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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
Fell into a bit of a reading slump so it took me 3 months to finish this book. It wasn't a bad book at all, well written and interesting. It wasn't everything I expected it to be though. I was happy with the ending but didn't really connect much with any of the characters.
Powerful. Intense. Rich. Gritty. Atmospheric.
A slow build, but once it ramps up it doesn't let go until you are gasping for air at the end. This book grips you y the heart and permeates the bone.
Representation. Representation. Representation! A queer, Jewish, historical fantasy that doesn't take place during the Holocaust, but the World's Fair of 1893. It is a YA/Teen novel that packs a punch and had me racing to the end. I am so happy I read this book.
The audiobook is great and made the experience even richer and engrossing by hearing the proper pronunciation of Yiddish, Russian, and Romanian words and places.
Definitely recommend!
A slow build, but once it ramps up it doesn't let go until you are gasping for air at the end. This book grips you y the heart and permeates the bone.
Representation. Representation. Representation! A queer, Jewish, historical fantasy that doesn't take place during the Holocaust, but the World's Fair of 1893. It is a YA/Teen novel that packs a punch and had me racing to the end. I am so happy I read this book.
The audiobook is great and made the experience even richer and engrossing by hearing the proper pronunciation of Yiddish, Russian, and Romanian words and places.
Definitely recommend!
Depressing & violent but a good piece of YA historical fiction nonetheless! Lots of underrepresented stories in it
Death was ugly, I had learned, but life could be even uglier and unfathomably cruel.
This book was incredibly drawn out and I found that not a whole lot happened even though the plot kept moving along. I had a hard time being drawn to any of the characters, as the pacing of the book threw me off entirely.
This book was incredibly drawn out and I found that not a whole lot happened even though the plot kept moving along. I had a hard time being drawn to any of the characters, as the pacing of the book threw me off entirely.
3.5 stars, rounded down because the climax was pretty cliché. But the subject matter is bold and important for the YA genre, and the setting of the Chicago Worlds Fair added a nice backdrop of historical fiction mixed with the fantasy.
When his best friend becomes the most recent young Jewish immigrant to be murdered in Chicago, Alter teams up with his long lost friend Frankie to solve the mystery.
Rep: Romanian Jewish gay MC, Lithuanian Jewish gay LI, Ukrainian Jewish gay LI.
Cw: antisemitism, references to past rape, references to paedophilia, slurs, hate crimes, violence, murder, drowning, immolation.
So good. Definition of unputdownable. I loved the historical context and the mystery,but I felt the romance between Alter and Yakov and Alter and Frankie could have been better developed. Why was Frankie sidelined at the climax?! So frustrating! Also how is Alter so well read and culturally aware when he lives such a hard and marginalised life? When did he have time to read Dickens and Shakespeare lol?
Rep: Romanian Jewish gay MC, Lithuanian Jewish gay LI, Ukrainian Jewish gay LI.
Cw: antisemitism, references to past rape, references to paedophilia, slurs, hate crimes, violence, murder, drowning, immolation.
So good. Definition of unputdownable. I loved the historical context and the mystery,but I felt the romance between Alter and Yakov and Alter and Frankie could have been better developed. Why was Frankie sidelined at the climax?! So frustrating! Also how is Alter so well read and culturally aware when he lives such a hard and marginalised life? When did he have time to read Dickens and Shakespeare lol?
Most often - Jewish Historical Fiction centers around WWII. This takes place during the World’s Fair in the late 1800s in Chicago. A nice blend of HF and Fantasy. Great read!
This was pretty slow for the first 60%. But! The final 20% had me gripped. I appreciated the historical details and the choice to reflect religious Jewish life in the late 19th century.
And I know it wasn't her story, but I would've loved more Raizel.
And I know it wasn't her story, but I would've loved more Raizel.
Normally I give 5 stars to books that make me cry and this one didn’t but MAN the plot and world building I loved it it was incredible