“Welcome to Cessation, Serendipity Jones. The last place on the continent where you can do whatever the hell you want.” - I am not sure what has come over me, but Westerns are my jam right now and it all started with The Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely! The story itself is actually set in the future, though we aren’t given a concrete time, it’s a time that has surpassed technological advances. Basically, the story is set in North America after the country went through a devastating Civil War. After the war and a shift in power, a new government was established called CONA and they forced the inhabitants of America to live on separated communes, women are sold for large sums of money dude to a high infertility rate, and the world resembles the old west once again. Our main character Serendipity “Pity” Jones is a sharp shooter with big dreams, but her abusive fathers wants to sell her off. As you can imagine, Pity isn’t having it and she runs off to Cessation, a city considered the seedy underbelly of the world, thus our story unfolds! - I highly recommend this to anyone who is apprehensive about Westerns because it doesn’t read as you’d expect. The beginning is a tad slow, but it’s worth it in the end. The plot moves quickly, there are twists and turns around every corner, you never know who to trust, and the politics are unbelievable. But my personal favorite aspect of this story? The characters! Each character was fleshed out and unique. I lived for the banter and the theater performances (did I mention theirs a theater?!)! I also lived for the slow burning and sweet romance. This books is fun, and a 4/5 ⭐️ for me! #stephanieleannebookishreview . . . #gunslinger #lyndsayely #jamespattersonpresents #western #westernbooks #bookreview #bookstagrammin #bookishnerd #findmereading #restingbookface #reviews