Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Women Could Fly: A Novel

I liked the premise of the story and the author's writing style, but some of the worldbuilding felt a bit clumsy and left me with a lot of questions. There was also a shift in the book's tone partway through, and everything from there on out felt a bit rushed. The Women Could Fly has a lot of potential, but a lot of it fell somewhat flat for me. I can see why people enjoyed it, I think certain aspects just weren't for me. I've heard good things about the author's other book, so I do want to read that one.

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wlreed312's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Well this was glorious.

The Women Could Fly is a novel set in a world that is just a step off from ours, the major difference being that magic is real, but carefully controlled and regulated. It is said that only women are able to access this magic because of their highly emotional nature. Our main character is Jo, who is approaching the age of 28, where she must be registered, and closing in on the age where she must have a man (father, brother, spouse) to be accountable for her actions. Jo is a messy messy character who has a tremendous amount of trauma due to the disappearance of her mother 14 years ago, and her subsequent questioning about witchcraft (torture, not to put too fine a point on it). This is an examination of racism, homophobia, and misogyny, yes. But it's also a story about how bad it screws you up when the adults in your life (especially your parents) don't see everything that you are, and only love an image of you they have in their minds.

This was one of those books that touched me deeply for reasons I can't fully articulate. I love how complicated Jo is, and how she wants to be better for the people she loves. I love that her romantic relationship with a man is complex, because while she does care for him, she resents the fact that she must be in a heteronormative relationship or be monitored in truly invasive ways. There is a power imbalance in every relationship between men and women in this world, and it's explored in interesting ways. My only very minor complaint is that I wish we had a little bit more resolution between Jo and Angie

(how long has Angie had that doll? Why didn't she tell Jo what she knew ?

) I also loved the writing, and highlighted many passages (which is unusual for me). I can definitely see that this is a book I appreciate in a different way because I'm older, but I just really really loved it.

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ajay913's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.0

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ashlyluvsyellow's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

It was an okay read. Once a certain event happened in the book I mostly skimmed until the last few chapters.

Would recommend those who like thoughtful fiction or fantasy.

It was an alternate reality where witches are real that drew me in, I didn't much like the other elements of the book.

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