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treana's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Extremely Sad but motivational
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
ryliereadss's review
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
3.25
Very dark themes in this book, definitely check trigger warnings before picking this one up. Echo is a lovable main character who cares about her brothers, wants to make her mom proud, and learn how to use her wizard powers. Her mother doesn’t want to teach her so Echo has to find other women who will teach her. She also makes friends with other girls her age who are wizards which is fun. I liked that the character who became disabled wasn’t forgotten after his accident, like he wasn’t just a trauma Echo experienced. I loved the formatting of the time jumps. There was so much happening, friend drama, family drama, addiction, drugs, magic, crushes, trauma, depression, anxiety, racism, and sexism. The conversations happening at the end of the book were really important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
sydapel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
- 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
4.25
Unlike any YA book I've ever read, the magical realism elements of this are woven in so seamlessly, it took me a minute to understand they weren't just a very effective metaphor. The only grip I have is that there are lots of time jumps in this which really are difficult to track when you're listening to the otherwise excellent audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
tinareads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Oh, what a book this was. Halfway through reading I googled Echo Brown and learned she passed from kidney failure due to Lupus in September of 2023, as she waited for a kidney transplant. She was only 39 and I hope she rests in peace and light. I originally started this on Kindle, since that's how I own a copy, and I'm making a point this year to read more books I already own, but reading physical/e-books has been difficult lately, so I switched to the audiobook, thanks to my library. This novel is narrated by the author, and she gave an amazing performance. I can't recommend it enough.
I'm rusty at writing reviews, but this book touched my heart directly, so I feel pulled to speak on it. Please check trigger warnings before getting into this, especially if SA is a trigger for you. It's a prevalent them throughout the book and could be very triggering.
This book made me feel right at home. I was born and raised in California, not Ohio like Echo, but the way she wrote the experience of growing up Black and seeing how your parents struggle-to provide, to survive, to battle their demons-sometimes by using substances to dull the ache. How those struggles, when unaddressed, can bleed onto you, the child and shape you how it shaped them all those years ago. But also how the same parents who hurt you and aren't always available have those moments where they are soft and loving. How you yearn for those moments and cling to them when they're cruel. Phew! But, the magic on these pages added something special to this otherwise sad and tense recollection of Echo's upbringing. I love the aspect of ancestral magic in Black YA books. It often stems from the violence and survival of our ancestors, but it always does something for me. I like to think we might have some of that magic here in the real world, if we're willing to be open to it.
Like another reviewer said, the storytelling is definitely unique. You might be confused at the start, but if you stick with it and are open-minded I think it's quite enjoyable. The way the timelines blend together as the main story goes along was interesting and I was really invested, knowing that this book was about Echo's life with a magical twist. I shed quite a few tears in the last quarter of the audiobook, and it's a shame that we lost such a gifted storyteller so young. I'll definitely be checking out her other novels in the future.
I'm rusty at writing reviews, but this book touched my heart directly, so I feel pulled to speak on it. Please check trigger warnings before getting into this, especially if SA is a trigger for you. It's a prevalent them throughout the book and could be very triggering.
This book made me feel right at home. I was born and raised in California, not Ohio like Echo, but the way she wrote the experience of growing up Black and seeing how your parents struggle-to provide, to survive, to battle their demons-sometimes by using substances to dull the ache. How those struggles, when unaddressed, can bleed onto you, the child and shape you how it shaped them all those years ago. But also how the same parents who hurt you and aren't always available have those moments where they are soft and loving. How you yearn for those moments and cling to them when they're cruel. Phew! But, the magic on these pages added something special to this otherwise sad and tense recollection of Echo's upbringing. I love the aspect of ancestral magic in Black YA books. It often stems from the violence and survival of our ancestors, but it always does something for me. I like to think we might have some of that magic here in the real world, if we're willing to be open to it.
Like another reviewer said, the storytelling is definitely unique. You might be confused at the start, but if you stick with it and are open-minded I think it's quite enjoyable. The way the timelines blend together as the main story goes along was interesting and I was really invested, knowing that this book was about Echo's life with a magical twist. I shed quite a few tears in the last quarter of the audiobook, and it's a shame that we lost such a gifted storyteller so young. I'll definitely be checking out her other novels in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt
ahopper7's review
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Murder
brassnbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Mind the trigger warnings because I did not look them up so some of the parts in the book caught me off guard even though you could kind of feel them coming
I appreciate how the book uses magic in a realistic type of way which is unique to the kinds of books I normally read
The book definitely doesn't disappoint in making everything come together and addressing just about any and everything
I appreciate how the book uses magic in a realistic type of way which is unique to the kinds of books I normally read
The book definitely doesn't disappoint in making everything come together and addressing just about any and everything
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Fire/Fire injury
mengzhenreads's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved the writing style of this book, and I found it absolutely heartbreaking but also just so filled with layers and complexity, especially with all the symbolism and metaphors that the author used with magic. I could definitely see myself writing an essay analyzing and picking apart all of the choices the author made. Super smart and super emotional, this also had me trying not to cry at Ikea and failing while reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Homophobia and Sexism
emmapaigereads's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Fire/Fire injury
kyumgi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Rape
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
livinthebubble's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.5
I always feel bad rating an important book like this a low rating but I just didn't like it. So many other people said they loved this and sobbed and I'm sad I didn't experience the same thing as them.
Important Read
This book talks about poverty, racism, the hardships that come with being a woman, and the assault of minors, among other important topics. It was tough to read at times, with the graphic scenes here and there, though I still appreciate this being written and having read it.
Ending
Most of the book was just ok to me, although I enjoyed one of the scenes at the end, where the main group write messages on the trees. I thought it was a lovely scene and the messages were uplifting after a dark book.
Magical Realism
I think this is another case of "it's not you, it's me" and me not properly reading what books are about before reading/buying them. I dislike most books with magical realism, and I didn't realize that this was a magical realism book.
Confusing
The wizard stuff was just confusing to me, and the time jumps/scene jumps connected by dashes were so weird and just didn't work for me.
Overall, this just wasn't for me and I'm really sad that I didn't like it as much as everyone else.
Important Read
This book talks about poverty, racism, the hardships that come with being a woman, and the assault of minors, among other important topics. It was tough to read at times, with the graphic scenes here and there, though I still appreciate this being written and having read it.
Ending
Most of the book was just ok to me, although I enjoyed one of the scenes at the end, where the main group write messages on the trees. I thought it was a lovely scene and the messages were uplifting after a dark book.
Magical Realism
I think this is another case of "it's not you, it's me" and me not properly reading what books are about before reading/buying them. I dislike most books with magical realism, and I didn't realize that this was a magical realism book.
Confusing
The wizard stuff was just confusing to me, and the time jumps/scene jumps connected by dashes were so weird and just didn't work for me.
Overall, this just wasn't for me and I'm really sad that I didn't like it as much as everyone else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury