whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Genocide, Death of parent, and Antisemitism
shelvesofstarlight's review
5.0
This book was exceptional and I adored every second of it. The characters, the plot, the setting, all of it just sang off of the page and made the words come alive.
Csilla was such a wonderful main character and I loved how she was connected to the Danube river, something which played a role in the story and made sense for Csilla as she progressed through the book. In addition, she was tenacious and the love she had for her city and the people in her life was just so brilliant to see. Azriel, the other POV type character in this book was such an interesting choice and I really liked how he fitted into the story and added another amazing layer into this book. All of the other main characters such as Szu and Tamas were also complex and added to Csilla's story whilst having their own and I adored them all so much. I also liked the use of the father's journals and letters from Tamas throughout because not only did it add to the book overall, it allows the reader to get a better sense of them as characters.
The story itself of course was historical but I adored how Locke made it her own with the addition of the Golem and the importance of the river and colours. It made the story that much more heartbreaking and special. I knew about the history from studying it at school and I have always had a special place for Budapest, and Hungary, in my heart as my mother's family originally came from there. This book took that and ran with it, making me even more separate to walk the streets of a city so deeply affected by grief and war and see the river that spoke to Csilla so strongly that it broke its banks on the day of her birth and gifted her with hair the same silver as it's water. And the ending, even though I knew it was coming was still heartbreaking because of the way that Locke told it.
And the writing style of this book was stunning. The way that Locke wrote about the city was captivating and the way that they spoke about the river was simply beautiful. On top of all of that, the way they wrote Csilla and her behaviour were perfect. I actually cannot tell you how much I loved this book and still love it after finishing it only yesterday.
I was kindly provided with an earc of this book as part of a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.
Csilla was such a wonderful main character and I loved how she was connected to the Danube river, something which played a role in the story and made sense for Csilla as she progressed through the book. In addition, she was tenacious and the love she had for her city and the people in her life was just so brilliant to see. Azriel, the other POV type character in this book was such an interesting choice and I really liked how he fitted into the story and added another amazing layer into this book. All of the other main characters such as Szu and Tamas were also complex and added to Csilla's story whilst having their own and I adored them all so much. I also liked the use of the father's journals and letters from Tamas throughout because not only did it add to the book overall, it allows the reader to get a better sense of them as characters.
The story itself of course was historical but I adored how Locke made it her own with the addition of the Golem and the importance of the river and colours. It made the story that much more heartbreaking and special. I knew about the history from studying it at school and I have always had a special place for Budapest, and Hungary, in my heart as my mother's family originally came from there. This book took that and ran with it, making me even more separate to walk the streets of a city so deeply affected by grief and war and see the river that spoke to Csilla so strongly that it broke its banks on the day of her birth and gifted her with hair the same silver as it's water. And the ending, even though I knew it was coming was still heartbreaking because of the way that Locke told it.
And the writing style of this book was stunning. The way that Locke wrote about the city was captivating and the way that they spoke about the river was simply beautiful. On top of all of that, the way they wrote Csilla and her behaviour were perfect. I actually cannot tell you how much I loved this book and still love it after finishing it only yesterday.
I was kindly provided with an earc of this book as part of a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.
skiracechick's review
3.0
I love the idea of this book. I liked most of the story. But the infusion of magic made it get a bit too weird. I was excited to read a slightly different tale of WWII events/survival than most I’ve read, but the twists this took felt too distracting. There was a lot of potential but it didn’t live up to my anticipation, which made me sad. I guess I need to find more stories of WWII survival in Budapest that don’t include magic.
owlette's review against another edition
4.0
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook to hear the Yiddish, Hebrew, and Hungarian lines read out loud.
The prose has some rough edges, and I would have preferred faster pacing in the first half. I was not convinced by the utility of including Azriel, an angel of death, in the main trio along with Csilla and Tomas. He stopped moving the plot after he saved Csilla in the very first chapter, and his relationship with Tomas felt tacked on compared to the one with Csilla.
Otherwise, the author succeeds in employing Jewish fabulist and fantastical devices to dramatize the 1956 Hungarian revolution without sugarcoating the history. Magic does not restore Hungary's sovereignty from the USSR, nor does it stop a mob from lynching a man who works for the regime's secret police in the streets in daylight.
I would love to pick up the text again to reread some of the things I missed such as Csilla's father's journal entries. Csilla's father is one of the most vivid characters even though its' been years since he was killed by the regime when the book starts. I love the answer Szendrey gives to Csilla for why he didn't read Csilla's father's journals when he was entrusted with them:
The prose has some rough edges, and I would have preferred faster pacing in the first half. I was not convinced by the utility of including Azriel, an angel of death, in the main trio along with Csilla and Tomas. He stopped moving the plot after he saved Csilla in the very first chapter, and his relationship with Tomas felt tacked on compared to the one with Csilla.
Otherwise, the author succeeds in employing Jewish fabulist and fantastical devices to dramatize the 1956 Hungarian revolution without sugarcoating the history. Magic does not restore Hungary's sovereignty from the USSR, nor does it stop a mob from lynching a man who works for the regime's secret police in the streets in daylight.
I would love to pick up the text again to reread some of the things I missed such as Csilla's father's journal entries. Csilla's father is one of the most vivid characters even though its' been years since he was killed by the regime when the book starts. I love the answer Szendrey gives to Csilla for why he didn't read Csilla's father's journals when he was entrusted with them:
"I didn't want the version of Simon he didn't give to me himself. ... I am happy with the man I had for as long as I had him."I was reminded of a recent New Yorker article where the author describes imposter syndrome as "the gap that persists between the internal experiences of selfhood—multiple, contradictory, incoherent, striated with shame and desire—and the imperative to present a more coherent, composed, continuous self to the world." I never thought I would be motivated to keep a journal as a vessel to contain our multifaceted selfhood.
thepageladies's review
4.0
I found This Rebel Heart to be fascinating & a great read! It was interesting because it's based on true historical events with some fantasy. So I liked that I was able to read a book that not only entertained me but also taught me some things that I didn't know about! The writing is wonderful! It's full of wonderful & complex characters.There were moments that were heartbreaking & others that were joyful. So this is an emotional read! But it is a wonderful story & worth every minute you spend reading it!
jasper_is_atypical's review
There was nothing wrong with the book. I did want to find out the ending, but I just couldn't bring myself to care about this one for whatever reason. Might have been a reading slump, might have been the writing, might have just been bored with the characters, who knows?
ashc123's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
3.75
werewolfprince's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5