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ashylibrarian's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
- Intergenerational, family magic; dark and light
- Attacking white supremacy
- DRAMA and, of course, blood debts
- Sometimes the story felt a bit heavy, but overall, the story was engaging and powerful
*Representation
- LGBTQIA+
- Gay
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, and Gun violence
taratearex's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
An urban fantasy and murder mystery centered around a magical family living in New Orleans. The plot is thick with a complex history, tense politics, and family secrets. I loved learning about the different magic systems and their history and connection to people and the world- generational, sun, and moon- and the racial dynamics this brings into the world, this was a really interesting take on magic systems layering in conversations about racism and cultural appropriation. The murder mystery kept me interested, while I had some things I guessed correctly, there were so many twists and turns that were unexpected.
This book is dense and rich and at times this works so well- when it weaves in politics of white supremacy, cultural appropriation, generational trauma, homophobia, trust, grief, community care, and a lot more. Sometimes there is also A LOT going on with A LOT of characters that made it a bit hard to follow- there are multiple POVs, multiple subplots, and a lot of people to keep track of. I think the author does a good job of trying to keep you following along by explaining or repeating information, but it can still be a lot to follow and I did lose my bearings here and there.
But overall it's a great story with great worldbuilding and complicated messy characters that you root for.
CW: Racism, Murder, Violence, Sexual assault/coercion, Sexual content (references to and on page scene), Death of parent, Gun violence, Car accident, Bullying
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book to review.
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Death, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Bullying
nettaberry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Anyway! There were some great characters, and I appreciated the family history/mystery aspect of the plot. Those parts were the most interesting to me, and narrowing the focus would have let that part of the writing shine. There's a hook at the end that hints towards another book, but without that, you could mostly read this book on its own.
All in all, this was a book with potential that just fell a little flat for me.
Graphic: Racism, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Minor: Car accident, Bullying, and Gun violence
Also a brief mention of lynchingkendal_reads's review against another edition
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Sexual content
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Clem and Cris are the two main narrators, but occasional sections follow other perspectives, such as the girl who used to be Cris's best friend. Echoing what played out between their grandmothers decades ago, she turned cruel and seems to have made it her mission to wreck Cris's life. Clem has his own problems, frustrated with how his sister has pulled away since their father died, he's trying to feel connected with her seemingly revolving cast of brief links. He doesn't understand Cris dating a white boy and she doesn't understand him dating so many boys. I love the way their dynamic is written, because it really feels like teenage siblings who want to connect to each other but don't have the experience to understand the way that their mutual teasing is alternately a barrier as much as it's a connection. They're also stressed out by their mother's illness, but almost as soon as the story begins they discover it was unnaturally caused and the only way to protect their family is to get all of their aunts to come home and help cast a protection. There's a wonderful mix of showing and specifically processing the way the ways that the discord and difficulty communicating between their mother and her sisters has then made it harder for Clem and Cris to navigate their relationship with each other.
Digging into the past unearths old wrongs and tangled threads, highlighting misery in the present. The twins are following their own paths of restitution, reconciliation, and resolution as they work, not quite at cross-purposes, but on parallel tracks of investigation as they each try to find out who was hurting their mother, and whether anyone is still trying to hurt them. Cris is navigating her relationship with her with her boyfriend, and Cris meets a new boy who sweeps him away.
I love the ending, things are wrapped up in a way that feels immensely satisfying for 95% of the story, and then rather dramatically unresolved for a plot point so tantalizing that I'm eager for the planned sequel. The dangling threads make it feel real and alive, but the way in which it's unresolved sets it firmly back in the realm of drama and fantasy in a way that I find very pleasing.
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement
Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug use, Death of parent, Rape, Alcohol, Bullying, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Car accident, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy, War, Body shaming, Mental illness, Vomit, Fatphobia, Infertility, and Self harm
sarahsbookss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Homophobia, Bullying, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, and Cursing
eliselerario's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Child death, Confinement, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, and Racism
Minor: Car accident
takarakei's review
- 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
3.5
3/5 🌶️ -
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual assault, Grief, and Hate crime
Minor: Slavery, Addiction, and Alcohol
SA/rape:amethystandherbooks's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infertility, Medical content, Alcohol, Sexual content, Classism, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Gun violence