Aster. Violet. Tansy. Mallow. Clementine.

Sold as children. Branded by cursed markings. Trapped in a life they never would have chosen.

When Aster's sister Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge - in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by the land's most vicious and powerful forces - both living and dead - their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.

It's going to take more than luck for them all to survive.

Content warnings: sexual assault, addiction, violence, references to rape and suicide.

Action-packed fantasy debut about five girls on the run from an oppressive 'welcome house' - perfect for fans of Laini Taylor and Stephanie Garber.

About the Author

Charlotte Davis is a recent graduate of The New School's Writing for Children MFA program and is currently working as an editorial assistant at Bloomsbury USA Children's Books. She grew up in Kansas City, which was once the Wild West but today is mostly just fro-yo shops. She now lives in a little apartment in Brooklyn.

Charlotte says: 'I didn't want to tell a story about racism, necessarily - there's plenty of that on the news - but a story about a black girl and her sister finding freedom? Young women of all types getting into good trouble? Underdogs coming together to stand up against the rich and powerful? That sounded like exactly what the doctor ordered.'

Reviews
I loved these girls so much that it was sad to put the book down. I look forward to seeing what Charlotte Nicole Davis comes out with next. * The Whispering of the Pages *
'The group's adventures are compelling and as the story progresses, you'll fall in love with these lost girls who just want to lead normal lives.' -- Jayne Nelson * SFX Magazine *
' I was delighted to discover just how strong the messages in this book were. Davis doesn't pull any punches with it, she doesn't hold back one jot, and that's really something I never knew I was craving in a YA book until now. ' * coffeestarsbooks *
The writing was really good, easy to read but also mesmerising. This story is brutal and unique, I could barely put it down. * Midnight Book Girl *
A dust-filled, bloody fairy tale - the price of freedom is high, but it's worth fighting for at all costs. -- Dhonielle Clayton

Thanks to #Pridebooktours for making this book available to me! I saw Black girls on the cover and I knew it was going to be good. I dare you to find a book with a Black girl on the cover that you think isn't good.
With this book, I hit the Jackpot. I absolutely loved this duology.

This duology is marketed as Six of Crows meet The Handmaid's Tale. Considering the fact that I have read the former and not the latter, I can tell you that it definitely gives you six of crow vibes with the friendships and the heist section of the story. But before I spoil this book any further, I will give a very brief review of the book by highlighting the world that it is set in.
Set in the Country of Arketta, the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer. The poor sell their children in hopes to either provide the children better lives or to have less mouths to feed in the family. There are also families who have their children taken from then by landowners because of a debt that they would never be able to pay because they can never in their life time work enough to pay themselves out of debt (Sounds a lot like Slavery to me - Read the book for more)
These children (girls in particular) are taken to welcome houses (these girls are then called The Good Luck Girls - an unfortunate name to be honest), where they are branded and feed till they turn sixteen years old, when they supposedly become 'proper women'. The requirement now, is that they have to sleep with men for the rest of their lives or if they are 'pleasing enough' a landowner might decide to buy them from the welcome house and make the girl his property.
This where we meet Clementine who has just turned 16 and is about to be raped by the man who has hired her for the night. She accidently kills him and this is the catalyst for the duology. She is found by her older sister Aster and some other girls in the welcome house, Violet, Tansy and Mallow. They forge an escape plan and they escape from the welcome house in search of 'The Lady Ghost'
Once the word of their escape spreads to the father of the man that was killed he send out a search party. This is how we get to know more about the brands on the girls (called Favours- which burns when they cover it up or hide it from plain sight), the magic of Arketta, the crossing of the boundaries, the people who live underground, the ghosts who torment and watch and the strength of hope and purpose.

* The Euphoric Zat *



Book Information
ISBN 9781471408250
Author Charlotte Davis
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Hot Key Books
Publisher Hot Key Books
Weight(grams) 281g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 21mm