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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I enjoyed the process of reading this book when it was more focused on interpersonal relationships and Jo's emotions when dealing with a government that works against her, the actual system of witchcraft accusations felt far too heavy-handed to the point where I was rolling my eyes at some of the ways in which it expressed itself. I think there was a way it could have been done well, but as it is now it felt like it was flattening the systems that oppress women a bit too much. Jo's sense of humor was also a bit cringy at times, especially regarding her comedy videos with her friend. I found that the relationship between Jo and the person on the island developed too quickly and her relationship with her roommate was, at least initially, discarded too quickly. Overall, an interesting read, but I think if it wasn't so heavy-handed that the book would have improved greatly.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry
4.5 stars
Named characters: 17
Imagine it’s present day, but the US is still in the depths of the red scare. The government is still tasked with investigating if there are communists, writing laws that make it difficult for you to be accused of communism, and it’s not illegal to be persecuted for being a communist. That is this book but replace communism with witchcraft. Women are vilified, investigated, and controlled in order to prevent witchcraft. The world-building is so so good!! Examples: Witches must be registered by the government, you can major in witch studies at university, there are museums that display bewitched artifacts, any unmarried woman over 30 is deemed suspicious of witchcraft, there are religious groups that are trying to write stricter witchcraft laws, and children are taught in school what witchcraft looks like and how to report someone.
There is also a lot of interesting discussion on what witchcraft actually is. Typical signs of witchcraft include the usual “flying on a broom, burning from holy water, etc” but you can also be accused of witchcraft for things that no one can prove. For example, did your elderly neighbor die in their sleep? Did you win the lottery? Did you cheat on your wife because an “evil spirit came upon you”? Did a woman ask for a divorce? None of that has to do with personal responsibility or random occurrences! Just blame a woman and say she is a witch. If something is ambiguously witchy, men will always err on the side that it’s witchcraft, especially if they want to disempower an unruly woman. The insidiousness of it all is completely terrifying because I can actually imagine a world where women are oppressed like this.
Spoilers for the ending
I’m not going to lie, I really wanted to read how Jo brought the whole damn system down. But the reality is that the laws, and how people feel about witches are very entrenched, and there is no way she could have done so easily. The ending is like a spark of hope in a long tunnel of darkness.
Named characters: 17
Imagine it’s present day, but the US is still in the depths of the red scare. The government is still tasked with investigating if there are communists, writing laws that make it difficult for you to be accused of communism, and it’s not illegal to be persecuted for being a communist. That is this book but replace communism with witchcraft. Women are vilified, investigated, and controlled in order to prevent witchcraft. The world-building is so so good!! Examples: Witches must be registered by the government, you can major in witch studies at university, there are museums that display bewitched artifacts, any unmarried woman over 30 is deemed suspicious of witchcraft, there are religious groups that are trying to write stricter witchcraft laws, and children are taught in school what witchcraft looks like and how to report someone.
There is also a lot of interesting discussion on what witchcraft actually is. Typical signs of witchcraft include the usual “flying on a broom, burning from holy water, etc” but you can also be accused of witchcraft for things that no one can prove. For example, did your elderly neighbor die in their sleep? Did you win the lottery? Did you cheat on your wife because an “evil spirit came upon you”? Did a woman ask for a divorce? None of that has to do with personal responsibility or random occurrences! Just blame a woman and say she is a witch. If something is ambiguously witchy, men will always err on the side that it’s witchcraft, especially if they want to disempower an unruly woman. The insidiousness of it all is completely terrifying because I can actually imagine a world where women are oppressed like this.
Spoilers for the ending
I’m not going to lie, I really wanted to read how Jo brought the whole damn system down. But the reality is that the laws, and how people feel about witches are very entrenched, and there is no way she could have done so easily. The ending is like a spark of hope in a long tunnel of darkness.
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Reasons to Read:
Dystopian setting
Focus on real world issues
Strong female main character
The strength of women and their connections
Beautiful and striking imagery
I was absolutely blown away by this book, I can’t remember how I came across it, but the timeliness and importance of topic cannot be overlooked. Using modernized witchcraft and still in existence burnings brought things from the past together with the present in a humbling way.
Dystopian setting
Focus on real world issues
Strong female main character
The strength of women and their connections
Beautiful and striking imagery
I was absolutely blown away by this book, I can’t remember how I came across it, but the timeliness and importance of topic cannot be overlooked. Using modernized witchcraft and still in existence burnings brought things from the past together with the present in a humbling way.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this was incredibly bleak, as i expected from the author who wrote Lakewood! the bleakness was a refreshing, interesting kind though: what new, horrifyingly realistic form of oppression & reckoning can Giddings come up with next? that sounds bad but honestly it was incredibly cool to me how magic felt so real and lived while seated next to true life misogynoir. magic pulses through this book, but it didn’t escape or detract from the main theme of how any uniqueness, any difference, any potential power that women, specifically Black ones, even more specifically queer Black ones have is viewed as dangerous and in need of regulation for other peoples “safety” or wellbeing.
There were so many interesting layers to this story, and Jo’s relationship with Tiana made my heart ache and my eyes well in a very specific Black mom to Black daughter way. Mother daughter relationships are my Achilles heel (see: me crying my way through EEAAO and Turning Red), so seeing one in my shade was a bit of an arrow to the chest in the best way.
All that being said, this book ends, not quite hopefully, but upliftingly; everything isn’t sunshine and roses, but there is promise of a better future as created by community. nothing materially changes, but the feeling it gives is a positive one. I really liked this book, and will be buying it in print for my shelf :)
There were so many interesting layers to this story, and Jo’s relationship with Tiana made my heart ache and my eyes well in a very specific Black mom to Black daughter way. Mother daughter relationships are my Achilles heel (see: me crying my way through EEAAO and Turning Red), so seeing one in my shade was a bit of an arrow to the chest in the best way.
All that being said, this book ends, not quite hopefully, but upliftingly; everything isn’t sunshine and roses, but there is promise of a better future as created by community. nothing materially changes, but the feeling it gives is a positive one. I really liked this book, and will be buying it in print for my shelf :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Transphobia, Blood, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Alcohol