meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.75
Fans of Good Omens’ Aziraphale and Crowley will find so much to love about another angel-demon odd couple, Uriel and Little Ash! Warm-hearted, whimsical, and wise, this queer, Jewish historical fantasy follows these two unlikely partners in pursuit of performing a mitzvah for a lost girl from their tiny shtetl in the Old Country all the way to Ellis Island and a Lower East Side full of immigrants, strikers, radicals, and many newfound friends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Confinement, and Deportation
tangleroot_eli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
One of the rare books that made me wish I got along better with audiobooks. It has the cadence and flow of a folk tale or fable and would probably be lovely to hear. That's not to say that reading the printed book wasn't a delight, because it was. I just would've loved to have it in my ears as well as my eyes. It's a love letter to the Jewish immigrants to the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the fierce, devoted, rabble-rousing spirt they brought with them. I can never get enough of those - especially the ones written with as much warmth, heart, and spirit as this one is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Body horror, Misogyny, Blood, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Sexism
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Gun violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism and Pregnancy
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love this book so much I can’t talk about it because my thoughts inevitably devolve into unintelligible noise. From the first page (figuratively, because I read the audiobook) it was like the story vibrated at the same frequency as my brain.
It’s a fundamentally queer, neurodivergent and Jewish story with love, kindness and humour at its core. I want to read it a thousand more times!
It’s a fundamentally queer, neurodivergent and Jewish story with love, kindness and humour at its core. I want to read it a thousand more times!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Sexism, Death, and Violence
Minor: Transphobia, Deportation, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Murder
flyingryndeer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Homophobia
amandaplease50's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
The one “issue” I had was that I’m not Jewish and in the beginning there I was a lot of words I found myself googling to better understand (or just getting through context clues) but I kept thinking I wish there was a glossary. But about 3/4ths through the book I realized there is one at the back! So don’t be me use that thing!
But even if there was not I’d still give this book 5 stars. Just such an amazing book and discusses things like gender dysphoria and what I took to be impostor syndrome and used great I guess metaphors (I’m I STEM person forgive me if that’s not the right term) to help explain someone who doesn’t experience those things.
And the characters loved everyone of them 😊. There are so many things I wish I could explain in this review but I’m terrible at words and reviews. But gives this book a try it won’t disappoint!
But even if there was not I’d still give this book 5 stars. Just such an amazing book and discusses things like gender dysphoria and what I took to be impostor syndrome and used great I guess metaphors (I’m I STEM person forgive me if that’s not the right term) to help explain someone who doesn’t experience those things.
And the characters loved everyone of them 😊. There are so many things I wish I could explain in this review but I’m terrible at words and reviews. But gives this book a try it won’t disappoint!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Antisemitism and Murder
shadowspinner's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Antisemitism
rblue7's review against another edition
Eh just wasn't for me. I couldn't get invested in the characters and the plot moved too slowly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Murder, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
tamara_joy's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Deportation, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Death, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
moonytoast's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Levine Querido for providing me with a digital ARC of this book!
When the Angels Left the Old Country is even more proof that historical fantasies written by marginalized authors who center the lived historical experiences of people with the same marginalizations are just objectively better!
Jewish Good Omens is an apt comparison for this story about an angel and a demon working together to traverse the Atlantic Ocean in search for a young girl that had left their little shtetl for the New World. I think fans of Neil Gaiman's other works, particularly Neverwhere and Stardust, will enjoy the writing style and tone of this book. It's got a whimsical vibe at many points, but knows precisely when to dial up the tension and intrigue. I think this is clear in Little Ash's confrontation with the gentile demon on Ellis Island and the last ten or so chapters of the book as everything comes to a crescendo.
This may not be for readers who enjoy more fast-paced fantasy stories, but hot take: I think sometimes a slow build is essential for a good story, because you need the chance to grow attached to the characters and see their change before you can genuinely care about whether they achieve their goals by the end of the book. I think this book is a perfect example of that. Seeing Uriel and Little Ash's relationship dynamic shift as they embark on their journey to find Essie is such an integral and standout aspect of When the Angels Left the Old Country, the entire narrative would not be remotely as engaging without it.
When the Angels Left the Old Country is even more proof that historical fantasies written by marginalized authors who center the lived historical experiences of people with the same marginalizations are just objectively better!
Jewish Good Omens is an apt comparison for this story about an angel and a demon working together to traverse the Atlantic Ocean in search for a young girl that had left their little shtetl for the New World. I think fans of Neil Gaiman's other works, particularly Neverwhere and Stardust, will enjoy the writing style and tone of this book. It's got a whimsical vibe at many points, but knows precisely when to dial up the tension and intrigue. I think this is clear in Little Ash's confrontation with the gentile demon on Ellis Island and the last ten or so chapters of the book as everything comes to a crescendo.
This may not be for readers who enjoy more fast-paced fantasy stories, but hot take: I think sometimes a slow build is essential for a good story, because you need the chance to grow attached to the characters and see their change before you can genuinely care about whether they achieve their goals by the end of the book. I think this book is a perfect example of that. Seeing Uriel and Little Ash's relationship dynamic shift as they embark on their journey to find Essie is such an integral and standout aspect of When the Angels Left the Old Country, the entire narrative would not be remotely as engaging without it.
He loved his chevrusa with all of his heart: he'd known it by a hundred names, and he'd loved it always. He could not ask it to give up a name it liked having, not even to keep it safe. "All right," he said. He laced their fingers together and lifted its hand to his lips. kissing its bruised knuckles. "All right. You can be Uriel forever, and save a hundred rebbes. Be an angel or a demon or anything you like. Just don't leave me."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Antisemitism
shaipanda's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Classism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Confinement, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Deportation, and Stalking
More...