My Rating ~ Five Stars

RELEASE DATE: October 2020

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Hawkeye Publishing

Pages: 246

Today is my tour stop for Lament, thanks to Read the Book Tours and Hawkeye Publishing!

Blurb

In June 1880, the reign of the Kelly Gang ended – guns
blazing – in a fiery siege at the Glenrowan Inn. Ned
Kelly survived, only to be hanged four months later.
In this re-imagining of Australia’s most notorious
bushranger, Ned is given the chance to keep his band
of brothers together and build a better life. What
unfolds is the human side of four outlaws who are
remembered as much for their anarchy
and rebellion as their crimes.
Ned Kelly. The life that might have been.
The future he dreamed of.
Such is life.

Review

Thank you to Hawkeye Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review!

Wow, just wow! Whether you know Ned Kelly, the infamous Australian bushranger, by name only, or you’re familiar with his story and how it ended, Lament is an incredibly captivating and heart stopping story you need to read!

Ned Kelly, who some regarded as an Australian Robin Hood and others considered to be a cold blooded murderer, led the Kelly Gang toward the end of the 1800’s. The entire gang was killed by police in a confrontation in 1880, save for Ned, who was captured and hanged….but what if it didn’t go down that way? What if Ned and his gang escaped that fateful day and went on to chase their dreams of hope for a different life? Lament explores this path, in a way that will make you swear it was the truth.

I knew a little about the Kelly gang going in to this book, but, although part two of the book was fiction, I still learned so much about them! Part one details the story up until the day they met their end in reality, part two takes us on the journey that could have been and part three….well, you’ll just have to read that for yourself. Let’s just say, someone must have been chopping onions around me because my eyes were leaking way too much. I did not expect to be affected in this way by a bushranger’s story! 😅

I was astounded by how well the author seemed to be able to get into, not just Ned Kelly’s head, but his entire gang. The constant pull between knowing they caused so much death and destruction, but seeing their rebellion goals, and understanding how they might have been feeling, made for a read I didn’t want to put down. This book has made me want to research even more into Ned’s story. I almost feel like I was on the journey with him.

Even if you’ve never heard of our Aussie bushranger, I’d highly recommend picking this book up. Previous knowledge of the Kelly Gang’s story enhances this read, but is by no means necessary to fully enjoy the story!