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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
i bought this as a fan of both KMH's and Florences Dance Fever works and it had some lovely writing and an emotional story. i wasn't as captivated as i wanted to be but i liked the characters and it provided detailed insight. Would be cool if a short story is made or something
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the outset. It is an engaging narrative of secrets, love, and mysteries set against a historical backdrop of intense religious fervor. The book is beautifully written, and one becomes fully immersed in the characters and events. It made me both smile and cry. I have not read anything quite so emotionally impactful.
You can't help but feel affection for the main character, Lizbet. Through all she endured—the loss of her children, finding out about her sister-in-law, and finally giving birth to a live child—she persevered.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting
Minor: Excrement, War
Kiran's writing style is a perfect mix of beautiful, intricate descriptions and not waffling. She did a good job transporting us to medieval Strasbourg where everyone stinks and has no teeth, and for the most part this was an interesting read. Also Lisbet's struggle with child-loss was tender, intimate and tragic.
However the plot felt pretty generic overall, with the dance plague taking the back seat and an over-tired and somewhat forced romance coming to the forefront. This story wasn't rooted in the setting, the dance plague wasn't utilized enough, and everything is underpinned by Lisbeth being really horny. That's not a crime in itself but I was expecting a more plague-focused story, especially since the characters felt quite generic.
Just wanted more from it.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Animal death