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georgiakirkegard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Death, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Racism and Blood
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Abortion
ellejaereads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Abortion, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Transphobia and Medical trauma
itsdanibee's review
- 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
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Violence, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Murder, Racism, and Cursing
Minor: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Torture, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, and Kidnapping
Not even half way through the audiobook, I immediately went and purchased a copy of Alix E. Harrow’s masterful tale of resilience, empowerment, family bonds and folklore. A truly spectacular work with a delicious plot, enchanting prose and characters to adore: I cannot wait to reread this beautiful and relive the magic.alightbookjacquet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Death, Child abuse, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Homophobia
eander93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Blood and Child abuse
hannahrogers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Violence, Racism, Torture, Suicide, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abortion, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Hate crime, Gaslighting, and Miscarriage
raenyreads's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Torture
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
While the pace might be almost painfully slow, the way it's written is absolutely breathtaking. I hope to do a reread of this in the future because I felt like I needed to rush through it this time around due to it needing to go back to the library really quickly (the only negative side to borrowing books rather than buying them). I know I missed things because I had to skim sometimes to get through it, but I honestly didn't feel like I was lacking anything even at the very end. It was incredibly written.
My first book by Harrow was The Ten Thousand Doors of January, and I immediately fell in love with the whimsy and depth that somehow corresponded so beautifully throughout the story. This felt the same way. There were moments of fantastical insanity (in a good way) but then also times that had my eyes getting glassy with tears.
If you're looking for a really phenomenal, queer, empowered, witchy read - this is it. Seriously, so good.
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Cursing, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, and Sexual harassment
emfass's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have been in a horrible reading slump for two months, grumpy about everything and not feeling pulled to pick up any book that I was trying to get through (except for an audiobook buddy reread of the Hunger Games series). Then my women's book club picked this for our October read, since the host wanted something witchy.
This book was everything I didn't know I wanted. It blasted my reading slump to smithereens, and I feel so deeply grateful and in awe. The prose. THE PROSE. I cannot. Maybe this is what helped break my reading slump, it was so lush and poetic and just stunningly gorgeous and different from anything I've read in a long time. The story interweaves sisterhood, feminism, women's suffrage, collective power, and magic steeped in fairy tales and folklore and "women's work" and the ways that women have to move through the world in order to survive.
The book is set in 1893, in a world and timeline that very clearly references events in our own but changes things a smidge (for example: referencing Eugene Debs and the Railway Union strike, and the "Square Shirtwaist Fire" that is clearly meant to represent the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which happened in 1911). But it was oh so clear to me that it was written in the aftermath of #MeToo and Trump's election; there are certain passages that are hauntingly relatable today. Harrow drops in plenty of little moments that we as women have to deal with every damn day and calls out the injustice of it all.
I will say that I feel somewhat conflicted about the ending, and look forward to processing it with the other folks in my book club this weekend. But this is hands-down one of my favorite reads of 2021.
I listened to this on audio and narrator Gabra Zackman is a dream. She shows such love for the prose, and creates distinct voices for the (many many) characters while showing them a lot of love as well.
My one small complaint about the audiobook is that during the chapters where fairy tales are retold, there is underscoring throughout the chapter, and the mix felt really imbalanced - I struggled to hear the narration over the music, which irked me. (I am a sound designer by trade, and also have some auditory/information processing issues with things like this.)
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Racism, Torture, and Transphobia
Minor: Abortion and Vomit
mo345's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt