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bloodmaarked's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Infertility, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Rape, Car accident, Child death, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Self harm
Minor: Alcohol, Colonisation, Sexual content, and Grief
for the car accident warning: obviously, there were no cars in 1840s Britain! but there was an accident with a horse and carriage which was quite shocking. also for the death of parent warning: there are several, but they all happen off-page. for drug abuse: several people are drugged multiple times against their will. for rape: a woman is "medically" examined internally while unconscious (and unconsenting). it isn't sexual but she is essentially raped.andougherty's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It grew on me for sure. It’s a slow development but a good story. There is one major thing left out though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Animal cruelty
eabh's review
I was intrigued by the premise of this story. A feminisnist mythological fiction novel? Sounds cool! Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like this book delivered. At first, this book was hard to get into. The prose was beautiful, and also clunky in execution. I just… didn’t enjoy how this book is written with the POV changing so quickly, short chapters, and a lack of discernment between the various voices of the book. However, it was the detailed account of animal abuse and torture that made me DNF the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Miscarriage and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol and Torture
emily_bg's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
A compelling novel, it is a blend of historical and fantasy.
The novel follows the stories of four women Etta, Natalya, Annie, and Mary. Four very different women all brought together.
I absolutely loved this novel
The novel follows the stories of four women Etta, Natalya, Annie, and Mary. Four very different women all brought together.
I absolutely loved this novel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Animal cruelty, and Infertility
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage
There are some graphic descriptions that some people might find upsettingwhat_heather_loves's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
"'Perhaps', Natalya says, feeling the feathers between her fingers...'Perhaps it is the wildness within us that made us grow our wings. Perhaps it is because we see the world around us so clearly. Because we see it for what it is. A miracle of its own making. Wondrous.' 'Perhaps,' whispers Etta...'Perhaps,' she repeats softly. 'And perhaps the world is not ready for women such as us. Not yet.'"
October 1840 and a miracle, something wondrous, is happening in Shropshire and in London, as two, spirited but very different women develop angel's wings. First Etta, a mixed-race, intelligent, wealthy but outcast aspiring botanist near Ludlow and homeless, storyteller Natalya from Orkney, floundering in London. Two more women slowly become involved, first young aspiring journalist Mary, who lives in poverty with Uncle Jos, grieving the loss of his partner and hoping for love with family friend, Richard. Then kind, painter Annie, lost in her marriage to arrogant and deluded, money- and fame-hungry, 'bodysnatcher' surgeon, Edward, who believes he is doing God's work. As news spreadinf of 'The Angel of the Thames' slowly brings the women's tales together, will the cause of the wings be revealed and will the women find safety and acceptance?
With four protagonists and an ambitious plot, this is a complex, fantastical and extraordinary tale of hope and determination. Each woman has their own chapters, which include the same hand-drawn image at the top, an image that represents them and there are other pencil images throughout the book. I struggled to get into the book initially, because it felt slow and because of the number of protagonists with only a short chapter before moving onto another, but it is worth sticking with. The strong female characters have much adversity, whether racism, poverty or misogyny, which they overcome together with intelligence and sheer determination, following their gut instincts to find their own place in a controlling and patriarchal society. Complex, wondrous and feminist, fans of historical fiction and fantasy will be drawn into the world the author has created.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Kidnapping
Moderate: Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
Minor: Racism
maaikereadsbooks_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Many thanks to Bonnier Audio and Liz Hyder for the advanced audio copy of The Gifts via NetGalley, in return for my honest and unbiased review. Quick note: I don’t recap plots in my reviews, as it’s easy enough to read the book’s synopsis and blurbs, I purely focus on my feelings & opinions of how the books makes me feel.
I enjoyed listening to The Gifts. I was drawn in by the cover art and was not actually sure what it was going to be about, so the entire story came as an unknown surprise to me!
I live in Shropshire, so listening to the beautifully written descriptions of the Salopian countryside of the 1840s was lovely. It was obvious that the author either had a lot of pre-existing knowledge or did a lot of research into botany for the book.
The narrator, Tuppence Middleton, was very nice to listen to. The audio quality was superb, with no obvious edits, volume changes or errors. The accents were done well and smoothly.
The different POVs were initially perhaps a bit daunting but after a couple of chapters were easy enough to adjust to. By the end of the book, however, each chapter was a hodgepodge of characters’ views contributing to that chapter’s content.
Overall, The Gifts is a well-written piece of fantastical historical fiction. It will appeal to both readers of light fantasy and historical women’s fiction.
Moods: challenging, dark, emotional, mysterious, reflective
Pace: medium
Character development: strong
Plot or character driven: 50/50
Diversity: medium
Spice: 0/5
Trigger warnings: Alcohol abuse, Amputation, Animal abuse/death, Blood/Gore, Death, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Physical or mental abuse, Physical illness, Racism, Violence
Rating:
Story: 4/5
Audio: 5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Infertility, Animal death, Confinement, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, Misogyny, and Racism
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