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roseandivy's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
WAUGH. i love. i'm squeezing little ash and uriel and rose and essie in my hands. i love you queer people i love you jewish folklore i love you otherworldly beings that don't subscribe to human concepts of gender i love you labor unions i love you critiques of the american dream and establishment i love you non normative depictions of love!!!!! genuinely could not believe this was a debut novel it's SO GOOD and the ending is so like,,,,,, it's a happy ending and it makes you feel Good but it also doesn't feel Unearned and it's Satisfying and i just. sacha lamb the author that you are. very excited for anything they write in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Antisemitism
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, and Deportation
Minor: Hate crime, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
shoohoob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.0
This book is so wordy and introspective…. very Jewish if you ask me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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