As I admitted when I read the novel before this one, stories about fairies aren't my go-to when it comes to fantasy fiction. But since I've sometimes got personal reasons for checking out books outside of my usual preferences, I dove into this YA historical fantasy series.

Granted, I'll also reiterate my admission that because dust and Dust Bowl themes don't appeal to me when it comes to fiction, I skipped to Books Two and then Three of this trilogy. The two book covers featuring the biracial heroine and the story backdrops of the Golden Age of Hollywood followed by Jazz Age Chicago secured my interest. Key nuggets of Callie's backstory in both books kept me from feeling lost. And because a particular wish/dream of Callie's for the future especially spoke to me in Book Two, I wanted to see what would become of that wish of hers in Book Three.

It turns out that that wish, while a huge part of Callie's future life, is only a tiny part of this story. Plus, although the epilogue ties up the heart of the matter stemming from Callie's teenage years wonderfully, I was also left with a couple of questions at the end—including in regard to a single word that leaves the wonderful ending pretty open-ended after all. That is, it opens the possibility for a book(s) about a future challenge for Callie...

But to my knowledge, there aren't any more books about her after this trilogy. And as of my time of reading, this third book is ten years old.

I mean, hey. I know that some authors do indeed bring back previous characters in new books even after a lot of time has passed. I myself have written (initially unplanned) sequels and such anywhere from a year to more than a decade after I first wrote about the characters involved. Still, knowing that this isn't the case for all authors and their characters, I tend not to hold my breath for potential future books that an author doesn't technically have to write, and that they haven't said they would.

So, yeah. I wish the author hadn't added that open-ended implication to the ending of this novel.

Even so, this was a fairly entertaining jaunt for me overall. While it isn't incredibly likely that I'll be reading any more books about a world of fairies (unless I happen to find a future book about Callie), I believe I'll stay on the lookout for more new-to-me "PG-13-ish" and milder historical fantasy. As historical fiction is my all-time favorite genre, it's no wonder that I've been finding historical mystery and historical fantasy to be appealing subgenres. ( )

Bad Luck Girl by Sarah Zettel is the conclusion of the American Fairy trilogy. As I've mentioned in my review of Jim Butcher's Summer Knight, there are lots of points of similarity between the series. Now that Callie and her friends and family are in Chicago, it's impossible to not compare the two.

Callie has come in the late 1930s but the wars between the Seelies and Unseelies at a similar stalemate as in Dresden's time. She is also now made aware of other side teams, like the Halfers, who are like the halfmade creatures of forgotten and lost things in China Miéville's Un Lun Dun.

But it's Jack who grows beyond his character sheet in this book. He's always been a loyal and capable friend but in books one and two he's been more of a companion in the Doctor Who sense. Now, though, in his home city we get to see what really makes him tick.

Though the original story of the mother's kidnapping and her rescue is brought to a satisfying conclusion, there's some wiggle room left for a new book or series. I would love to revisit Callie's world and see her grow into her power and position. ( )