ARC Review: Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Title: Gunslinger Girl Written by: Lyndsay Ely Published: January 2, 2018 by Jimmy Patterson (Little Brown Books for Young Readers) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: James Patterson presents a bold new heroine—a cross between Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley: Serendipity Jones, the fastest sharpshooter in tomorrow's West. Seventeen-year-old Serendipity "Pity" Jones inherited two things from her mother: a pair of six shooters and perfect aim. She's been offered a life of fame and fortune in Cessation, a glittering city where lawlessness is a way of life. But the price she pays for her freedom may be too great.... In this extraordinary debut from Lyndsay Ely, the West is once again wild after a Second Civil War fractures the U.S. into a broken, dangerous land. Pity's struggle against the dark and twisted underbelly of a corrupt city will haunt you long after the final bullet is shot.

**** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ****

I love a good YA Western! I was so excited to read another one, especially one with a post-apocalyptic setting. And I am happy to report that this was a fantastic read with a great plot and an engaging world. I think the thing I was most excited and most nervous about this book was the world. I love YA Westerns. It’s such a great setting that is rife for action and adventure. But they are also sometimes hard to do well. This one I think was done well. What I liked about it was that it wasn’t too I love a good YA Western! This is one of my most anticipated debuts of 2018 and I was ecstatic to get a copy at ALA/ I was so excited to read another one, especially one with a post-apocalyptic setting. And I am happy to report that this was a fantastic read with a great plot and an engaging world. I think the thing I was most excited and most nervous about this book was the world.

Westerns are such a great setting that is rife for action and adventure. But they are also sometimes hard to do well. This one I think was done well. What I liked about it was that it wasn’t too over the top. It had elements of Westerns like lawlessness, a saloon style setting, six-shooters, and more but it wasn’t trying to be a historical fiction which I actually enjoyed. This book balanced the elements of Westerns with science fiction naturally. It made for a much more complex world which I really enjoyed.

But this book also had a ton of political intrigue. If you know me, I love when books have political intrigue. And like a lot of things about this world it wasn’t too overwhelmingly. It didn’t get bogged down with details about the second Civil War, it was just one elements that added to the world. It just kind of touched on what happened and why the world is this way. Then it added more to the world with the current political climate. It could have easily gotten too complicated and confusing. It really just added a lot of drama to the world and plot of this world.

Speaking of the the plot, I really enjoyed the plot of this book. It was a book full of action, adventure, and mystery. It’s the kind of book where you are instantly pulled in with the plot. I read most of this book on two flights and it was the perfect book for travel. It’s a fast paced and exciting read. I honestly didn’t want to put it down. Usually when that happens it’s because I am curious about what is going to happen next. I don’t think that was necessarily the case, it was still just very engaging. And I am so interested to see what happens next. Because this book did that rare thing where it concluded the current book and left things wide open for the future.

As for the characters I found them engaging but a little basic. I did connect with Pitt pretty quickly in the book. She had a seriously rough upbringing and came out of it tough, determined, and still compassionate. I wanted to see her get out of that all and have the life she wanted to. As for the rest of the characters they were pretty odious but they didn’t quite make me feel how I usually do with those kinds of characters. I think maybe I just didn’t connect with them so some of the twists and surprises fell a little flat. The characters were likable I was just hoping they could maybe be more complex, but that’s just a personal preference.

All in all I really enjoyed this book. It was everything I was hoping it would be. It had an interesting world, an exciting plot, and likable characters.

I give Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy/Borrow. If you like YA Westerns or are looking for a unique dystopian definitely check this one out. It is a fantastic debut and worth a read.

Have you read Gunslinger Girl? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!