This was quite the story, but stranger things have happened! I'm sure a lone women was not treated very well for many years. Think of what you would do?

I absolutely did not want to put this book down. At first it was because I had to know what was in the trunk. Then when I found out I was like what kind of book am I reading. However, I wanted to find out where this book was going to go. It ended up being an incredibly powerful story but it definitely has some graphic elements to it.

Adelaide has to leave her home in California. Her parents are dead and she has to get far away. All she is bringing is an incredibly heavy steamer trunk that she keeps locked at all costs. Adelaide decides to homestead a piece of land in Montana. Once in Montana she meets a family called the Mudges but they disappear at night. Adelaide fears that her trunk has something to do with it. In this new land she is all alone and is very unprepared for how hard her life is. She comes to rely on her nearest neighbor, Grace and her son. Slowly, Adelaide adjusts and makes new friends until one night when the trunk is opened. Her life will never be the same.

I love a good thriller but this book was more than that. Set in the early 19oos we get a glimpse at how difficult life was for those who tried to get a fresh start. It is also eye opening at how racism and discrimination was rampant in a place where life was so difficult. This book was so unique and unlike anything I have ever read. It was such a mix of so many genres- historical fiction, fantasy, horror, and thriller. I highly recommend this if you are looking for something very different. Just be warned, this is definitely not a beach read.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and the One World Team for this ARC!

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

Oh my goodness. I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t put it down. Realistic, fantastical, scenery building, amazing characters, and just so detailed. Loved it.

Lone Women pulled me in at the beginning and then quickly took a sharp dive. For me, the plot didn’t come together in a way that made sense. Fantasy requires a good amount of explanation for the other worldly things that happen, and this story is missing that. The big reveal about Adelaide’s sister never made sense. How did two humans birth a dragon? How was the dragon contained in a suitcase? I also wanted more insight into Elizabeth’s experience. This story would’ve benefited from Elizabeth’s pov. She’s the whole reason Adelaide fled and we don’t actually hear from her. She could’ve been a talking dragon or a dragon that could use telepathy to transfer thoughts. Something.

Thank you to NetGalley and One World for the eARC

I loved the ending of Lone Women and want to move there immediately!

There is a saying that men settled the West and then had their wives and children flown out later. In reality, thousands of women settled the West on their own, sometimes with children in tow. The protagonist of Lone Women is fleeing to Montana but unlike most fugitives, she's bringing her curse with her...in a big, heavy trunk.

This isn't only horror. It's a fantastic Western with outlaws, horse thieves, and vigilantes, that happens to have some magic and horror, too. Most of the characters are women, both the heroines and the villains. The setting itself looms large. As the characters repeatedly warn each other, "Montana wants to kill us."

Whatever you do, don't open that trunk!

Thanks to One World Publishers (a division of Penguin Random House) and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review Lone Women.

This was extraordinary, absolutely excellent! I believe that Lone Women is a story that will not only appeal to lovers of horror, but a vast number of audiences as well. A disturbing reminder that the true monsters of this world are not the boogeyman, or demons, or other "traditional"monsters of tales; they are humans. Humans that inflict horrors beyond what seems possible. Despite that, there is a quality of endearment and hope found within the group of "lone women". I can't wait for others to read this and be absolutely stunned at this fast-paced, unforgettable read. Plus... this book included some badass bitch energy and I am here for it

I don't tend to read westerns, so dipping my toes into this did take some early easing into the genre conventions. I ultimately found it a creative and meaningful spin with a monster-based twist - always a bonus for me. At its core, this is a book about what it means to be an 'outsider' and how the world will try to bring you in line, and that when that happens you have to stand with everyone else who's been told they don't belong.

The ending surprised me but was extremely satisfying. This book packed in a lot of surprises and made it an incredibly refreshing read.

A mildly creepy Western with a lively cast of characters, I think I would've preferred LaValle to lean more into the setting and history. He gives some sense of the expanse of Montana, and the cold and wind, but beyond that this could've taken place almost anywhere, and without the catalyst of homesteading to move Adelaide to the state with her mysterious locked trunk and the difficulty of getting around anywhere without a horse or one of the few cars in existence, there isn't much historical flavor either. I finished this with very little sense of what Adelaide did for food, for example, or what the land or the other characters or the secret in the trunk actually looked like. I enjoyed the ratcheting tension in the last third (despite the confusing, frankly needless introduction of two new characters who were around for three pages) and the ending is a nice idea for sure, but on the whole this was too vague and the fast female friendships seemed unearned. Two and a half stars rounded up since (view spoiler)

Lone Women was better than I had ever hoped for. If horror could ever be uplifting and leave you feeling warm and full inside, this book is it.

Started out a little choppy but LaValle’s always gorgeous prose and skill with creeping dread kept me hooked until the various threads began to weave together. Lone Women is both intimate and sweeping, all-encompassing and close, claustrophobic and massive, and has that Shirley Jacksonesque quality that makes for the most frightening stories: the monstrosity of humanity.
Can’t wait for the next.

Wow!

Tense. Unnerving. Chilling.

All words to aptly describe how I felt following Adelaide’s journey north to Montana.

Homesteading is as always dangerous: the harsh landscape, the meager food stores, climate and weather, and threats from human and animals alike. But what would a homesteading journey look like when the young woman trying to chart a new life for herself is carrying secrets? What if the secrets were more like curses?

Barraged from all sides, Adelaide’s story will keep the reader guessing, the heart thumping and the palms damp!

A terrific ride for lovers of westerns, horror, and those who want a terrifically plotted masterclass of the genre book!

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. From the first scene and the “curse” that Adelaide had to endure, I was drawn into the book. However, after those scenes the book was a little slow until around the halfway point. I was intrigued by what was in the box. In the end, all of my guesses were wrong! I really like Adelaide’s arc. She grew a lot and the relationships with the other women assisted in that journey. Overall I really liked this book.

This was a good read. In fact, I wasn't wholly ready for it to end. Atmospheric, and mysterious.I definitely recommend this one.

Montana in 1914. Adelaide carries a huge steamer trunk with her as she travels to Montana, always making sure it is locked. What is in the trunk is what killed her parents and will kill again if it gets out.

Yes, that is correct, this is historical fiction with some fantasy/paranormal added and it works beautifully! I loved every character in this story and can’t wait to see what comes next for this author!

She is headed to Montana to stake her claim and make it her home. She has to live out the winter and get some crops in. But hatred towards women and people of color is not new and people in the west were not a friendly group to outsiders. As she guards her shameful secret, she meets other lone women and they band together. I loved it!

If this is Mr. LaValle’s style, I am here for it. Blending historical fiction and some horror just works for me. Excellent read.

NetGalley/March 21st, 2023 by One World

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I have heard of LaValle but yet to read his dark stories. This was a quick read that was such an interesting read into a slightly horror story but also about survival.

The characters are all interesting and well written. LaValle has taken a simple idea of the lone woman and shown how to survive.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Victor LaValle for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Lone Women coming out March 21, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In 1915, Adelaide Henry leaves her home in California for Montana, a land that is still untamed and wild. She arrives in the small town with nothing but an enormous steamer trunk. It’s kept locked at all times because when the trunk opens, bad things start to happen. Her secret sin killed her parents. Desperate to start a new life, she will become one of the “lone women” in Montana. She will accept the government’s offer of free land for those who can work it. The only problem is that Adelaide isn’t alone. And the secret she’s tried to lock away might be the only thing that will help her survive the new, harsh territory. She gradually meets the townsfolk who she hopes she can one day call her friends. Will she be able to escape the horrors of her past and redeem herself? 

I received this from @OneWorldBooks and I was surprised they know me so well, haha. A horror historical fiction book set in Montana? This book was right up my alley! This was my first novel by LaValle and I loved it so much! I visited Montana for the first time last year and fell in love with the landscape. It’s beautiful country. I’m sure a lot of it was still like the 1800s in 1915. It was isolated and lonely. The few people in the town had to rely on each other to survive the harsh weather conditions.

I loved the writing. I thought it was beautiful and dark. It was mysterious. I kept wanting to know what would happen next. I loved Adelaide’s character. It takes a lot of bravery to move to a new place where you don’t know anyone. She wanted to do the right thing and I thought she really grew as a character. There were some darker themes, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily scary. I think it was more about making mistakes, letting go of the past, forgiveness and redemption.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys early 20th century historical fiction with horror elements.

In 1915 Adelaide leaves California and her dead parents. Her only possession is a trunk carrying a dark secret. She stakes a claim in Montana. She befriends other lone women, but she has to reckoning with her past. The tense mood and pacing made this horror story a wonderful read.

Loved it! The mix of horror and historical fiction was pure perfection. Not to mention Lavalle writes some truly badass women in this story who are determined not only to survive, but to thrive in an environment trying to destroy them.

The social commentary, moral dilemmas, and gruesome moments all come together to create an unforgettable story.

One of the best horror books I've read on the past few years and I can't wait to read it again.

Wonderful! A Gothic Western with well-developed POC characters. Creepy AF.

Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic, The Daughter of Dr. Moreau), and -- this is going to sound like an odd one to throw in the mix, but go with me here -- Jane Eyre.

Victor LaValle's Montana is full of unsettling characters and ghost stories. "Big Sky Country" never felt more eerily claustrophobic (which suits this tale perfectly). I won't give any spoilers about what, exactly, is in Adelaide's trunk, but it kept the tension very taut, especially in the first third or so of the book. (I found myself flashing to Brad Pitt in Seven, going, "WHAT'S IN THE BOX, WHAT'S IN THE BOX" -- haha).

In addition to the fully-realized protagonist, Adelaide, LaValle deftly dips into the backstories of many of the other characters as well. I found this skillful and surprising, as the book is a slim 280 pages, and LaValle manages to deliver so much character development.

In any case, LONE WOMEN is a delightfully dark, page-turning tale, sharply-written as always by Victor LaValle. Recommend!