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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gunslinger Girl wasn't quite what I had expected. Looking at the cover and reading the description, I'd really thought I was getting into more of a western story with this one. What I ended up with was a bit dystopian, a bit carnival, with lots of fun thrown in. It honestly reminded me of when Katniss arrives in the Capital for the first time in The Hunger Games!
I loved the beginning of Gunslinger Girl. It's exciting right from the first chapter, and really pulled me into the story. I loved the setting, the main character, and even the side characters were fun(although the romance never quite did it for me). But despite a strong beginning, I felt like things slowed down in the middle and then never really picked back up for the third act. While the climax was fun to read, it didn't really feel big enough to be to hold the end of the book. And I definitely saw several of the big reveals coming, so that might have taken away from my excitement at the end. The cliffhanger was really good, leaving things very open for a sequel to go in whatever direction the author chooses.
Gunslinger Girl would be good for fans of The Hunger Games or The Darkest Minds who are looking for something fun and easy to read. It has a strong female lead that I really loved, and I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for Pity in future books.
I loved the beginning of Gunslinger Girl. It's exciting right from the first chapter, and really pulled me into the story. I loved the setting, the main character, and even the side characters were fun(although the romance never quite did it for me). But despite a strong beginning, I felt like things slowed down in the middle and then never really picked back up for the third act. While the climax was fun to read, it didn't really feel big enough to be to hold the end of the book. And I definitely saw several of the big reveals coming, so that might have taken away from my excitement at the end. The cliffhanger was really good, leaving things very open for a sequel to go in whatever direction the author chooses.
Gunslinger Girl would be good for fans of The Hunger Games or The Darkest Minds who are looking for something fun and easy to read. It has a strong female lead that I really loved, and I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for Pity in future books.
Serendipity Jones lives with a father who doesn't respect anything she does. She inherited some revolvers and killer aim from her mom, but there's not much use for her talent. Her father decides to marry her off to another commune, so she decides to run away with her best friend to make a new life. On the way, her friend dies and Serendipity is captured by outlaws who decide to help her. She has the chance at a new life.
I didn't finish Gunslinger Girl. I ended around page 70 because I wasn't invested in the story. Serendipity Jones is a wet blanket of a protagonist. She's supposed to be this badass gunslinger and then doesn't follow through and is the least compelling character in her own story. Her best friend Finn is so much more interesting and gets killed off so early in the book. (I expect that she isn't really dead for a future twist.) Anyway, Serendipity is called Pity throughout the book which is just awful. This plot checks a lot of boxes that I like. However, it feels formulaic and dull. The criminals had really no reason to help her and then she descends into the hedonistic world of Cessation, the complete opposite of her restrictive upbringing. It's a clearly feminist novel, but in such an obvious, manufactured way that I didn't enjoy.
Gunslinger Girl has an interesting world where a second Civil War fractures the US into disparate factions. However, it wasn't enough to keep my interest. There are just so many other books I would love to read that this one felt like I was wasting time.
I didn't finish Gunslinger Girl. I ended around page 70 because I wasn't invested in the story. Serendipity Jones is a wet blanket of a protagonist. She's supposed to be this badass gunslinger and then doesn't follow through and is the least compelling character in her own story. Her best friend Finn is so much more interesting and gets killed off so early in the book. (I expect that she isn't really dead for a future twist.) Anyway, Serendipity is called Pity throughout the book which is just awful. This plot checks a lot of boxes that I like. However, it feels formulaic and dull. The criminals had really no reason to help her and then she descends into the hedonistic world of Cessation, the complete opposite of her restrictive upbringing. It's a clearly feminist novel, but in such an obvious, manufactured way that I didn't enjoy.
Gunslinger Girl has an interesting world where a second Civil War fractures the US into disparate factions. However, it wasn't enough to keep my interest. There are just so many other books I would love to read that this one felt like I was wasting time.
Holy cow this is fantastic! So many plot twists and turns. I loved this ride and I hope she writes more in this world.
If you look at the date I began this-- Jan 14th and the date finished which is today... You can see how invested I was in this book.
The premise was certainly interesting enough, which was a western meets dystopian. It had some truly unique and fascinating elements, which to me was the fact it was a theater/circus. I adore circus books, but this book... it had no power to truly keep me invested in the story.
The narrative to me was a touch dry and it never kept me interested enough to really engage and feel the need to learn more about each of the characters.
The romance wasn't drizzled through the book but was never in the front seat and it was just enough to tease us which maybe if there was more romance, more something it would have given me more reason to devour the pages.
The world elements were fascinating-- fertile females were sold off to camps like livestock, the world was in shambles and while it had elements of the wild west the government [CONA] rules over all and reminds you that it is, in fact, a dystopian novel.
As a whole, I found myself underwhelmed and unimpressed.
3 generous savvy crowns.
The premise was certainly interesting enough, which was a western meets dystopian. It had some truly unique and fascinating elements, which to me was the fact it was a theater/circus. I adore circus books, but this book... it had no power to truly keep me invested in the story.
The narrative to me was a touch dry and it never kept me interested enough to really engage and feel the need to learn more about each of the characters.
The romance wasn't drizzled through the book but was never in the front seat and it was just enough to tease us which maybe if there was more romance, more something it would have given me more reason to devour the pages.
The world elements were fascinating-- fertile females were sold off to camps like livestock, the world was in shambles and while it had elements of the wild west the government [CONA] rules over all and reminds you that it is, in fact, a dystopian novel.
As a whole, I found myself underwhelmed and unimpressed.
3 generous savvy crowns.
{4.5} Just like Pity and all the other residents of Casimir, the vibrant bustling city of Cessation and the theater drew me in right away. Lyndsay Ely wasn't afraid to take the story in a different direction with each new chapter, revealing something new and startling about the story. Our heroin is somewhat cliche, tough but with too large of conscience for her own good, but it's so easy to love Pity. Her flaws are not limited to the theater and her guns, but her personality and thoughts and choices are also pretty realistic. Pity wasn't the steeled heartless sharp-shooter I thought she might be, but she sure wasn't a star-crossed lover either. Not only Pity but all the characters had so many facets to them that also kept the story interesting, as it was difficult to pick sides or make a decision about who to trust. I truly loved the action-packed, organized chaos of Cessation, and all the different elements of the plot that went into this book. It never stayed on one issue for long to prevent the story from getting slow. My only issue with this book is that it jumped into the action so quickly, I never felt like the reader got a proper background of some of the terms used in the story, or a brief description of how the world became like it did. For the most part this was easy to deduce throughout the story, each chapter gave the reader a new puzzle piece to answering these questions, however in near the end I felt like I may have been missing some information regarding the world outside Cessation, and why Pity chose the side she did.
I bought this book on a whim at a discount place and had no clue what it was about. I liked the cover, that must count and I paid $2.99 for it. Then I made the big mistake of reading reviews and I had almost talked myself out of reading it, but with the world turning to crap outside, I thought I had nothing to lose.
I liked this book, I thought for a debut novel it was fantastic and I hope that Ms. Ely keeps on writing. I would read a sequel to this.
The only problem for me was that the characters didn't come to life as they were not described properly. There was no way to make a mental picture due to there not being any points on ages, skin colors, hair, etc.
I liked this book, I thought for a debut novel it was fantastic and I hope that Ms. Ely keeps on writing. I would read a sequel to this.
The only problem for me was that the characters didn't come to life as they were not described properly. There was no way to make a mental picture due to there not being any points on ages, skin colors, hair, etc.