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zoes_human's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
STRASBOURG 1518: The Dancing Plague strikes threatening two unwed Romani women in hiding.
500 YEARS LATER: A girl slides on a pair of beautiful red shoes only to find they cannot be removed and they force her to dance.
500 YEARS LATER: A girl slides on a pair of beautiful red shoes only to find they cannot be removed and they force her to dance.
The connection between these events must be found if the girl is to survive.
sleepysncring's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
hayleyccc4's review against another edition
4.0
I was skeptical going into this as I wasn't a fan of Wild Beauty, the only other McLemore book I have read, but I found its concept intriguing and the cover absolutely drew me in. I loved the magic and whimsy of this story, and fell in love with the characters. It's not too often I read a book set as far back as 1518, but I thought McLemore did a fantastic job bringing the era to life. However, I did have a gripe with the modern setting, as I found Briar Meadow hard to place and incohesive (I believe the town is meant to exist in Germany, but it felt much more like the U.S.). I did truly enjoy this novel though, and I'm glad I gave McLemore a second shot!
joannaautumn's review against another edition
3.0
Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book as much as I hoped.
It’s more of a me problem because the only complaint I have is that the POVs organization didn’t suit my taste and that I didn’t manage to connect to the characters or their story. I had a similar experience with [b:The Weight of Feathers|20734002|The Weight of Feathers|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498056987l/20734002._SX50_.jpg|40061982].
The book deals with topics such as LGBTQ+ visibility through time, Romani culture and the anti-Romani proclaims in the 16th century, racism and queerphobia.
The writing is beautiful although I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it didn’t go as deep as her other work, where I still vividly remember every element and character from [b:Wild Beauty|33158561|Wild Beauty|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496161758l/33158561._SY75_.jpg|50370943] and [b:Blanca & Roja|36952596|Blanca & Roja|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516986822l/36952596._SY75_.jpg|56020909].
Magical realism is really a hit or miss for me and in this case it turned out to be the latter. Nonetheless, I am interested to see what things McLemore has in store for us in the future.
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This was good, but not like my favorite McLemore books
It’s more of a me problem because the only complaint I have is that the POVs organization didn’t suit my taste and that I didn’t manage to connect to the characters or their story. I had a similar experience with [b:The Weight of Feathers|20734002|The Weight of Feathers|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498056987l/20734002._SX50_.jpg|40061982].
The book deals with topics such as LGBTQ+ visibility through time, Romani culture and the anti-Romani proclaims in the 16th century, racism and queerphobia.
The writing is beautiful although I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it didn’t go as deep as her other work, where I still vividly remember every element and character from [b:Wild Beauty|33158561|Wild Beauty|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1496161758l/33158561._SY75_.jpg|50370943] and [b:Blanca & Roja|36952596|Blanca & Roja|Anna-Marie McLemore|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516986822l/36952596._SY75_.jpg|56020909].
Magical realism is really a hit or miss for me and in this case it turned out to be the latter. Nonetheless, I am interested to see what things McLemore has in store for us in the future.
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This was good, but not like my favorite McLemore books
pantsreads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5
Lush, dreamy #ownvoices retelling. Another hit from McLemore.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Lush, dreamy #ownvoices retelling. Another hit from McLemore.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
smittenforfiction's review against another edition
3.0
Anna-Marie McLemore is one of my favourite, favourite, favourite authors. After loving When The Moon Was Ours, and The Weight of Feathers I was super excited to get Dark and Deepest Red from the library before quarantine had started in March. Here's my review for McLemore's newest novel, Dark and Deepest Red.
About The Book
booksngrannies's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
jacehan's review against another edition
3.0
The two halves of the story both feel half-formed and mashed together. The book would have been stronger if either one had just been the entire focus, I feel.
thatlizhunter's review against another edition
5.0
All I can say, wow. Just wow, so many feels and tugs on my heartstrings in the most rich way.