Gunslinger Girl wasn’t a book that was top priority on my TBR. To be honest, I’ve never read a Western before and that kind of held me back. I did hear a lot of good things about it though. TBR & Beyond had this book as a group read. There was even a chat with the author, so I gave the book a try.
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.
Cover
Even though I am not a big fan of people on covers, I love this one! Serendipity is on the cover and it really fits. I love the colors and how we see the city in the background. The cover alone did make me want to pick up Gunslinger Girl.
“Right and wrong isn’t so easy, is it? Sometimes the choices we make are a little bit of both.”
Plot
We meet Serendipity ‘Pity’ Jones who is stuggling with her life at home with a father who isn’t very nice. She plans on running away with a friend, but when she hears her father is sending her away, things happen faster than expected. Things don’t go completely as planned and Pity ends up in Casimir. A whole new world opens up for Pity.
Gunslinger Girl is so different than I expected. Yes, it’s a western, but more dystopian than anything. It was kind of weird to have a dystopian novel with modern day technology. Casimir seemed like a dystopian Las Vegas. A place I would love to visit, but who knows if you’re safe? It’s clear the Civil War still is influencing the whole world and there is more than meets the eye.
I loved how Pity was thrown into this world and all the different types of people in this city. She is welcomed with open arms by a group of people you don’t expect to get along. It’s clear from the start there are a lot of politics in this story, but it’s still in tiny things. A performance done a certain way, a finale that shows who’s boss, a promise that needs to be made.
Pity is to perform in the theatre to earn her keep there. I love the idea of this show, but can’t imagine being a part of it. A lot didn’t start happening until the last 25% of the books. The author brought on a lot of twists I didn’t see coming, but that were very interesting. While this book ends with the main things pretty clear, there are definitely some openings for more story. I’m not sure if should be a sequel or just books about characters in this world.
Another thing that was refreshing about this book is that romance wasn’t really the main storyline. It’s clear something is going on with Max and Pity, but it’s not the main storyline. That was nice to see for a change! I think Gunslinger Girl opened me up to giving more Westerns a chance!
“It’s an ugly world, and we need to take what happiness we can, when we can.”
Characters
Gunslinger Girl has a lot of characters that I loved and would love to discuss. This review would be way too long if I discussed them all, so I will only do a few of the main ones!
Pity is a girl who has been through a lot. The world is kind of black and white to her and it’s clear she is seeing a lot of new things living in Casimir. She lost a lot, so I understand that she latched on to the group of people who wanted to be her friends.This comes back to haunt her at times, but in the end she’s stronger because of it. Pity learns to be strong and trust herself.
Max is a mysterious character. We don’t learn why until later in the book and it definitely explains a lot of why he acted the way he did. I kind of missed more of Max though. Not in a romantic way for Pity, but just his background. I think that could’ve been very interesting.
Sheridan was a character I liked in the beginning, but definitely had my doubts about. He seemed too sweet and trusting with Pity. Of course he knew that she was being used by both sides. In the end he definitely got what he deserved!
Selene was such an interesting character. I’m still not sure if she’s a villain or now. It’s clear she does all she can to keep the power she has. I just wonder what happened to her during the war or even before then. Something had to make her the way she is! I would love for a new story in this world to be about her!
Gunslinger Girl wasn’t anything I expected it to be, but in such a good way. I need to read more Westerns! Have you read any I should pick up? I would love to get some recommendations!
