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courtnoodles's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexism, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abandonment and Mental illness
amandalorianxo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I honestly was a little bit afraid this was going to be geared towards a younger audience when I skimmed the synopsis but figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. I’m really glad I did. This story takes place in 1911 in New York and Frances is trying to deal with the sudden murder of her brother while her mother is locked in an asylum. She’s seventeen and knows there is no other alternative to her seamstress job minus a factory. The owner attempts to cause harm to Frances and this leads to her being taken to an academy… for witches. Frances slowly befriends an Indigenous girl named Lena of the Onondaga tribe and Maxine, a lesbian who has lineage tied to France. The trio discover there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the magic they possess and it turns into a wild ride for roughly 400 plus pages. I’m happy that Smith didn’t sugarcoat or gloss over the treatment Indengenous people faced in the past as well as the lgbt community. Calling out on white privilege is also present a few times in the story. There were a few plot points that might be easy to spot and Frances at times irritated me when she didn’t take the advice of those that knew just a tad more than her but that’s kind of a guarantee when you’re seventeen right? Hoping for a book two in the future !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Torture, and Vomit
kammitrout's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death
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