The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
Published 1st October 2019 by Hot Key Books
Star Rating - ***.5
Goodreads Challenge - 50/50
I was kindly gifted an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis (from Goodreads)
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.
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
I was really excited about this one, I'd seen quite a bit of hype around this book and the synopsis was really intriguing to me however, unfortunately I think my expectations were a little bit too high and I was a little bit disappointed overall.
As I said the synopsis sounded super intriguing and I did enjoy the overall plot in the end. There is a big focus throughout this book on fighting back against societal expectations and I really liked that about this story. The themes in this book are really important however, I think the execution let it down a little bit. The writing style was okay, it was descriptive and reasonably paced but the plot was quite predictable in places. There were things that happened in the plot that seemed very coincidental and seemed like they were only there to move the plot along. I also felt the ending was quite rushed. There was a big build up and our main characters were travelling on a long journey that lasted the majority of the book and then all of a sudden everything was wrapped up in a few pages.
I did enjoy the characters though. Each of our cast of characters brought something different to the story and I really liked that about them. I particularly liked Aster, who I would say is our main character. She's described in the synopsis as the protector and I completely agree with that statement. She's strong and determined and strives to keep everyone safe. I loved the development of her character alongside Zee as he challenges her view on men and she learns to trust him. As I said the other characters all brought something individual to the story too however, none of them were as strong as Aster.
Overall I enjoyed the story and I really liked the characters but the predictable nature of the plot and the rushed ending left this one feeling a bit lacklustre for me.
As I said the synopsis sounded super intriguing and I did enjoy the overall plot in the end. There is a big focus throughout this book on fighting back against societal expectations and I really liked that about this story. The themes in this book are really important however, I think the execution let it down a little bit. The writing style was okay, it was descriptive and reasonably paced but the plot was quite predictable in places. There were things that happened in the plot that seemed very coincidental and seemed like they were only there to move the plot along. I also felt the ending was quite rushed. There was a big build up and our main characters were travelling on a long journey that lasted the majority of the book and then all of a sudden everything was wrapped up in a few pages.
I did enjoy the characters though. Each of our cast of characters brought something different to the story and I really liked that about them. I particularly liked Aster, who I would say is our main character. She's described in the synopsis as the protector and I completely agree with that statement. She's strong and determined and strives to keep everyone safe. I loved the development of her character alongside Zee as he challenges her view on men and she learns to trust him. As I said the other characters all brought something individual to the story too however, none of them were as strong as Aster.
Overall I enjoyed the story and I really liked the characters but the predictable nature of the plot and the rushed ending left this one feeling a bit lacklustre for me.
Trigger Warnings - sexual assault and sex trafficking
Overall Rating (3.5*)
Great review. I really appreciate the trigger warnings.
ReplyDeleteNice review
ReplyDeleteWell done - I know how hard this type of review is to write and you came through like a boss!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, I'm finding that some authors seem to be following other books plots. It's like another book did well so I will write my book with a similar plot (A bit like romance books with the moody guy who the protagonist ends up with). As a reader I always want books that are different, not using the same plot line as others.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really helpful honest review. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat honest review I'm sorry this book was a bit disappointing for you but glad overall you enjoyed this book. I hope your next read is a much better one for you to read. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the honest review
ReplyDelete