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kys_chai_and_books'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
A wonderfully queer and wonderfully Jewish text that speaks to immigrant experiences during the height of the industrial revolution. Fans of Good Omens and fans of Talmudic texts alike will love this book and its characters.inkwellimps's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Antisemitism
Minor: Police brutality and Injury/Injury detail
snerp_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Deportation
tangleroot_eli's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
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
ronan_lesh's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
pondcreature'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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Misogyny, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
shaipanda'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? 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.
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