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mthereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
Hoo boy. Where to start with this book?
I guess I'll start by saying that I really did like it. Lots of nature in this book, and it's actually very accurately depicted which is a big bonus of Glendy Vanderah's biology background - I'm very drawn to her books because of that. This story is also a great deep dive into different types of relationships. It wraps up so nicely after a lot of hard emotions get sorted out, and you're definitely meant to have all sorts of warm fuzzies when this book is over.
However. This book should come with about a hundred trigger warnings stamped on the cover. The official blurb only gets at a fraction of them: abandonment, abduction, abuse, addiction - and I'm only in the A's! (I tagged 20[!] content warnings for this book on StoryGraph.)
I honestly would have given this book all 5 stars if the last two chapters didn't have such an intense focus on teen pregnancy and a very weirdly crowded birthing scene. Absolutely unnecessary and not my vibe at all.
But if you like books where the characters are very close to nature, and like books about complicated familial relationships, and don't mind about a zillion potential triggers, you'll love this book!
I guess I'll start by saying that I really did like it. Lots of nature in this book, and it's actually very accurately depicted which is a big bonus of Glendy Vanderah's biology background - I'm very drawn to her books because of that. This story is also a great deep dive into different types of relationships. It wraps up so nicely after a lot of hard emotions get sorted out, and you're definitely meant to have all sorts of warm fuzzies when this book is over.
However. This book should come with about a hundred trigger warnings stamped on the cover. The official blurb only gets at a fraction of them: abandonment, abduction, abuse, addiction - and I'm only in the A's! (I tagged 20[!] content warnings for this book on StoryGraph.)
I honestly would have given this book all 5 stars if the last two chapters didn't
But if you like books where the characters are very close to nature, and like books about complicated familial relationships, and don't mind about a zillion potential triggers, you'll love this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
sara_phoenix's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ellis is a young mother of three having given up her former hopes as a biologist to live the picket-fence lifestyle. But when a horrible mistake leads to the abduction of her infant daughter, Ellis is destroyed. Abandoning her former life and children, Ellis escapes to the natural world while falling deeper and deeper into addiction and hopelessness. But on the other side of the country, a girl named Raven is being raised by “Mama,” the reclusive old magical woman who abducted Ellis’s baby and raising her as a gift from Nature. As Raven grows, she begins to question the magical origins of her past and longs to alter her present circumstances. And when Mama disappears, Raven begins the journey towards finding out her true identity as she is reunited with Ellis. This story was hauntingly, achingly beautiful. It is not just another abduction story or thriller. As a former biologist herself, Vanderah creates a beautiful description of the healing powers of nature and the comfort it provides even in our darkest moments. The natural elements described in the book were perfection. But this book is also about so much more: motherhood and the mistakes we make along the way; guilt and forgiveness; the process of grief; the journey love takes us on; and the redemptive power of nature. CW: maternal abandonment, child abduction, attempted rape/assault, drub abuse, parental gaslighting, mysticism/magic
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
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