Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Age rating: 16+

This book was not at all what I expected, in the best way. I loved the use of physical wings as a metaphor for general “othering” from society!! I also loved how we got a full deep dive into all of the family’s backstories before we got to the main character, Ava. It really helped to set the scene! This book is very heavy, as it deals with how people handle generational trauma and “othering” from society, so please be advised by the trigger warnings. However, I really enjoyed this! I think there is a lot of wisdom to be taken from this book.

Trigger warning: violence, hate crime, generational trauma, grief, death, sexual violence, medical content, suicidal thoughts, religious trauma

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mcft37's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Really. Wow.

This book was simply stunning. I adored the fantastical elements of magical realism woven throughout the story. Each character was richly developed. A beautifully written ode to love.

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julia_kathleen's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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megdconway's review

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medium-paced

3.75

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zaczytanaati's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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wright_rendon_reads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The best way I can describe this book is it has "Big Fish" (the movie) vibes.

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
All the main characters were pretty easy to like and all went through major changes, challenges, and development. Even side characters were fully fleshed out and had some of their own independent story.

World Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is Magical Realism so it's set in our world but with a little touch of magic. I wish there was a little explanation on how this family became enchanted but other than that it felt well researched and anchored in our world.

Plot and Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this book in like 3 sittings. It was a really easy read. I don't usually like fiction books that kind of just talk about daily or realistic life. But I was so invested in the characters and the writing flowed so well.

Themes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The theme of this book centers around love in all its forms (good and bad) from infatuation, obsession, lust, passion, motherly, sibling, friends, young love, loss. The list goes on. I also felt this book hit on generational trauma before it was cool as there is some obvious handing down and dealing with trauma.

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vulturetime's review against another edition

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3.0

I personally love it when things are weird and unexplained, so this book had a few things going for it from the get go. I did enjoy the beginning, but I feel like for a book titled "The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender" we really didn't see as much of Ava as I would've liked. The lead up to her own sorrow

aka, when she is raped and mutilation

is... kinda brief, I think? Especially considering what happens to her. I also wished there was more of Henry (her twin brother) around. In general, I feel like if you're going to do a generational story like this, you do need more than 301 pages to really cement all the characters, but that's just me liking details.

As to the other content in the book... first, there were just lines here and there that were either outdated or just could've not been in there. For instance, Ava's great-grandfather was a phrenologist. Why was it a choice to have him be an expert in a racist pseudoscience? Additionally, cr*pple and g*psy were both used, but since it was published in 2014, not surprised. There were also one off lines that just irritated me, like when someone was compared to something foreign (toed the edges of exoticism sometimes) or that line about how police officers were Good (police are basically not mentioned at all for the rest of the story, except when there is the crime scene, so why was this in here?).

I also wished there was more development or thought given to Nathaniel's obsession. The way he completely spiraled into obsession over Ava was, other than being purposefully uncomfortable, confused me, because yes, she may look like an angel and he is very religious, but not everyone who is very religious would be the same? Especially to the point that they'd rape a 15 year old. Also, because things are left vague, you can draw some unpleasant messages. I don't think that any of these were the intention of the author, but like. Nathaniel no longer being saint-like when he sees Ava could imply something about her; alternatively, he moved in with his fat aunt who he was supposed to fix, and his aunt was the first time that people didn't just "fix" themselves in his prescence. Ava has white wings in the end after recovery, so is it something like she starts off on a new, blank slate or that suffering has led to something new? Once again, I don't think the author means anything harmful by this situation, but it's a bit eh.

Would recommend if you think you may like surrealist/weird fiction, though be very aware of the content warnings.

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_adk_'s review

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.5

Beautifully written but incredibly dark. I foresaw what was coming a long way away and dreaded every page turn leading up to it.

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