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folkofthebook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.0
...the people we love don’t belong to us. All we own is our love for them, and that’s ours to keep forever.
ya jewish queer urban fantasy about curses, golems, family, and faith. i also liked the kafka-esque beginning with hannah's daily mutations. slower first half, but more gripping in the second.
i loved hannah and gabe's relationship, and ari was fun and spunky. i wasn't quite sure what the tone would going to be the first third of the book or so, but as more family past was uncovered it became more sure of itself. the theme of family complications and love was very touching and emotional at times.
I’ll wake in the middle of the night, and remember where I’ve been and what I’ve lost. And then I wish that I were bloodless. I wish I were clay. I believe the past can drive you mad as anything.
the interweaving of jitka, malka, and their family's past history and jewish mythology was well done and intriguing. i really enjoyed seeing jewish mythology done this way in a fantasy book and would love to see more books like it, esp once the demon is more properly introduced.
A love that does not pretend away pain, but grows to encompass it, like a scar around a healing wound. A love that exposes and embraces the best and worst of us. A love that stays.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief, Violence, Dementia, War, Genocide, Antisemitism, and Murder
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Child death
cemeterygay's review
adventurous
emotional
4.0
This book was an interesting look into different Jewish stories set in the modern day. The explorations of the past both with the main protagonist's mother's experiences and particularly her maternal grandmother's experience during and after the Holocaust were given so much care. I loved the premise of the main character reconnecting with her family after her mother's disappearance while learning more about her family history and baggage. I was consistently invested in her reuniting with her mother and was incredibly invested in figuring out what caused her mother's disappearance and why her mother left her family so suddenly in the first place. The folklore was incredibly well-integrated and I found it very interesting. I am also just a sucker for anything dealing with golems.
In terms of relationships. I really enjoyed the interactions between the main character and her brother and all the interactions with her mother and extended family. However, I just was not invested in the romantic relationship the main character finds herself in.
In terms of relationships. I really enjoyed the interactions between the main character and her brother and all the interactions with her mother and extended family. However, I just was not invested in the romantic relationship the main character finds herself in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
Additional CW: Holocaust and WW2, confinement, drowning, underage drinking, death of entire family (past and offpage), death of grandmother, death of romantic partner, death of friend, death by starvationbeforeviolets's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
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
4.5
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Rebecca Podos for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Judaism is more than religion, you know. More even than ritual and tradition. It’s family… We are all the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah. We are all united by the actions and sacrifices and the covenant of our ancestors. We were all born into the ancient story of our people, which still unfolds today. Know this, and everything else can be learned.”
A riveting and layered YA sapphic fantasy filled to the brim with Jewish folklore and history. This is a story about family, identity, isolation, truth, and culture. But most importantly, this is a story about stories. And how important it is to know your own.
This book wonderfully discusses the danger of repressing your burdens and the importance of openly sharing familial history and culture. By displaying the timelines of three descending generations of women and illustrating the trauma they endure, the fear they live by, and the burdens they carry (physical and conceptual), this book is able to demonstrate the effects of generational trauma. It shows how the weight we carry from our ancestors is not chosen, but lives in us regardless, and that we must pass down our culture and our stories and our knowledge because that is how cycles are broken and damage can be confronted. It also portrays the feelings of isolation one can feel when cut off from their loved ones through forced distance, through fear, and through lack of communication and the trauma and loss that can occur when one isn't connected with their family.
My favorite part of this work was how jam-packed it is with Jewish stories and mythology. It offers up a conversation about the way stories literally and metaphorically weave and influence our history and culture. It asks us to question what we accept as truth and what could be possible. Something about the way this book is written made me genuinely believe in its lore. It encourages an open mind and a willingness to learn, and now I can’t wait to go pick up some non-fiction books about Jewish lore to gain even more knowledge about my own culture.
Additionally, I just love Gabe. He’s the best older brother of all time.
TW: underage drinking, blood, parental abandonment, death of family members (grandmother to MC during plot of book offscreen, other family members in flashback mention), grief, discussion and portrayal of WWII/The Holocaust, anti-semitism (theme), death by starvation (offscreen, mention), child death (mention), injury, violence, confinement, kidnapping
“Judaism is more than religion, you know. More even than ritual and tradition. It’s family… We are all the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah. We are all united by the actions and sacrifices and the covenant of our ancestors. We were all born into the ancient story of our people, which still unfolds today. Know this, and everything else can be learned.”
A riveting and layered YA sapphic fantasy filled to the brim with Jewish folklore and history. This is a story about family, identity, isolation, truth, and culture. But most importantly, this is a story about stories. And how important it is to know your own.
This book wonderfully discusses the danger of repressing your burdens and the importance of openly sharing familial history and culture. By displaying the timelines of three descending generations of women and illustrating the trauma they endure, the fear they live by, and the burdens they carry (physical and conceptual), this book is able to demonstrate the effects of generational trauma. It shows how the weight we carry from our ancestors is not chosen, but lives in us regardless, and that we must pass down our culture and our stories and our knowledge because that is how cycles are broken and damage can be confronted. It also portrays the feelings of isolation one can feel when cut off from their loved ones through forced distance, through fear, and through lack of communication and the trauma and loss that can occur when one isn't connected with their family.
My favorite part of this work was how jam-packed it is with Jewish stories and mythology. It offers up a conversation about the way stories literally and metaphorically weave and influence our history and culture. It asks us to question what we accept as truth and what could be possible. Something about the way this book is written made me genuinely believe in its lore. It encourages an open mind and a willingness to learn, and now I can’t wait to go pick up some non-fiction books about Jewish lore to gain even more knowledge about my own culture.
Additionally, I just love Gabe. He’s the best older brother of all time.
TW: underage drinking, blood, parental abandonment, death of family members (grandmother to MC during plot of book offscreen, other family members in flashback mention), grief, discussion and portrayal of WWII/The Holocaust, anti-semitism (theme), death by starvation (offscreen, mention), child death (mention), injury, violence, confinement, kidnapping
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Confinement, and Kidnapping
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