Charlotte Nicole Davis

I'll say straight up: I'm sick to death of the trope of old west bordellos. Therefore, I started this YA book with trepidation. I was soon surprised by the book's thoughtful take on the horrors of human trafficking, all in an original weird west fantasy setting.

The "Good Luck Girls" aren't that lucky at all. They are girls sold into sexual slavery at 'welcome houses' that pepper the wilderness. All of this is referenced in delicate ways, but you know what is going on. When Clementine's debut show more night goes horribly wrong, she flees town along with her sister and other girls. They become bandits out of need to survive, but they ultimately have one goal: freedom, which means finding their way to the mythical Lady Ghost who can remove their magical brands.

This book handles difficult subjects like rape and abuse with great sensitivity. All too often now, I come across that kind of thing in books and stop reading. I'm sick of how some authors use it as a crutch for female character development. This novel, though, shows strength and resilience in its cast of women. It feels real, fantastical as the setting is, and that's all the more important since it is for a young adult audience. show less

Trigger Warnings: mentions of past abuse (both physical and sexual), child prostitution, torture, slavery, human trafficking, PTSD, murder

The Sisters of Reckoning starts off a year after we’ve left Aster in The Good Luck Girls. Aster has been with The Lady Ghosts helping them free Good Luck Girls from Welcome Houses by smuggling them across the border. But their methods are too slow for Aster. After hearing the news that a girl’s lucky night will now start at the age of 13 at a new show more Welcome House opening soon, Aster knows she can no longer stand by.

Aster, Clementine, Zee, Tansy, Mallow, and some new allies team up to break down the landmasters to destroy their businesses and end the suffering of all people. But can they do that without turning into the types of people they’re fighting against?

I’ve always described the first book of this duology as a “Feminist Western” and this second book doesn’t stray from that description and I couldn’t be happier! I’m glad I didn’t have an issue with remembering what happened between the first book and this second book. I was sucked in just as quickly as I was with the first one.

One of the reasons I really loved this book is that it gives characters the chance / choice of revenge. Charlotte Nicole Davis doesn’t shy away from breaking down the characters you’re reading about and rooting for. The story is violent: there’s murder and torture and destruction, and they’re performed by those characters you are rooting for; Davis doesn’t try to make them perfect, she shows that you can’t keep your hands clean when fighting a revolution.

I loved the way trauma and sexuality was handled in this book. Aster dealt with it a lot. You could tell she really liked Eli but that a relationship with him was uncomfortable due to her PTSD. But then there is Violet, who she once hated but is now one of the only people she can relax around… Raven and her confidence in herself and how she talks with Aster about it made my heart swell. Nothing felt like it was left out or rushed so that something happened, characters took their time to figure it out in a timely manner.

I did enjoy the way the book ended, I had a huge goofy smile on my face when I was reading the last page or two. It left me very satisfied with this duology as a complete story. I can’t wait to see what Charlotte Nicole Davis writes next!

I highly recommend this novel (well, both books really) to anyone who wants to read about some badass women fighting for justice. show less

Charlotte Nicole Davis's Good Luck Girls is an addictive and satisfying fantasy with an excellently realized world that will have you hooked from the opening page.

The Good Luck Girls are anything but lucky--they're sold to a welcome house as children by their desperate parents and branded for eternity. When Clementine kills a man, she, her sister, and three friends go on the run--to an uncertain freedom where they're only ever a step ahead of the law.

This is at first glance a bloody revenge show more fantasy but it is so much more important than that. Davis's narrative crackles with history and brings to life the countless girls and women trafficked into sexual slavery today. Thus, what you read never feels gratuitous, but necessary. And though it's "just a story," your heart breaks all the more for each character because you know she has a counterpart in reality.

The voice is also excellent--Davis is a gifted writer and I will be looking forward to her future works. She has built such a convincing world that you will practically choke on the dust if you can ever dislodge your heart from your throat.

I've stepped away from YA lately, but this is one you surely don't want to miss. I'm definitely hoping for a sequel.

Thank you to BookishFirst and TorTeen for providing this ARC to review. show less

I just finished the fantasy adventure entitled The Good Luck Girls and this was a book that I was sorry to see end. The debut novel of author Charlotte Nicole Davis, the book is an excellent combination of great story and excellent world building.

Set in a dust filled version of the Old West the story shows us a unique bond of sisterhood as five young women attempt to escape their lives of bondage in a house of ill-repute. Sold by their families as children and brought up to serve men and show more their needs, an accidental death is the trigger that sets this five on the road to freedom. Their journey to safety is fraught with danger as this world has fearsome ghosts called Vengeants and merciless trackers, called Raveners who are indifferent to cold, hunger, fatigue or pain.

Being a debut novel meant that there were some flaws in the execution but I loved this story set in an alternative Wild West where one’s freedom relies on class and gender. The story is full of action yet also allows the reader to learn about and care for the five runaways. The bonds of sisterhood and found family are strong, the characters well developed, the issues are relevant to today and the story moves quickly making The Good Luck Girls a great read. show less