arigibberish's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
eli_b0204's review against another edition
4.0
I felt the pacing was a bit off, but the characters and themes of the book more than made up for it
demoluver's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
madtapa's review against another edition
4.0
This story is really beautifully told. If I'm honest, I got a bit lost along the way - many stories have a familiar enough shape that you have an idea where you are and what you're expecting, in a way I didn't really feel here. I don't think that was a bad thing, and it may just be a reflection of how much this book was about experiences that are not my own. I just felt unmoored for a while.
I'm a big fan of fairy tale re-tellings, which is what got me reading this in the first place, but this one was definitely more full of magics than most (and, somewhat contributing to my feelings of being lost, the characters appeared to have innate understanding of those magics that I lacked, though by the end I think I understood these understandings to be the analogy they probably are meant to be).
I was especially pleased that the author was really deeply invested in talking about and through (parts of) the Latinx (especially Latina) and trans experiences. The former was newer to me, so I have more to soak in and consider there, but both were handled with what seemed to me extreme care and thoughtfulness. Beyond being happy to see the representation, I was excited that these perspectives were discussed and explored in a way that didn't diminish them OR present them as unusual. We need these things so much more in our books and stories, but I think the author chose an especially good vehicle here.
I'm a big fan of fairy tale re-tellings, which is what got me reading this in the first place, but this one was definitely more full of magics than most (and, somewhat contributing to my feelings of being lost, the characters appeared to have innate understanding of those magics that I lacked, though by the end I think I understood these understandings to be the analogy they probably are meant to be).
I was especially pleased that the author was really deeply invested in talking about and through (parts of) the Latinx (especially Latina) and trans experiences. The former was newer to me, so I have more to soak in and consider there, but both were handled with what seemed to me extreme care and thoughtfulness. Beyond being happy to see the representation, I was excited that these perspectives were discussed and explored in a way that didn't diminish them OR present them as unusual. We need these things so much more in our books and stories, but I think the author chose an especially good vehicle here.
darquedreamer's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I don't know what I was expecting from this one, but what I got wasn't it. It was intriguing and different enough to keep me reading until the end, but there was so much about it that I didn't enjoy.
First of all, 4 points of view were way too many. Too much to keep up. Not enough differentiation between the voices, and it was just annoying.
Second, there was no differentiation between flashbacks and present time (I. E. Italics or timestamps), so most of those were confusing. A couple of them felt unnecessary. And, I always had to go back and reread them to make sure I understand that they were flashbacks.
Third, some of the writing just felt off. It switched between trying to tell the story, and trying to be poetic and flowery, and a lot of it was just awkward and didn't add to the plot. The author just tried too hard kn some places to create an atmosphere that just didn't need to be created, and I was honestly left wondering what the final plot twist was actually supposed to be.
And, last, but certainly not least because I'm tired of listing things, I just didn't connect with the characters at all. They fell flat and felt awkward and forced. I did not enjoy their stories at all, and I felt like they didn't either.
I wish I had loved this. I finished it because I wanted to know how it ended, but the ending was a big disappointment and didn't really make sense. The entire book was such a let down that I'm wondering if I even want to read the other book I have from the same author.
First of all, 4 points of view were way too many. Too much to keep up. Not enough differentiation between the voices, and it was just annoying.
Second, there was no differentiation between flashbacks and present time (I. E. Italics or timestamps), so most of those were confusing. A couple of them felt unnecessary. And, I always had to go back and reread them to make sure I understand that they were flashbacks.
Third, some of the writing just felt off. It switched between trying to tell the story, and trying to be poetic and flowery, and a lot of it was just awkward and didn't add to the plot. The author just tried too hard kn some places to create an atmosphere that just didn't need to be created, and I was honestly left wondering what the final plot twist was actually supposed to be.
And, last, but certainly not least because I'm tired of listing things, I just didn't connect with the characters at all. They fell flat and felt awkward and forced. I did not enjoy their stories at all, and I felt like they didn't either.
I wish I had loved this. I finished it because I wanted to know how it ended, but the ending was a big disappointment and didn't really make sense. The entire book was such a let down that I'm wondering if I even want to read the other book I have from the same author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Toxic friendship
mora55's review against another edition
5.0
--14 Jan 2022
Okay this improved so much upon second read! I love McLemore's descriptions and metaphor and theme and the character arcs of four POVS are so good and I love their relationships
--22 Nov 2018
This was good! The words were very pretty! I liked the messages and Page and the sisterhood between Blanca and Roja! And that Yearling's and Page's grandmothers loved and helped them all so much. And that the sisters weren't pitted against each other, really, and that they loved each other no matter what. And they were ALL BEAUTIFULLY FLAWED PEOPLE with strong character arcs.
(I was just very confused much of the time! This may not be the book's fault. It may have just been my mental state at the time of read. But it somewhat hindered the ease of read?)
That notwithstanding, I read it all in a day, so the book did draw you in and hold you there without you really being aware that it was doing so.
There was so much GOOD in this book, but I just had a hard time getting through some of the words and timelines (especially in Yearling's chapters) and I had to keep going back and rereading little bits and sections.
Okay this improved so much upon second read! I love McLemore's descriptions and metaphor and theme and the character arcs of four POVS are so good and I love their relationships
--22 Nov 2018
This was good! The words were very pretty! I liked the messages and Page and the sisterhood between Blanca and Roja! And that Yearling's and Page's grandmothers loved and helped them all so much. And that the sisters weren't pitted against each other, really, and that they loved each other no matter what. And they were ALL BEAUTIFULLY FLAWED PEOPLE with strong character arcs.
(I was just very confused much of the time! This may not be the book's fault. It may have just been my mental state at the time of read. But it somewhat hindered the ease of read?)
That notwithstanding, I read it all in a day, so the book did draw you in and hold you there without you really being aware that it was doing so.
There was so much GOOD in this book, but I just had a hard time getting through some of the words and timelines (especially in Yearling's chapters) and I had to keep going back and rereading little bits and sections.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, vivid writing and Anna-Marie McLemore being a masterful storyteller as always!