Title: The Good Luck Girls
Series: The Good Luck Girls
Author: Charlotte Nicole Davis
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Teens & YA
Publisher: Hot Key Books, Tor Teen,
Macmillian-Tom Doherty Associates
Macmillian-Tom Doherty Associates
Release Date: 1st October 2019
BLURB from Goodreads
Aster. Violet. Tansy. Mallow. Clementine.
Sold as children. Branded by cursed markings. Trapped in a life they never would have chosen.
When Aster's sister 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 the land's most vicious and powerful forces - both living and dead - their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one 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.
Sold as children. Branded by cursed markings. Trapped in a life they never would have chosen.
When Aster's sister 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 the land's most vicious and powerful forces - both living and dead - their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one 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.
PURCHASE LINKS
REVIEW
| I was instantly drawn to this book by the cover. I have seen two different covers for the book and to be honest I really like them both. Though if I had to choose one, surprisingly I would pick the UK cover version which is unusual as I normally prefer the US covers! The genre’s listed for this book are Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Teens & YA, which whilst I agree with these, I would also add Dystopian to that list and would say that I definitely do not fall into the YA age group but honestly loved reading this book! The book concentrates on five girls, Aster, Violet, Tansy, Mallow, and Clementine. These girls have all been sold to the same Welcome House when they were younger. Upon being taken into the Welcome House the girls are renamed after flowers which they then have tattooed on their necks, this tattoo is referred to as a favour. There is no way to remove these favors and everyone knows they mean you belong to a Welcome House and are a Good Luck Girl or as some refer to them as Lucker’s for short. Until you “come of age” at 16 years old, you are known as a “Daybreak girl”, who works during the day and does cleaning, and cooking chores. You are not allowed to mix with the Sundown girls, though are expected to wait on them and show them due respect. On your sixteenth birthday you have what is called your “Lucky Night” and from then on become a “Sundown girl” who begins working as the sun goes down. A Sundown girl has to entertain male clients or as they are called in the book “Brags”. The book begins on Clementine’s sixteenth birthday, she will have her “Lucky Night” as her sister Aster and the other girls before her have and will be auctioned to the highest bidder who will then be “entertained” by his purchase for however long he has purchased her for. To help the Sundown girls cope with what they do on a nightly basis the woman who runs the home, Mother Fleur provides the girls with a drug called Sweet Thistle. It soon becomes addictive and the only way some of the girls can cope with what they have to do. Things take a different turn when Clementine fights back against her brag and accidentally kills him. It’s only the quick thinking of Clementine and her older sister Aster along with the help of friends and daybreak girls Mallow and Tansy that temporarily hide what has happened. The girls decide the only answer is to go on the run. When Mother Fleur’s favourite girl Violet discovers the girls with the brags bloodied body, they think their lives are over, but when Violet hears the plan to run away, she asks to go along with them! Without much choice and no time to argue the girls say yes and Violet soon proves to be valuable part of the escape plan. The rest of the book is the journey the girls take on their mission to find Lady Ghost who it’s said can remove their favour tattoo’s. Violet was told the story by her mother. In fact, Violet’s own story is quite unique as she was born to a Good Luck Girl working in the Welcome House which is an extreme rarity. (You’ll find out why, when you read the book!) Being the eldest of the girls, Aster soon becomes the leader of the girls and she is quite sceptical about the whole idea of the mysterious Lady Ghost who can remove favors, for a price. Aster believes Lady Ghost is a fairy-tale character thought up to make the younger Good Luck Girls feel better and have them think that they can at some point leave the Welcome House lifestyle and stigma behind them. Aster also wonders on a practical level where on earth they would all get the money to pay Lady Ghost with. The five girls know they will be chased, Mother Fleur will have sent the Welcome House Raveners after them. Raveners can literally paralyse a person with fear and sorrow. Raveners can get into the minds of their victims and can make them go out of their own minds. The fugitives also discover the identity of the brag that Clementine accidentally killed. It turns out to be a very important, wealthy man whose family are determined to track the girls down, though they make it widely known that they want the girls alive. The family of the brag have their own family raveners on the girls trail as well as wanted posters of the girls put up all around the scab and route to possible freedom for the girls. My favourite character, quite predictably is Aster the unofficial leader of the fugitives. Aster has wanted to try to escape the Welcome House life for many years, but being a Sundown girl, she has been kept apart from her Daybreak girl sister Clementine. As Clementine has unintentionally killed her first ever brag, the decision is hurriedly made, it is the only option to go on the run. I adored how protective Aster was of Clementine, she seriously would lay her life down in the place of her sisters. I also liked the relationship between Clementine and Zee. Zee is a rangeman, a guide who escorts people on journeys through the Scab. The Scab is the dangerous, wilderness area the girls need to travel. Though Aster makes it quite clear that she doesn’t fully trust Zee yet, she thinks he is hiding something from them. Clementine is insistent that she has a good feeling about Zee, as the girls need his help as a guide, he is given the benefit of the doubt. A character that I initially disliked but really ended up having my mind changed was Violet, but as you learn more about her, you realise she is as much a victim of the Welcome House system as the other girls. Violet is determined to get to Lady Ghost, and truly believes in her. Violet ends up becoming a valuable member of the group. She is as ruthless as she is practical and often makes the girls rethink their own opinions. The girls are somewhat thrown together in this escape and though they have lived together for years they grew much closer and end up trusting each other with their lives. I really enjoyed the way the girls slowly reveal their secrets, their names before they were sold to the Welcome House along with the reasons they were sold. I could honestly rave on and go on and on about this book, but I don’t want to give away any more detail than I already have. I felt pulled into the story very early in the book and was totally hooked by less than 20% into it. I became attached and protective of the girls and really cared about what happened to them. I felt I was as suspicious of everyone they came across as Aster was. I was cheering them on when they came up with the ideas of getting the money to pay Lady Ghost. My immediate thoughts on finishing the book were that it was an amazing read! But. . .I felt all over the place I wanted to know even more! What comes next? Could Dawn possibly find happiness with Eli? What about those in Ferron? What is life like for them? What happened to Violet? Does she ever make it to Lady Ghost? What’s the truth about her mother? I also hope to learn more about the raveners, how they become them and why. There is so much more to discover about this rather cruel world the Good Luck Girls exist in. I would also love more from the Scorpions! To sum up my thoughts on this book I totally loved it! And I want more, much more please! I would have to say I think this book will appeal to those who have read and loved The Lone City Series by Amy Ewing, The Belles Series by Dhonielle Clayton, with elements of The Aviary by Emily Shore and the feel of A Dress For The Wicked by Autumn Krause. |
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