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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 upsettingmaaikereadsbooks_'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
swalk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- 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
4.5
Set in the Victorian era - 1840, when women were second class citizens and poverty levels were high, this tale follows the frustrating lives of four women after a winged woman is dragged from the Thames. A wonderfully dark historical fiction, with a sprinkling of magical realism, the slowly interlinking tales really bind this narrative together. (I have given a brief outline of each woman below, as it was a little hard to remember each at first).
Natalia - Scottish traveller and gifted storyteller who journeys by ship to London after being disowned by her family.
Etta - A talented and entirely unappreciated botanist, who lives with her cruel half brother after her fathers demise.
Mary - An excellent writer, who lives with her uncle Joss, a grieving drunk, but a successful journalist whom she often covers for when he is in a drunken stupor.
Annie - Skilled artist and lonely wife of Edward - an ambitious surgeon who is desperate for prowess and status as he overlooks his wife’s sadness as they struggle with infertility.
This really is a brilliant and beautiful book, it took me about 25% to get into it properly, but thoroughly worth it as I couldn’t stop listening after that.
CW - Dissection, vivisection, amputation, graphic, infertility
Natalia - Scottish traveller and gifted storyteller who journeys by ship to London after being disowned by her family.
Etta - A talented and entirely unappreciated botanist, who lives with her cruel half brother after her fathers demise.
Mary - An excellent writer, who lives with her uncle Joss, a grieving drunk, but a successful journalist whom she often covers for when he is in a drunken stupor.
Annie - Skilled artist and lonely wife of Edward - an ambitious surgeon who is desperate for prowess and status as he overlooks his wife’s sadness as they struggle with infertility.
This really is a brilliant and beautiful book, it took me about 25% to get into it properly, but thoroughly worth it as I couldn’t stop listening after that.
CW - Dissection, vivisection, amputation, graphic, infertility
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Sexism
Minor: Classism, Alcoholism, and Fire/Fire injury
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