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sparklefarm's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
oh i LOVED this. Queer magical noir anyone?! Excellent audiobook narration. Exquisite. Chef's kiss. Why is this only a novella.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
laurareads87's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
A well written novella with a cool noir atmosphere. Overall, I would say that I liked this novella and would definitely read more by Polk (this was my first experience with their work). That said, I did find this novella had a few too many ideas squished into it given its length. I also found myself more interested in background aspects of the setting – such as the types of magic that exist in this alternate history, where magical capabilities seem to be a blend of both inherited and learned– than I was in the central plot. The ending fell flat for me.
Content warnings: homophobia, sexism, misogyny, violence, blood, death, gun violence, forcible confinement / institutionalization
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
quirkykayleetam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have such mixed feelings about this book.
The writing was gorgeously atmospheric, the relationship at the heart of this lesbian noir literally to die for.
And I loved the first half! It felt like the best of the speakeasy scene from Master of Djinn mixed with all the lost possibilities of Supernatural the TV show told by a voice I longed to hear on audio. But when things became more blatantly about patriarchal control, I longed for more nuance in its perspective on religion.
The end hit hard, right where it was supposed to, but never felt exactly the way it should.
The writing was gorgeously atmospheric, the relationship at the heart of this lesbian noir literally to die for.
And I loved the first half! It felt like the best of the speakeasy scene from Master of Djinn mixed with all the lost possibilities of Supernatural the TV show told by a voice I longed to hear on audio. But when things became more blatantly about patriarchal control, I longed for more nuance in its perspective on religion.
The end hit hard, right where it was supposed to, but never felt exactly the way it should.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Lesbophobia
beehives's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This book starts fast and ends fast, dropping the reader immediately into an alternate universe version of vintage-noir Chicago where angels and demons run rampant, magic is real, and being gay is still stigmatized. The language is really evocative of the era and the characters are perfectly noir-ish, with some twists and subversions (is there really a "femme fatalle" in the true sense? not so much!).
You can tell by the pacing that this is a novella, not a full novel, which makes it often feel faster than it needs to be or that information is dropped early and (somewhat) randomly in order to equip the reader with enough hints to figure out the broad strokes of the plot. The fast pace also means that I didn't have a strong affection for any characters because there was so much else happening (mysteries to solve, relationships to unravel, social commentary on asylums to process...). That said, for such a short story, the plot and world seem fully formed. I hope the author writes more within this world, even as this story seemed to wrap up these characters pretty neatly.
You can tell by the pacing that this is a novella, not a full novel, which makes it often feel faster than it needs to be or that information is dropped early and (somewhat) randomly in order to equip the reader with enough hints to figure out the broad strokes of the plot. The fast pace also means that I didn't have a strong affection for any characters because there was so much else happening (mysteries to solve, relationships to unravel, social commentary on asylums to process...). That said, for such a short story, the plot and world seem fully formed. I hope the author writes more within this world, even as this story seemed to wrap up these characters pretty neatly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Lesbophobia
micheala's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was an interesting alternative history paranormal mystery.
It's very short (only 135 pages) so I can't really say much without spoiling things. I will say that overall the mystery was interesting, however there was one key piece that Helen should have noticed much sooner, and her not realizing it felt like a blatant plot convenience.
Content warnings for time period (1940s-ish) homophobia, misogyny, mental institution (characters commited against their will), electroshock therapy, adversion therapy, death, possession,blood and gore - most of these are not described in great detail, but they are present and discussed on page
It's very short (only 135 pages) so I can't really say much without spoiling things. I will say that overall the mystery was interesting, however there was one key piece that Helen should have noticed much sooner, and her not realizing it felt like a blatant plot convenience.
Content warnings for time period (1940s-ish) homophobia, misogyny, mental institution (characters commited against their will), electroshock therapy, adversion therapy, death, possession,blood and gore - most of these are not described in great detail, but they are present and discussed on page
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Death of parent
bashsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is incredible. Short but dense, every word is well-spent. It's difficult to paint a compelling fantasy in such a short work, and adding on the fact that it's period piece makes it doubly impressive. Cannot recommend enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Misogyny and Death of parent
preciouslittleingenue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Can’t believe how excellent and believable the world building is in such a short little book. Above all I want MORE!!! I agree that the brother-sister relationship was the most underdeveloped part. I also think Helen and the angel (audiobook; don’t know how to spell the name) spent more run time together in Edith’s body than Helen and actual Edith, so that sucks. The closer I got to the end the more I was like cmonnnnnn come back out Edith. In the end though, I wasn’t disappointed. I wanted to kick Helen for making the same mistake AGAIN and undoing everything but I think that’s the point; it was inevitable. Sell your soul once, you’re just going to be set up to keep needing to do it again and again. Like she never would’ve needed to save Edith if she hadn’t saved Ted back in the day. It’s just her fatal flaw. Demon-domino-effect. The title is just so perfect. Because Helen *does* change her end, but only by getting more time. The end will still be the same. I thought the whole time the title was a fake-out…but it definitely wasn’t. Super clever. Loved the world. I’d love more supernatural queer noir stuff set in this period and world. Thoroughly enjoyed and finished super quick. Almost just hit restart on the audiobook when it ended. Maybe in a few months I’ll reread. Gonna also check out more of Polk’s work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Homophobia
foiblesandfiction's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy!
The amount of world building that was developed in this short novel was incredible. I didn't expect the depth or believability that the author created, but it's there. I also really enjoyed the vulnerable and intense themes that the author explored - queer love in a time and place that found it immoral and illegal; misogyny and the imbalanced power dynamics from which women suffer; the institutionalization of women in asylums and their horrific suffering of conversion therapies.
Where this book fell short for me was the ending. To be blunt, I don't like it. Both the plot choices that the author made as well as the technicalities of how it was written. The culmination of the noir-like murder mystery was cleanly wrapped up yet the plot twist was predictable. And while Helen and Edith's relationship gave me all the feels, I was disappointed by the lack of resolution for Helen's fractured relationship with her brother.
However, please don't let these criticisms hold you back from being able to enjoy the beautiful love of this sapphic couple. They were sweet enough to make my molars ache, and I recommend this book to anyone needing a quick read to break a reading slump.
The amount of world building that was developed in this short novel was incredible. I didn't expect the depth or believability that the author created, but it's there. I also really enjoyed the vulnerable and intense themes that the author explored - queer love in a time and place that found it immoral and illegal; misogyny and the imbalanced power dynamics from which women suffer; the institutionalization of women in asylums and their horrific suffering of conversion therapies.
Where this book fell short for me was the ending. To be blunt, I don't like it. Both the plot choices that the author made as well as the technicalities of how it was written. The culmination of the noir-like murder mystery was cleanly wrapped up yet the plot twist was predictable. And while Helen and Edith's relationship gave me all the feels, I was disappointed by the lack of resolution for Helen's fractured relationship with her brother.
However, please don't let these criticisms hold you back from being able to enjoy the beautiful love of this sapphic couple. They were sweet enough to make my molars ache, and I recommend this book to anyone needing a quick read to break a reading slump.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
takarakei's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
- Noir
- Sapphic romance
- Chicago speakeasies
- Photography
- Magical realism
- Novella
- great audio narration
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
wyllora's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed this- a noir story featuring some of my favorite magical elements: angels, demons, possession, pacts, and blood magic. :-) If you're reading this you probably read the summary too- but I'd avoid it bc I didn't know the content going in and was delighted and surprised to organically discover it.
I only wish it was longer and the magic and world was more fleshed out! It was fleshed out enough for the story it was telling--but it intrigued me enough that I wish it stayed longer on the world and pieces of the mystery. If some things had been better established early on, I also think it would've captured more of the mystery staple of trying to figure out what's going on along with the characters. As it was, we're more along for the ride, but it's a nice ride, I like it.
Would love a sequel or more entries into this world!
I only wish it was longer and the magic and world was more fleshed out! It was fleshed out enough for the story it was telling--but it intrigued me enough that I wish it stayed longer on the world and pieces of the mystery. If some things had been better established early on, I also think it would've captured more of the mystery staple of trying to figure out what's going on along with the characters. As it was, we're more along for the ride, but it's a nice ride, I like it.
Would love a sequel or more entries into this world!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Car accident, and Death of parent