I enjoyed this for the most part. For me and maybe this was just a mood I was in, I would have enjoyed it more if it had stuck more closely to the main character, Cedar. I liked his character best. Maybe because the loner bounty hunter has always been a favorite character type for me. Add in that he's a werewolf and that is just all the better. I did enjoy several of the other characters though. Especially the witch Mae. I liked how the author dealt with her powers. That was a new twist for me. she only had dark magic but she contrived to use it always for good. Nice. ) The steampunkness of it all came across better than I expected from my other attempts to read this genre. I did keep imagining how this would all look in a movie version. ( )

Cedar Hunt is a werewolf on the run after killing his own brother. He uses his wolfish skills as a tracker and has traveled to an alternative old west America. In the town of Hallelujah are also other outcasts including Rose Small who was abandoned as an infant and seems to have extra perceptions, Mae Lindson, a witch, and her black husband, Jeb as well as the three Madder brothers, drunken miners. When a young boy goes missing, Cedar sets out to find him but needs help from the Madder brothers. At the same time, Jeb is killed by Shard LeFel, an evil railroad tycoon, and Mae sets out to avenge her husband's death.

As LeFel's evil plan to gain back his immortality and unleash the Strange on the earth, the various quests of the main characters overlap and lead to the ultimate showdown.

I was reading this book in conjunction with a non-fiction, and there is a great deal of set up with the characters. So, I almost gave up, but decided to give it more time on itis own which I am happy for. Once the various characters are introduced, they do come together nicely suggesting that the sequels should be even better. ( )

Loved it. First time reading a steampunk novel and I think I'm in love. ( )

strong action line throughout but the intensity doesn't cycle - it just stays high - if it had a little less action and a little more drama it would do well
probably won't read more by author ( )

Very interesting, first in a series - will def. look for the follow-ups. ( )