Scan barcode
A review by earthgirl207
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
3.0
This is a story about two girls (one Chinese American, one African American) disguised as boys, on the run from the law on the Oregon Trail, who fall in with a friendly band of cowboys. So, basically my jam. But though the story kept me engrossed and I finished it in three days, there were a few elements that keep me from loving it.
1) a large part of the conflict could have been resolved by Just Talking To Each Other, a pet peeve of mine.
2) the romance ended up being the kind where there is a lot of staring and longing and not a lot of actually getting together until late in the story. Which I remember being very much a YA thing, and maybe if I was still in that demographic I wouldn't mind. But I've gotten used to adult romances where a large element of the story is the couple learning how to function together and getting to know each other, so I kept yelling at the knuckleheads to just TALK TO EACH OTHER so that they could start facing their problems together and be a team (see item 1).
3) many elements of the plot seemed contrived, like characters reacted a certain way or received helpful items because that would drive the plot forward, not because it made organic sense.
Overall, a fun, engaging read, though, and it was refreshing to read a story that reflected the diversity of the Old West.
1) a large part of the conflict could have been resolved by Just Talking To Each Other, a pet peeve of mine.
2) the romance ended up being the kind where there is a lot of staring and longing and not a lot of actually getting together until late in the story. Which I remember being very much a YA thing, and maybe if I was still in that demographic I wouldn't mind. But I've gotten used to adult romances where a large element of the story is the couple learning how to function together and getting to know each other, so I kept yelling at the knuckleheads to just TALK TO EACH OTHER so that they could start facing their problems together and be a team (see item 1).
3) many elements of the plot seemed contrived, like characters reacted a certain way or received helpful items because that would drive the plot forward, not because it made organic sense.
Overall, a fun, engaging read, though, and it was refreshing to read a story that reflected the diversity of the Old West.