Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

3 reviews

ylshelflove's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-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

3.0

"𝑾𝒂𝒔 π’Žπ’š π’”π’‚π’‡π’†π’•π’š π’˜π’π’“π’•π’‰ π’Žπ’š π’Šπ’”π’π’π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’?” 

I loved the fairytale-like sentences, magical realism and all the subtle motifs! Also, most of this book is set in Seattle, and her descriptions of the flora and the climate gave me such PNW heartache <333 
The infusion of magic lets Walton highlight a bunch of ideas, particularly generational trauma (religion-inspired yuckiness is a close second). I really liked how each mother’s personal history affects the way she parents, and a gold star for all the other smoothly woven-in commentary! Reading this felt a bit like watching a sim rather than immersion, and I think that was the right choice for this story. It helps to maintain that fairytale atmosphere, and it allows Walton to switch to minor characters’ POV without disrupting the flow of the story. 

However, the ending of this book was so jarring that it knocked a full star off my rating. Everything happened extremely quickly after a long and tense buildup, and I would have liked to spend a little more time in the climax/falling action before the resolution. And the last thing that Ava does, I just don’t understand what Walton is trying to say. Not even that I don’t agree with her execution or her conclusion, just pure bewilderment. 

Other things I didn’t like: -The way Walton blithely waltzes through so many things that are commonly TW’d these days. They end up feeling like shock-value additions or β€˜it’s just a joke man’ caricatures, whether or not that was how they were intended. -So many books (Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Scarlet Letter, and Chocolat, namely) came to mind when reading this, and while none of them got to point where I felt like Walton was paying homage to them, it still felt a little weird to me. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

megdconway's review

Go to review page

medium-paced

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lauramcc7's review

Go to review page

dark hopeful reflective sad slow-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

2.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...