western – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: 3/5 Stars

Title: The Sisters of Reckoning (The Good Luck Girls, #2)

Author: Charlotte Nicole Davis

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 8/10/21

Publisher: Tor Teen

Categories: Young Adult, Western Dystopian

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Tor Teen for giving me a chance to read this eARC!

The Sisters of Reckoning is the blockbuster sequel to Charlotte Nicole Davis’s alternate Old West-set commercial fantasy adventure.

The Good Luck Girls are free. Aster’s sister and friends have new lives across the border in Ferron, while Aster remains in Arketta, helping more girls escape. But news of a new welcome house opening fills Aster with a need to do more than just help individual girls. And an unexpected reunion gives her an idea of how to do it. From there, grows a wildly ambitious plan to free all dustbloods, who live as prisoners to Arketta’s landmasters and debt slavery.

When Clementine and the others return from Ferron, they become the heart of a vibrant group of fearless fighters, working to unite the various underclasses and convince them to join in the fight. Along the way, friendships will be forged, lives will be lost, and love will take root even in the harshest of circumstances, between the most unexpected of lovers.

But will Arketta’s dustbloods finally come into power and freedom, or will the resistance just open them up to a new sort of danger?

The reason I loved the first book in the series, The Good Luck Girls, was the unique world building, plus the diversity and lgbt representation. We are back in the same world with Aster and her friends but even though they escaped the “welcome house” it doesn’t mean all girls in Arketta are safe. So Aster is back at it, trying to fight the landmasters with the help of the her friends and allies.

I love the way the book brings up issues about women empowerment, PTSD and human trafficking. Aster and her friends are trying to break the wheel that keeps her and others oppressed and it’s a valiant fight.

The lgbt representation is very natural in this story which is what also stood out in the first book, so it stays consistent which is great. I love how the characters are all so very diverse and the story is carried by Aster who is a strong black female. Aster is brave, capable, and she does make mistakes but still tries her best to do the right thing and fight for the cause. The sisterhood between Aster and the other girls is wonderful. They had each other’s backs since book one and it’s why I loved the series in the first place.

Triggers: human trafficking, PTSD, mentions of sexual assault

I wasn’t as engaged in this sequel as I was in the first book. It took me awhile to get into the story. Aster kept getting into some tough situations but it still didn’t hold my attention so I struggled a little through this one.

The ending also seemed rushed but I don’t know if it’s because it’s an arc copy.

This sequel didn’t hold my attention like the first one but the overall series is inspiring. We see these girls break free from being trafficked and make a life for their own, continuing to fight until everyone is free. I don’t usually gravitate towards Westerns, but this series is done really well with its unique world building and brave characters fighting for women’s rights and the oppressed.

📚~ Yolanda

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Good Luck Girls

Author: Charlotte Nicole Davis

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Categories: Dystopian, Fantasy, Western, Young Adult, Human Trafficking, Addiction

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

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.

Thank you to Tor Teen and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

In this dystopian/fantasy western world of Arketta, we have a group of females who are living in a “welcome house”, basically it’s a brothel. They are raised to be sex slaves in The Scab, a mining town in what seems like the worst part of Arketta. But when Clementine, one of the girls, accidentally kills her brag (customer), she, her sister and friends make a run for it. This story then follows these girls on the run from the law, supernatural monster called vengeants, raveners who mess with their minds and other powerful men. What a wild ride this story took me on!

I was so impressed with the world building. I’m not a big fan of westerns so I went into this book just mildly interested. But as I kept reading, I realized this world kept drawing me in deeper. Families in The Scab sell their girls for shine (money) and girls then sell their bodies. ☹️ It’s a tough world for women in Arketta and for the other dustbloods. Dustbloods, are a group of people who had their shadows torn from them because of a debt to be paid. Their children are born with no shadows, and these people are oppressed in a land where landmasters rule. Subject matter wise, it’s a tough one. I got angry about the welcome houses and how the girls are drugged to do their “job”. I was angry at the men and raveners. 😠

But landmasters and raveners are not the only evils out there. Arketta is teeming with vengeants, supernatural like monsters that prowl in the dark. We follow Aster, Clementine, Tansy, Mallow and Violet (yes all named after flowers), as they escape the welcome house. They travel to different towns on horses, navigating dirt trails, camping out at abandoned mines and even catching a ride on a train. Along the way they come across many dangers, meet new people, they plan heists and robberies to survive! All they want is real freedom! 😔 The cast of characters is diverse with people of color and with LGBT+ representation.

I loved Aster, who is the main character and takes a roll as leader of this runaway crew. She’s never been a leader and she makes mistakes along the way but she admits her wrongdoings and tries to fix things. I love how her character leaps off the page. And another thing I enjoyed was finding out the original names of the girls as their journey continues. It was empowering to see them shed their personas from the welcome house and reclaim the names they were born with!

This story is a strong debut from author Charlotte Nicole Davis. It is engaging, exciting and empowering. I look forward to the sequel!