Scan barcode
caprivoyant's review
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
As someone who works in the "woo-woo" field, I think my absolute favorite thing about this book was how Madame Burova was written: she is grounded, kind, and empathetic with a strong code of ethics that she sticks to with compassion. There are a lot of stereotypes floating out there about who psychics are as people (some of those stereotypes are spoken about in this book, actually) but this book did a fantastic job of *showing* someone who has honed this talent/skill and with this career as a real human worthy of respect. I really appreciated that. ♥
With that said, there were a number of times when I was reading the book when I stopped to think "Oh, I really hope this book had some sensitivity readers." Namely, with the representation of the Romany experience -- I'm still unsure if using racial slurs for Romany people 13x (plus a few Black racial slurs) was really necessary or how Romany people feel about being so tightly associated with the woo-woo world. That felt rather stereotypical as well. BUT! I'm a white person, so I wouldn't know whether that is truly harmful representation. I can only say that it felt rather unnecessary to me. So. Take that for what it's worth.
Story-wise, this one is a sweetie. It follows one girl's journey to learn more about herself and where she came from after the death of her parents and, of course, Madame Burova who's found herself at the center of this girl's discovery-journey. The book has a cozy-close-knit-community & feel-good vibes, so this one is great when you're in a bit of a funk and want to be guided out of it by someone who's also trying to sort through their own emotional funkiness. Or! If you want to just have a peek into what it feels like to have a supportive community. I think we all need that sometimes.
So! All in all? A super cute story that I hope beyond all hope got some feedback from real people represented in these pages.
With that said, there were a number of times when I was reading the book when I stopped to think "Oh, I really hope this book had some sensitivity readers." Namely, with the representation of the Romany experience -- I'm still unsure if using racial slurs for Romany people 13x (plus a few Black racial slurs) was really necessary or how Romany people feel about being so tightly associated with the woo-woo world. That felt rather stereotypical as well. BUT! I'm a white person, so I wouldn't know whether that is truly harmful representation. I can only say that it felt rather unnecessary to me. So. Take that for what it's worth.
Story-wise, this one is a sweetie. It follows one girl's journey to learn more about herself and where she came from after the death of her parents and, of course, Madame Burova who's found herself at the center of this girl's discovery-journey. The book has a cozy-close-knit-community & feel-good vibes, so this one is great when you're in a bit of a funk and want to be guided out of it by someone who's also trying to sort through their own emotional funkiness. Or! If you want to just have a peek into what it feels like to have a supportive community. I think we all need that sometimes.
So! All in all? A super cute story that I hope beyond all hope got some feedback from real people represented in these pages.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Bullying
Minor: Cancer, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Death, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
More...