Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Review: The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

About the Book

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis 
Published on October 1, 2019 by Tor Teen

GoodReads Description

Westworld meets The Handmaid's Tale in this stunning fantasy adventure from debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis.

Aster, the protector
Violet, the favorite
Tansy, the medic
Mallow, the fighter
Clementine, the catalyst

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS

The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls--they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a "welcome house" as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.

When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

My Thoughts

What an exciting novel!  It was a combination of Joss Whedon's Firefly, The Handmaid's Tale, and Maze Runner.  This piece is difficult to review because I liked a lot, but I also didn't like some of the same things that I liked.  My opinions and preferences definitely made my job as a reviewer more challenging. I am really hoping that Davis comes out with a sequel soon.

What I Liked

  • The characterization amazed me.  I loved getting to know each character, especially Aster.  This strong heroine and her gang were described more wonderfully than several of the other characters I've read about this year.  Davis has a talent for only releasing information when it's important to the tale.  Her skills of "showing not telling" are especially evident when we learn about Mallow's relationship.  What a skilled author!
  • I truly appreciate that the characterization in this piece extends even to the minor characters.  So many authors will write their minor characters as both flat and static.  It was interesting to see more dynamic minor characters.

What I Didn't Like As Much

  • Arketta fascinates me.  I would have liked to learn more about it, however.  As a place where the history is so vital to the story, the world building is absolutely lacking.  I think this would have been a more engaging novel if the world building was more complete.
  • I flew through the sections about Zee and Clem because I didn't feel like they were very realistic.  This is one romance that felt rushed and forced.  I would be interested to see more development in this relationship in a sequel.

My Rating