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ivi_reads_books's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? N/A
3.5
When Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb is an utterly charming story about a demon and an angel teaming up to find a Jewish girl who emigrated from a small shtetl in Russia to NYC. Set in the pre-WWI era, their journey is filled with mystery, friendship, and unexpected twists.
The demon, who has a physical disability and is quite short, cleverly uses these traits to their advantage. The book beautifully portrays the immigrant experience, Judaism, and the bonds of friendship while also touching on themes of anti-Semitism.
A heartwarming and thought-provoking read that’s as endearing as it is meaningful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement and Violence
moondragon8's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
[will fill in later!]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deportation
meganpbell's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.75
Fans of Good Omens’ Aziraphale and Crowley will find so much to love about another angel-demon odd couple, Uriel and Little Ash! Warm-hearted, whimsical, and wise, this queer, Jewish historical fantasy follows these two unlikely partners in pursuit of performing a mitzvah for a lost girl from their tiny shtetl in the Old Country all the way to Ellis Island and a Lower East Side full of immigrants, strikers, radicals, and many newfound friends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Ableism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Deportation
tangleroot_eli's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
One of the rare books that made me wish I got along better with audiobooks. It has the cadence and flow of a folk tale or fable and would probably be lovely to hear. That's not to say that reading the printed book wasn't a delight, because it was. I just would've loved to have it in my ears as well as my eyes. It's a love letter to the Jewish immigrants to the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the fierce, devoted, rabble-rousing spirt they brought with them. I can never get enough of those - especially the ones written with as much warmth, heart, and spirit as this one is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism and Pregnancy
bandysbooks's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
Do you ever pick up a book that you know nothing about completely based on the cover? That's exactly how I wound up reading When The Angels Left The Old Country. I was scanning Netgalley and the cover just really called to me. I'm so glad I requested this book because this was such a unique and interesting book.
Angels follows an angel and a demon as they try to protect a member of their shtetl who immigrates to the United States. It sounds bizarre and in some ways it is, but oh my goodness did I enjoy this book. The characters were unique, the plot was engaging, and it was a good balance of mystery, humor, and suspense.
First of all, both the angel and the demon were such interesting characters. I loved their unexplainable bond and the humor they share throughout the story. I was invested in who they were and what their purpose was. I also found the human characters well thought out and realistic.
The immigration process through Ellis Island was both unique for the Angel and Demon, but oddly realistic too. We see people arbitrarily trapped for being a single woman, for potential illness, or just because a guard didn't like them. It echoes a lot of the stories I learned about when I visited the Ellis Island museum.
I also really enjoyed the Jewish cultural elements in this story. I felt like I learned a handful of things and it made the story feel so rich and real.
All in all, this was a wonderfully interesting story with memorable characters. I would recommend it if you want a unique adventure of immigration from one continent to another or if you enjoy contemporary fiction with a splash of humor. I will definitely read future books by Sacha Lamb in the future.
Angels follows an angel and a demon as they try to protect a member of their shtetl who immigrates to the United States. It sounds bizarre and in some ways it is, but oh my goodness did I enjoy this book. The characters were unique, the plot was engaging, and it was a good balance of mystery, humor, and suspense.
First of all, both the angel and the demon were such interesting characters. I loved their unexplainable bond and the humor they share throughout the story. I was invested in who they were and what their purpose was. I also found the human characters well thought out and realistic.
The immigration process through Ellis Island was both unique for the Angel and Demon, but oddly realistic too. We see people arbitrarily trapped for being a single woman, for potential illness, or just because a guard didn't like them. It echoes a lot of the stories I learned about when I visited the Ellis Island museum.
I also really enjoyed the Jewish cultural elements in this story. I felt like I learned a handful of things and it made the story feel so rich and real.
All in all, this was a wonderfully interesting story with memorable characters. I would recommend it if you want a unique adventure of immigration from one continent to another or if you enjoy contemporary fiction with a splash of humor. I will definitely read future books by Sacha Lamb in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Racism, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
julianship's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
Hooting! And! Hollering! I feel like half of my reviews lately have been "I liked parts of this book, but I wish X were different." I'm glad to report I'm not entirely the pickiest person in the world and can in fact enjoy things without turning my brain off. Case in point: I loved every minute of this book; it is an absolute delight. Uriel and Ash are wonderful characters, and the way they bounce off of each other and the rest of the cast is just so fun to read. Rose, baby lesbian of my heart, is also such a fun POV character that I didn't mind when we left Uriel and Ash to catch up with her. The book is deeply queer (Uriel and Ash's relationship defies categorization as much as Uriel's gender does) and also deeply Jewish, a real love letter to radical Jewish communities around the turn of the century. And it's just so sweet, with a dry wit to it. I really hope more people read it! Recommended for fans of Terry Pratchett and The Golem and the Jinni, but also everyone should read this please!!!
(Also, I'm not really sure why this got billed as YA - I think teens can and will enjoy it, but it also doesn't Feel particularly YA to me, and I hope that categorizing choice doesn't pigeonhole it.)
(Also, I'm not really sure why this got billed as YA - I think teens can and will enjoy it, but it also doesn't Feel particularly YA to me, and I hope that categorizing choice doesn't pigeonhole it.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
This is different than a lot of YA that's out there, which is both a good and bad thing. It has a bit of a slow start, which means it might take more for its audience to latch onto the story. But let me tell you. Once it gets going, it's such a great, interesting, emotional, engaging story.
The comp title for this is Good Omens, which is a pretty good comparison in overall feel. An angel and a demon partnering together to sort of solve a mystery. However, this book is heavily based in Jewish culture and mythology, which gives it another edge.
The queerness in this book is pretty subtle, which I actually don't mind. It feels authentic and I'm glad they didn't really make a big deal of it in the story. I loved Uriel and Ash's evolving relationship, it was probably my favorite thing about the book overall.
The comp title for this is Good Omens, which is a pretty good comparison in overall feel. An angel and a demon partnering together to sort of solve a mystery. However, this book is heavily based in Jewish culture and mythology, which gives it another edge.
The queerness in this book is pretty subtle, which I actually don't mind. It feels authentic and I'm glad they didn't really make a big deal of it in the story. I loved Uriel and Ash's evolving relationship, it was probably my favorite thing about the book overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Confinement, and Homophobia
beforeviolets's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Thank you so much to Levine Querido for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I heard “Jewish historical fantasy about a disabled demon and a genderless angel” and had high hopes this book would give me Jewish Good Omens vibes. And it absolutely delivered. At times, its charm felt manufactured (due to perhaps an attempt to mimic the voice of Good Omens), but was charming nonetheless, and eventually found its way into a shape of its own and wormed its way into my heart. It was cozy, it was whimsical, it was adventurous, and it was unapologetically queer and Jewish. How could you not fall in love?
CW/TW: death, grief, gun violence, violence, blood, injury, fire, antisemitism, confinement
I heard “Jewish historical fantasy about a disabled demon and a genderless angel” and had high hopes this book would give me Jewish Good Omens vibes. And it absolutely delivered. At times, its charm felt manufactured (due to perhaps an attempt to mimic the voice of Good Omens), but was charming nonetheless, and eventually found its way into a shape of its own and wormed its way into my heart. It was cozy, it was whimsical, it was adventurous, and it was unapologetically queer and Jewish. How could you not fall in love?
CW/TW: death, grief, gun violence, violence, blood, injury, fire, antisemitism, confinement
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement and Antisemitism
shaipanda's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-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
5.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I genuinely absolutely loved this book just as much, if not more, than I expected to. As someone who grew up deeply entrenched in my Jewish culture and community, it was so amazing and such a special experience to be able to read a book with so many references I recognized. This book was so clearly deeply deeply rooted in Jewish (specifically Ashkenazi) culture and mythology which was really amazing to read.
Additionally, all of the characters are so loveable and I absolutely loved seeing the characters grow, whether they were teenage girls or immortal beings. This was especially true given the queer Jewish representation in this which is just so important and I have not come acros nearly enough of. I do wish we got to see more of Rivke as she essentially disappears from the story once they leave Ellis Island and I really liked her character and would’ve loved to see more of her.
One other thing I noticed is while I’m very glad there’s a glossary at least in the back, this book has so so many very specific references in it that it could benefit from having footnotes. This was because some of the references I’d actually never even heard of some of them before such as sheydim and ibburim, and I've spent a significant amount of time in Jewish spaces and constantly expanding my knowledge of Judaism. I feel like because of this, having footnotes would make it significantly more accessible for the general public since how it is now, I’m slightly worried people will put the book down because they don’t understand all of the terms and Jewish context and don’t want to keep Googling or flipping back and forth to the glossary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Deportation