samarareads 's review for:

Starling Days by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
5.0

"If you are fighting with your own sadness or love someone who is, this note is for you." - Author's Note, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

Rowan manages to present struggles with depression in a way only those who have lived it can. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Mina, and her husband, Oscar, Starling Days explores mental illness, sexuality, racial identity, and relationships in a very familiar and relatable way.

Still, her references to women in classical mythology adds an ethereal quality to the story, though I would have liked to have seen Rowan take a greater risk and blur the lines between the women of her myths and her reality.