A review by threeseagrass
The Uninvited by Cat Winters
4.0
“There is a pain in me. A knife blade”—I balled my hand against my stomach—“wedged in my gut. I want to be rid of it. I want to finally live.”
[a: Cat Winters|5351847|Cat Winters|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1402093683p2/5351847.jpg] weaves together a hauntingly beautiful historical fiction with more than just a hint of the paranormal. Books that have the power to keep you riveted while teaching you something are my favourite kinds. [b: The Uninvited|13645645|Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)|Sophie Jordan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373661248s/13645645.jpg|19262775] doesn’t disappoint in this respect. It’s one of those books that makes you want to read more historical fiction. I’ll admit, even starting this, I had little knowledge about how German people were treated in the United States during the war, or about the Spanish influenza. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that, but, then again, it’s not the history of my country.
Ivy was a fantastic character with a lot of depth. And I think this is something people recognize in her. Her roommate of sorts, May, described it best:
Within a week of leaving her family’s home, she has moved twice, taken up with a German man, and started driving a Red Cross ambulance. She is, at the same time, fearless and afraid. And rightfully so – seeing ghosts before someone is about to die cannot be fun.
Still, she manages to enjoy herself.
The writing was just hauntingly beautiful. [a: Cat Winters|5351847|Cat Winters|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1402093683p2/5351847.jpg] effortlessly weaves the paranormal into the story through her writing. She also manages to insert a sense of desperation – for the war to end, for the discrimination to stop, for the influenza to be cured.
I found this was best described through Ivy and Daniel’s relationship. Both were damaged souls, connected by a murder motivated by hatred and reductionism. But was their relationship ever beautiful.
And then there is the terrible twist. Some of you might see it coming – the signs were all there and I’ll admit I felt a little foolish when it was revealed. All the same, it was really well done and I was taken by surprise. BIG SPOILER →
I received an advance copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
[a: Cat Winters|5351847|Cat Winters|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1402093683p2/5351847.jpg] weaves together a hauntingly beautiful historical fiction with more than just a hint of the paranormal. Books that have the power to keep you riveted while teaching you something are my favourite kinds. [b: The Uninvited|13645645|Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)|Sophie Jordan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373661248s/13645645.jpg|19262775] doesn’t disappoint in this respect. It’s one of those books that makes you want to read more historical fiction. I’ll admit, even starting this, I had little knowledge about how German people were treated in the United States during the war, or about the Spanish influenza. It’s a little embarrassing to admit that, but, then again, it’s not the history of my country.
Ivy was a fantastic character with a lot of depth. And I think this is something people recognize in her. Her roommate of sorts, May, described it best:
“When you burst out of your cocoon, you come out in a full blaze of color and fireworks”
Within a week of leaving her family’s home, she has moved twice, taken up with a German man, and started driving a Red Cross ambulance. She is, at the same time, fearless and afraid. And rightfully so – seeing ghosts before someone is about to die cannot be fun.
Still, she manages to enjoy herself.
“We were music. We were jazz. We were alive”
The writing was just hauntingly beautiful. [a: Cat Winters|5351847|Cat Winters|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1402093683p2/5351847.jpg] effortlessly weaves the paranormal into the story through her writing. She also manages to insert a sense of desperation – for the war to end, for the discrimination to stop, for the influenza to be cured.
”Everyone feels the world is crumbling to pieces, but mainly people are looking to either help each other or escape. Or both”
I found this was best described through Ivy and Daniel’s relationship. Both were damaged souls, connected by a murder motivated by hatred and reductionism. But was their relationship ever beautiful.
“I wrapped my legs around his waist and imagined the two of us as sticks of kindling, striking together, desperate for the taste of fire”
“He leaned his head against mine, and we trembled and fought against allowing the music to chip away at our hearts until nothing of us remained. We stayed tethered to the earth, for better or worse, and absorbed the sorrow of the tenor’s voice”
And then there is the terrible twist. Some of you might see it coming – the signs were all there and I’ll admit I felt a little foolish when it was revealed. All the same, it was really well done and I was taken by surprise. BIG SPOILER →
Spoiler
It was just so relieving to read a story from the perspective of a ghost after the terrible book that was [b: The Girl from the Well|18509623|The Girl from the Well (The Girl from the Well, #1)|Rin Chupeco|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389709701s/18509623.jpg|24978776]. It really just goes to show that it can be done. Granted, those were two very different stories – one knew she was a ghost – but even after Ivy realized what had happened, the writing was still beautiful.I received an advance copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.