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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
I could not put this book down, and powered through it in a (long) evening.
Serendipity "Pity" Jones lives on a commune with her father and brothers after the Second Civil War, but when her father decides to ship her off to become someone's bride, she flees, taking her deceased mother's prized pair of revolvers. Things don't exactly go as planned, and she ends up in Cessation, a city just beyond the reach of the government. There, she's brought to Selene, who gives her a chance to prove her worth at the Theatre Vespertine, which is full of death-defying acts. If Pity can give the audience a show, she can stay. Pity finds her place and gains a family of sorts in Casimir's employees (Casimir being the brothel/gaming hall run by a woman named Selene), only to find it all crumbling around her when a presidential hopeful comes to town, trying to secure Selene's backing to win the election.
Pity is a nuanced character, strong due to her upbringing, and flawed like any human being. Lyndsay Ely does a wonderful job with all her characters, giving them depth with histories that may only be hinted at and motivations that are complex. The tension is drawn out really well, with plenty of surprises along the way. And the worldbuilding is amazing, from the harsh life on the commune to the dirty alleys and enticing storefronts of Cessation, to the glittering, extravagant world of Casimir. Gunslinger Girl is an interesting mix of sci-fi, western, and dystopia, with a great main character, some romance, and a whole lot of intrigue. Highly recommended.
Serendipity "Pity" Jones lives on a commune with her father and brothers after the Second Civil War, but when her father decides to ship her off to become someone's bride, she flees, taking her deceased mother's prized pair of revolvers. Things don't exactly go as planned, and she ends up in Cessation, a city just beyond the reach of the government. There, she's brought to Selene, who gives her a chance to prove her worth at the Theatre Vespertine, which is full of death-defying acts. If Pity can give the audience a show, she can stay. Pity finds her place and gains a family of sorts in Casimir's employees (Casimir being the brothel/gaming hall run by a woman named Selene), only to find it all crumbling around her when a presidential hopeful comes to town, trying to secure Selene's backing to win the election.
Pity is a nuanced character, strong due to her upbringing, and flawed like any human being. Lyndsay Ely does a wonderful job with all her characters, giving them depth with histories that may only be hinted at and motivations that are complex. The tension is drawn out really well, with plenty of surprises along the way. And the worldbuilding is amazing, from the harsh life on the commune to the dirty alleys and enticing storefronts of Cessation, to the glittering, extravagant world of Casimir. Gunslinger Girl is an interesting mix of sci-fi, western, and dystopia, with a great main character, some romance, and a whole lot of intrigue. Highly recommended.
Reading Women Challenge 2019: A Book You Picked Up Because of the Cover
3.5☆ The cover just screams powerful woman to me and Serendipity Jones is just that. She doesn't let her past define what she is capable of in life. Set after the second Civil War, this #YA #dystopian had a storyline that kept me guessing. Who was crossing whom? Who was really in charge? I even liked the ending even though I am a romantic at heart. Sometimes love doesn't triumph.
3.5☆ The cover just screams powerful woman to me and Serendipity Jones is just that. She doesn't let her past define what she is capable of in life. Set after the second Civil War, this #YA #dystopian had a storyline that kept me guessing. Who was crossing whom? Who was really in charge? I even liked the ending even though I am a romantic at heart. Sometimes love doesn't triumph.
I think this is the first book I've really enjoyed in a really long time, which made me really happy because I've been in a slump for a very long time.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, I thought maybe it would be similar to Vengeance Road? But it really isn't. Like, at all.
The only thing unfortunate about this book is the cover, which looks like it was done by an amateur, and doesn't really represent the book well.
This book is both dystopian and futuristic wild west. The world building wasn't actually that great because the reason for the second Civil War and what year it is or even where we are in the novel isn't that clear. But I didn't really care because the main focus of the book is on our Gunslinger Girl. Pity is a fantastic character who - unlike a lot of characters nowadays - has a lot of common sense. She does grow through the novel and becomes a bolder, fiercer, and meaner person... and yes, that's a good thing.
I liked the supporting characters and the romance as well. The romance was really well paced and the characters feelings and the build-up were nicely written.
Overall, great book if you like westerns and dystopias.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book, I thought maybe it would be similar to Vengeance Road? But it really isn't. Like, at all.
The only thing unfortunate about this book is the cover, which looks like it was done by an amateur, and doesn't really represent the book well.
This book is both dystopian and futuristic wild west. The world building wasn't actually that great because the reason for the second Civil War and what year it is or even where we are in the novel isn't that clear. But I didn't really care because the main focus of the book is on our Gunslinger Girl. Pity is a fantastic character who - unlike a lot of characters nowadays - has a lot of common sense. She does grow through the novel and becomes a bolder, fiercer, and meaner person... and yes, that's a good thing.
I liked the supporting characters and the romance as well. The romance was really well paced and the characters feelings and the build-up were nicely written.
Overall, great book if you like westerns and dystopias.
It’s a pretty fun book. Not groundbreaking but it kept me entertained and I really wanted to know how it ended.
DNF
I didn't have high hopes for this book, but it was on (say it with me) Overdrive available now. I thought it could at least be fun, campy action.
What action?
This is a western without the west, or really anything so far to make it feel like one. Instead our hero runs away from home and joins a circus. Like.... wut? And then we spend pages and pages getting to know the other performers and watching their acts and practicing the MC's act and it was so BORING! Holy shit is it boring. I expected bad writing (it's not great) I expected camp... instead it's a snore fest! Not gonna keep going.
I didn't have high hopes for this book, but it was on (say it with me) Overdrive available now. I thought it could at least be fun, campy action.
What action?
This is a western without the west, or really anything so far to make it feel like one. Instead our hero runs away from home and joins a circus. Like.... wut? And then we spend pages and pages getting to know the other performers and watching their acts and practicing the MC's act and it was so BORING! Holy shit is it boring. I expected bad writing (it's not great) I expected camp... instead it's a snore fest! Not gonna keep going.
I loved this book so very much if the author ends up continuing the story then I am all for it I really liked the Western type story so very much. I really liked the characters especially Pity and Max they were so well written and I really loved their romance. The story was so very interesting I really liked the Western aspect of the story it made for a really entertaining story. So overall this was a really good book I will most definitely read more if the author decides to continue it.
well......
this book was not necessarily how the description read on amazon, and normally if the book is still good i pay that part no mind, however this had the very slimming of a western theme. i was super intrigued by the plot and couldn't wait to read this but it was much more dystopian with maybe a tiny bit of western influence. it was also very much like any other ya book out there, the characters and plot are bland and simple, and maybe the actual young adults who this book is aimed towards like that, so if youre looking for that here's the book for you! despite that, i liked the ending and this the sequel it set up is far more interesting then the entirety of this book. like if you say a western dystopia, why make it in a city and a theater LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok
this book was not necessarily how the description read on amazon, and normally if the book is still good i pay that part no mind, however this had the very slimming of a western theme. i was super intrigued by the plot and couldn't wait to read this but it was much more dystopian with maybe a tiny bit of western influence. it was also very much like any other ya book out there, the characters and plot are bland and simple, and maybe the actual young adults who this book is aimed towards like that, so if youre looking for that here's the book for you! despite that, i liked the ending and this the sequel it set up is far more interesting then the entirety of this book. like if you say a western dystopia, why make it in a city and a theater LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok
The cross between a western and dystopia made for an intriguing setting. Overall, I quite enjoyed this book, with plenty of action, a mystery or two, and quite the journey for our main character to go through. That said, one of the more significant incidents at the beginning of the book could be seen miles off (I actually said aloud, "Please do not go in this direction," several pages before it actually happened). I still wish that hadn't happened because it felt unnecessary and gratuitous. Oh well, once we got past that there was plenty to explore and see. An interesting take, with a fitting ending for the style.