Scan barcode
letsgolesbians's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Medical content, Racism, Death of parent, Violence, Colonisation, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
theeuphoriczat's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to #Pridebooktours for making this book available to me.
Check out my review of the first book- I laid down the basic magic and power imbalance in Arketta.
Trigger Warning
I will start this book with a long list of Trigger warnings because this duology has so much that it would be wrong for me to recommend it without a proper list
1. Murder
2. Rape
3. Arson
4. Slavery
5. Child Abuse and Statutory rape
6. Human Trafficking
7. Kidnapping
8. Gore [Hanging, Skin burning e.t.c.]
9. Blood purity
10. PTSD
11. Torture
There are probably a couple more but these are the ones that I could think off when I was reading the book.
Now that is out of the way, let me tell you why this should be you next read.
The girls found the lady ghost (happens to be an underground operation that helps good luck girls cross the border into Ferron for a better life. Aster joins the Lady Ghost while the rest of her friends and sister moved on. Except Violet who was left behind when they were last captured by McClennon. At the start of this book, we find out that McClennon lied that the girls were killed when he captured them and that seemed to have calmed his people down while he saved face. He soon announced that he was going to open more Welcome houses and that girls would have their first night at the age of 13! Yes I said Thirteen. That man needed to be hanging by his balls (I don't give sh*t). Anyways, Aster finds out that Violet was still alive and she scales up floors to go find her.
This is when we realised that Violet also had a plan and it involved the young McClennon son, Derrick. Derrick was giving us typical white saviour vibes in the the first half of this book. I mean, he wanted to help out the Good Luck Girls but he was not ready to accept and acknowledge the privileged life he had lived at the expense of the girls. I loved how the author was able to touch on that without making it mean out of place in the story.
I do not want to spoil it but a lot of stuff happened in this book you really need to read it. I was turning pages so fast with this one. Now for one of my favourite things about this book, the love quadrilateral relationship between Aster, Eli, Violet and Derrick! Gosh, I loved the way trauma and sexuality was handled in this book. It definitely brought the topic to the fore front.
Do same sex relationship stem from trauma experienced from the opposite sex? - While this might be a flaming question in a lot of circles, the way it was addressed in this book gave me a different perspective. Aster like Eli a lot and you could tell from the first book. But her relationship with him was uncomfortable for her because of PTSD from her time at the Welcome House (which is understandable). One would suggest that with a bit therapy she would be able to manage her PTSD, but when you read the relationship with Derrick who she had no feelings for whatsoever, you could tell that the discomfort was when she was with Eli and not just around men in general (not to say that she was not hypervigilant around men). - At this point in my reasoning, I started to think 'Maybe she is fluid or she is Bi or Pan' my thoughts went wide and honestly (because I am selfish) I wanted her to have both Eli and Violet.
But when she was with Violet who she had once hated, she could relax. She could be herself, she could share her problems and her disappoints. With Violet a lot of things became very easy. Touching was easy, she was not hypervigilant, she was comfort. But she did not know that she was into Violet until it Raven pointed it to her. The panic she felt was the confirmation that she need. She got defensive and lashed out at Raven but once she took time to think about it. It was no longer about her trauma and her past at the Welcome House but about her future and who she felt herself around.
This book is just genius.
There are other topics that this book address, things like 'Wealthy and Religion, Privilege, Fear, Love, Relationships, Acceptance. Honestly, I could go on and one with this book but I will stop here to avoid more spoilers
My favourite quote from this book "Our suffering became their currency. They get rich off it. And they say it's all justified because we're criminals"
This just spoke to me so deeply. I felt it in my bones.
While this book was a good conclusion to the story, I am itching for more!
Check out my review of the first book- I laid down the basic magic and power imbalance in Arketta.
Trigger Warning
I will start this book with a long list of Trigger warnings because this duology has so much that it would be wrong for me to recommend it without a proper list
1. Murder
2. Rape
3. Arson
4. Slavery
5. Child Abuse and Statutory rape
6. Human Trafficking
7. Kidnapping
8. Gore [Hanging, Skin burning e.t.c.]
9. Blood purity
10. PTSD
11. Torture
There are probably a couple more but these are the ones that I could think off when I was reading the book.
Now that is out of the way, let me tell you why this should be you next read.
The girls found the lady ghost (happens to be an underground operation that helps good luck girls cross the border into Ferron for a better life. Aster joins the Lady Ghost while the rest of her friends and sister moved on. Except Violet who was left behind when they were last captured by McClennon. At the start of this book, we find out that McClennon lied that the girls were killed when he captured them and that seemed to have calmed his people down while he saved face. He soon announced that he was going to open more Welcome houses and that girls would have their first night at the age of 13! Yes I said Thirteen. That man needed to be hanging by his balls (I don't give sh*t). Anyways, Aster finds out that Violet was still alive and she scales up floors to go find her.
This is when we realised that Violet also had a plan and it involved the young McClennon son, Derrick. Derrick was giving us typical white saviour vibes in the the first half of this book. I mean, he wanted to help out the Good Luck Girls but he was not ready to accept and acknowledge the privileged life he had lived at the expense of the girls. I loved how the author was able to touch on that without making it mean out of place in the story.
I do not want to spoil it but a lot of stuff happened in this book you really need to read it. I was turning pages so fast with this one. Now for one of my favourite things about this book, the love quadrilateral relationship between Aster, Eli, Violet and Derrick! Gosh, I loved the way trauma and sexuality was handled in this book. It definitely brought the topic to the fore front.
Do same sex relationship stem from trauma experienced from the opposite sex? - While this might be a flaming question in a lot of circles, the way it was addressed in this book gave me a different perspective. Aster like Eli a lot and you could tell from the first book. But her relationship with him was uncomfortable for her because of PTSD from her time at the Welcome House (which is understandable). One would suggest that with a bit therapy she would be able to manage her PTSD, but when you read the relationship with Derrick who she had no feelings for whatsoever, you could tell that the discomfort was when she was with Eli and not just around men in general (not to say that she was not hypervigilant around men). - At this point in my reasoning, I started to think 'Maybe she is fluid or she is Bi or Pan' my thoughts went wide and honestly (because I am selfish) I wanted her to have both Eli and Violet.
But when she was with Violet who she had once hated, she could relax. She could be herself, she could share her problems and her disappoints. With Violet a lot of things became very easy. Touching was easy, she was not hypervigilant, she was comfort. But she did not know that she was into Violet until it Raven pointed it to her. The panic she felt was the confirmation that she need. She got defensive and lashed out at Raven but once she took time to think about it. It was no longer about her trauma and her past at the Welcome House but about her future and who she felt herself around.
This book is just genius.
There are other topics that this book address, things like 'Wealthy and Religion, Privilege, Fear, Love, Relationships, Acceptance. Honestly, I could go on and one with this book but I will stop here to avoid more spoilers
My favourite quote from this book "Our suffering became their currency. They get rich off it. And they say it's all justified because we're criminals"
This just spoke to me so deeply. I felt it in my bones.
While this book was a good conclusion to the story, I am itching for more!
kleonard's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the first book in this series and was pretty happy with the sequel until the very end. After all of the work the women and men of the story go through to begin a resistance movement--and all of the storytelling build up that entails--the author gives readers a cop-out ending: the people rise up with little harm to them and the bad guys just give up, and give up very quickly. It feels like Davis hit the limit for her word count and slapped on a quick, short ending.
The characters are interesting and diverse, and their relationships with one another are satisfying. I liked the metaphors and actualities of the lives of those living underground, and how Davis clearly built a large world for these books. The detail with which all of this is created is excellent. But the book felt like the second in a trilogy, building up to what I thought would lead into another book about the revolution the characters were fomenting. The abrupt ending was an unpleasant surprise. Alas.
The characters are interesting and diverse, and their relationships with one another are satisfying. I liked the metaphors and actualities of the lives of those living underground, and how Davis clearly built a large world for these books. The detail with which all of this is created is excellent. But the book felt like the second in a trilogy, building up to what I thought would lead into another book about the revolution the characters were fomenting. The abrupt ending was an unpleasant surprise. Alas.
agentbartxn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
space_bandit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
midnightinsomnia's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
abrittlebee's review against another edition
After reading The Good Luck Girls last year, I was incredibly curious where the sequel would take this unique world that’s a blend of fantasy and western. While The Sisters of Reckoning was an improvement in writing quality, it was also an unprecedented shift away from the group dynamic that made the first novel so memorable. However, despite being a tonal divergence to a more personal journey narrative, The Sisters of Reckoning maintains the excitement and addictive readability of its predecessor.
Initially, when I read The Good Luck Girls, I was disappointed by the plot’s dependence on macguffins. Thankfully, such devices were all but absent in The Sisters of Reckoning, marking a vast improvement in the layout of the plot.Yet, the plot itself felt simplistic when compared to the events of the first book. This is a fairly standard rebellion story. Outlaw freedom fighters rallying various oppressed allies to bring about an end to tyranny. It’s not a new type of narrative, but it does do the archetype justice in being engaging and entertaining in the process.
Personally, I did miss the group dynamic of the girls themselves. Aster, Clem, Violet, Mallow, and Tansy are all present, but the book is very focussed on the personal journey of Aster, even more-so than the first was. This forced most of the other girls into the role of “side characters,” so the banter and camaraderie wasn’t as prevalent. While some may like this shift, because it allows for more of a significant character arc, I kind of missed that badass girl gang attitude that was so rampant in the first novel.
Overall, I would still recommend The Sisters of Reckoning if you enjoyed the world or the rebel story quality of the first book.
Initially, when I read The Good Luck Girls, I was disappointed by the plot’s dependence on macguffins. Thankfully, such devices were all but absent in The Sisters of Reckoning, marking a vast improvement in the layout of the plot.Yet, the plot itself felt simplistic when compared to the events of the first book. This is a fairly standard rebellion story. Outlaw freedom fighters rallying various oppressed allies to bring about an end to tyranny. It’s not a new type of narrative, but it does do the archetype justice in being engaging and entertaining in the process.
Personally, I did miss the group dynamic of the girls themselves. Aster, Clem, Violet, Mallow, and Tansy are all present, but the book is very focussed on the personal journey of Aster, even more-so than the first was. This forced most of the other girls into the role of “side characters,” so the banter and camaraderie wasn’t as prevalent. While some may like this shift, because it allows for more of a significant character arc, I kind of missed that badass girl gang attitude that was so rampant in the first novel.
Overall, I would still recommend The Sisters of Reckoning if you enjoyed the world or the rebel story quality of the first book.
someonetookit's review against another edition
4.0
This one seemed slower than its predecessor for some reason. It could be that it was indeed less punchy or it could also be my current inability to fully immerse myself in a narrative due to many reasons including having moved an entire house within the past 10 days.
Overall, I was happy with the story but also a tad disappointed with some of the content. Definitely worth a read if you loved Goodluck Girls but also I feel it had a little bit of second story syndrome.
Overall, I was happy with the story but also a tad disappointed with some of the content. Definitely worth a read if you loved Goodluck Girls but also I feel it had a little bit of second story syndrome.
purplejasmine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
schreibratte's review against another edition
5.0
Ähnlich wie Band 1 war auch hier das erstmalige Leseerlebnis für mich sehr aufregend und mitreißend - ich habe mit Aster und den Lady Ghosts mitgefiebert, habe das Wiedersehen mit alten Freundinnen gefeiert und mit allen gelitten, die den Kampf gegen die Ungerechtigkeiten in Arketta aufgenommen haben bzw. einfach nicht ruhen lassen konnten.
Aster bleibt weiter eine unglaublich starke Figur, deren Selbstaufopferung für andere hier aber auch kritisch kommentiert wird. Nach wie vor hat mir das Gespann Aster-Violet am besten gefallen, einfach weil beide so unglaublich viel miteinander durchgemacht haben, dass sie sich auf einer Ebene verstehen, an die andere nicht rankommen. Sehr schön fand ich entsprechend eine Erkenntnis relativ am Schluss ...
Die Reihe bleibt sehr divers, ohne es in dem Setting Arketta je als queer/divers oder trans zu bezeichnen. Ich bin zwar am Ende nicht ganz sicher, als was ich heute wen identifizieren würde, aber das spielt auch keine große Rolle. Die Figuren sind es, die es zum Leben bringen und die mit ihrem Kampf mitziehen und begeistern. Große Empfehlung für diese Reihe - für mich am ehesten vergleichbar mit "Dread Nation".
Aster bleibt weiter eine unglaublich starke Figur, deren Selbstaufopferung für andere hier aber auch kritisch kommentiert wird. Nach wie vor hat mir das Gespann Aster-Violet am besten gefallen, einfach weil beide so unglaublich viel miteinander durchgemacht haben, dass sie sich auf einer Ebene verstehen, an die andere nicht rankommen. Sehr schön fand ich entsprechend eine Erkenntnis relativ am Schluss ...
Die Reihe bleibt sehr divers, ohne es in dem Setting Arketta je als queer/divers oder trans zu bezeichnen. Ich bin zwar am Ende nicht ganz sicher, als was ich heute wen identifizieren würde, aber das spielt auch keine große Rolle. Die Figuren sind es, die es zum Leben bringen und die mit ihrem Kampf mitziehen und begeistern. Große Empfehlung für diese Reihe - für mich am ehesten vergleichbar mit "Dread Nation".