Magical Western adventure, as five girls attempt to escape the brothel they've been sold to by starving families in order to save one of their lives.
I've noticed in a lot of books I've read recently that there's been a lot of padding. Lots of stuff happens, but the plot doesn't go anywhere. That's not at all the case in this one; everything that happens is important to the overall plot.
Aster, Violet and Clementine develop nicely as the story goes on. Tansy and Mallow, not so much, but it doesn't matter so much for them. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong about a few of the supporting characters. That doesn't happen often, and I tip my hat to Charlotte for it.
The world was set up nicely, with information given to us at just the right pace. I'm still not quite sure if it's set in Africa or America, but it doesn't really matter for the story. I loved the care that clearly went into establishing the magic system and most especially the ghosts! Spooky things.
This didn't end in a cliffhanger, exactly, but there's plenty of room for more stories, and I'll be looking forward to them.
I've noticed in a lot of books I've read recently that there's been a lot of padding. Lots of stuff happens, but the plot doesn't go anywhere. That's not at all the case in this one; everything that happens is important to the overall plot.
Aster, Violet and Clementine develop nicely as the story goes on. Tansy and Mallow, not so much, but it doesn't matter so much for them. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong about a few of the supporting characters. That doesn't happen often, and I tip my hat to Charlotte for it.
The world was set up nicely, with information given to us at just the right pace. I'm still not quite sure if it's set in Africa or America, but it doesn't really matter for the story. I loved the care that clearly went into establishing the magic system and most especially the ghosts! Spooky things.
This didn't end in a cliffhanger, exactly, but there's plenty of room for more stories, and I'll be looking forward to them.