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katyboo52's review against another edition
5.0
Josephine Thomas lives in a contemporary America with a twist. In this reality, witches are real. Witches are also feared. As soon as girls reach puberty it is their family's duty to monitor them for abnormal activities and by the time they are thirty they are required to be married and must submit their will to their husband. Any witchy behaviour means that they will be taken into custody by the state and subject to testing and even executed, depending on what they have done.
Josephine's mother disappeared when she was a teenager. Not only did it leave her with unresolved grief and a ton of questions, it has also meant further state intervention in her life as her mother's activities left a question mark over the whole family.
As the book opens, Josephine is 28 and working in a museum of witchcraft. She is under increasing pressure to marry and submit to further state scrutiny. Everything changes when 14 years after her mother's disapproval, they register her as dead and she receives a letter from her mother asking her to fulfil a bequest.
This is an astonishing, upsetting, rich and wonderful book. Like a queer Handmaid's Tale with witches in the very best way.
Josephine's mother disappeared when she was a teenager. Not only did it leave her with unresolved grief and a ton of questions, it has also meant further state intervention in her life as her mother's activities left a question mark over the whole family.
As the book opens, Josephine is 28 and working in a museum of witchcraft. She is under increasing pressure to marry and submit to further state scrutiny. Everything changes when 14 years after her mother's disapproval, they register her as dead and she receives a letter from her mother asking her to fulfil a bequest.
This is an astonishing, upsetting, rich and wonderful book. Like a queer Handmaid's Tale with witches in the very best way.
katrina_c's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
smsms's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
saniyajawad's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elsie2110's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
dinahfay's review against another edition
Tried three times in two formats and just couldn't find a way in - I guess the gloominess got to me.
thesammylife's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this more! It's got good bones, bit just needs a bit more finessing to be truly great.
Even with the witchcraft element, you can clearly see parallels with growing religious conservatism in America. This is a world where misogyny is not only legal, but a requirement of all its citizens.This is a world where women are truly hated, untrusted and scapegoated. They exist in a world where they are punished daily for the 'original sin'. Men are rarely accountable for their actions, and are able to pass the blame back to their women for being witches.
It's therefore more than a bit annoying and bewildering that the author/main character tries so hard to push gender as an issue.
Let's be clear, in this story only women can be accused of being witches.
Only women get burnt on the stake.
Only women have to married by age 30.
Only women have to be assigned a male guardian to account for them.
Only women are subject to controls on their ability to work, keep money in their own names, etc.
This is sex based discrimination. This is misogyny. No amount of not acting "feminine" or "masculine" can help a woman out of this situation. Why? Because this is sex based discrimination.
It's therefore entirely ridiculous to think gender or gender discrimination is somehow worse than this existence. No other group in this world is subject to the level of suspicion, hatred and again, BURNING AT THE STAKE.
Even with the witchcraft element, you can clearly see parallels with growing religious conservatism in America. This is a world where misogyny is not only legal, but a requirement of all its citizens.This is a world where women are truly hated, untrusted and scapegoated. They exist in a world where they are punished daily for the 'original sin'. Men are rarely accountable for their actions, and are able to pass the blame back to their women for being witches.
It's therefore more than a bit annoying and bewildering that the author/main character tries so hard to push gender as an issue.
Let's be clear, in this story only women can be accused of being witches.
Only women get burnt on the stake.
Only women have to married by age 30.
Only women have to be assigned a male guardian to account for them.
Only women are subject to controls on their ability to work, keep money in their own names, etc.
This is sex based discrimination. This is misogyny. No amount of not acting "feminine" or "masculine" can help a woman out of this situation. Why? Because this is sex based discrimination.
It's therefore entirely ridiculous to think gender or gender discrimination is somehow worse than this existence. No other group in this world is subject to the level of suspicion, hatred and again, BURNING AT THE STAKE.
mwass's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
blackberrydreams's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved the first half of this book, with how uncanny the ever-so-slight dystopia was and how relevant and heartbreaking the social commentary was. Halfway through, pacing and plot issues arose, though, and I especially struggled with the lack of explanation for Jo’s motivations at that point. But despite these issues persisting through to the end, I ultimately still really enjoyed this book, and I think I’ll keep thinking of it as time goes on, and thus, the rating.