Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

16 reviews

antimony's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

some books start out with every piece of the plot flung very far away but it all comes together and ties up nicely and some books start of very small and the plot just spirals outwards until it encompasses so much more than what it began with and the second one is what this book felt like to me. sometimes I felt like ohh my god there is so much going on. but otherwise it was really good!! i loved the characters a lot (especially rose and uriel....and speaking of uriel....ive never seen a book where a character uses it/its & that was quite nice). some parts were a bit slow but overall this was really really good!!!
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rorikae's review

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

'When the Angels Left the Old Country' by Sacha Lamb is a charming historical fantasy following an angel and a demon who travel to America to find a missing member of their community. 
The angel and Little Ash live in their shtetl, studying together and looking after their community. Many of the younger generation have been leaving the shtetl due to pogroms and seeking new opportunities. When one of the girls from their shtetl disappears while traveling to America, the angel and Little Ash decide to head to America to find her. Along the way, they befriend a young girl leaving her town after her best friend becomes engaged. 
Steeped in Jewish folklore, this story soars because of its characters and the world that Lamb paints. Their writing is clear but evocative in a way that meant the story was always moving forward while also painting a rich picture at the same time. Aspects of the story (mainly the two main characters) are reminiscent of Good Omens but the characters stand out in a unique story. There are themes of identity, belonging, and community. The audiobook was fantastic and added to my enjoyment. I cannot wait to read what Lamb writes next. 
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kasisak's review against another edition

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fast-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

4.75

This was such a nice book-- the wholesome parts were very wholesome, and the action parts were fast-paced and attention-grabbing. Overall, I really really liked this book. 
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jessereadsthings's review against another edition

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5.0

Really good. I love how fun it starts, but then as the characters become more involved with world the more serious the story gets. Ending was not as good as the rest of the book, but is still enjoyed it.
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pondcreature's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

5.0

Im tired and will add more of a review later but I enjoyed this book immensely.
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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful tense fast-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

5.0


Thank you so much to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. 
I genuinely absolutely loved this book  just as much, if not more, than I expected to. As someone who grew up deeply entrenched in my Jewish culture and community, it was so amazing and such a special experience to be able to read a book with so many references I recognized. This book was so clearly deeply deeply rooted in Jewish (specifically Ashkenazi) culture and mythology which was really amazing to read. 
Additionally, all of the characters are so loveable and I absolutely loved seeing the characters grow, whether they were teenage girls or immortal beings. This was especially true given the queer Jewish representation in this which is just so important and I have not come acros nearly enough of. I do wish we got to see more of Rivke as she essentially disappears from the story once they leave Ellis Island and I really liked her character and would’ve loved to see more of her. 
One other thing I noticed is while I’m very glad there’s a glossary at least in the back, this book has so so many very specific references in it that it could benefit from having footnotes. This was because some of the references I’d actually never even heard of some of them before such as sheydim and ibburim, and I've spent a significant amount of time in Jewish spaces and constantly expanding my knowledge of Judaism. I feel like because of this, having footnotes would make it significantly more accessible for the general public since how it is now, I’m slightly worried people will put the book down because they don’t understand all of the terms and Jewish context and don’t want to keep Googling or flipping back and forth to the glossary.  
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