A fast-paced feminist fantasy and action debut with relevant parallels to the twenty-first century.
As an adult reader of neither fantasy nor action novels I certainly wasn’t expecting to be thoroughly engaged and inordinately impressed by the scope of this debut YA novel. Billed as a Wild West take on The Handmaid’s Tale, The Good Luck Girls is the ambitious concept of Charlotte Nicole Davis and focuses on the modern day sex slaves whose lives are controlled by the rich and powerful to inspire a story about underdogs fighting for their due.
The novel throws the reader straight into the midst of action with good luck girl, Clementine (Clem), celebrating her sixteenth birthday and spending her ‘lucky night’ entertaining a ‘brag’ (male customer) in order to become a sundown girl at the Green Creek welcome house alongside her older sister, Aster. When Clem’s lucky night ends abruptly with the man who has secured her services through an auction bid dead, Aster knows that it leaves her and her sister with little choice but to attempt to escaping and go on the run or pay with their lives in the post-Empire country of Arketta.
Knowing the chances of successfully making it beyond the guarded wall that surrounds the village are minimal their only hope for survival rests on locating ‘Lady Ghost’, a woman with the ability to rid them of their favors (tattoos) that brand them. With the existence of Lady Ghost largely considered a myth, standoffish Violet, born into the welcome house and Mother Fleur’s favourite, swears she knows her location and will take them there. Disliked by Aster and accompanied by Clem’s close friends Tansy and Mallow the posse are left with no choice but to allow Violet to join their bid for escape. Meeting a friendly rangeman called Zee who offers them safe passage across a lawless patch of terrain known as the ‘Scab’ their indecision over whether to trust him falls by the wayside when the identity of Clem’s wealthy victim comes to light and the stakes are raised even higher.. But what is Violet‘s motivation for wanting out of the welcome house and can the others trust her, and is Zee as sincere as he appears?
Feisty Aster is the unofficial leader of the group whose fiercely protective attitude towards her sister and suspicious nature sees her question everything and reluctant to trust Zee. The entire story is narrated from Aster’s point of view and it works well, giving the story a focal point. Whilst Clem is patient with her domineering sister a growing friendship with Zee tests their relationship, meanwhile caring Mallow and Tansy are almost anonymous. Aster struggles to control the anger within her and along with Violet is the most developed with the story relaying the events which have shaped them, making Aster’s inherent suspicion and Violet’s propensity to lash out with spiteful words understandable.
With the prospect of entertaining brags until they are old enough to retire the good luck girls are one of the subjugated underclasses of Arketta, a country where it is nigh on impossible to improve ones station and in order to survive families often have no choice but to enslave their daughters. Groomed by a crone of a housemistress, Mother Fleur, and branded with a tattoo which marks them out as property of the welcome house a group of ‘raveners’ who possess the ability to bewitch and torment the girls with a glance keep order.
As an adult reader I enjoyed this story immensely and despite the predictability of the numerous close scrapes which the girls were confronted by I was invested every step of the way. Not only has Charlotte Nicole Davis created a fantasy world with apt parallels to the present day the novel addresses a multitude of issues in a fresh and accessible way. From gender, class and financial inequality to same sex romance to the shackles that handicaps the poor and female from the moment of birth. The novel includes a mixture of mystery, adventure and self-discovery as all of the group share their own histories and these elements sustain the tension throughout. The ending is disappointingly abrupt, however with a sequel in the works it offers a chance to follow each of the girl individual journeys in depth. Admittedly Mallow and Tansy are both underdeveloped and feel like a diversity inclusion and Clem and Zee’s growing relationship was a bum note is a book which showcases girl power.
Female empowerment and girl power with a cast of diverse characters with the heart to fight for their rights and prepared to take risks - sisterhood, solidarity and a fantasy thriller to inspire! Although this is a YA novel it does contain sensitive material and trigger warnings aplenty from the off and so if read alone it would probably be best suited to the 14+ age group.
The novel throws the reader straight into the midst of action with good luck girl, Clementine (Clem), celebrating her sixteenth birthday and spending her ‘lucky night’ entertaining a ‘brag’ (male customer) in order to become a sundown girl at the Green Creek welcome house alongside her older sister, Aster. When Clem’s lucky night ends abruptly with the man who has secured her services through an auction bid dead, Aster knows that it leaves her and her sister with little choice but to attempt to escaping and go on the run or pay with their lives in the post-Empire country of Arketta.
Knowing the chances of successfully making it beyond the guarded wall that surrounds the village are minimal their only hope for survival rests on locating ‘Lady Ghost’, a woman with the ability to rid them of their favors (tattoos) that brand them. With the existence of Lady Ghost largely considered a myth, standoffish Violet, born into the welcome house and Mother Fleur’s favourite, swears she knows her location and will take them there. Disliked by Aster and accompanied by Clem’s close friends Tansy and Mallow the posse are left with no choice but to allow Violet to join their bid for escape. Meeting a friendly rangeman called Zee who offers them safe passage across a lawless patch of terrain known as the ‘Scab’ their indecision over whether to trust him falls by the wayside when the identity of Clem’s wealthy victim comes to light and the stakes are raised even higher.. But what is Violet‘s motivation for wanting out of the welcome house and can the others trust her, and is Zee as sincere as he appears?
Feisty Aster is the unofficial leader of the group whose fiercely protective attitude towards her sister and suspicious nature sees her question everything and reluctant to trust Zee. The entire story is narrated from Aster’s point of view and it works well, giving the story a focal point. Whilst Clem is patient with her domineering sister a growing friendship with Zee tests their relationship, meanwhile caring Mallow and Tansy are almost anonymous. Aster struggles to control the anger within her and along with Violet is the most developed with the story relaying the events which have shaped them, making Aster’s inherent suspicion and Violet’s propensity to lash out with spiteful words understandable.
With the prospect of entertaining brags until they are old enough to retire the good luck girls are one of the subjugated underclasses of Arketta, a country where it is nigh on impossible to improve ones station and in order to survive families often have no choice but to enslave their daughters. Groomed by a crone of a housemistress, Mother Fleur, and branded with a tattoo which marks them out as property of the welcome house a group of ‘raveners’ who possess the ability to bewitch and torment the girls with a glance keep order.
As an adult reader I enjoyed this story immensely and despite the predictability of the numerous close scrapes which the girls were confronted by I was invested every step of the way. Not only has Charlotte Nicole Davis created a fantasy world with apt parallels to the present day the novel addresses a multitude of issues in a fresh and accessible way. From gender, class and financial inequality to same sex romance to the shackles that handicaps the poor and female from the moment of birth. The novel includes a mixture of mystery, adventure and self-discovery as all of the group share their own histories and these elements sustain the tension throughout. The ending is disappointingly abrupt, however with a sequel in the works it offers a chance to follow each of the girl individual journeys in depth. Admittedly Mallow and Tansy are both underdeveloped and feel like a diversity inclusion and Clem and Zee’s growing relationship was a bum note is a book which showcases girl power.
Female empowerment and girl power with a cast of diverse characters with the heart to fight for their rights and prepared to take risks - sisterhood, solidarity and a fantasy thriller to inspire! Although this is a YA novel it does contain sensitive material and trigger warnings aplenty from the off and so if read alone it would probably be best suited to the 14+ age group.