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jelliestars's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Slavery, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Genocide, Confinement, Violence, Stalking, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Infidelity, War, and Incest
ffx1v's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters. Learning about Eastern European and Jewish folklore was very interesting and new to me, and the contrast between verse/full-text chapters made this a very unique reading experience. The pacing and imagery were both great, and I loved the author’s writing style and incorporation of Yiddish words throughout the book.
There were parts where I got really annoyed at the two protagonists, particularly at Laya. But then again, her recklessness and her mistakes and her irritating behavior is typical of (almost) any 15 year old, so despite how annoying she could be, it was accurate to how teens her age are in real life. Even Liba, who is 2 years older, displayed typical 17-year-old behavior that got on my nerves, but added realism to the story because it showed that both characters behaved as real teenagers would. Had they acted more maturely and “less annoying,” especially at their ages, the story would’ve been much shorter, less realistic, and a lot less interesting to read, imo. After all, the point of a book is to make you feel things, even things you don’t like (this depends on whether it’s purposefully written to make you feel that way, though). I wouldn’t be rating the book so highly if I had agreed with every single decision the sisters made.
There WERE some parts that made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t get the context or the original folklore the book was inspired by, so I can’t say if it was just a random decision made by the author or not. Still, some scenes between Laya and the weird fruit boy were a bit much for me and I wish they’d been less descriptive, though they weren’t really detailed to begin with. It was as just odd.
There were parts where I got really annoyed at the two protagonists, particularly at Laya. But then again, her recklessness and her mistakes and her irritating behavior is typical of (almost) any 15 year old, so despite how annoying she could be, it was accurate to how teens her age are in real life. Even Liba, who is 2 years older, displayed typical 17-year-old behavior that got on my nerves, but added realism to the story because it showed that both characters behaved as real teenagers would. Had they acted more maturely and “less annoying,” especially at their ages, the story would’ve been much shorter, less realistic, and a lot less interesting to read, imo. After all, the point of a book is to make you feel things, even things you don’t like (this depends on whether it’s purposefully written to make you feel that way, though). I wouldn’t be rating the book so highly if I had agreed with every single decision the sisters made.
There WERE some parts that made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t get the context or the original folklore the book was inspired by, so I can’t say if it was just a random decision made by the author or not. Still, some scenes between Laya and the weird fruit boy were a bit much for me and I wish they’d been less descriptive, though they weren’t really detailed to begin with. It was as just odd.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Torture
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