Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens

12 reviews

lady_bountiful's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Blood, and Violence

kelly93's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault

ashtonjamesdean's review

adventurous funny slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Death

Minor: Rape

grace_b_3's review

dark medium-paced

2.0

Now this is partly a problem of expectations as I went in expecting a romance, only for it to turn out to be a Western. I had mixed feelings about the brothel setting: all the characters therein were interesting as supporting players, but I didn't like how young the main character was, even if that is "historically accurate." As this is a modern book for modern audiences, I wish that she had been aged up to at least 18. The sapphic element was great to see in a historical novel; I just wish that I had known that it wasn't a romance before going in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, and Sexual content

fatedefied's review

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Blood

Minor: Violence, Homophobia, and Vomit

ka_cam's review

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A fun and chaotic sapphic western largely based around a woman-run brothel. In this tale it’s the cowboys who are flat, brief characters and the women who have adventurous and romantically messy lives. Not a very political read, but a fun one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Gun violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia

karlymarcy's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Violence

katndrsn's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Gun violence

Moderate: Grief, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism

olivia_piepmeier's review

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wouldn't say I'm into westerns, but when I see a new one described as being a bit out of the ordinary in terms of gender, I feel inspired to pick it up. This feels very historical-fiction-like but certainly your typical western gunslinging is included. It mostly takes place in a brothel and shows the ladies in a very emphatic light, just trying to make a living. The queer "twist" was a highlight just to make it different and the story went in a way I couldn't have guessed. I was entertained! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault

jesselynn's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

What a debut! I am so impressed. I adored this book, and it is definitely a new favourite of mine.

Lucky Red is a sapphic western adventure set in 1877, that is narrated from the perspective of Bridget, a young woman who finds herself working in a whorehouse in Dodge City, Kansas after the death of her father. 

I do not usually enjoy first person narratives, however the first person narration in Lucky Red is an exception: it is utterly captivating and the story could not be told any other way. Bridget’s voice is fascinating, and we read her perspective of her life since the death of her father, as she navigates her new life alone, as she becomes a whore, and as she forms relationships with her tricks and other workers. As she meets the mysterious Spartan Lee, a female bounty hunter that sweeps Bridget off her feet. We see all sides of the young and naive teenager, how she is easily swayed, how she can be entitled and how she unintentionally wreaks havoc on those around her for her own selfish reasons. Bridget is a wonderful heroine, but all the side characters are just as brilliant. Lila and Constance were standouts to me and I would love to read their life stories! And of course, Spartan Lee was a dreamboat. What a woman! 

Unsurprisingly, themes of luck and fate are very prominent and are very successfully explored here. The novel asks questions about luck and fortune, about the place of women amongst men in history, about sex work and women’s bodies, and about the intensity of queer infatuation. 

The plot twists are well written and the pacing is fantastic, the events are the perfect mix of believable yet dramatic. This story is entirely immersive and Cravens paints a very detailed picture with her words, the writing style has such strength in both identity, environment and atmosphere. It’s rich and exquisite and spectacular.

I cannot stop thinking about this book. It could easily be expanded upon as a series, with perspectives and stories of all the different characters, and I would eat it up. But it also works perfectly as a stand-alone. If you like sapphic stories or historical fiction or westerns or women’s fiction, I would highly recommend this book to you. 

10/10, five stars, absolutely perfect.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Cursing, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Blood, Drug use, Lesbophobia, Rape, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Pregnancy and Abortion