L V

Wow! I don't know what to say about this book. I don't want to judge the choices Jeanette's fairly educated parents made in life – I was just happy to read about how she and her siblings persevered and made it through the other side fairly intact. Jeanette and her siblings were forced to grow up fast way too young. What these kids did to pull themselves out of poverty is beyond words –I'm not sure I could've done what they did had I been in their position. But no matter how the parents are perceived by the reader, one will note that they made it so that the family would remain a family no matter what, and for that, I do admire them.

I am not a gamer at all and yet this book still managed to keep me interested in its story. It has something for everyone – video games, 80s pop culture references, action, danger, humor. If you're not into gaming and can't relate to the references, it's still a good read. I treated it like an Easter egg hunt and Googled references I didn't know too much about. It made me feel like a competitor in the game, and it made the read much more enjoyable. It was so much fun to dive into the history of the references and how they connected to the plot. The movie adaptation I created in my head while reading this action-packed book was awesome, and I am hoping the movie to be released in 2018 does this great page-turner of a read justice.

I need to start off by saying that I had to keep turning back to glimpse at the cover throughout this read – I absolutely adore the cover art! 

The Sisters Brothers are guns for hire contracted by their employer, The Commodore. The Commodore is vague in his explanations of why he wants certain people killed, and so it is with the brothers' next job: to kill Hermann Kermit Warm. 

Set at the height of the Gold Rush, The Sisters brothers take off from Oregon and make their trip to San Francisco in search of Warm. They meet some colorful characters along the way, while revealing their own true nature. Charlie Sisters, the cold and calculating brother, aspires to one day be as powerful as The Commodore. Eli Sisters, has a temper of his own, but has a bit more of a conscious, and realizes that he wants more out of life than killing people at The Commodore's command.  The story is not so much about Warm and why he's wanted by the Commodore, but more about the brothers' loyalty for one another and how their relationships, past experiences, and stress from the job shape their moral compasses. The author uses very descriptive images to paint a colorful picture of the time and life of those who lived through the gold rush. Though this era in American history is not one of my favorites, the Sisters Brothers' journey made me want to take a trip back in time and join them on their adventure to San Fran.   

One of my favorite quotes: “I will never be a leader of men, and neither do I want to be one, and neither do I want to be led.” ...And did I mention how cool the cover art is :-D

The start of the story was somewhat vague to me. All of the names each god was known by- coupled with  the intertwining story lines- was a bit overwhelming and hard to keep track of, but all does come together in the end. Like many GR reviewers, the author's intention of comparing Shadow to Jesus went over my head.