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readerpants's review
4.0
A very strong ending to a very good trilogy -- the best and richest of the three books, I think.
sandraagee's review
4.0
It took me a little while to get into this book, only because it was hard for me to remember some of the details from the first two books in this trilogy. But once I got back up to speed there was a lot to like about this book. The dynamic between Callie and her father was interesting and I really enjoyed the climatic ending.
missprint_'s review
5.0
"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Callie LeRoux. She left her home in the Dust Bowl and traveled across three different worlds to free her parents from the evil king. Along the way she found her worst enemy, her best friend, and her own name."
Callie has been through a lot since leaving behind the Dust Bowl in Slow Run, Kansas and traveling across the country to Los Angeles to rescue her parents from the Seelie King. Fast-talking and quick-thinking Jack Holland has been beside Callie since the beginning because that's what best friends do.
Now that Callie's parents are free, it feels like there should be some kind of happy ending. Or at least a rest. But the Seelie King is still spitting mad. Both the Seelie and the Unseelie courts want to find Callie. They hope to use her to manipulate the prophecy that Callie will close the gates between the worlds in their favor.
Callie wants nothing to do with any of the Seelies or her Unseelie relatives. After a whole lifetime not knowing him, Callie isn't even sure she wants anything to do with her fairy Papa. She's even less sure how to go back to being her Mama's daughter when so much has happened since she left Kansas.
But none of them have time to think about that. Callie's bad luck is already a known thing and it is none too helpful as Callie, Jack and her parents try to get away from the fairies chasing them.
As word of Callie's bad luck and her connection to the prophecy spread, Callie realizes there is never going to be a happy ending or any kind of peace. Not if Callie doesn't take a stand in Bad Luck Girl (2014) by Sarah Zettel.
Bad Luck Girl is the conclusion of Zettel's American Fairy Trilogy which started with Dust Girl and Golden Girl.
Zettel once again delivers a perfect blend of fantasy and historical details in the conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies. Although Callie is sometimes rash and even reckless, the story still focuses on her resilience and her development as a character. Readers and characters alike will see Callie's growth throughout this series as well as her inner strength. Callie also contends with changing feelings for her best friend Jack as well as figuring out what it means to have parents again after so long on her own.
1935 Chicago is brought to life with Zettel's evocative descriptions which make the city just as vivid as the characters who populate it. The fairy lore and world-building builds here to several surprising twists and an ending that is as clever as it is unexpected.
Bad Luck Girl is the perfect conclusion to a nearly perfect trilogy about fairies, Depression Era America, and a girl trying to find her place in the world. I can't recommend this book or this series highly enough.
Possible Pairings: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, The Diviners by Libba Bray, The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn, The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin, Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin, Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Callie has been through a lot since leaving behind the Dust Bowl in Slow Run, Kansas and traveling across the country to Los Angeles to rescue her parents from the Seelie King. Fast-talking and quick-thinking Jack Holland has been beside Callie since the beginning because that's what best friends do.
Now that Callie's parents are free, it feels like there should be some kind of happy ending. Or at least a rest. But the Seelie King is still spitting mad. Both the Seelie and the Unseelie courts want to find Callie. They hope to use her to manipulate the prophecy that Callie will close the gates between the worlds in their favor.
Callie wants nothing to do with any of the Seelies or her Unseelie relatives. After a whole lifetime not knowing him, Callie isn't even sure she wants anything to do with her fairy Papa. She's even less sure how to go back to being her Mama's daughter when so much has happened since she left Kansas.
But none of them have time to think about that. Callie's bad luck is already a known thing and it is none too helpful as Callie, Jack and her parents try to get away from the fairies chasing them.
As word of Callie's bad luck and her connection to the prophecy spread, Callie realizes there is never going to be a happy ending or any kind of peace. Not if Callie doesn't take a stand in Bad Luck Girl (2014) by Sarah Zettel.
Bad Luck Girl is the conclusion of Zettel's American Fairy Trilogy which started with Dust Girl and Golden Girl.
Zettel once again delivers a perfect blend of fantasy and historical details in the conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies. Although Callie is sometimes rash and even reckless, the story still focuses on her resilience and her development as a character. Readers and characters alike will see Callie's growth throughout this series as well as her inner strength. Callie also contends with changing feelings for her best friend Jack as well as figuring out what it means to have parents again after so long on her own.
1935 Chicago is brought to life with Zettel's evocative descriptions which make the city just as vivid as the characters who populate it. The fairy lore and world-building builds here to several surprising twists and an ending that is as clever as it is unexpected.
Bad Luck Girl is the perfect conclusion to a nearly perfect trilogy about fairies, Depression Era America, and a girl trying to find her place in the world. I can't recommend this book or this series highly enough.
Possible Pairings: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, The Diviners by Libba Bray, The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst, Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, A Creature of Moonlight by Rebecca Hahn, The Iron King by Julie Kagawa, A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin, Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin, Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
gcullman's review
3.0
A good ending to the trilogy. I liked where it took the characters but it all felt a bit too predetermined from the beginning.
beckylej's review
4.0
Callie managed to save her parents from the Seelie king but sadly not without complication. The accidental killing of the king's daughter has resulted in an all out war between the Seelie and Unseelie - and their factions. Now, Callie, her parents, and Jack have gone on the run in an attempt to lay low and survive the battle. But it won't be easy, as Callie learns to use her new powers it becomes ever clear just how far folks are willing to go to get their hands on the child of prophecy!
Callie has so far survived the Dust Bowl, a run in with the Unseelie court (including her uncle, Shake), Hollywood, and a run in with the Seelie court as well. Whew! That's a lot for a fourteen-year-old girl to handle even if she is a fairy princess. But she takes it all pretty much in stride. After all, she has just learned that she's heir to a fairy throne and that she's apparently got powers none of the other fairies possess. Her friendship with Jack definitely helps to keep her grounded, especially as their adventures continue.
I absolutely adore the fact that Zettel has set this series around this particular time period. I've still not seen anything quite like it but it makes for a truly remarkable combination - the fae and 1930s American history, that is.
Callie's age puts this series a bit on the younger side of teen fantasy, in my opinion, but it's no less enjoyable even for someone my age.
Callie has so far survived the Dust Bowl, a run in with the Unseelie court (including her uncle, Shake), Hollywood, and a run in with the Seelie court as well. Whew! That's a lot for a fourteen-year-old girl to handle even if she is a fairy princess. But she takes it all pretty much in stride. After all, she has just learned that she's heir to a fairy throne and that she's apparently got powers none of the other fairies possess. Her friendship with Jack definitely helps to keep her grounded, especially as their adventures continue.
I absolutely adore the fact that Zettel has set this series around this particular time period. I've still not seen anything quite like it but it makes for a truly remarkable combination - the fae and 1930s American history, that is.
Callie's age puts this series a bit on the younger side of teen fantasy, in my opinion, but it's no less enjoyable even for someone my age.
burningupasun's review
4.0
Setting/World Building: 4/5
Main Character: 4/5
Other Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Triggering/Issues: 5/5 (None)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 3.6 out of 5, rounded to 4.
To be honest, this is really more of a 3.5 than a 4, and I am a bit tempted to give it 3 stars... mostly for apathy? The thing is that I didn't LOVE this book, but I definitely also didn't dislike it, let alone hate it. Overall it was a good finale for the trilogy, and it did wrap things up.
I think a lot of my issues came with the plot and writing and HOW it was wrapped up. Firstly, this book suffered from a case of the author trying to trick you into thinking someone was evil when you'd thought they were good... only of course the person had been good all along, and it was a narrative cheat the way they tried to convince you the person was evil. Less vaguely:There is a scene where Callie's father shows up, mutters something about sparing her mother, and puts a spell on her while saying in her mind: "I'm sorry it's come to this, daughter, I truly am." Then we are made to think that he has wiped her mind and is bringing her to the Unseelie country because he's been on the evil side all this time; a fact which is mitigated by Jack asking her literally a page prior if they were sure they could trust him. Of course, after the fact, we find out this was all part of her/their plan from the beginning, for him to wipe her mind so she could trick the other fairies. But it's just so frustrating, narratively, because it's just so obviously the writer purposefully twisting the way things happen to try and convince you to fall for it. If that was really the plan, it wouldn't have happened like that; the author contrived it to happen that way just to set it up so you (theoretically) doubted her father for a bit.
Anyway, beyond that I suppose it wasn't so bad? It just fell sort of anticlimactic for me, I'm not sure why. I thought it felt a bit jumbled, like there were a lot more parts that didn't come together well. The "spiritual" non-fairy beings like the old lady and Baya, for example, had no purpose. And I was never really satisfied by the 'mystery' of what the prophecy meant about her being able to walk three roads. Is the third the Halfers? I wish it had been made more clear. I also have absolutely NO idea how Jack saved her in the end, except he just somehow did, despite the fact that he's not a fairy and she's the only one with the ability to open and close gates, but okay.
This makes it sound like I really didn't like the book, which I did in other ways. I liked the slow-build romance and it's resolution, and I liked Callie's complex family vibes. I also liked that she was one of those people who was always getting in trouble but usually because she's so damned determined to do good, like her mother.
Overall not a bad read, but somewhat disappointing, mostly for writing/plot reasons.
Main Character: 4/5
Other Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Triggering/Issues: 5/5 (None)
AVERAGED TOTAL: 3.6 out of 5, rounded to 4.
To be honest, this is really more of a 3.5 than a 4, and I am a bit tempted to give it 3 stars... mostly for apathy? The thing is that I didn't LOVE this book, but I definitely also didn't dislike it, let alone hate it. Overall it was a good finale for the trilogy, and it did wrap things up.
I think a lot of my issues came with the plot and writing and HOW it was wrapped up. Firstly, this book suffered from a case of the author trying to trick you into thinking someone was evil when you'd thought they were good... only of course the person had been good all along, and it was a narrative cheat the way they tried to convince you the person was evil. Less vaguely:
Anyway, beyond that I suppose it wasn't so bad? It just fell sort of anticlimactic for me, I'm not sure why. I thought it felt a bit jumbled, like there were a lot more parts that didn't come together well. The "spiritual" non-fairy beings like the old lady and Baya, for example, had no purpose. And I was never really satisfied by the 'mystery' of what the prophecy meant about her being able to walk three roads. Is the third the Halfers? I wish it had been made more clear. I also have absolutely NO idea how Jack saved her in the end, except he just somehow did, despite the fact that he's not a fairy and she's the only one with the ability to open and close gates, but okay.
This makes it sound like I really didn't like the book, which I did in other ways. I liked the slow-build romance and it's resolution, and I liked Callie's complex family vibes. I also liked that she was one of those people who was always getting in trouble but usually because she's so damned determined to do good, like her mother.
Overall not a bad read, but somewhat disappointing, mostly for writing/plot reasons.
sanadw's review
4.0
I really liked this series. What a great surprise when I didn't expect to like it at all!
ariereads's review
3.0
Just as fun as the first two in the series, with some interesting little ideas woven in and a very decent resolution.
fictionadventurer's review
3.0
The cover drew me in. It's an urban fantasy in 1930s Chicago. I haven't read the first two books, so I was a little confused about a few points, but it mostly made sense. Generally pleasant, but the ending was pretty abrupt and didn't really resolve the character conflicts.