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rachelditty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Some quotes I liked:
"Sometimes, it's hard to believe this house ever held more than one person," (1:33:38).
"Her hand, warm and roughened from work, fits into his like a gramophone needle in the grooves of a record," (8:54:50).
"Or did you always love the memory of him more than you loved the reality of me?" (14:14:54).
"Growing up with you, it felt like starving," (14:15:12).
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
lucy_is_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Hate crime, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gun violence, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, and Death
ciwanski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Slow burn enemies to lovers, and the writing of them falling in love with each other was so sweet it actually made my stomach hurt.
Unfortunately the third act fell a little flat to me. There was so much hype throughout the book about the hunt that when we actually got to that point it felt anticlimactic. I just wish there was more of a lesson learned instead of just a point reiterated? If that makes sense? Like I craved a moment of wonder and clarity for the characters, but instead it all felt a little rushed and vague and more focused on the romance than the plot of anything else to be honest.
I was also kind of confused on the world building? Very obvious Christian vs Jewish bigotry (just under different names) but then I was so confused on how modern of a world it was? Like there were cars and radios and 1920s style and ways of life but more modern language and behaviors? Definitely Irish/English vibes in there too. Interesting choices.
A fun and easy read though!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Classism
pagewanderer_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Antisemitism, Hate crime, Animal death, Gore, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
podanotherjessi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is very clearly fantasy Europe, which is fine, but then it has fantasy editions of real religions (with particular emphasis on Catholicism and Judaism). And I'm just not sure how well that was done? There are changes to these religions to make them fit the fantasy world, but they're still very recognizable in some of the structural elements (like having a Pope) and the kind of biases people exhibit toward them (like antisemetic stereotypes). And I just found myself uncomfortable with that execution. Specifically, it felt odd to have the Hebrew terms for Jewish ideals used in the book given it wasn't actually Judaism, just a fantasy religion based on it.
I think the worldbuilding fell into a weird place where it wasn't far enough from the real world to make sense for it not to just BE the real world with fantasy elements used as needed (something like Nethercott's Thistlefoot, for example). And if Saft wanted it to not be the real world, she could have pushed things further away and not used so much from the real world. The allegory could have still landed without it.
Overall though, I did really like this book. I'm just a little confused. Would love to see some own-voices Jewish and Irish Catholic reviews of it, honestly.
Graphic: Antisemitism, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment
nafisa_tabassum's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The story is best when explores religious prejudice and bigotry from the perspective of two people descended from immigrants - the way it tackles the subject matter is nuanced and real. It shows the way bigotry can take different forms and the things people leave unsaid. The two characters are able to connect because of this shared experience and it really adds depth to their relationship. It's fully understandable why these two people are drawn to each other and what they give to each other. There are also themes of parental neglect and abuse, though not physical. It's handled very well and it's often quite heart-wrenching.
I did feel like I wanted more from the fantasy aspect of the book. The fantasy seems to be connected deeply to religion and the bigger world is teased in the story, but not fully explored. There is an act at the end of the book that is genuinely "world-changing". This story is definitely not the place to explore that change or the repercussions of that action, since it's huge and the story is personal, but I was left feeling like a very interesting part of the novel was left unresolved.
Still, it was a perfect light read and I really enjoyed it.
Graphic: Animal death, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
massivepizzacrust's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
There were a couple of weird plot choices. It was hard to care about the characters' emotional conversations when they were happening while an injured animal was lying on the ground next to them - which somehow happens more than once. The characters' religions and ethnic backgrounds were a weird rebranding of Catholicism and Judaism that were somehow merged with the fantasy setting. I also wish we had gotten a bit more of an explanation of the characters' decisions in the plot finale,
Graphic: Abandonment, Xenophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death, Animal death, and Blood
froggydanny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Hate crime, Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Bullying
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, and Death of parent
kryzysowa_narzeczona's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment and Emotional abuse