humor makes it a standout read in its genre.

Review of Red in Tooth and Claw, By: Lish McBride
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Tropes:
+ magic realism
+ mystery
+ thriller/suspense
+ ya
+ western archetype
+ creepy cult

Synopsis:

Faolan Kelly is left alone and underaged to take over her grandfather’s homestead after his death. The local government believing her to be a boy, because of disguising her gender, decides to send her to a settlement until she is of age.

There she is kept up at night by eerie noises, grows suspicious of the wealth running the settlement and is determined to solve the mysteries surrounding the settlement and its leader after she discovers a body on the border is the nearby forest.

I did not see where this one was going.

The first chapter compared to the last was a trip.

The mysterious suspenseful plot kept me engaged. The southern accent / wording caught me off guard but eventually fell into pace with it. While the characters themselves were well thought out I felt that the relationships between them felt bland.

Themes of family, survival, death and redemption were touched on with a super natural twist.

The resolution felt a bit too ex-machina and convent although it was satisfying.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this book and flew through the last half.

Pub date: 10/08/2024

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

If you told me where this book was going after I had finished the first chapter I probably would not have believed you. I stopped after chapter one, then kept reading here and there, but then could not put this down once I was halfway through. The horror part gets good toward the middle/end of the book.

This was a great blend of post apocalyptic society with monsters of the night. Forced to go to a new settlement, we follow the main character to a world of monsters and terror.

Teenage Faolan's grandfather died and the community decided he could not live alone so they sent him out to a "home" for orphan children. Faolan is actually a girl, but she and her grandfather thought she would be safer if everyone thought she was a boy. Faolan was forced to go, but she resolved to leave that place as soon as she could because she was concerned about what would happen to her property. The "home" where she arrived was actually more like a cult, and the place was unsafe beyond the walls because the woods were inhabited by monsters. This was a good fantasy with a young woman heroine, a bit of romance, and an introduction to prejudice against gypsies. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc with no pressure for a passive review.

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE a creepy cult setting. Mixed with monsters in the woods and a murder mystery, this is absolutely one of my favorites of this genre. My only disappointment is not getting to read this during spooky season! I suppose I'll just have to read it again. The atmosphere & tension was total perfection and I thought Faolan was a strong MC.

Lish McBride has created a perfectly atmospheric YA Western Horror that has jumped started my renewed love for all things dreadful. This is a must share with those horror aficionados in your life.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I loved this books so much. I wish more horror Western books of this type were written. This is up there with my top favorite new books to come.

Excellent work. A wonderful escape from the tortures of reality. Something very memorable in this book.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride.

Faolan Kelly begins this intriguing story as an orphan and a loner. He is shuttled quickly out of town by the elders who want to take control of his grandfather’s homestead as Faolan is not yet 18. Little do they know that Faolan’s inheritance is a little more controversial than being underage. The reader quickly discovers (and this is not a spoiler to those who read the synopsis) that spunky Faolan is in fact a young woman. Raised by her grandfather as a boy, with red hair cut close to her scalp, Faolan must hide her true identity from everyone she meets including those that take her in at The Settlement. All she has to do is keep her nose out of trouble until she reaches majority and claims her land. Shouldn’t be too difficult in place that follows the teachings of The Shining God, right? Needless to say, Faolan’s path is not as easy as it would first appear, and after getting into some serious trouble, she crosses paths with a dangerous creature that seems to have the inhabitants of The Settlement in its sights.

This story sucked me in from funeral at the start to the extremely satisfying conclusion. Faolan is a hero(ine) of the story, but shares the success with others she meets along the way, and ends her journey much richer in friendship and dare I say content. This reader sure was. The elements of folk lore, horror, western survival and found family made this a 5-star read for me. Looking very much forward to reading more from Lish McBride. 5/5 star read

E-ARC received via NetGalley and I have to say this book was such an utter joy to read. From the very start, the writing and author’s use of language was so impressive. Word crafting is an art, and this is a masterpiece.

We begin meeting Faolan Kelly, a young woman just shy of 18, disguised as a boy for most of her life, as she’s being shipped off to the Settlement until she reaches majority. Struggling to maintain her disguise in an unfamiliar and dangerous new home, Faolan struggles with Malik friendships and learning to trust. Her humor and good sense shine through the pages. We meet this world through her eyes, including the other children, adults in charge and Rovers, a nomadic group seemingly modeled after Romany people.

There’s fear, pain, evil, love, music, other worlds and magic along with incredibly endearing sidekicks. What’s not to love?

This is a thrilling YA fantasy that mixes Western vibes with spooky horror elements. The story centers on Faolan Kelly, a teen who's been pretending to be a boy to avoid being married off. When her grandfather dies, she's sent to a strange and dangerous outpost called the Settlement.

The Settlement is filled with mysterious goings-on and creepy sounds at night. Faolan quickly realizes she has to uncover the secrets behind the weird happenings and the deaths of other residents. And, of course, she has to figure out how to stay alive and escape this eerie place. I love that it has a message that family doesn't have to share blood.

4.5 out of 5 stars

This was an interesting read. I wasn't sure what to expect going in and I found it entertaining if a bit confusing.

The Old West is filled with dangers, some environmental, some from wild animals, and some from the human sort of predator. It's already a compelling cocktail of threats, but I love that the Weird Western genre is extra enough to add another, supernatural element to the mix. Lish McBride's Red in Tooth and Claw combines all elements marvelously in a compelling YA package.

Faolan is an easy character to get behind, with a clear voice that makes you want to sit down and listen up. She's practical and stubborn, though not to a fault, and, despite having an uncommonly long streak of luck, refreshingly avoids the kind of main-character heroics that are (understandably) common in literature. Most importantly, she sounds like a person well acquainted with their own needs and wants, and that helped to make the gentle reveal of her inward gender vs her outward presentation continue feeling authentic.

But a main character is only as strong as the characters around her, and McBride has artfully drawn up a solid and distinct cast of supporting characters that do feel like people someone would want to be around and could count on. At times, the dichotomy between the good guys and the bad is a little stark. Early on, the near-mustache-twirling evil of the mayor had me wary about how many times and how hard Faolan was going to be kicked down before allowed to rise up again. Fortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that those lines of morality are drawn around the dangers of the natural world. The wilderness, after all, is made up of predators and prey, and no one asks the prey if they're comfortable in that role.

McBride also succeeds at building tension and stretching the shadows long before showing the reader what's casting them. Several times, the story made me look up and shiver. It's here where the utilization of all the elements of Weird Western really shines. From supernatural creatures to sinister humans to wild animals to the unfeeling wilds of nature, the threats are everywhere, and each is given due attention, all woven together to keep any single element from having all the fun—or bearing too much weight to make a satisfying story. And because there are so many types of dangers, even the happiest ending can't free Faolan and her friends from all of them. It's that kind of grounding that can give a story a satisfying ending without becoming cloyingly sweet. And because McBride doesn't rely on massive twists or reveals to deliver chills, I expect Red will hold up on the re-read, too.

A full version of this review, including synopsis, will be posted on RingReads (https://ringreads.com/2024/10/08/red-a-well-crafted-and-creepy-western/ ) at 1:57 p.m. MDT on 8 October, 2024, and will afterward be promoted on X and Bluesky. My formal star rating is a 4.5/5.

Not gonna lie, I didn't really have any expectations going in to this. The awesome cover got to me. Although I finished it with some problems, I'd still say this was a good read.

This book has a strong voice. Faolan has so much personality, and the western tang in her voice led to some pretty creative similes that she'd throw out nearly every page. Some of them didn't make sense (She compared a guy breathing on her lips to feeling like a bubble? Is that her saying she was gonna pop? I honestly have no idea), but most of them still create very clear images in the mind, as well as some funny ones. I also liked her character arc, going from hyper independent to learning to rely on others. I'm always fond of stories like that.

The world is kinda of a weird one. It's western, but not of our world. Apparently there were old gods, but now everyone worships this one specific one called the Shining God, and the settlement Faolan is sent to uses this god as justification for punishment and total obedience from their orphaned charges. The paranormal aspect is only foreshadowed heavily until the last five chapters or so when a creature related to the one killing kids off is revealed (Which kind of threw me, because I was expecting one of the adults to be a werewolf or something. Let me say it now: it's not werewolves, guys). It's not really explained all that well. When the paranormal happens, people only question it for a second before accepting it. It's very atypical, but I sorta respect it for doing that? I dunno, I might feel different if this was more historical fiction-y, but I do wish I got a better sense of the world outside of Faolan's hometown, the Settlement, and another bit of land belonging to another group of characters (I think they're the fictional equivalent of Native Americans, but I could be wrong) called the Rovers.

One thing that really bothered me was the pacing. It was so slow. Like I said, the paranormal aspect didn't appear til the last part of the book, so most of it was Faolan getting spooked by sounds or getting so severely injured she had to be tended to by two different characters with medical knowledge. It's so funny how often the main character spends recovering from an injury. She's just recovering from her fourth or fifth one of the book before getting her worse one right when the paranormal starts, and it takes her three chapters to recover enough for the big finale. It's funny when I think about it, but I was extremely bored in the moment.

There's also a romance that kinda comes out of nowhere. It's with a guy from the Rover group, the patient soul against Faolan's stubbornness. I do like that pairing in theory, but here it happens way too fast.

All in all, there are some things in this book I liked, like the character's voice and some of the worldbuilding, but the pacing and romance really hindered it for me. I dunno if I'll try to read McBride's other works; maybe I'll consider it another day.