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A review by zana_reads_arcs
Through Smoke and Sand: The Folly of Wishes by Corrie Hathaway
3.0
So the author reached out to me on Instagram and asked me to check out her novel on NetGalley, which I agreed to do because I'll honestly read anything fantasy and I'm down to support an indie author.
I'll start off by saying that this really wasn't for me, but others might like it. I'm just not a fan of light fantasy with Disney elements, where everything is solved with the power of goodness. The Fairy Godmother-in-training storyline was pretty unique though. The writing is also well done.
This novel is very light-hearted and perfect for younger YA readers. The FMC is an adult who's just a little over high school age, but her POV and the writing reads much younger. This is one of those cases where I wonder if the protagonist should be aged down.
My major issues with this novel is that it's very heteronormative, amatonormative, and is basically all about following the status quo. I'm not sure if this is the author's beliefs leaking onto the page, but as someone who's none of the above, it feels very heavy-handed.
"True love" and being with "the one" was emphasized by one of the Fairy Godmothers while Lexi and Harriet are learning about giving blessings to young women. And cis hetero relationships are the only ones we see here (Lexi/Oliver, Lexi's mom/Kyle, literally every blessing that involves a young woman and the man she loves).
Before the third act, we see Lexi being rebellious and being her sarcastic loudmouth self. By the end of the book, she essentially learns her lesson by realizing that following the status quo and toning herself down to fit in with the group is the best way to go about it.
I feel icky about this revelation tbh and I'm not a huge fan of it. It sends a message that the correct way to do things is to mold yourself to the norm. None of the things that Lexi says are truly offensive, just sarcastic observations that might sting a little. But then again, that technically bucks the status quo, I guess. It feels very corporate or Christian America.
Thank you to Green Elk Publishing and NetGalley for the book.
I'll start off by saying that this really wasn't for me, but others might like it. I'm just not a fan of light fantasy with Disney elements, where everything is solved with the power of goodness. The Fairy Godmother-in-training storyline was pretty unique though. The writing is also well done.
This novel is very light-hearted and perfect for younger YA readers. The FMC is an adult who's just a little over high school age, but her POV and the writing reads much younger. This is one of those cases where I wonder if the protagonist should be aged down.
My major issues with this novel is that it's very heteronormative, amatonormative, and is basically all about following the status quo. I'm not sure if this is the author's beliefs leaking onto the page, but as someone who's none of the above, it feels very heavy-handed.
"True love" and being with "the one" was emphasized by one of the Fairy Godmothers while Lexi and Harriet are learning about giving blessings to young women. And cis hetero relationships are the only ones we see here (Lexi/Oliver, Lexi's mom/Kyle, literally every blessing that involves a young woman and the man she loves).
Before the third act, we see Lexi being rebellious and being her sarcastic loudmouth self. By the end of the book, she essentially learns her lesson by realizing that following the status quo and toning herself down to fit in with the group is the best way to go about it.
I feel icky about this revelation tbh and I'm not a huge fan of it. It sends a message that the correct way to do things is to mold yourself to the norm. None of the things that Lexi says are truly offensive, just sarcastic observations that might sting a little. But then again, that technically bucks the status quo, I guess. It feels very corporate or Christian America.
Thank you to Green Elk Publishing and NetGalley for the book.