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jolovestoread's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
An action packed adventure that I enjoyed reading from start to finish. I often wanted to continue and couldn't wait to find out how life would go for the girls. I desperately wanted them to succeed and get out of the awful situation they were landed in, but also felt very invested in seeing this world be improved.
There were a few supernatural elements with the tattoos that glow when covered as they are made from ink beyond the veil (or of the veil?) and also the vengeful spirits that are the ghosts of people who have passed away and literally can rip you to shreds, but you cannot see them.
It breaks my heart to know that this kind of world does exist in quite a similar way still for many girls and women. I wish it wasn't so, this is quite a heavy topic, but it isn't a depressing book.
There were a few supernatural elements with the tattoos that glow when covered as they are made from ink beyond the veil (or of the veil?) and also the vengeful spirits that are the ghosts of people who have passed away and literally can rip you to shreds, but you cannot see them.
It breaks my heart to know that this kind of world does exist in quite a similar way still for many girls and women. I wish it wasn't so, this is quite a heavy topic, but it isn't a depressing book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Child abuse, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
morebedsidebooks's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Drug use, Slavery, Death, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Medical trauma, Grief, and Infertility
annalisaely's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I adored this so much, the characters were all awesome in their own ways, including having a lot of growth in different areas. The action and vibes were just as advertised, a delightful Old West inspired world but with a little magic and lots of ghosts, and a bunch of badass lady outlaws who only steal from people who deserve it. Also happy queer people, yay!
Personally I thought the heavy topics were handled very well, but I haven't experienced any of these issues personally. I have very high empathy and can't read things that graphically describe many of these things, but the way it was handled allowed me to process the topics without having to take on the pain of the characters.
Personally I thought the heavy topics were handled very well, but I haven't experienced any of these issues personally. I have very high empathy and can't read things that graphically describe many of these things, but the way it was handled allowed me to process the topics without having to take on the pain of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Death
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Slavery, Trafficking, and Violence
samusc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow what a debut this is! This feminist found-family western doesn't pause even for a minute.
There are a ton of great elements to this book, here's just a few:
There are a ton of great elements to this book, here's just a few:
- The development of Aster and Violet's friendship feels so real.
I really hope we see Violet again in the sequel. I don't handle character's sacrificing themselves well, especially one so well written. - The vengeants and raveners are horrifying! As if running from unjust laws wasn't enough, our heroes are also running from malevolent spirits and men with the ability to break your mind with ease.
- Aster's experience with working through trauma are authentic and messy. Her reluctance to trust others makes sense considering her circumstances.
Our sapphic girls, Tansy and Mallow, survive and are happy together. - Charlotte Nicole Davis pulls from dark American history (as well as current events and impacts) for this story including slave catching patrols, hysterectomies performed without consent/gynecology surgical experimentation/forced sterilization, and sexual slavery. These are incredibly high stakes for any characters to endure.
I can't wait to read the sequel to revisit these strong young women and their allies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Trafficking, and Vomit
kayblecar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Trigger warning for discussions and depictions of child sex trafficking, characters experiencing PTSD, parallels to police brutality.
The Good Luck Girls follows the escape of five girls from sexual slavery, in a fantasy world where the exploitation of a group of people called “dustbloods” through slavery and generational debt directly parallels the history of Black and Indigenous people in the United States.
I’ve seen The Good Luck Girls described as a “fantasy western,” and while that’s a fair description, it has some distinctly Southern Gothic foundations. The ghosts take the form of a backdrop for the story, in a way that is rooted in the horrific history of the land and parallels American slavery and the Reconstruction era. Charlotte Nichole Davis excellently balances directly telling the reader how this world works and letting us infer from the characters’ offhand comments.
I’m usually wary of fantasy worlds that draw direct metaphors to oppressed groups, since they can easily find themselves relying on stereotypes to draw the parallel, but The Good Luck Girls did not seem to fall into this trap to me. The world of The Good Luck Girls is so tightly tied to the historical roots of modern racism, as well as modern conversations around fighting oppression, that it feels more like an alternate history than a fantasy lifting forms of oppression from the real world. Through the lens of survivors unpacking their traumatic experiences together, it addresses the ways that oppressed groups are pitted against each other, the ways that forms of oppression intersect, and the ways that trauma impacts survivors, as well as the difficulty of identifying who is to blame in a system built to cause harm and take choices away.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicide and Pedophilia
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