After watching her family murdered (and eaten) by cannibals and losing an arm in her escape, Westie is nursed back to health by the Wintu tribe and then adopted by renowned inventor, Nigel, who fashions her a mechanical arm. The town Nigel lives in, Rogue City, is appropriately nameda lawless place full of saloon brawls, creatures, and magic. The Wintu magic casts a dome over Rogue City that keeps everyone within it safe and does not allow humans to kill creatures or creatures to kill humans. But, as more settlers come to mine the land for gold and pollute the waters outside the dome, the magic of the dome is fading. Nigel has developed an invention that will amplify the magic from the land to save the dome, but needs investors to finish it. The wealthy family that comes to town looking to invest in the invention seems too good to be true, but that is because they are: they are the ones who killed Westie's family and she is out for revenge. The only problem is that no one believes these well-to-do folks could ever be cannibals. With the help of her childhood friend and Nigel's assistant, Alistair, Westie is determined to prove their guilt by whatever means necessary, even if that means killing them herself. But will she lose the family she has now in the process?Steampunk and science fiction unite in this amazing page-turner. Modesto has made sure there is something for every type of reader in this book; there is romance, action, monsters and creatures of all kind, inventions, technology, magic, and wonder. Not only that, but it is also an excellently written story with surprise after surprise that catch the reader off guard. Be warned, once readers start this book, it is impossible to put down. Readers will anxiously ask when the sequel will be out.Brandi Young.

Westie has several problems. She's in love with childhood friend Alistair, but he's barely spoken to her for years; she recently ruined years of sobriety with one poorly made decision involving very strong whiskey; and the cannibals that killed and ate her family when she was a girl have just arrived in town. If that wasn't enough, the town's magic that protects its many nonhuman creatures is starting to fail. It's all too much for one girl to deal with, but the chance to finally avenge her family's death has filled her with a single-minded rage that won't stop until justice is done. This steampunk western takes on far more than it can handle but delivers nonstop danger, slapstick, and steamy romance. Westie, with her impulsive decisions and single-minded focus, will resonate with any teen who has ever wanted something bad enough he or she was willing to do whatever it took to get it. Violent and frenetic, this is a good match for readers who like their fights bloody and heroes unapologetically brash.