A highly surprising novel that entertained from the first page....
I don’t normally read fantasy adventure stories but now and again I do like to push my genre boundaries and try something a little different. The premise of “The Good Luck Girls” by new author Charlotte Nicole Davis really intrigued me and I was keen to read this Wild West style YA fantasy story.
When Clementine comes of age at sixteen to become a sundown girl in a ‘welcome house’ in Green Creek, she has to entertain a ‘brag’ (male customer) for the night as part of her ‘Lucky Night’ ceremony. Unfortunately she accidentally kills her brag and knowing she will be punished fatally for the incident by ‘raveners’, bewitching and mind altering men, she goes on the run with her sister Aster and other ‘good luck girls’ - Violet, Tallow and Mansy. They meet up with Zee - a ‘rangeman’, who can assist them with their escape due to his knowledge of the woods but can he help them avoid capture and locate the Lady Ghost? She is the only person, myth has it, who can rid them of their cursed ‘favours’, tattoo like branding that will always give them away as good luck girls. They embark on a journey that is both fantastical and thrilling seeking freedom, justice and revenge. Sold as children they were trapped in an unsuspecting life they never would have chosen and its’s quite saddening to read how they are used‘sex slaves’ at such a young age. There’s lots of excitement and action in the story though to keep you thoroughly entertained and although primarily aimed at a YA audience there’s plenty to keep adults addicted to the book too. With tension and some emotional and sensitive content I wouldn’t recommend very young readers to read this but I can see this story being very popular with a female teen audience who enjoy fantasy fiction with a strong message at its core.
The characters are well developed and exceedingly likeable, though I would have liked to have read a little more on the relationship between Tallow and Mansy directly as it developed.
The author has based the story not on racism per se but about a black girl and her sister finding freedom and coming together to stand up against the rich and powerful. The author has produced a story that addresses darker themes in a subversive way that has you both questioning the system within the story and making you think about the world we live in at the same time.
This would make a cracking movie as it has all the hallmarks of a action packed fantasy thriller and I would love to see a sequel to the story to follow Clementine and Aster further on their fight for freedom.
4 stars
When Clementine comes of age at sixteen to become a sundown girl in a ‘welcome house’ in Green Creek, she has to entertain a ‘brag’ (male customer) for the night as part of her ‘Lucky Night’ ceremony. Unfortunately she accidentally kills her brag and knowing she will be punished fatally for the incident by ‘raveners’, bewitching and mind altering men, she goes on the run with her sister Aster and other ‘good luck girls’ - Violet, Tallow and Mansy. They meet up with Zee - a ‘rangeman’, who can assist them with their escape due to his knowledge of the woods but can he help them avoid capture and locate the Lady Ghost? She is the only person, myth has it, who can rid them of their cursed ‘favours’, tattoo like branding that will always give them away as good luck girls. They embark on a journey that is both fantastical and thrilling seeking freedom, justice and revenge. Sold as children they were trapped in an unsuspecting life they never would have chosen and its’s quite saddening to read how they are used‘sex slaves’ at such a young age. There’s lots of excitement and action in the story though to keep you thoroughly entertained and although primarily aimed at a YA audience there’s plenty to keep adults addicted to the book too. With tension and some emotional and sensitive content I wouldn’t recommend very young readers to read this but I can see this story being very popular with a female teen audience who enjoy fantasy fiction with a strong message at its core.
The characters are well developed and exceedingly likeable, though I would have liked to have read a little more on the relationship between Tallow and Mansy directly as it developed.
The author has based the story not on racism per se but about a black girl and her sister finding freedom and coming together to stand up against the rich and powerful. The author has produced a story that addresses darker themes in a subversive way that has you both questioning the system within the story and making you think about the world we live in at the same time.
This would make a cracking movie as it has all the hallmarks of a action packed fantasy thriller and I would love to see a sequel to the story to follow Clementine and Aster further on their fight for freedom.
4 stars