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wildfaeriecaps's review
4.0
This book was so delightful! I'd purchased it on the recommendation of an author friend and then promptly forgot about it (look, I have a lot of books to read). Went into this not remembering anything about it and it was so much fun! I look forward to reading more by this author!
mandyist's review
4.0
I wish I'd written a proper review of this when I read it because it's really good and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But lockdown...
I'm revisiting the book ahead of reading the sequel and I'm struck by how magical, inventive, interesting and Capetonian it is. Nothing has made me want to move to Cape Town more than this book.
If you've ever lived in South Africa, you'd be forgiven for believing that magic exists. There are fairies flitting about in the corner of your eyes and tokoloshes threatening to cause mayhem.
And if there had been magic a century ago, you can bet that the government would have cracked down on it.
Which is what makes this book and this world so interesting. Because the world of Crooks and Straights cracks down on magic with Apartheid-like precision but it's also an allegory to homophobia, transphobia and all the forms of hatred and inequality that we see in SA today.
I can't wait to dig into Wolf Logic now but thought I'd drop a note to explain why Crooks and Straights should be on your to-read list.
I'm revisiting the book ahead of reading the sequel and I'm struck by how magical, inventive, interesting and Capetonian it is. Nothing has made me want to move to Cape Town more than this book.
If you've ever lived in South Africa, you'd be forgiven for believing that magic exists. There are fairies flitting about in the corner of your eyes and tokoloshes threatening to cause mayhem.
And if there had been magic a century ago, you can bet that the government would have cracked down on it.
Which is what makes this book and this world so interesting. Because the world of Crooks and Straights cracks down on magic with Apartheid-like precision but it's also an allegory to homophobia, transphobia and all the forms of hatred and inequality that we see in SA today.
I can't wait to dig into Wolf Logic now but thought I'd drop a note to explain why Crooks and Straights should be on your to-read list.
tallulahlucy's review
5.0
You know that feeling you have on Christmas morning when you have a pile of presents before you, filled with potential? You’re excited to open them but also a bit trepidatious because maybe the promising shapes belie the contents. Maybe they’re going to be disappointments and you have to smile and be grateful all the while wishing that the shimmering paper had been filled with something else.
I came to Crooks & Straights with that Christmas morning feeling. I read the description on Amazon and thought, “Wow, I’ve got to get my hands on that”. Here it is:
Gia’s brother Nico is different from other boys. And being different can be dangerous in Gia’s world. Cape Town is no longer the haven for magical refugees that it once was. The Purists want to get rid of all magic and the newspapers are full of dreadful stories about the Belle Gente, the magical terrorists.
None of this concerns Gia, until the Special Branch— police who investigate the illegal use of magic— come knocking at her door, looking for Nico. When Gia turns to her parents for help, she finds only more secrets. Then she realises that she was the one who put her brother in danger.
I am delighted to report that Crooks & Straights was not in any way a disappointment. As I turned the pages, it really felt like I was unwrapping a beautiful and thoughtful gift.
There are so many surprises and hidden bits of magic along the way. I won’t spoil them, but here are a few of the things I liked best about this book.
Masha isn’t only a writer but an artist too. She has scattered the book with her own illustrations.
Politics plays a big part in this story. Politics between the magical and unmagical but also in an allegorical way. There are issues of cultural sensitivity that are common in South African fiction, but in this case the cultures in question are things like trolls and fairies.
Magic is normailsed in this world in a way that makes me think of embroidery. Masha has done an amazing job of stitching it on to everyday life in such a way that it feels totally familiar and natural.
There is a very South African flavour to the world that Masha has created. You get an idea of what it’s like to live here – the diversity of language (magical creatures have different names in different languages) and culture, the socio-economic divides.
Subtle world building that’s the perfect recipe for a book hangover.
Luckily, Crooks and Straights is the first part in a duology and, as I’m late to the party here, the other book, Wolf Logic, is already out
I came to Crooks & Straights with that Christmas morning feeling. I read the description on Amazon and thought, “Wow, I’ve got to get my hands on that”. Here it is:
Gia’s brother Nico is different from other boys. And being different can be dangerous in Gia’s world. Cape Town is no longer the haven for magical refugees that it once was. The Purists want to get rid of all magic and the newspapers are full of dreadful stories about the Belle Gente, the magical terrorists.
None of this concerns Gia, until the Special Branch— police who investigate the illegal use of magic— come knocking at her door, looking for Nico. When Gia turns to her parents for help, she finds only more secrets. Then she realises that she was the one who put her brother in danger.
I am delighted to report that Crooks & Straights was not in any way a disappointment. As I turned the pages, it really felt like I was unwrapping a beautiful and thoughtful gift.
There are so many surprises and hidden bits of magic along the way. I won’t spoil them, but here are a few of the things I liked best about this book.
Masha isn’t only a writer but an artist too. She has scattered the book with her own illustrations.
Politics plays a big part in this story. Politics between the magical and unmagical but also in an allegorical way. There are issues of cultural sensitivity that are common in South African fiction, but in this case the cultures in question are things like trolls and fairies.
Magic is normailsed in this world in a way that makes me think of embroidery. Masha has done an amazing job of stitching it on to everyday life in such a way that it feels totally familiar and natural.
There is a very South African flavour to the world that Masha has created. You get an idea of what it’s like to live here – the diversity of language (magical creatures have different names in different languages) and culture, the socio-economic divides.
Subtle world building that’s the perfect recipe for a book hangover.
Luckily, Crooks and Straights is the first part in a duology and, as I’m late to the party here, the other book, Wolf Logic, is already out
otterforce's review
5.0
One of my favorite reads so far this year.
Based in South Africa, the setting is a bit different but the society feels all too familiar. There's great characters, an interesting take on magicals, a diverse bestiary that you meet as you read through and a point of view that resonates.
Loved the family and the main character. Though she plays a smaller role, especially loved the old shop owner down the street.
Couldn't put the book down once I made it a couple chapters in!
Based in South Africa, the setting is a bit different but the society feels all too familiar. There's great characters, an interesting take on magicals, a diverse bestiary that you meet as you read through and a point of view that resonates.
Loved the family and the main character. Though she plays a smaller role, especially loved the old shop owner down the street.
Couldn't put the book down once I made it a couple chapters in!
samanthabryant's review against another edition
4.0
What an intriguing world! Gia always knew there was magic, but she had no idea how entrenched in the magical world she really was. In South Africa, there are two types of people: crooks (magicals) and straights (non-magicals). Gia is a Straight, and she always thought the rest of her family was, too. But with the Purist movement taking over in government, someone she cares about catches the wrong sort of attention, and Gia makes a daring deal to save the ones she loves.
Crooks and Straights thrilled me by introducing me to new kinds of magical creatures I had never heard of before. I was really fascinated by the entire world du Toit created. I know that Gia's journey continues in another book, which I'll be bumping up my TBR list. I need to know how it goes from here.
Crooks and Straights thrilled me by introducing me to new kinds of magical creatures I had never heard of before. I was really fascinated by the entire world du Toit created. I know that Gia's journey continues in another book, which I'll be bumping up my TBR list. I need to know how it goes from here.
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