She Returns From War

Feb 12, 2013 Kindle-aholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: western-fantasy

Oh, Lee Collins, I love this world you have created, but you kick me when I'm down!

Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but I had a couple of ARGH moments. I am going to try my hardest to be non-spoilery, but this is a book 2, so be warned.

I really, REALLY liked book 1, The Dead of Winter (you can see that review here). An older, experienced female lead, lots of kickass action, all set in the late 1800s American West = miles of YES. Also, while we mainly followed Cora's POV (3rd person through...more Oh, Lee Collins, I love this world you have created, but you kick me when I'm down!

Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but I had a couple of ARGH moments. I am going to try my hardest to be non-spoilery, but this is a book 2, so be warned.

I really, REALLY liked book 1, The Dead of Winter (you can see that review here). An older, experienced female lead, lots of kickass action, all set in the late 1800s American West = miles of YES. Also, while we mainly followed Cora's POV (3rd person throughout), we also got to hitch a ride with some of the other characters and villains.

Book 2, however, is a different story. We don't get Cora's POV this time, but rather that of Victoria, an English heiress who needs Cora to hunt down the creatures who killed her parents. We also get interludes with the memories of another character. That's it.

It was interesting to see a beloved character (for me, she might be prickly but I love Cora) from another's POV. Victoria has heard lots of stories of the legendary Cora Oglesby, but when she faces the reality, let's just say she doesn't appreciate Cora's colorful language and lifestyle. Victoria is not always likable, but a lot of her responses were believable. She does come across as naive, but she learns fast. She grew on me.

I was reminded a few times of the movie Unforgiven, with the younger generation getting a look at the real life of a legend, and also learning about the costs of living such a life.

There is action, an old enemy and a new one, and once again Collins kicks my emotions around. I can't say I was surprised by how it all went down, but I thought it was a good end. I like that the vamps here are monstrous. There is good magic (I'd argue that Cora's blessed steel and silver bullets are magic, as well as the monster-slaying weapons from the Dine) and bad magic. Although this time around one of the villains is in more of a grey area. I can't really fault her for her anger or her desire for revenge.

I did miss being in Cora's head. She is a unique character.

I'm just wondering where this will go next, or if there will be more. It is hard to say. There is an end, so no cliffhangers. However, there is room for more stories in this world.

I liked it. Did I like it as much as book 1, no. Will I read more from Collins, oh yes.

[received an ARC to review(less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, horror

I really liked the first book in this...series. Sadly I can't say that here. Also sadly I bought this one. There will be spoilers for the first book in this review. I'll try to put them under spoiler tags along with the spoilers for this book but forgive me if one slips by. I will be assuming that if you plan to read this one you have read the first.

Here our main character...isn't the main character we got to know in the first book. Cora is not only not the main character she's almost a foil to...more I really liked the first book in this...series. Sadly I can't say that here. Also sadly I bought this one. There will be spoilers for the first book in this review. I'll try to put them under spoiler tags along with the spoilers for this book but forgive me if one slips by. I will be assuming that if you plan to read this one you have read the first.

Here our main character...isn't the main character we got to know in the first book. Cora is not only not the main character she's almost a foil to introduce Mr. Collins' new "main character" Cora is also not the same person she was in the first book. Where she was a (view spoiler) I assume the idea here is that's it's been a lot longer than it seems to have been and Cora has gotten "old" and very bitter. She's harder to like and I must say that as I had the audio version the reader does a very poor job with her character.

Now as to the "new main character". The original book set up a fantasy series set in the American West. I liked it. It's not been done often and the first book plowed that ground well telling a good story. I can only assume that the writer must have read Philippa (Pip) Ballantine's Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences novels or possibly The Parasol Protectorate Series and decided to give us his own Victorian Lady protagonist. Maybe I'm being picky...but those series mentioned and others already have Victorian female protagonists and this series was introed to us with different protagonists in a totally different setting. If I want to read Victorian heroines their out there.

So, I'll mention a couple of things under a spoiler tag below but on the whole a dissatisfying book that's made a hard left onto roads that have already been well trod by others.

Why 2 instead of 1. There are parts of the story that are readable and just because a story is a been there done that it isn't always a bad story. I'm sure some people will like this one better than I and if you're looking for another Victorian Lady in a paranormal situation here you go.

(view spoiler)(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Burgoo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

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. Need...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Mieneke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fantasy

In She Returns From War Lee Collins takes the reader back to the world he created in The Dead of Winter . We return to that book's heroine Cora Ogelsby four years after the events recounted in it. This time however, the point-of-view character isn't Cora, it is a young British lady called Victoria Dawes. After losing her parents to what appear to be large, black hounds of a supernatural nature, which attack them on the road one night, she swears vengeance and turns to Cora for help. Cora has got...more In She Returns From War Lee Collins takes the reader back to the world he created in The Dead of Winter . We return to that book's heroine Cora Ogelsby four years after the events recounted in it. This time however, the point-of-view character isn't Cora, it is a young British lady called Victoria Dawes. After losing her parents to what appear to be large, black hounds of a supernatural nature, which attack them on the road one night, she swears vengeance and turns to Cora for help. Cora has gotten out of the business since the last book and has set up as a saloon keeper in Albuquerque. Needless to say, she isn't too keen on helping Victoria out. Before Victoria can leave with her request unfulfilled, she's drawn into a reckoning with not just the witch mentioned in the cover copy, but also with an adversary from Cora's past; an adversary who gives Cora no choice but to get involved.

While surprising at first, I found Collins' choice to switch principal narrators for She Returns From War an interesting one. Victoria is a completely different character than Cora and her narration is far less unreliable than Cora's was in the previous book. It also allowed Collins to make choices narratively he wouldn't have been able to make if he'd stuck with Cora's point of view as the principal one. Despite the fact that Victoria encounters several characters of the previous book and one of the villains of that book makes a return performance, you can read this book without having read the previous one and understand everything. Surprisingly enough, Collins even succeeds in not spoiling the twist for The Dead of Winter, which means even those who jump into the series with this book, will be able to enjoy the previous one fresh.

Victoria is everything Cora is not: she's young, she's proper, she's naive, and inexperienced. Like Cora, however, she's brave, resourceful, and smart. The combination of the two is an entertaining one and it's fun to see Cora put Vicky – as she insists on calling her, much to Victoria's chagrin – through her paces and school her in the monster-hunting business. Victoria's youthful tenacity is fabulous and while this tenacity doesn't fade, it's tempered by experience and learned caution, something which I appreciated. Victoria also lands herself in several problematic situations through stubbornness, despite being warned she's putting herself in danger, and doesn't always manage to get herself out. At the end of the novel, Victoria has not only matured tremendously, she's also learned to be at peace with the death of her parents and has discovered the fact that she has some supernatural powers of her own. At the beginning of the book, Cora is similarly at peace with the events of the previous book and has settled down to run her saloon. For her Victoria's arrival means an upheaval of her hard-won equilibrium, but by the end she's recaptured it and is at peace with her life. Collins strikes a fine balance between Cora's intractability, her desire to remain retired, and her reluctant and hard-won sympathy for Victoria. You get the sense that she likes Victoria almost in spite of herself.

She Returns From War is a story about dealing with the consequences of actions, either your own or other people's. Anaba, the Navajo witch who is the main adversary in this book, is filled with vengeance due to the way her people have been treated by the US soldiers. While her anger is understandable, even justified, her reaction is not. Similarly, Cora has had to come to terms with her past and her own actions, but they come back to haunt her and she needs to put them to rest to protect the innocents – well, sort of innocents – around her. Victoria is drawn into this conflict set between people she doesn't known instigated by people she doesn't know all due to a vow of revenge. So beyond having to take responsibility for one's actions, it's also important to realise the path of vengeance is never a wise path to travel.

While the plot was less intricate this time around and beyond the exploration of Navajo supernatural traditions there wasn't a huge amount of expanded world building, She Returns From War packs a more powerful emotional punch than The Dead of Winter did. Collins has avoided the sophomore slump and has completed this duology with a well-delivered finale. If you enjoyed The Dead of Winter, reading its sequel is a must, but even if unfamiliar with Collins' debut novel, She Returns From War is a strong and gripping story. I look forward to discovering where Collins will go next, whether he returns to this universe or introduces us to a new one; it's bound to be interesting.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.(less)

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May 17, 2013 S.M. Blooding rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

The story that I got was not the story I thought I'd get. I thought I'd be in the head of Cora, the mc from the last book, which to be honest, I haven't read yet. I have, however, been stalking it for awhile. I was like, "Hey, you could jump into book 2 here, and miss all the world building stumbling." Not that every author stumbles in this area.

What I got was an English heiress.

Once I got over that surprise, and we got out of England, the plot really picked up, but I never did manage to sync...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Christal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, demons, female-lead, magic, vampires, weres-and-shifters, western, witches-warlocks-and-mages, magical-or-paranormal, 2013-rlftci-book-count, 2013-nbrc

See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Lee Collins' "Cora Oglesby" series has been described as True Grit meets True Blood. It's a western that takes place during the Old West gold rush, but it includes paranormal creatures such as vampires, hellhounds, and wendigos. Cora is a sometimes bounty hunter that focuses on the supernatural beasties. The series has a dry humor and an in your face heroine in the form of Cora. She doesn't take lip from anyone and lives up to the reput...more See this review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Lee Collins' "Cora Oglesby" series has been described as True Grit meets True Blood. It's a western that takes place during the Old West gold rush, but it includes paranormal creatures such as vampires, hellhounds, and wendigos. Cora is a sometimes bounty hunter that focuses on the supernatural beasties. The series has a dry humor and an in your face heroine in the form of Cora. She doesn't take lip from anyone and lives up to the reputation she has developed as a badass. She can sling guns, play cards, and drink whiskey with the best of them. I absolutely loved this series (is there going to be another book, Mr. Collins???) and found Cora to such an interesting main character. I recommend this series to all paranormal readers, especially those that are looking for something a little different from the normal urban tropes.

Lee Collins took a risk with She Returns to War and gave us an entirely new narrator. We're still treated to Cora's brand of wit and snark, but we see the story through the eyes of young Victoria Dawes. While it took a little while to settle into Victoria's head, I think the change was ultimately successful. Having an outside perspective gave new weight to Cora's actions and decisions. It allowed us to see her as the legend that she is without the self-depreciation she tends to attribute to her deeds.

I ended up liking Victoria (or Vicky as Cora called her) and enjoyed seeing her grow her a prissy, young lady into someone comfortable with the rough frontier life. She didn't back down from challenges and was a fast learner. She and Cora developed a nice rapport, though Cora was always the one with the upper hand. Her ability to spirit walk was an interesting inclusion, but I wish it had been developed more or at least explained a little better.

While I did miss Cora's narration, I thought her story line here was fantastic. We start the story with Cora settled as a bar owner and turning down Vicky's request to hire her. She has retired from the monster hunting life and made peace with the events of the previous book. When Vicky mentions a name from Cora's past, all those old memories are stirred up and Cora agrees to one more ride. Cora and Vicky are not only facing an enemy from The Dead of Winter, but they are also on the wrong side of a Navajo skinwalker. The women end up having to depend upon one another for survival and the mentor-student relationship between Vicky and Cora was nicely done. It was entertaining to watch Vicky earn Cora's grudging respect.

While this book has a definite and heartbreaking ending, I see plenty of storylines that Mr. Collins could choose to follow in the future. I really enjoyed this series and would love more novels in the setting. Whether he decides to write more Cora Oglesby novels or move onto a new and unique project, I know it will be good and I'm very excited to see what Mr. Collins comes up with next. I highly recommend this series! (less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Beth Cato rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, ebook, 2013, fantasy, western

I received this eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This book, a sequel to Dead of Winter, will be released on January 29th, 2013.

I read the first book a few months ago, also as an advanced release copy. While not a flawless book by any means--it grated with its reliance on old west cliches--it also brought a fresh paranormal bent to a Colorado pioneer town. The dark fantasy mood was brooding and psychological, and its heroine, Cora was a big part of that. Most urban fantasy-type heroines car...more I received this eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This book, a sequel to Dead of Winter, will be released on January 29th, 2013.

I read the first book a few months ago, also as an advanced release copy. While not a flawless book by any means--it grated with its reliance on old west cliches--it also brought a fresh paranormal bent to a Colorado pioneer town. The dark fantasy mood was brooding and psychological, and its heroine, Cora was a big part of that. Most urban fantasy-type heroines carry a lot of physical and mental scars, but Cora's were particularly deep, to the point where most folks (rightly) deemed her crazy.

Cora is still true to herself in this book, but it was much harder to deal with her from a different point of view.

That's because this second book is from the perspective of Victoria Dawes, a young English heiress. When her parents are killed under supernatural circumstances, Victoria hears words of Cora's exploits and sets off for America so she can hire the woman gunslinger. Victoria is naive but not in a generally too-stupid-to-live way, though she does come close to the latter a few times. Really, how many times does she drop a crucifix in this book? But I do like how she develops in the end.

However, there were two aspects to the book that really irritated me.

First of all, there's Cora. As I noted, she's not easy to like from another point of view. I'm okay with having an unlikeable main character, but she's pretty extreme here, to the point where she practically lets Victoria die and be raped. The rape issue was really the worst thing here. Everyone wants to rape Victoria. It's frustrating, it's insulting, and it's a lame way to force her character to grow up. Certainly, there were rapists in the 1880s New Mexico Territory, but it's dealt with a heavy hand here, especially since men living and dead are openly lined up to rape her. It annoyed me so much I almost stopped reading. If I had bought the book, I probably would have thrown the book aside in disgust, but since this is an ARC, I felt like I had an obligation to the publisher to carry through to the end and give a fair review. I'd glad I did. The book did become better in the end, but I remain very disappointed in how it developed.

I did like Collins' fair treatment of the Navajo, though I didn't feel like Albuquerque was really explored as a setting. The prime city of the first book, Leadville, came alive as a mining town in the grip of winter. Here, Albuquerque felt too much like a cliche-old-west-town. I would like to have understood more about the villains in the book, as there were still some things I was unclear about.

If Collins does continue the series with Victoria, I might be willing to keep reading--so long as her growth is instigated by more than her own rape-ability. As it is, my support for the second book is tepid.(less)

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Feb 04, 2013 PopcornReads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, western, fantasy, action-adventure, alternative-history, american-history, animals, cross-cultural, death, desert, demons, dogs, family, fiction, ghosts, grief, historical-fiction, loss, magic, murder, shape-shifter, suspense, out-of-body-experience

When we reviewed The Dead of Winter by Lee Collins last Fall, I could hardly wait for the sequel to be published. Cora is one of those characters who just grabs you, and I needed to know what happened to her after she left Leadville. Thankfully Angry Robot didn’t wait a full year to publish She Returns From War, its follow-up. This is a paranormal Western and those are such fun! Although you don’t absolutely to have read The Dead of Winter to enjoy She Returns From War, I strongly recommend read...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Deniz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, netgalley, jan13, paranormal, vampire, fantasy

3.5 Stars

The Sequel of The Dead of Winter, could just as well be read as a stand-alone. While it is a continuation of the first installment to a degree, it is written mostly from Victoria's point of view. The new main character. We get to meet some of the old cast like G. Townsend and Father Baez and naturally Cora again. There are vampire and other critters , Saloon and Gunfights like in the first book. But actually this one is better.
Not as many twist as in the first book and I was never cau...more 3.5 Stars

The Sequel of The Dead of Winter, could just as well be read as a stand-alone. While it is a continuation of the first installment to a degree, it is written mostly from Victoria's point of view. The new main character. We get to meet some of the old cast like G. Townsend and Father Baez and naturally Cora again. There are vampire and other critters , Saloon and Gunfights like in the first book. But actually this one is better.
Not as many twist as in the first book and I was never caught by surprise at all. But this book is more rounded, the writing is even better and the characters are good.
Collins managed to mesh the western and paranormal genre in such a way, that it feels totally real. As if during Victorian times there were paranormal creatures roaming the American frontiers. I was impressed with Collins's ability to convey that time and space in his first book, this time he did and even better job. He nailed the Victorian English characters! The contrast in their speech and behavior to the people in the wild west is done well but not too excessively. Just enough slang but not so much to leave one bewildered.

The main character is totally new to the series, and I really enjoyed her point of view. A young woman, who on her search of vengeance, travels across the ocean to find help to get it.
Victoria is probably the best written character of the series. I was surprised that Collins chose to mainly go with her POV. Especially since I really liked Cora. But retrospective I think it is also a clever move, it disconnected the book to a degree from the other one, and also give one a totally new perspective. This isn't Cora's story after all. It really is Victoria's.
As I said in my opinion Victoria is the best written character so far. Collins created a round and believable young Victorian lady, her inner dialogues are interesting and it is actually amazing to watch her change and grow. Even though it's written from her POV, the recount of the story is actually in many ways quite neutral and matter of fact, which allows one to see how much Vicky grows, without much frill around it.
Saying all that I have to say, I missed Cora's POV. She is definitely my favorite character. And despite of the fact that this can be read as a stand alone, I think it would be a total shame if one would choose to do so. Because one would only get one side of Cora. Her character development in this book is much more subtle. One gets to see her from another perspective. And especially in the beginning its not very much in a good light.
Just as in the first book there were some stereotypical characters, the Saloon brawl - straight out of classic western 101. But it was much less pronounced than last time, more of a detail and for some reason this time around it didn't bother me in the least.

Its been a few months since I read The Dead of Winter, but I do remember that the descriptions were really good. I liked the way Collins wrote- and the feel they gave me still clings with me when I think about it. She comes from War is written in the same wonderful language, but most of the things I found lacking in the first were eliminated in this book.

As mentioned before the story line is much more straight forward than in the first. No shocking twists and way less action scenes. It still has a good pace to it though and does boast plenty of action. The emphasis in this book is more on the relationship between the two woman rather than the unfolding adventure.
I really enjoyed watching Cora's and Vicky's relations evolve and really loved the end. ( way more than in the first one)
I am not sure if Collins is planning on another book. But the way he finished this one, was extremely clever and I wouldn't mind seeing what he has install for Victoria and Co.
I am definitely looking forward to read any new books of him, should that be another addition to this series or a new one all together!

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you!
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Jan 30, 2013 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-releases

*Genre* Western meets Paranormal
*Rating* 3.5

*Review*

I am remorseful that this series is only two books long. I am remorseful that I did NOT read the first book "The Dead of Winter" before reading this one and will do my best to remedy that situation asap! I am saddened that the book wasn't told through the eyes of Cora Oglesby but rather Victoria Dawes. It was through Victoria's eyes that we arrived at our meeting with Cora and it was through Victoria's eyes that the series comes to an abrupt en...more *Genre* Western meets Paranormal
*Rating* 3.5

*Review*

I am remorseful that this series is only two books long. I am remorseful that I did NOT read the first book "The Dead of Winter" before reading this one and will do my best to remedy that situation asap! I am saddened that the book wasn't told through the eyes of Cora Oglesby but rather Victoria Dawes. It was through Victoria's eyes that we arrived at our meeting with Cora and it was through Victoria's eyes that the series comes to an abrupt ending, again, after two books.

I loved that Collins wrote his book set not only in England, but Albuquerque, New Mexico where vampires and skin walkers make their home. I liked the fact that Collins seemed to be genuinely respectful of the Navajo Indians that made New Mexico their home. I liked the western meets paranormal aspect of this book and I really didn't have any overt problems with Victoria as a main character even though at times I wanted to scream at her for being so naive and clumsy. She goes from a sheltered young woman from a well to do family who refuses to be married off and then watches her family get killed off by something similar to a werewolf (which we will never find out since the story ends here!), to a hunter in her own right thanks to Cora and the things that go bump in the night.

Still, this book takes place 4 years after the first book, and therefore I missed out on what happened to Cora's husband Ben. I need to put all the pieces together before I can fully appreciate the entire series. I need to know what made Cora give up the hunt for vampires, werewolves, and hellhounds and nearly turn her back on Victoria when she's threatened with being raped and brutalized. I need to know what made Cora turn into a drunk bar owner who resembles an old west sheriff who has saw too much and now doesn't care about anyone else's problems. Lastly, I need to know why Collins decided on the ending he did. It's actually a brave move on his part, but then again, it's only TWO BOOKS LONG!!!

*Recvd from Netgalley 12/17/2012* Expected publication: January 29th 2013 by Angry Robot(less)

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Apr 05, 2013 Larry marked it as to-read

From 42webs.com

Have I ever mentioned I love westerns? I’m pretty sure I have. So when I found The Dead of Winter, the unholy love child of Clint Eastwood and Eric Kripke, I was over the moon. Then I got the sequel. Now I’m exiting the Sol system and heading onward.

She Returns from War is the follow up book by Lee Collins staring his female gunslinger Cora Oglesby. The first book talked about Wild West cowboys hunting supernatural monsters and the second book picks up right where that left off.

Th...more From 42webs.com

Have I ever mentioned I love westerns? I’m pretty sure I have. So when I found The Dead of Winter, the unholy love child of Clint Eastwood and Eric Kripke, I was over the moon. Then I got the sequel. Now I’m exiting the Sol system and heading onward.

She Returns from War is the follow up book by Lee Collins staring his female gunslinger Cora Oglesby. The first book talked about Wild West cowboys hunting supernatural monsters and the second book picks up right where that left off.

This book takes places four years after the first one, and after the horrific ending of Dead of Winter, we find that Cora has done the unthinkable; she’s quit hunting. So when a young woman from England, Victoria Dawes, comes looking for Cora, as a solution to the creature that hunt her, she find Cora unwilling to help. She’s retired. Try as she might she cannot convince the hunter to help her.

But what does happen is that Victoria Dawes’ arrival sets into motion a series of events that pulls Cora from retirement and pits her against Anaba, a Navajo witch bent on taking revenge for the atrocities committed against her people.

I expected this to be a bit of a straightforward deal. Dawes comes looking for help, Cora eventually gives in, and the two run to England to cause havoc and mayhem. Like taking Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson and thrusting them into England to save the Queen. But what I got was something different. This wasn’t a damsel in distress pulling the retired gun back into the game; this was more of an evolution of Victoria Dawes. She goes from rich girl meant to be wed off but being haunted by monsters to the next Cora; a booze drinking, gun swinging, vampire killing some bitch.

This does bring up one of the faults of the book, albeit somewhat minor. Victoria Dawes. This book is about her, Cora is just along for the ride. Almost everything is about Dawes. It even takes a couple chapters until our leading lady shows up. We have to sit through a lengthy intro into Dawes, the passing of her parents, and her descent into darkness that forces her across the pond in search of Cora. At times it feels like I just put in Metal Gear Solid 2 into my PS2 and instead of getting to play as Solid Snake I have to play as Raiden. That being said Raiden proves himself worthy of the title.

While Dawes wasn’t who I picked up the book to read I am sure glad I did. She is a well flushed out character; she is strong willed and eventually grows into a strong huntress. It’s a true testament of what happens when you throw a kid into the deep end of the pool. Either they sink or they swim. Dawes is a swimmer.

One of my major pluses for Collins work is that he writes a western that stays a western. In recent years most westerns (or earlier) involving monsters or bad guys each all fault to the need to bring modern weapons into the past. Van Helsing got a machine-gun crossbow. Jonah Hex got a Dynamite crossbow and Hansel got a double barreled crossbow with alternating methods of firing, a razor whip, and street cred from the Avengers. Collins stays true to the era. He doesn’t try to build a computer for a cowboy or give him a ‘fancy flying machine’ to soar with. Cora uses six shooters, silver bullets, a blessed knife, and that’s about it. Thank you Collins.(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Bane of Kings rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angry-robot, notable-2013-releases, netgalley, 2013-releases-read

“A fun and entertaining ride through the really wild west.” ~The Founding Fields

So, the second novel in the Cora Oglesby series is certainly interesting. Whilst it may not be as good as The Dead of Winter, which was a superb debut, it didn’t quite match the high-quality set by The Dead of Winter which is a bit of a let down. However, there are still strong elements about this novel and you should not pass it up.

"Four years after the horrific events in Leadville, a young woman from England, Victo...more

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May 09, 2013 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars

***3 1/2 Stars

In a word: Atmospheric, two feisty heroines, some poignant moments, but an ultimately unfocused plot

The sequel to last year’s The Dead of Winter, a book I loved and gave five stars to, She Returns From War unfortunately fell short for me for several reasons. The first book was driven by the strong and feisty character of Cora, a monster hunter who rides a horse and carries a gun. Collins’ story and pacing were excellent, and he surprised the reader with a twist at the end that I th...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Abhinav rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-read, angry-robot

You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:

http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/03/...

This is part of a double review.

Shadowhawk reviews two of Angry Robot’s recent releases, one the sequel to a (late) 2012 sterling debut, and the other a brand new novel from an author who has mostly written short fiction to date.

On She Returns From War: “I thought it would be tough for Lee Collins to build on the success of his debut, but with this book he has proved me wrong.“

On Between Two Thorns:...more You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:

http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/03/...

This is part of a double review.

Shadowhawk reviews two of Angry Robot’s recent releases, one the sequel to a (late) 2012 sterling debut, and the other a brand new novel from an author who has mostly written short fiction to date.

On She Returns From War: “I thought it would be tough for Lee Collins to build on the success of his debut, but with this book he has proved me wrong.“

On Between Two Thorns: “Two words I would use to describe the book – charming and fairy tale. This is a fantastic urban fantasy novel, carrying on the publisher’s trend in putting out some great genre fiction.“

Lee Collins arrived on the publishing scene late last year with a novel set in the wild west where the protagonist was both female and a badass vampire hunter, or spook hunter as she would call herself. The Dead of Winter was one of my absolute favourite reads of 2012, and also made both my “Best of the Best Part 2″ list, as well as my “Best Debuts of 2012″ list. It was that good, as far as I’m concerned. Reading such a damn strong debut always makes me wonder if the author can live up to the expectations built in by that success for a sequel, or a debut book. Angry Robot’s other 2-book 2012 debut authors I’ve read – Adam Christopher, Anne Lyle, Chris F. Holm – have all been impressive, and I wondered the same about Lee Collins. When it comes to genre fiction, Angry Robot authors definitely set a very high bar, and with his latest book, Lee Collins has proved that, because She Returns From War is a most excellent novel, and lives up to the promise of The Dead of Winter.

With She Returns From War Lee Collins takes quite a different approach to the one he used in The Dead of Winter. The core difference is that the book is told mostly from the perspective of a new character, Victoria Dawes from England, who has had some supernatural trouble in her home country, trouble which has already caused the deaths of her parents. Now she travels all the way to the wild west looking for someone to help her, that someone being famous spook hunter Cora Oglesby, on the suggestion of James Townsend, a spook scholar of some note and a friend of Cora, from what we saw in The Dead of Winter. Victoria, or Vicky as Cora insists on calling her, is faced with getting Cora to return from retirement and help her. But as it turns out, she gets involved in a plot to kill Cora and must, by needs, help the hunter solve her problems before going back to England.

SheReturnsFromWar-144dpiThe change in character perspectives was striking, and I was none too happy with it since I love Cora as a character. However, in Victoria I found a much more sympathetic character. From the get go in The Dead of Winter we are presented with a protagonist who is supremely capable at what she does and is strong and experienced at the same time. But with Victoria, we are presented with a protagonist who is in over her head, is naive, clueless and inexperienced. She is also someone burning with a desire for vengeance against those who killed her parents and that’s her central motivation. Seeing her character grow over the course of the novel was a fun ride. There are some tropes involved in the process, easily likened to how Antonio Banderas’ character grows in The Mask of Zorro. By the end, she is well on her way to becoming a capable spook hunter herself.

I really wish that we had gotten to see a lot more of Cora from her own perspective, despite the fact that the scenes we do get are completely kick ass scenes, and not just in terms of action. Cora is by now a retired spook hunter and has finally opened that printing press she kept talking about to her husband Ben in The Dead of Winter. When not working, she is up to her usual tricks in the adjacent bar, drinking and gambling, and living the high life of a comfortable job and no one but herself to take care of. To put it simply, she is content with her life. Then Victoria arrives on the scene and while initially resistant, the old Cora soon returns, and we get the action heroine we loved in the first book. Lee Collins does an excellent job of portraying an “old” Cora, a story element he introduced in the first book, and one that contributes to Cora’s decision to retire from spook hunting. She is no longer as spry as she once was and this comes across quite a bit in the book, but never overwhelms any of the scenes. Lee has balanced that quite well. (less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Ron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alternate-world, fantasy, historical-fiction, horror, supernatural, netgallery

This was an interesting (if you are willing to suspend your belief that a Victorian young woman would travel alone) tale of Vicky and Cora fighting vampires and Indian witchcraft in the Southwest of USA. Tis a quick and tragic tale that feels incomplete, so Vicky may show up in future episodes. Enjoy where appropriate.

Read as ARC from NetGallery.

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Jan 14, 2013 Becky Day rated it 2 of 5 stars

It just didn't work for me. I liked the world enough to maybe read the next book in the series in hopes it improves, though.

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Feb 10, 2013 Slmstanley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Westerns + vampires will never get old.

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May 18, 2013 Kollisionwhispervortex is currently reading it

May 14, 2013 Brett is currently reading it

Shelves: fiction, weird-western, paranormal, horror

May 10, 2013 Jeremy marked it as to-read

Shelves: supernatural-pi-urban-fantasy

May 08, 2013 Alicia is currently reading it

Shelves: horror, reading-list-2013

Apr 30, 2013 Nichole marked it as to-read

Apr 27, 2013 Nora-adrienne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-western

Apr 25, 2013 Fandury marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: steampunk, tbr-2013

Apr 22, 2013 Foggygirl marked it as to-read

Apr 20, 2013 Matthew marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 19, 2013 Karen Black marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 17, 2013 Tamzan marked it as to-read

Apr 15, 2013 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 14, 2013 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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She Returns From War (Cora Oglesby #2)

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