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jess_justmaybeperfect's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A sapphic fantasy (with a romance) novella set in Chicago in 1941. Angels and demons. Warlocks and humans. Conversion therapy. Misogyny. Good people making ultimate sacrifices. A brother’s understanding. Seriously masterful take on personal faith. Saving a love for as long as possible because it’s worth all the risks.
Whew I have goosebumps! Can’t recommend this enough!
Whew I have goosebumps! Can’t recommend this enough!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Violence, Abandonment, Confinement, Sexism, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Medical trauma
lycheejelly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Death of parent
robin1010's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The premise was great, the execution needs a lot of editing and about double the pages. The author had a lot of different subjects and topics to explore but wasn't able to focus on anything enough to give meaning or depth. There was barely any investigation into the murder mystery that wasn't just reasons to put x character at x location, the romance was incredibly flat and had very little development, the magic system was vague and handwavy, the lore and worldbuilding was equally only the strictly relevant and barely that. Even the atmosphere distinctly missed the noir mark, as the writing style, dialogue, and characters just felt modern. A few bits of outdated vocabulary here and there doesn't make it noir.
The pacing was horrendous. The novel spends almost the exact same amount of time on each event that happens, regardless of how important or how much explanation this event needs.Helen and Edith talking in the club takes MORE time than the reveal of Edith as an angel and her and the angel's entire backstory/mechanism of possession. The last act felt squished together and the first two felt dragged out. Some chapters just felt like filler. You never really get time for events or revelations to sink in and settle.
For whatever reason the author put in angels and demons, and then immediately gives the tools to kill them. I don't understand the point of having these beings known for limitless power and immortality and then making them killable. In a similar vein the last big fight was relatively anticlimactic - we were just introduced to the real antagonist and his motivations and he's dead in a couple of paragraphs. Delaney was a weird character to have in there - also, Helen specifically notes his eyes flare the same weird way Edith's do, but doesn't connect the dots between that and him having angelic influence until hes already revealed as the villain.
I hate that Helen and Ted both 'go to hell' at the end. In a wlw book? really? In combination with repeated mentions of homophobia (including conversion therapy) and misogyny. Don't tell me these are about adding realism in a fantasy book.
The relationship itself also, frankly, sucks. It has all the chemistry of a dead fish. Largely because Helen is as blank as they come, but theres also no development, no time spent just getting to know them, no interaction that isn't painfully generic and could be any couple speaking to each other. It was boring reading about them.
The characters, themes, and content needed more space to breathe than such a short book gave it, and the author needed to choose a focus rather than juggling too many things at once.
The pacing was horrendous. The novel spends almost the exact same amount of time on each event that happens, regardless of how important or how much explanation this event needs.
The relationship itself also, frankly, sucks. It has all the chemistry of a dead fish. Largely because Helen is as blank as they come, but theres also no development, no time spent just getting to know them, no interaction that isn't painfully generic and could be any couple speaking to each other. It was boring reading about them.
The characters, themes, and content needed more space to breathe than such a short book gave it, and the author needed to choose a focus rather than juggling too many things at once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Death
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Mental illness, Gore, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Grief, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, and Child death
clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
For such a short book, this packs in a lot. There are angels, demons, murder, magic and a swoon-worthy love story.
The stakes are high, and the way the story developed and unravelled made it very hard to put down. While I would’ve loved more information about the magic and how it works, this story is well contained and moves the reader right along. The murders are gruesome, religion is a fascinating element, and the motivations are compelling. I was invested.
My favorite parts were the relationship between Helen and Edith and the way Polk wove in history, especially the high price of being a queer at the time. The hidden lesbian club and the brief visit to the asylum were great touches.
For all you historical fantasy fans out there, definitely check this one out. It’s a tense, quick read that builds very nicely and has a swoony romance at its heart. Also, how gorgeous is that cover?
The stakes are high, and the way the story developed and unravelled made it very hard to put down. While I would’ve loved more information about the magic and how it works, this story is well contained and moves the reader right along. The murders are gruesome, religion is a fascinating element, and the motivations are compelling. I was invested.
My favorite parts were the relationship between Helen and Edith and the way Polk wove in history, especially the high price of being a queer at the time. The hidden lesbian club and the brief visit to the asylum were great touches.
For all you historical fantasy fans out there, definitely check this one out. It’s a tense, quick read that builds very nicely and has a swoony romance at its heart. Also, how gorgeous is that cover?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Murder, and Sexism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Minor: Vomit
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