Review: The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've typed and erased and typed and erased and I just can't express how good this book was besides that it was soooooooo GOOOOOOOOOOOD. And since it's a debut, I'm doubly surprised and in love! Also, that cover - fierce Aster!

There's so much to unpack with the nature of trauma, reactions to it, and the differences between the two girls who actually experienced being prostitutes and the three who were about to but escaped before it happened. Aster shrinks back from men, and Clementine is drawn immediately to one. Violet is cold and closed-off because she feels that's what she needs to be to survive. Take care of yourself first, is her motto. I really enjoyed watching her character progression as she got further away from the Welcome House. I wish we could have seen a little more into her head too.

A couple characters fell flat (I felt like by the end Clementine was just kind of shrinking back into a tropey maiden in distress, and Tansy and Mallow seemed, admittedly, a bit superfluous after a while), and the ending happened to quickly after everything we've been through. So those were the downsides for me. But everything else was really really good. Like, the raveners are the only ones who can use magic, and it's all evil and used to torture people (or track people). They are mortals who eventually lose their souls because the work is so evil. And then there are the different types of "ghosts," some that are harmless and others that will rip you to shreds. And the setting itself - we're talking Wild Wild West saloon stuff, and even the cover gives off that vibe. I got very entrenched in the environment, hearing the voices in my head, seeing what was happening. The whole thing was very visual for me, very cinematic. I wasn't just reading it, I was experiencing a lot of it with the characters.

I wish we had gotten a little closure on one of the characters, but since I see that it's book #1 of a series, I guess book #2 is going on my TBR list.

Thank you to Bookish First and the publisher for a free ARC for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

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Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Once Upon a River: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

Admittedly, I didn't think I was a fan of Diane Setterfield. I'd read The Thirteenth Tale, and while I didn't dislike it, I didn't really love it either. The only impression it left on me was that it was written well, but the story itself was lacking. I honestly don't remember much of it (okay, I remember next to nothing about it, even going back and reading reviews nothing is jumping out at me), so it obviously wasn't a stunner for me. In fact, I read it as part of a book club with my cousins and a couple other ladies, and it was *my* pick because I was so excited to read it, and seriously, no one in the group liked it and picked on me for months for choosing it. So there's that, too.

But anyway, back to Once Upon a River, because that is what this review is supposed to be all about. Having had that experience with The Thirteenth Tale, I admit I was a bit wary about requesting this one. But the cover was so pretty (honestly, I'm a sucker for a good cover, especially if it has a good blurb to go with it), and the blurb sounded interesting and just fantastical enough to pique my interest. So I requested, I got approved, and here I am.

And I loved it.

There are a lot of characters here, and a lot of story threads to unwind. I absolutely loved the writing style - I felt like I was reading a period piece, it flowed so beautifully. And I enjoyed the magical aspect of it all, especially since we aren't sure if it's actually supernatural or if these people are so freaking traumatized that they all convince themselves that they see things that aren't really there. Lily White is certainly a victim of that, and her story is pretty damn tragic.

In essence, this is the story of three four-year-old girls - Amelia, Alice, and Ann. As the river twists and winds through the story, so their stories twist and wind together. The little girl pulled dead from the river on the equinox, and then lived again, has everyone in an uproar. The reaction she stirs in everyone is nothing short of remarkable, considering just about everyone wants to take her home. The Vaughns claim her as their own lost Amelia, kidnapped from her bedroom two years prior and never found. Robin Armstrong can't decide if she's his Alice, who he hasn't seen for more than a year, and presumed drowned by her mother. And Lily is absolutely convinced that she is her sister Ann. It takes the entire book to reveal who she really is, and throughout the reader is never quite sure what happened to the missing girls.

This is also the story of a photographer, a nurse, the owner of the Swan (the inn where it all starts) and her family, and the river itself. The figure of Quietly, the mysterious boatman, hovers over all. And everything becomes a story if enough are around to hear it.

I have three minor gripes about the book:

1. I pretty quickly figured out who the unidentified child was, and while the book's twists and turns always kept me guessing, I was not surprised to find out I had guessed right. I do wish it had been more of a surprise. But the road we took to get there was packed with emotion and mystery, and I didn't mind it so much.

2. There is a very long monologue by an unsavory character at the end of the book, outlining literally everything that we were still wondering about and tying up loose ends, connecting people that hadn't been connected previously. I liked having the information, but I wish it hadn't been such an info-dump in the style of the villain who has the hero at their mercy and reveals their entire plot so that the hero can escape and foil it all.

3. I *hate* being addressed at the end in the manner of "And now this story is done, dear reader, so you better get back to your own story." Oooooooh that really made me twitch. But it was the last line of a fantastic book, so I'm not deducting points.

If you aren't sure you like Diane Setterfield, I encourage you to give her another shot with this book. To me it was more masterful than The Thirteenth Tale, and I think it will stay with me for a long time. My heart broke, rejoiced, and rose and fell with the hearts of the characters. They were real people, fully fleshed out, and wonderfully made. I enjoyed this so much more than I expected, and highly recommend it.

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Review: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

I have only discovered Seanan McGuire in the last year, but boy howdy has she quickly become one of my favorites. I am not usually into ghost stories because, well, they freak me out. But this sounded so interesting, I couldn't help myself.

The notes at the end mention that this book was originally a series of short stories and then turned into the novel it is now. Which makes the book make a little more sense in my head. Instead of a linear narrative, it moves around in history through Rose's time as a ghost, and tells what seem to be unrelated stories (but which connect, somehow, in the end). Rose is an interesting character. She died at age 16, and has never aged, but when I read her voice she sounds much older. Much harder. Of course, she would have to be to survive as a road ghost, a hitcher.

Rose's path is fascinating, not only to see how she will help those she's sent to help, but also how she may fail them. Even for a ghost there are still dangers, and if she doesn't want to be wiped away, she needs to abide by the rules and keep an eye out for Bobby Cross. And there are a lot of rules, which show up at different points. The narrative takes the form almost as a field guide to being a hitcher, which kept me reading even when it got a little creepy. I liked some of the vignettes more than others, but the one that really got to me was at the end, with Gary.

Knowing that this is book 1 of 2, I can forgive the ending not being a complete wrap-up. There are loose ends left, which I was hoping meant there would be a sequel. I wasn't quite ready to put Rose down, even though the book was very packed and dense. I'm looking forward to reading The Girl in the Green Silk Gown when it's released later this year.

Highly recommended to fantasy and ghost fanatics alike. I loved Rose and her story, and can't wait to dive deeper into her "life" as a ghost.

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