This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Riverside chapter.

This book does not have any hard spoilers — but if you’d like to read Gunslinger Girl with no prior biases/insights, please choose another Her Campus article to read instead!

picking a book — Photo by Christin Hume from Unsplash

When I first picked up the book from the library, I was pleasantly surprised by the cover and size of the novel. It gave off that Western vibe book I was going for, and the banner on top saying, “JAMES PATTERSON PRESENTS,” set my expectations high for the story I was about to start. To boot, I like my books to be thick and time consuming, and perfect for a cozy reading session on my bed. My new novel satisfied all of these points!

The book I’m writing about is Lyndsay Ely’s debut novel, “Gunslinger Girl”, and two weeks from my first impression of the jacket and page count, I’ve finished it! Here are my thoughts on her story.

woman reading a book on a window seat — Photo by Yuri Efremov from Unsplash

“Gunslinger Girl” was published in early December of 2018. Ely actually aspired to become a comic-book artist at first, but when she realized that she wasn’t the best at drawing, she picked up novel-writing instead. Although there doesn’t seem to be any official plans for a series, Ely has mentioned that there were “definitely more stories in this world I’d[Ely] love to tell, especially in regards to the side characters.” The ending isn’t entirely closed off, and is the perfect setup for a potential sequel. The novel tells the tale of Serendipity “Pity” Jones, a strong female protagonist who’s described as a mashup of Katniss Everdeen and Annie Oakley. She’s a talented sharpshooter at a glamorous theater, where she finds a new job, home, and family. However, the new freedom comes with a dark side, and Pity finds herself in the midst of a struggle of morals, power, and spilled blood.

woman reading a book by the window — Photo by Christina Morillo from Pexels

The book pulled me in from the first couple of chapters to the bittersweet ending. Though, if I had to pick one detail to praise, I have to choose how the story presented the concept of family. Pity’s biological family aren’t like the fun cousins that you love visiting for the annual family barbecue. She decided to run away from her commune when her abusive father sold her off for her fertility, and on her way out, she gets picked up by a trio of workers running errands for Casimir, the entertainment multiplex they work at. After realizing that Pity had no intentions to go back to her abusers, Max, the attractive young man who paints sets and makes costumes, convinces the others to bring her to Casimir as a place to live out her new life. Within Casimir is the Theatre Vespertine, where Pity quickly makes a name for herself as its latest sharpshooting star, and gains new allies and friends alike during her stay. It became clear as I read the book that the group of prostitutes and performers all had such contrasting characteristics compared to Pity — and yet, they seemed like a family that loved her like her father never did. They were in no way her blood relatives, but they accepted her into their group as if they all knew each other since they were in diapers. Honestly, seeing a weary protagonist living a blissful family life, no matter how traditional or unique that family structure may be, gives me so much joy, and reading about all those moments between Pity and her friends was pure bliss.

In summary, Gunslinger Girl is a great read that you should totally pick up as your next quarantine read! This novel made me realize how gorgeous Western-dystopian literature is. Although there’s some scenes describing gore on the page, the fact that I’m not actually seeing it and that the perpetrator behind causing some of the gore is our strong female gun-toting protag makes up for it. 9/10 stars

I Just Finished Another Book! (Gunslinger Girl)

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