raebrock's review against another edition
4.0
The YA fantasy genre crosses with themes of racism, misogyny, and social justice in this novel about two best friends, one a siren, the other just discovering who she is. Tavia and Effie are closer than sisters and their fierce love and protectiveness of each other was one of my favorite things about this book. The incorporation of prejudice, oppression, and the Black Lives Matter movement into a fantasy context was really well-done.
My only complaint is that the story progressed a little too slowly for my taste. I was so interested in the themes but the story itself never quite grabbed me the way I hoped. I give it 3.5 stars but rounding it up to 4 because I so loved Tavia and Effie and their stories were so incredibly relevant.
Thank you NetGalley, author, and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
reading_demon's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
2.0
britlovestoread's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good read!
I thought it was so unique to have all kinds of mythical creatures living and existing in Portland. The way this was written to sync up with current events while the author focused so much on social justice made the book even more impactful.
I went back and forth between audio and print and I enjoyed both. At times it was hard to keep the different story lines straight and remember who's POV we were hearing/reading, but overall this was really good. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
I thought it was so unique to have all kinds of mythical creatures living and existing in Portland. The way this was written to sync up with current events while the author focused so much on social justice made the book even more impactful.
I went back and forth between audio and print and I enjoyed both. At times it was hard to keep the different story lines straight and remember who's POV we were hearing/reading, but overall this was really good. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
reindeerbandit's review against another edition
5.0
i was always going to love this—mythic creatures, strong female characters finding their power, black girl magic. the great news is that it was also a great plot written well!! wonderful!!
00phantom's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
silverie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
ttbaby159's review against another edition
1.0
I really wanted to love this book, but it's safe to say that I truly was disappointed.
I would've loved this book if it weren't fantasy-based and that sucks because this book is meant to deliver a fantasy-like world with 'normal' yet mythical characters such as Tavia and Effie. I almost DNF this book, but I'm glad I finally finished it via audiobook. This book had really good topics and themes, but the way it was written seemed like a lot going on at once and mostly were confusing...
Overall, this book is a 1/5.
I would've loved this book if it weren't fantasy-based and that sucks because this book is meant to deliver a fantasy-like world with 'normal' yet mythical characters such as Tavia and Effie. I almost DNF this book, but I'm glad I finally finished it via audiobook. This book had really good topics and themes, but the way it was written seemed like a lot going on at once and mostly were confusing...
Overall, this book is a 1/5.
voicenextdoor's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
dlberglund's review against another edition
4.0
Powerful modern supernatural realism story about the myriad of extremely painful ways that society and individuals attempt to silence black women's voices, and the ways that black women use their powerful voices. (The metaphors here are not very subtle.) I have some quibbles (including the fact that the audiobook reader didn't know how to pronounce Willamette), but the book needs to be read, regardless of any criticisms I could possibly have.