Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

29 reviews

onegalonelife27's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

We enter the story in Clementine’s point of view on the night of her sixteenth birthday, where she’s getting ready to meet a man. However, once they meet, it doesn't take long for things to escalate and for Clementine to end up with blood on her hands. The rest of the story is told in Aster’s, her older sister’s point of view. 

With Aster’s chapters following we learn of the world of Arketta, which an empire took over and any rebels became Dustbloods, people cursed to not cast shadows and their descendants born without shadows.  There’s also fairbloods, people who do have shadows, the privileged class of the world. Many of the dustbloods give their daughters to the welcome houses, where the girls work as sex workers after they turn sixteen and are tattoos, flower looking tattoos that will hurt them should they rebel against orders or go covered for too long.  We don’t get to see much of this life because Clementine and Aster along with friends Mallow and Tansy, and finally local prima donna Violet run away. Because Violet claims she knows where a woman known as the Ghost Lady, rumored to be able to remove the favors. So thus begins a life on the run for these young girls. 

This is a good example of a found family, with each girl getting a chance to shine, and the group overall bonding over their travels in hopes of freedom. We certainly feel sympathetic towards Clementine’s predicament, her sister and two friends for helping her cover up the murder. Violet acts more snobby, due to being born from fairblood thus having a shadow, yet with her own point of view we do become more fond of her, like Aster does. Also I’ve got a soft spot for ladies doing crime, call me crazy. Support women’s rights and wrongs. 

I also love the idea of a fantasy world being more centered around 19th century culture, especially one that has a Wild West. Especially in this world where ghosts are real and can be violent against the living, ghost town has a whole new meaning. 

I really enjoyed the story, with great reveals and action, but also some great heart. I’m hoping I can read the sequel soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, and Gun violence

Minor: Suicide and Medical trauma

theandoriryn's review

The setup of underage girls being

tattooed/marked and used in sex work

against their will was too much for me right now. Might return to it later.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Trafficking, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Misogyny, Murder, Drug use, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Rape, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Suicide attempt, Medical content, Suicide, and Infertility

kodiex's review

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Addiction, Confinement, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Vomit, and Trafficking

Minor: Infertility, Suicide, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Torture, and Medical trauma

tigger89's review

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was decent YA, blending an exploration of escape from slavery with a fantasy western setting. I liked how distinct the girls were, each bringing strengths and infuriating flaws to the team. The plot was somewhat more frustrating, alternating between the thrilling escape and scenes that stopped the narrative in its tracks while the characters work a heist. I get what Davis was going for with the western outlaw vibe, and there was in-universe justification for why they needed the money, but the bigger heists(thinking specifically of the one where they rob the bank) didn't really work for me in the flow of the plot.

My favorite thing about this book, other than the characters, was the ending. Without spoilers, I found it to be bittersweet, yes, but also empowering, though I understand why many readers might have been frustrated. While I'm reading this as a standalone, it is first in a duology, and I feel like where things left off works perfectly for either situation.

Something worth mentioning is that the point of view shifts abruptly after the first chapter. The opening is told from Clementine's point of view, but before they escape the narrative shifts to her sister Aster's head, where it remains for the rest of the story. I do understand why this was necessary, as we really did need to see the inciting incident happen rather than merely hear about it. It might not have stuck out so much if we'd had similar scenes from the other characters, or more scenes from Clementine's point of view, but as it was it felt strange.

Important question time: do the horses die?

To the best of my recollection, all the horses remain unharmed in the narrative, though they are loosed near the ending of the story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Drug use, Murder, Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, and Gun violence

carolined314's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Escaping to freedom, in an action-packed series of events, learning one's own agency, choosing friendship, and so much more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Abandonment, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Trafficking

Moderate: Classism, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, Colonisation, and Addiction

Minor: Gaslighting

kell_xavi's review

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

Fantastic story of survival and sisterhood among five teenage girls who escape sex trafficking into a fantasy wild west landscape of saloons and forests and robberies (by them) and horse-riding and mining and dust. Davis writes well, with good pacing and style all the way through, save a few too many “here’s what we learned along the way” moments near the end. Her characters are bright and real, with Aster and Violet standing out in particular in the thick darkness of their emotions. It’s a good group to follow. I wasn’t sure why the girls continued using their welcome house names after they’d left, as it’s not really explained and didn’t feel quite right, but I was satisfied by most everything else in the pages of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gun violence, Trafficking, and Misogyny

Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, Confinement, Torture, Murder, and Addiction

Minor: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

tangleroot_eli's review

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

I really really like this book a lot and think you would, too. (Yes, you!) Very excited to read the sequel.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Classism

Minor: Medical content and Medical trauma

rowanasm's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Violence, Misogyny, Classism, Gun violence, Sexism, Addiction, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking

kat_mayerovitch's review

adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I'm not normally into westerns (even fantasy westerns), but this book was a great read. There was a lot left unanswered (how are people's shadows removed? how exactly is race tied to debt?), but the story and character development itself made it worthwhile. I love the idea of escaped comfort women banding together to steal from their oppressors and help others in their situation, even if they fell into it half by accident. Like Robin Hood meets Thelma and Louise or something. Anyhow, this was a great start to a series!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Child abuse, and Trafficking

Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Physical abuse, and Addiction