Lone Women by Victor LaValle is unlike any book I’ve read before and I mean that as a compliment. I knew a little about the book going in but it took me by surprise at every turn. This book follows Adelaide and her mysterious trunk as they flee from California to Montana to become a homesteader. The thing about this trunk is when it opens people disappear and it is up to Adelaide to guard this secret with her life. As I was reading I tried to predict what could be in this trunk that would cause such pain and destruction and when I finally discovered what was inside I was completely shocked. I think the author did an incredible telling such a mysterious and unique story. I enjoyed getting to know Adelaide and the women she meets in Montana. I was surprised throughout and captivated by the story. This was my first books by Victor LaValle but it won’t be my last. 4⭐️

This was an incredible read, scary and femme and sharp as a knife. I'd recommend Lone Women to afajs of Alma Katsu or Rachel Harrison. I went in blind which I highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review. Lone Women started off with a bang. but after a while, the pacing slowed to a trot. I loved the opening of the book, the characters and the storyline but then somewhere along the way it got weird. While I finished the book, I did not like the ending and would not recommend this book.

Lone Women is a historical fiction novel with a good dose of magical realism about a young woman named Adelaide Henry who claims land in Montana after her parents’ mysterious death. However, she is not travelling alone: she is carrying a deadly secret in a locked trunk, and she hopes that Montana will be wide and empty enough that no one will bother her or her secret. However, Adelaide quickly makes friends and enemies in Montana, and her secret cannot stay locked way for long.

I was quite impressed with the worldbuilding that the author has done in this one. The main character, Adelaide, moves to a particularly desolate spot of Montana with winter quickly approaching. The dominant feature of the landscape is ultimately a lack of dominant features, and the author has done an excellent job of painting that emptiness and isolation. Much of the rich description is spent on the characters’ travels across the landscape, emphasizing the space beween houses and towns. It makes me really feel that distance. I also appreciated the time spent on the cultural landscape of Montana. It’s clear that, given Montana’s limited resources, the powerful and dangerous often take advantage of the less powerful. That dynamic makes the moments of neighborly kindness even more valuable.

This book is a little more magic realism than true fantasy, and the supernatural elements of the book were fascinating. This is one of those books where the rules are not clearly laid out, leaving the reader guessing about context along with the main character. It worked here about 90% of the time, but I still had questions at the end about exactly what was happening. I think a little more fleshing out would help land the ending.

I have to admit, I struggled with the pacing on this one. There is a lot of time spent on character development and worldbuilding to the deficit of the plot, and sometimes I was tempted to skip ahead to see what happens. However, a lot of the real details of the plot are buried in those moments, so you really do have to pay attention. It still worked out in the end, but I wished there had been a little more brevity in some places.

In all, I’ll give Lone Women an 8 out of 10. It’s a well-developed historical fiction with an interesting twist rooted in magical realism. I think that readers who have the patience to wait for the action will get a lot out of it, but readers who want something fast-paced might lose interest.

This is not something I’d normally picked up but it peaked my interest and I ended up enjoying it. I loved the way horror and historical fiction was weaved together. I’m interested in what this author has planned for the next one.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review

This book was incredible! A unique tale of a woman discovering herself while hiding a secret, I was spellbound from the first page. LaValle tells a harrowing, beautiful story filled with magical elements that do not distract but instead improve the story. I loved it and am recommending it to everyone!

I wish I’d enjoyed this more. I enjoyed a lot of LaValle’s other writing, so I was looking forward to this one. Ultimately, it was just kind of forgettable. There’s the bones of a good story, but it never formed together cohesively. I was disconnected from the characters and plots the entire time.

Adelaide Henry is fleeing to Montana from California after her “sin” killed her parents. She Carrie’s a mysterious locked steamer trunk wherever she goes to keep her “sin” locked away.

Lone Women were offered free land by the government if they are able to work the land an make it prosper. Adelaide meets lots of people in this new territory; some good but more of them are bad. Her “sin” could be her ruin or her savior.

This was a really different story of women trying to tame the land in the Midwest with a bit of horror thrown it. A really entertaining read.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Adelaide sets out to Montana to start her own homestead, determined to make a place for herself after the grisly death of her parents. But she can't quite leave everything behind...

I enjoyed this book! It was creepy and had a strong cast of diverse, complex female characters. As a history nerd, the incorporation of Chinese and Black history in the U.S. was well done and created a full, layered landscape for the narrative. My one gripe is that is does jump POV a lot, which could be a little disjointed at times.

If you like historical/Western horror, or just horror with strong, well-written women, try this one out!

Victor LaValle is a fantastic writer. I love his simple, yet beautiful writing style. This is a solid story, but I full admit that I much prefer the Changling and The Devil in Silver.

This is a very slow burning character story, which relies heavily on the reader's attachment to the characters. I did not feel the strongest connection to the characters which hinder some of my love for this one.

That being said, even a weaker experience with a LaValle book is a good one. I would recommend this one to readers who enjoy a slower burning, atmospheric narrative.

Victor Lavalle’s novel, The Changeling was one of my favorite reads of recent years and this was one of my most anticipated books of the year.

All I can say is, wow! This is a book you need to go into blind for the full enjoyment of it so I don’t want to say too much. I really loved the experience of reading this novel. LaValle manages to combine historical fiction, horror, western and mystery in this revisionist tale of the American West and it is sheer brilliance. His spare writing style mimics the barrenness of the open plains, and while it might be off putting for some readers, once I adjusted to it, I thought it suited the novel perfectly. And finally, the twist- every great mystery needs one and the riddle of what is in the trunk will keep you turning pages rapidly in anticipation of the big reveal and it does not disappoint! Lavalle is an incredibly innovative horror author who brings something different to the genre and I can’t wait to see what he will do next. Thank you to @netgalley for an advanced arc of this book.

Big fan of having gone into this one entirely blind, beyond the Victor LaValle name. I hate to say more; even the Goodreads synopsis provides more detail than I would have liked. Suffice to say, it does a really good job of providing various points of view on a historical fiction story that could represent the "Lone Women" of the title, while also including a very particular Victor LaValle spin on what could have been a conventional (if well-done) historical narrative.

3.5 ⭐️ When I read the premise for this book, I wasn’t sure where it was going to go with the horror aspect. While I didn’t think it was scary, there were a few moments of heart pounding suspense at what exactly Adelaide’s “burden” was. I surprisingly enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book.

Adelaide Henry literally sat her former life on fire before getting on a boat, then a train, with her big, locked trunk to her new homestead in Montana. The house on her purchased plot of land isn't in the best shape, but it's hers, there are no neighbours too close by, and she can live in some small measure of peace.

Along the way, she meets a mother and her four blind boys; they're decidedly unfriendly, but Adelaide isn't in Montana to make friends.

Until a new neighbour, Grace and her son Sam, move in, and are determined to get to know Adelaide better. Adelaide is used to being looked at as odd and standoffish, from her time in California, when something monstrous kept her family apart from all the others in their town. Sam draws Adelaide out, and gradually, the three become good friends, while also getting to know others in the more settled town.

Danger and tragedy soon strike, and also show Adelaide who really are her friends; that most of them seem to be various other "lone women" in Montana trying to forge their own way in a harsh countryside, without men, illustrates how much more complex the past is than one is generally led to believe.

Victor Lavalle's work is compelling, placing complicated characters in difficult, and even horrifying circumstances, and "Lone Women" certainly does that. Additionally, Lavalle paints the harsh landscape well and shows how tough people had to be to make it there, but also shows how critical creating a supportive community is to the survival of the characters. Then, there is the monstrous aspect to the story--it's genuinely scary, but also evokes pathos, achieving a nice balance of chills and poignancy.

This atmospheric, well told story impressed me greatly, and I loved it.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This book was so hyped up, I was very excited to get my hands on a copy. and then if fell really flat for me. It wasn't a bad story, the writing was good, but it felt like such a snoozefest every time I picked it up! I had to DNF life is too short.

"Lone Women" by Victor LaValle was an intriguing amalgam of old fashioned frontier novel and horror story, which--although I did not find it wholly successful--made for compelling reading. I really enjoyed the Montana setting and the details about being a homesteader in such an inhospitable natural environment. LaValle's descriptions of the wind were so vivid; he really drove home how challenging this lifestyle would be (and how difficult it would be to restart in this environment as a single woman on her own). Examinations of womanhood, race and belonging, in fact, were among the strong points of "Lone Women." I also thought that the Busy Bees were compelling human villains, and I appreciated that the real danger ultimately came from humans and not from the horror element.

The horror element, in fact, was in my opinion the least successful piece of "Lone Women." I was intrigued at the beginning and even through to the turning point at the halfway mark of the novel, but I never felt like LaValle was able to really deliver a payoff with the horror side of the novel. Of course this may just be down to my personal preference as someone who is not a big horror novel fan, and LaValle compensated for any letdown I might have felt at the end of the novel by delivering such a compelling first half.

Thank you to NetGalley and to One World Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

“On Tuesday, Adelaide Henry had been a farmer. By Wednesday, she became a fugitive.”

I can't say much about this book without spoiling it but if the line above intrigues you, pick this up! I went through all the emotions while reading this truly unique story.

Thanks to random House and NetGalley for the copy to review.

What the heck did I just read?! Super twisty and unexpected. Would definitely recommend to horror and thriller readers alike.

I loved the historical fiction and magical realism aspect of this book, but it left me wanting more in regards to the horror. LaValle does a great job of creating the scene and atmosphere so it is easy to get drawn into the story.

Adelaide Henry, and her enormous steamer trunk, has made her way to Montana from California1914, and ends up in Montana, as a homesteader. She left behind her dead parents and her old life behind. She is looking for a new start. She is one of the "lone women" who benefit from the government's offer to free land for those who can cultivate it. Adelaide isn't alone. She has brought the trunk with her. A trunk which must always remain locked in order to keep herself and everyone she meets safe. Everything wraps up together nicely in the end which I did like too. The descriptions were lush, vivid and set the mood of this book. There are tons of family secrets and instances of the strength of women’s bond together. LaValle is not content to have just one plot here, to have one threat overtake the others. Instead they all jostle for position and the book shifts from being one thing to another as Adelaide's circumstances change. This blended historical fiction and horror seamlessly together.

Thank You to NetGalley, the Author, and Random House Publishing Group