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mellabella's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if I can give this book the proper, glowing review it deserves. Nor can I describe it. A mix of action/adventure, coming of age, horror, thriller, YA novel with so many underlying themes.... The characters grow as they are pursued. When I first started reading, I didn't get into it right away. But, Aster, Violet, Clementine, Tansy, Mallow, and then Zee really grew on me. I cant wait until part 2.
thechronicknitter's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
litwithlauren's review against another edition
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
DNF at 50%.
I don't know if it's because I started reading this while I was in a bit of a slump, but something kept me from getting invested. The premise is super interesting and I was really excited to read a book full of complex female leads and social commentary but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I might try to read it again when I have more time to commit to this story.
DNF at 50%.
I don't know if it's because I started reading this while I was in a bit of a slump, but something kept me from getting invested. The premise is super interesting and I was really excited to read a book full of complex female leads and social commentary but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. I might try to read it again when I have more time to commit to this story.
gmariereads's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t know much about this book going into besides the fact that it was sort of a “western” so I was pleasantly surprised by some of the cool fantasy elements of the story. The world that Davis has created is really intriguing, with people who have had their shadows ripped away, tattoos that glow when covered, and terrible humans who can manipulate others’ emotions. There’s some big themes and issues tackled as well with the history of the Empire, systemic oppression, indentured slavery, and prostitution. On top of all of this is a group of girls on the run, robbing banks and delivering justice. There is a lot going on and it was definitely an enjoyable read. While I appreciated that Davis never did any info dumping, I do wish that she explored the details of the world a little more, since there was really a lot to unpack there. I know there’s a second book planned so hopefully we get more of that in the sequel!
christajls's review against another edition
3.0
In a dystopian version of the Old West, a sixteen-year-old girl named Clementine is about to become a “sundown girl” in the town welcome house (brothel). But when the moment actually comes, she panics and ends up killing the john that “purchased” her for the night. Knowing that if those in charge find out she will be severely punished or killed, she does the only thing she can – she runs. She is joined by her sister Aster and some of the other ‘Good Luck Girls’ – Violet, Tallow and Mansy, who see it as their opportunity to escape as well.
But escaping won’t be easy, as each girl is branded with a tattoo that clearly marks them as Good Luck Girls and covering that tattoo causes their skin to burn. There are rumours of a woman who can remove the marks but to get to her they’ll have to travel across an unforgiving country, dodging the law and the supernatural ‘raveners’ who have the ability to torture you from within your mind.
This is a high stakes story and will keep you turning the pages as the girls encounter danger after danger. I’m not generally one for Wild West themed tales but I was totally absorbed in this. Part of that is because Davis subverts a lot of the typical Western tropes but a lot of it was due to the relationships between the girls. Particularly between Clementine and Aster. As the older sister, Aster just wants to protect Clementine but Clementine is not helpless and often pushes back against her sister’s decisions. At times they need to lean on each other and at other times they need to find their own independence and that’s a balance they continue to work on throughout the book.
Though Clementine and Aster were my favourites, I enjoyed getting to know all of the girls. Violet has a tough outer shell, having lived in the welcome house the longest, but it isn’t long before you realize that she’s suffering in her own ways. And Tansy and Mallow are perhaps the most adorable of the bunch. Once free from the welcome house and all of its restrictions, they’re able to let their relationship grow.
Charlotte Nicole Davis has done an excellent job building a dark and complex world and she has filled it with characters that you want to root for. I would have been happy for this to be a standalone since I thought the ending was just right, but I’m pleased to hear there will be a sequel so that I can return to this world and these characters once again.
Review originally posted on This is a Metaphor
But escaping won’t be easy, as each girl is branded with a tattoo that clearly marks them as Good Luck Girls and covering that tattoo causes their skin to burn. There are rumours of a woman who can remove the marks but to get to her they’ll have to travel across an unforgiving country, dodging the law and the supernatural ‘raveners’ who have the ability to torture you from within your mind.
This is a high stakes story and will keep you turning the pages as the girls encounter danger after danger. I’m not generally one for Wild West themed tales but I was totally absorbed in this. Part of that is because Davis subverts a lot of the typical Western tropes but a lot of it was due to the relationships between the girls. Particularly between Clementine and Aster. As the older sister, Aster just wants to protect Clementine but Clementine is not helpless and often pushes back against her sister’s decisions. At times they need to lean on each other and at other times they need to find their own independence and that’s a balance they continue to work on throughout the book.
Though Clementine and Aster were my favourites, I enjoyed getting to know all of the girls. Violet has a tough outer shell, having lived in the welcome house the longest, but it isn’t long before you realize that she’s suffering in her own ways. And Tansy and Mallow are perhaps the most adorable of the bunch. Once free from the welcome house and all of its restrictions, they’re able to let their relationship grow.
Charlotte Nicole Davis has done an excellent job building a dark and complex world and she has filled it with characters that you want to root for. I would have been happy for this to be a standalone since I thought the ending was just right, but I’m pleased to hear there will be a sequel so that I can return to this world and these characters once again.
Review originally posted on This is a Metaphor
bouldermimi's review against another edition
4.0
Read 8/22/20
Picked this up as the book for the Western prompt for the 2020 Reading Challenge. Not exactly what I expected from a Western. It's dystopian, fantasy and no telling if we're even on Earth. But there are definite elements of the western genre, so it counts! :) The theme of this story is pretty disturbing. It's basically human trafficking of young girls, they're either captured or sold into service by their own families who believed their daughters would be taken care of. The ending was pretty satisfying with Aster staying on to continue the fight.
Picked this up as the book for the Western prompt for the 2020 Reading Challenge. Not exactly what I expected from a Western. It's dystopian, fantasy and no telling if we're even on Earth. But there are definite elements of the western genre, so it counts! :) The theme of this story is pretty disturbing. It's basically human trafficking of young girls, they're either captured or sold into service by their own families who believed their daughters would be taken care of. The ending was pretty satisfying with Aster staying on to continue the fight.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
Most review seems to be user gentler words, but, no.
This is a shitty world. I do not really learn much about it and I would have liked more. War came. Now there are ghosts and evil men eating ghosts around. There are the rich and those without shadows (why, how?!). And poor people sell their daughters to brothels, there they are marked and used up until thrown out when they are too old. Some parents think they are better off, some just need money. But they are still made into whores.
And one day 5 run away after one of them kills a customer on her first night on the job.
Oh and there are these guys that mentally torture you too cos it is not enough you have to whore, but you are also mentally tortured cos they find it funny.
Yes, I would have liked to learn more about this world. And yes, I did feel they were too lucky. Everyone and their grandma was after them. Their pics were everywhere. They could not even go outside without covering their faces os they were branded, but still they manage to stay away from the law. A bit too far fetched for me.
They also go all banditas and start to rob people. And sure the people have it coming, but it does change from women escaping to more let's rob people and rich people suck.
The end is actually a semi good one, I was worried when I saw that it is a series. But you can leave them sort of for now, but yes they are not actually safe, just sort of. I like that. Cliffhangers are just so evil.
As for the girls, we are in Aster's head and she is angsty. I wish there was more Clem, cos she does not seem to dwell that much and she should. Violet was mean girl not mean girl at all, and I find myself liking her. Tansy and Mellow are just there.
An interesting start. I do wish more explanations, but more books are to come.
Narration.
A good narration, she made distinct voices of the girls and their voices fit them.
This is a shitty world. I do not really learn much about it and I would have liked more. War came. Now there are ghosts and evil men eating ghosts around. There are the rich and those without shadows (why, how?!). And poor people sell their daughters to brothels, there they are marked and used up until thrown out when they are too old. Some parents think they are better off, some just need money. But they are still made into whores.
And one day 5 run away after one of them kills a customer on her first night on the job.
Oh and there are these guys that mentally torture you too cos it is not enough you have to whore, but you are also mentally tortured cos they find it funny.
Yes, I would have liked to learn more about this world. And yes, I did feel they were too lucky. Everyone and their grandma was after them. Their pics were everywhere. They could not even go outside without covering their faces os they were branded, but still they manage to stay away from the law. A bit too far fetched for me.
They also go all banditas and start to rob people. And sure the people have it coming, but it does change from women escaping to more let's rob people and rich people suck.
The end is actually a semi good one, I was worried when I saw that it is a series. But you can leave them sort of for now, but yes they are not actually safe, just sort of. I like that. Cliffhangers are just so evil.
As for the girls, we are in Aster's head and she is angsty. I wish there was more Clem, cos she does not seem to dwell that much and she should. Violet was mean girl not mean girl at all, and I find myself liking her. Tansy and Mellow are just there.
An interesting start. I do wish more explanations, but more books are to come.
Narration.
A good narration, she made distinct voices of the girls and their voices fit them.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the publisher and then I bought my own copy for the pre-order swag and to support the author! Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Good Luck Girls
Author: Charlotte Nicole Davis
Book Series: The Good Luck Girls Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: A diverse cast of black girls and there is a bit of LGBTQA+, but not a lot.
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (TW rape mention, TW attempted rape, TW drug use and withdrawal, some small language, gore, and violence)
Publisher: TorTeen
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Aster, the protector
Violet, the favorite
Tansy, the medic
Mallow, the fighter
Clementine, the catalyst
THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS
The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls--they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a "welcome house" as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.
When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.
It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. I felt that the book was unique and I loved the west-world feel of it. The world building was very interesting and the writing was well done. The book was also very fast paced.
However, I did feel like the book had some faults. The book starts in Clementine’s POV and that lasts for one chapter. After that it’s strictly in Aster’s POV. I think the book could have benefitted from a POV switch between Aster and Clementine or between some of the other girls, as I also felt that the characters weren’t very well developed. They went from these victims to these badasses who knew how to knock people out, shoot people, tie them up, ride horses, etc. It felt weird and I didn’t feel connected with any of them. There was also the problem with the love interest. The synopsis is very pro-female power but in the book the girls heavily rely on the love interest of the book. That didn’t sit well with me, because it felt like the pro-female book I wanted to read was not all that it seemed. I wanted to see the girls make it on their own without the help of others. Lastly, the synopsis is almost written to imply that there is some magic to this book, which there is, but not about the girls themselves which is disappointing.
Verdict: It’s a great book but I had different expectations which ruined it for me.
Book: The Good Luck Girls
Author: Charlotte Nicole Davis
Book Series: The Good Luck Girls Book 1
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: A diverse cast of black girls and there is a bit of LGBTQA+, but not a lot.
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Genre: YA Fantasy
Recommended Age: 16+ (TW rape mention, TW attempted rape, TW drug use and withdrawal, some small language, gore, and violence)
Publisher: TorTeen
Pages: 352
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Aster, the protector
Violet, the favorite
Tansy, the medic
Mallow, the fighter
Clementine, the catalyst
THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS
The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls--they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a "welcome house" as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.
When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.
It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.
Review: For the most part I really liked this book. I felt that the book was unique and I loved the west-world feel of it. The world building was very interesting and the writing was well done. The book was also very fast paced.
However, I did feel like the book had some faults. The book starts in Clementine’s POV and that lasts for one chapter. After that it’s strictly in Aster’s POV. I think the book could have benefitted from a POV switch between Aster and Clementine or between some of the other girls, as I also felt that the characters weren’t very well developed. They went from these victims to these badasses who knew how to knock people out, shoot people, tie them up, ride horses, etc. It felt weird and I didn’t feel connected with any of them. There was also the problem with the love interest. The synopsis is very pro-female power but in the book the girls heavily rely on the love interest of the book. That didn’t sit well with me, because it felt like the pro-female book I wanted to read was not all that it seemed. I wanted to see the girls make it on their own without the help of others. Lastly, the synopsis is almost written to imply that there is some magic to this book, which there is, but not about the girls themselves which is disappointing.
Verdict: It’s a great book but I had different expectations which ruined it for me.
ashwee0955's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5