Aster. Violet. Tansy. Mallow. Clementine.

Charlotte Nicole Davis’ debut novel, The Good Luck Girls, is a thrilling take on the Wild West – all the gun slinging, bank robberies and gripping horse chases, set against the backdrop of a dystopian fantasy world.

At age sixteen, Clementine gets ready for her Lucky Night in a Welcome House in Green Creek; part of a larger area also known as The Scab. From this night forward, she’ll be a Sundown Girl; entertaining ‘brags’ (male customers) and bringing money into the Welcome House, and joining the rest of the Good Luck Girls in which the Welcome House gives home. On her Lucky Night, Clem kills her wealthy brag by accident and knowing the punishment that awaits, escapes with her sister Aster and several other Good Luck Girls, beginning an epic chase and pursuit across the country. In order to find freedom, the girls will have to survive a journey through The Scab, where they can trust no one but themselves.

The Good Luck Girls has a strong connection to American history, sometimes almost feeling like an alternate American universe. I thought a lot about the slave trade and various historical events in US history, and I believe this connection is quite deliberate. The book itself explores slavery and sex trafficking through a lens of the Old West; it was my first time reading a fantasy novel in that type of setting and I have to say, it grew on me by the end.

This book took a while to get moving for my tastes, though I do feel like I enjoyed the read in the end. The run and pursuit type plot line was harder to draw me in as I felt like the antagonists were so far away and detached that it was hard to see the sense of danger and urgency – especially early on. I would’ve liked overall more depth in the character development of all the characters. However, I did grow to like the main character, Aster, and her struggles with trust and trauma, as well as the journey her character was on.

On the whole, I thought The Good Luck Girls was a decent read, not the read I was expecting, but enjoyable nonetheless. I liked the somewhat different take on dystopian fantasy with the setting, but would’ve liked a better execution.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.