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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Florida" and "Dios" are former cellmates from an Arizona prison, both released early due to the pandemic. Dios is obsessed with Florida and wants to reveal some dark inner truth she thinks the other woman is hiding. The story is in fact laid out in the beginning, when we're told that the two women face off in Los Angeles.
We learn a lot about Florida, real name Florence, and the journey that brought her to prison. The other main character is a female detective named Lobos who is tracking the two women after they were connected to a crime. Lobos has her own demons and her story was actually very interesting to me.
I'm not really sure why this is being tagged as a western - never fear, it is NOT a western. But also be aware it's being falsely advertised as an adventurous thriller, and that's not really what it is either.
Overall 3.5 stars for me.
Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
We learn a lot about Florida, real name Florence, and the journey that brought her to prison. The other main character is a female detective named Lobos who is tracking the two women after they were connected to a crime. Lobos has her own demons and her story was actually very interesting to me.
I'm not really sure why this is being tagged as a western - never fear, it is NOT a western. But also be aware it's being falsely advertised as an adventurous thriller, and that's not really what it is either.
Overall 3.5 stars for me.
Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Thank you to FSG for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a masterpiece. I was a little unsure of what I was getting into. All I knew was that it was advertised as No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve, two stories I never got really into, and that it was a "modern western," which also wasn't all that appealing. So I started it hesitantly, but I was instantly hooked.
It takes place in the heart of COVID lockdown, and it follows two women who are unexpectedly released from jail because of the pandemic. The story that follows is harsh, brutal, and fast. This is a modern day western, playing on western tropes, and that makes the imagery so strong without feeling like a cheesy cowboy story. The women in this novel are both predators and prey, and they are so powerful. Almost in equal parts you'll root for their salvations, and pray for their demise.
There is something about this novel that makes it feel larger than life, like there is a little bit of inexplicable magic. Although I'm hesitant to use that word, but I will because I don't have a grittier word to use.
Ultimately, you're doing yourself a disservice by not reading this book.
This book was a masterpiece. I was a little unsure of what I was getting into. All I knew was that it was advertised as No Country for Old Men meets Killing Eve, two stories I never got really into, and that it was a "modern western," which also wasn't all that appealing. So I started it hesitantly, but I was instantly hooked.
It takes place in the heart of COVID lockdown, and it follows two women who are unexpectedly released from jail because of the pandemic. The story that follows is harsh, brutal, and fast. This is a modern day western, playing on western tropes, and that makes the imagery so strong without feeling like a cheesy cowboy story. The women in this novel are both predators and prey, and they are so powerful. Almost in equal parts you'll root for their salvations, and pray for their demise.
There is something about this novel that makes it feel larger than life, like there is a little bit of inexplicable magic. Although I'm hesitant to use that word, but I will because I don't have a grittier word to use.
Ultimately, you're doing yourself a disservice by not reading this book.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love a book with complex and angry women. This gritty Western follows two inmates granted reprieve from the women's correctional facility they're held as the pandemic shuts many things down. Out on parole, one woman follows the other, resulting in a violent crime they must flee from. The detective trying to find them has her own history, and is determined to prove to her partner that women are just as capable of violence. Truthfully, I don't often enjoy when a central character of a story is of the police force, but I think the detective added a lot of interest insight to this read. I was also interested in how the pandemic played a role in this story. Overall, it made for a dark and fascinating read.
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.
CWs: Graphic injury and violence; references to COVID and its effects; some ableist language; some depictions of alcohol and drug abuse; descriptions of sexual assault and attempted sexual violence; some allusions to past domestic abuse
*Review copy and finished copy provided by MCD x FSG Books*
Sing Her Down is a modern-day Western. It may not seem like it on the surface, because it takes place in a contemporary setting, there's no imagery of the wide open "wild west," there's no cowboys, etc. But at its core, it's about two female outlaws, two violent women who can't seem to escape their lives of crime as the try to outrun the law—and each other—as they brave the wilderness of Southern California and builds towards a fated epic showdown in the streets of Los Angeles.
This book is tightly paced. There's a staccato urgency to the prose that keeps you reading and unable to look away. What's more, the animosity between Florida and Dios is palpable and electric. Despite their wishes and despite their best intentions, these are two women who are drawn together again and again with magnetic intensity, and each time they clash they inevitably leave destruction in their wake. The synopsis promises a deadly cat-and-mouse chase, and I think the story definitely delivers on that time and time again.
In the end, I think this story is about how we can't escape the undesirable parts of ourselves, no matter how hard we might try. It's a story of women raging against their circumstances and their lots in life, giving in to the animal instinct to destroy each other—and maybe even themselves—despite the consequences. It's about how ugliness begets ugliness, how violence can seem like the only answer after being raised in an inherently violent world. It's an interrogation of whether we can be freed from past trauma or if our lives will always be dictated and shaped by it, regardless of the choices we make.
Making tremendous use of the rotating POV structure, Sing Her Down is a gritty, intense, and violent blend of the Western and crime genres. In my opinion, some of the flashbacks/backstory trended a bit towards stereotype at times and could have been integrated better in general, but that didn't deter from my overall investment in the story. That said, I'm so glad I got a chance to read this one, and I would absolutely read more in this vein from Ivy Pochoda in the future!
(Also worth noting that this book would be great to check out on audio! I didn't get a chance to listen to it because I had a physical ARC, but I know has a stellar cast of four narrators, and the listening experience would probably be incredible. So I definitely recommend checking out that format if it's accessible to you and you're interested in this one!)
*Review copy and finished copy provided by MCD x FSG Books*
Sing Her Down is a modern-day Western. It may not seem like it on the surface, because it takes place in a contemporary setting, there's no imagery of the wide open "wild west," there's no cowboys, etc. But at its core, it's about two female outlaws, two violent women who can't seem to escape their lives of crime as the try to outrun the law—and each other—as they brave the wilderness of Southern California and builds towards a fated epic showdown in the streets of Los Angeles.
This book is tightly paced. There's a staccato urgency to the prose that keeps you reading and unable to look away. What's more, the animosity between Florida and Dios is palpable and electric. Despite their wishes and despite their best intentions, these are two women who are drawn together again and again with magnetic intensity, and each time they clash they inevitably leave destruction in their wake. The synopsis promises a deadly cat-and-mouse chase, and I think the story definitely delivers on that time and time again.
In the end, I think this story is about how we can't escape the undesirable parts of ourselves, no matter how hard we might try. It's a story of women raging against their circumstances and their lots in life, giving in to the animal instinct to destroy each other—and maybe even themselves—despite the consequences. It's about how ugliness begets ugliness, how violence can seem like the only answer after being raised in an inherently violent world. It's an interrogation of whether we can be freed from past trauma or if our lives will always be dictated and shaped by it, regardless of the choices we make.
Making tremendous use of the rotating POV structure, Sing Her Down is a gritty, intense, and violent blend of the Western and crime genres. In my opinion, some of the flashbacks/backstory trended a bit towards stereotype at times and could have been integrated better in general, but that didn't deter from my overall investment in the story. That said, I'm so glad I got a chance to read this one, and I would absolutely read more in this vein from Ivy Pochoda in the future!
(Also worth noting that this book would be great to check out on audio! I didn't get a chance to listen to it because I had a physical ARC, but I know has a stellar cast of four narrators, and the listening experience would probably be incredible. So I definitely recommend checking out that format if it's accessible to you and you're interested in this one!)
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
“You won’t believe what women can do.
These women- their mistake was in thinking they burned with their own unique rage. Something deeper, darker than what the rest of us feel.
Let me tell you- inside we all rage the same. It’s how we let it out that differs.”
Diana Diosmary “Dios” Sandoval and Florence “Florida” Baum are inmates in a women’s correctional facility in Arizona. As the pandemic rages on, both of their sentences are commuted and they are released on parole. Florida and Dios have a history – something that ties them to a violent event in the prison and Dios has knowledge of secrets about Florida’s arrest and her actual role in the crime that landed her in prison – secrets that Florida is desperate to protect. Dios holds this knowledge over Florida’s head and is fixated on proving that Florida, who comes from an affluent background and hopes to leave her time in prison behind her, is no less a violent criminal than Dios believes she is. After they are released from prison, Dios stalks Florida, refusing to back down as Florida struggles to gain control of her life.
<b>Sing Her Down</b> by <b>Ivy Pochoda</b> is a dark, gritty and immersive novel that I could not put down. I finished it in a single day! The narrative is shared from the perspectives of four women – Dios, Florida and Kase, another prisoner who was incarcerated with Dios and Florida, who shares her unique perspectives on the psyche of women whose lives are plagued by crime and violence. We also meet Detective Lobos who crosses paths with Dios and Florida, but who is surrounded by violence in her work life and troubled marriage, trying to gain some insight into these two women while pursuing them. Through flashbacks, we get to know more about Dios and Florida, their backstories and the events that led to their incarceration. The characterizations are superb and the author does a superb job of giving us a glimpse into the innermost thoughts of these characters all of whom are plagued by their demons. The setting of the story changes from Arizona to Los Angeles and the author describes each of these settings with vivid imagery that only adds to the atmosphere of the novel.
<i>“There is no magic in the world, no point wasting time detangling patterns and problems, in rationalizing yourself for others, in explaining yourself away and prophesying your next move.”</i>
With its exceptional writing, consistent pacing, complex characters and gripping narrative, this novel reeled me in from the very first page. This is a thought-provoking story and these women and their stories will stay with me.This is my first Ivy Pochoda novel and it surely won’t be my last!
However, I should point out that this is not a light or easy read. There are disturbing scenes of prison violence and the story does venture into dark territory.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the digital review copy of this novel, I was fortunate to also receive the ALC of this novel from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio which made for an exceptional immersion reading experience. The phenomenal full-cast audio narration by Frankie Corzo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Sophie Amoss, and Victoria Villarreal made these characters and the story come alive. I would definitely recommend both the book and /or the audiobook.
This novel is due to be released on May 23, 2023.
<b>Sing Her Down</b> by <b>Ivy Pochoda</b> is a dark, gritty and immersive novel that I could not put down. I finished it in a single day! The narrative is shared from the perspectives of four women – Dios, Florida and Kase, another prisoner who was incarcerated with Dios and Florida, who shares her unique perspectives on the psyche of women whose lives are plagued by crime and violence. We also meet Detective Lobos who crosses paths with Dios and Florida, but who is surrounded by violence in her work life and troubled marriage, trying to gain some insight into these two women while pursuing them. Through flashbacks, we get to know more about Dios and Florida, their backstories and the events that led to their incarceration. The characterizations are superb and the author does a superb job of giving us a glimpse into the innermost thoughts of these characters all of whom are plagued by their demons. The setting of the story changes from Arizona to Los Angeles and the author describes each of these settings with vivid imagery that only adds to the atmosphere of the novel.
<i>“There is no magic in the world, no point wasting time detangling patterns and problems, in rationalizing yourself for others, in explaining yourself away and prophesying your next move.”</i>
With its exceptional writing, consistent pacing, complex characters and gripping narrative, this novel reeled me in from the very first page. This is a thought-provoking story and these women and their stories will stay with me.This is my first Ivy Pochoda novel and it surely won’t be my last!
However, I should point out that this is not a light or easy read. There are disturbing scenes of prison violence and the story does venture into dark territory.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the digital review copy of this novel, I was fortunate to also receive the ALC of this novel from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio which made for an exceptional immersion reading experience. The phenomenal full-cast audio narration by Frankie Corzo, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Sophie Amoss, and Victoria Villarreal made these characters and the story come alive. I would definitely recommend both the book and /or the audiobook.
This novel is due to be released on May 23, 2023.
“Sometimes in here it feels like all you have to yourself is the thing that brought you inside. The thing that belongs to you proper—the weight you carry. That’s it. There’s no other you. And you have to reshape that thing into something you can live with, mold it and sculpt it until it fits tight to your body but doesn’t overwhelm you. They don’t know that at the end of the day, the everyday is all there is.”
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes