Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Women Could Fly

I didn't find the writing or storytelling engaging. The fantastical element didn't go much further than that there were witches- I didn't feel myself being captivated by the magic.

The political themes of racism and misogyny were heavyhanded so I didn't feel like they were resonating or I was learning much from it.

The main character was self-sabotaging and apathetic about her future which makes sense given her situation but it bummed me out a lot so wasn't the right time for me to appreciate it.

It was moderately well-written and had progressive political themes, but not enough to keep me going. I would recommend readers to Nalo Hopkinson, NK Jemisin, Rebecca Roanhorse, P Djeli Clark, RF Kuang for really amazing authors of colour who examine race, gender and queerness in their writing with fantastical elements.

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jenmcreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

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kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

this was incredibly bleak, as i expected from the author who wrote Lakewood! the bleakness was a refreshing, interesting kind though: what new, horrifyingly realistic form of oppression & reckoning can Giddings come up with next? that sounds bad but honestly it was incredibly cool to me how magic felt so real and lived while seated next to true life misogynoir. magic pulses through this book, but it didn’t escape or detract from the main theme of how any uniqueness, any difference, any potential power that women, specifically Black ones, even more specifically queer Black ones have is viewed as dangerous and in need of regulation for other peoples “safety” or wellbeing.

There were so many interesting layers to this story, and Jo’s relationship with Tiana made my heart ache and my eyes well in a very specific Black mom to Black daughter way. Mother daughter relationships are my Achilles heel (see: me crying my way through EEAAO and Turning Red), so seeing one in my shade was a bit of an arrow to the chest in the best way.

All that being said, this book ends, not quite hopefully, but upliftingly; everything isn’t sunshine and roses, but there is promise of a better future as created by community. nothing materially changes, but the feeling it gives is a positive one. I really liked this book, and will be buying it in print for my shelf :)

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