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sarah984's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is everything I wanted from a sequel to The Good Luck Girls. It feels like the author read my mind.
This book takes the world created in the first book and expands it, showing the systemic issues underneath and all the groups trying to stop them. The Good Luck Girls was a group of scrappy teens fighting for survival, this is them teaming up with other downtrodden people to change the world.
I enjoyed the western trappings (the bar brawl was so fun), the new characters were great, and while I did feel the romantic drama in the middle dragged a bit, I like how it ended up.
If you liked the first one I would definitely recommend this.
This book takes the world created in the first book and expands it, showing the systemic issues underneath and all the groups trying to stop them. The Good Luck Girls was a group of scrappy teens fighting for survival, this is them teaming up with other downtrodden people to change the world.
I enjoyed the western trappings (the bar brawl was so fun), the new characters were great, and while I did feel the romantic drama in the middle dragged a bit, I like how it ended up.
If you liked the first one I would definitely recommend this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Homophobia, Rape, Transphobia, and War
melaniereadsbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
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
4.25
Thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an arc of this book!
A few months after the events of The Good Luck Girls, Aster is helping the Lady Ghosts smuggle Good Luck Girls across the border to Ferron. But new developments with the Welcome Houses and the reappearance of Violet make Aster decide she needs to get things done faster than the Lady Ghosts are willing. The gang from the first book are back along with a few new faces as the Reckoners fight for the good of dustbloods everywhere.
I really loved this sequel! I thought it picked up in a good place--not too far from the ending of the original, but far enough that it warranted a separate book. I loved a particular relationship that happened that I can't say because spoilers, but I am VERY pleased with it. I thought the plot of this one was exciting and loved all the characters and the revolution!
I think this book could have benefitted from alternate pov's. While I love Aster, there were times when the pace of this book felt significantly slowed down because the main action was happening with someone else. If there had been a few pov's from other people it would have been able to keep the tempo going!
I also felt the ending wasn't paced greatly...It drug out for a while and then ended very abruptly. I did like how it ended and the resolution, just didn't love the pacing. I also wasn't a huge fan of the epilogue because I almost never like those, but this one wasn't too bad!
The strongest points of this duology are definitely the world-building, fantasy-western hybrid setting, and the themes. Davis does a wonderful job alegorizing slavery and indentured servitude here and I think the parallels between America's history and what is happening in Arketta are so well done. I loved this duology and definitely recommend it!
Pub date: August 10, 2021
A few months after the events of The Good Luck Girls, Aster is helping the Lady Ghosts smuggle Good Luck Girls across the border to Ferron. But new developments with the Welcome Houses and the reappearance of Violet make Aster decide she needs to get things done faster than the Lady Ghosts are willing. The gang from the first book are back along with a few new faces as the Reckoners fight for the good of dustbloods everywhere.
I really loved this sequel! I thought it picked up in a good place--not too far from the ending of the original, but far enough that it warranted a separate book. I loved a particular relationship that happened that I can't say because spoilers, but I am VERY pleased with it. I thought the plot of this one was exciting and loved all the characters and the revolution!
I think this book could have benefitted from alternate pov's. While I love Aster, there were times when the pace of this book felt significantly slowed down because the main action was happening with someone else. If there had been a few pov's from other people it would have been able to keep the tempo going!
I also felt the ending wasn't paced greatly...It drug out for a while and then ended very abruptly. I did like how it ended and the resolution, just didn't love the pacing. I also wasn't a huge fan of the epilogue because I almost never like those, but this one wasn't too bad!
The strongest points of this duology are definitely the world-building, fantasy-western hybrid setting, and the themes. Davis does a wonderful job alegorizing slavery and indentured servitude here and I think the parallels between America's history and what is happening in Arketta are so well done. I loved this duology and definitely recommend it!
Pub date: August 10, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Transphobia
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