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blurrypetals's review against another edition
4.0
Between this book and When The Moon Was Ours, I really dig the way Anna-Marie McLemore retells fairytales, adding a haunting twist of magical realism and bringing in the struggles and questions that people like her beautifully diverse casts of characters can relate to.
There was something so familiar and comfortable about this book that made me feel like it was something I had already read before, like I was experiencing literary déjà vu. I realize that's because it's a retelling of multiple fairytales that I'm familiar with, but that paired with a climax that was barely comprehensible is why I decided to bring this down to a 4 of 5.
With that said, however, I really enjoyed this book. The way Anna-Marie McLemore writes magical realism is absolutely enchanting and transports me straight into the moments she's written. Even though I did dock the book for feeling like it was something I'd read before, it was a very comfortable familiarity; breezy, melancholy, sweet. I particularly enjoyed Yearling's chapters, due in no small part to James Fouhey's excellent narration. He has this nearly otherworldly sounding voice and he always lends something just a little bit sweet and strange to each part I've heard him play and I love it. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators as of late after playing Warner in Restore Me and Fowler in Reign of Shadows and now Yearling here.
This book is lovely and, even if it felt like literary déjà vu, it didn't detract from the lovely atmosphere McLemore constructed here. I liked it (and When The Moon Was Ours) so much, in fact, that I'm just going to read another book of McLemore's right now: Wild Beauty, here I come.
There was something so familiar and comfortable about this book that made me feel like it was something I had already read before, like I was experiencing literary déjà vu. I realize that's because it's a retelling of multiple fairytales that I'm familiar with, but that paired with a climax that was barely comprehensible is why I decided to bring this down to a 4 of 5.
With that said, however, I really enjoyed this book. The way Anna-Marie McLemore writes magical realism is absolutely enchanting and transports me straight into the moments she's written. Even though I did dock the book for feeling like it was something I'd read before, it was a very comfortable familiarity; breezy, melancholy, sweet. I particularly enjoyed Yearling's chapters, due in no small part to James Fouhey's excellent narration. He has this nearly otherworldly sounding voice and he always lends something just a little bit sweet and strange to each part I've heard him play and I love it. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators as of late after playing Warner in Restore Me and Fowler in Reign of Shadows and now Yearling here.
This book is lovely and, even if it felt like literary déjà vu, it didn't detract from the lovely atmosphere McLemore constructed here. I liked it (and When The Moon Was Ours) so much, in fact, that I'm just going to read another book of McLemore's right now: Wild Beauty, here I come.
carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
3.0
I’m really torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. So I guess it is just. The most solidly 3.5-star book.
This really reminded me of THE SISTERS OF THE WINTER WOOD in many ways (sisters and their supposed and real differences, animal transformations, magical realism, young romance, parents leaving children to sort out their fates, emphasis on traditions and fairytales, the list is long, very long). I like fairytales, magical realism, and romance, so the story has a lot going for it. Plus, I thought the representation was rich and didn’t seem forced—we have characters here who are diverse in many ways and often underrepresented.
I did think the colorism was just so intense. And maybe we were hit over the head with it as readers just a bit too much? It was very, very clear. And by contrast, I’m not sure if it was as clear how wrong said colorism is, which I think is a crucial takeaway with a book like this. I mean, I got it. That was my takeaway. But I could see how someone could potentially come away thinking that these colorist stereotypes that were set up weren’t a key antagonistic factor in this story, and they really were! Colorism is so instrumental in how these characters viewed themselves. I thought a lot of effort was put into portraying that colorism clearly and distinctly while not as much was put into debunking it. Colorism tends to be part of your typical fairytale, but it’s a convention in that case, not right or wrong but simply “how things are.” That shouldn’t be the message here, and I don’t think it is, but I do think that’s muddled by the story’s adherence to convention in some ways and how much colorism is emphasized.
But that also kind of leads into my thoughts about the writing as a whole. I get the voice that McLemore was going for here—it’s that grave, mystical tone, formal but easily decipherable, simple yet elegant, that all fairytales (and a lot of fantasy epics honestly) tend to have, hovering between C. S. Lewis’s having children in mind (Narnia) and Tolkien’s focus on adults (LotR). There were times though when McLemore’s writing almost um. Was too much for itself? I’m not sure how to articulate this. There were points when the tone combined with the repetition and took me right out of tense moments and made me think “jeez get to it already” while my eyes began skimming for the next point. There were moments of drama in this, sure, but sometimes it felt like they were way overhyped, and they could have been more compelling if the writing were cut down some more.
The portrayal of consent in this romance is nice—you can tell the author wanted to emphasize nonverbal consent and I thought that was nice for YA readers and not distracting. A lot of the events in this story can get a little bizarre since these teens are kinda left to their own devices and seem like they’re trying to be adults as best they can. But it overall works? The plot is a bit all over the place and sometimes the deception and secret-keeping gets dicey and doesn’t seem sensible. Then again, teens are known for not always being the most sensible, so.
I feel like THE SISTERS OF THE WINTER WOOD captured the tone and style this was trying to capture much better, though it’s been a while since I read it. But there is still quite a bit I liked about this? Despite some of it giving me ehhh feelings (never bad feelings, just ehhh feelings). Excited to discuss it further with my friends and maybe dig deeper into how I feel about it.
This really reminded me of THE SISTERS OF THE WINTER WOOD in many ways (sisters and their supposed and real differences, animal transformations, magical realism, young romance, parents leaving children to sort out their fates, emphasis on traditions and fairytales, the list is long, very long). I like fairytales, magical realism, and romance, so the story has a lot going for it. Plus, I thought the representation was rich and didn’t seem forced—we have characters here who are diverse in many ways and often underrepresented.
I did think the colorism was just so intense. And maybe we were hit over the head with it as readers just a bit too much? It was very, very clear. And by contrast, I’m not sure if it was as clear how wrong said colorism is, which I think is a crucial takeaway with a book like this. I mean, I got it. That was my takeaway. But I could see how someone could potentially come away thinking that these colorist stereotypes that were set up weren’t a key antagonistic factor in this story, and they really were! Colorism is so instrumental in how these characters viewed themselves. I thought a lot of effort was put into portraying that colorism clearly and distinctly while not as much was put into debunking it. Colorism tends to be part of your typical fairytale, but it’s a convention in that case, not right or wrong but simply “how things are.” That shouldn’t be the message here, and I don’t think it is, but I do think that’s muddled by the story’s adherence to convention in some ways and how much colorism is emphasized.
But that also kind of leads into my thoughts about the writing as a whole. I get the voice that McLemore was going for here—it’s that grave, mystical tone, formal but easily decipherable, simple yet elegant, that all fairytales (and a lot of fantasy epics honestly) tend to have, hovering between C. S. Lewis’s having children in mind (Narnia) and Tolkien’s focus on adults (LotR). There were times though when McLemore’s writing almost um. Was too much for itself? I’m not sure how to articulate this. There were points when the tone combined with the repetition and took me right out of tense moments and made me think “jeez get to it already” while my eyes began skimming for the next point. There were moments of drama in this, sure, but sometimes it felt like they were way overhyped, and they could have been more compelling if the writing were cut down some more.
The portrayal of consent in this romance is nice—you can tell the author wanted to emphasize nonverbal consent and I thought that was nice for YA readers and not distracting. A lot of the events in this story can get a little bizarre since these teens are kinda left to their own devices and seem like they’re trying to be adults as best they can. But it overall works? The plot is a bit all over the place and sometimes the deception and secret-keeping gets dicey and doesn’t seem sensible. Then again, teens are known for not always being the most sensible, so.
I feel like THE SISTERS OF THE WINTER WOOD captured the tone and style this was trying to capture much better, though it’s been a while since I read it. But there is still quite a bit I liked about this? Despite some of it giving me ehhh feelings (never bad feelings, just ehhh feelings). Excited to discuss it further with my friends and maybe dig deeper into how I feel about it.
claire_blanchard's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
zaineylaney's review against another edition
3.0
I must be one of the few people who had a really hard time with this book. While the language was beautiful, the story to me was confusing at times and a little boring. This disappointed me because it was the first I had read by this author. Maybe it would be better on another book?
rereader33's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book that I was looking forward to for awhile, mostly because I love this author and it is so rare to get a Snow-White and Rose-Red retelling. Aaaaaaand, I finished it in one day, which I almost never do. There are a number of reasons for this speedy reading experience, which will be the positives I found with this novel:
1. The pacing is spot on. Even if the majority of chapters are really short, she cleverly paces out her chapters with enough short chapters to keep the reader intrigued but enough long chapters to further the plot/give exposition without it seeming out of place or slowing down the story.
2. She really keeps the reader guessing til the end. I honestly could not have seen the plot twist that was coming and could not guess where the plot was going, but not in a bad way. It never felt like she was just making stuff up for plot convenience/drama, it really felt like the progression of the story and the end result thereof made sense.
3. The representation was amazing. This has nothing to do with how fast I read the novel, but seriously the representation was phenomenal. It didn't feel like each character was that token diverse character, and while each character hammered it into the reader's brain what they were, one of the major themes of this novel (at least in my opinion) is coming to terms with one's self rather than tying one's whole self to one trait/characteristic (i.e. identity, family, appearance).
4. Finally, the writing flowed very well, and for the most part the imagery and descriptions were really good, though there were some issues I had with it.
And with that, let's move on to some negative thoughts I had while reading this:
1. First and foremost, the fact that most of the drama that occurs in this novel is due to keeping secrets/miscommunication/misunderstandings wore on me after awhile. I understand why Blanca and Roja did what they did and I can't say that it isn't realistic given their circumstances, but it got on my nerves after some time.
2. The characters were good, but some of them felt just a tad one-note. Honestly, Roja to me felt like the most complex character, with Blanca having some good character moments sprinkled in. Yearling and Page, on the other hand, were pretty one-dimensional in my opinion. Yes, they both got some hard-earned character development towards the end, but the dialogue they were given wasn't that engaging or deep.
3. On the subject of writing, while I did enjoy the descriptions for the most part, there were some sections where it felt like overkill. Yes, McLemore has an outstanding way with words and I felt like I was in those woods with the del Cisnes, but there were some parts were I felt she overdid it a bit.
And there you have it. Despite my complaints, I would seriously recommend this book to others. It is a fantastic retelling deserving of all the praise it has received. I will definitely be giving some of her other novels I try in the future, what a splendid novel from a very talented author.
1. The pacing is spot on. Even if the majority of chapters are really short, she cleverly paces out her chapters with enough short chapters to keep the reader intrigued but enough long chapters to further the plot/give exposition without it seeming out of place or slowing down the story.
2. She really keeps the reader guessing til the end. I honestly could not have seen the plot twist that was coming and could not guess where the plot was going, but not in a bad way. It never felt like she was just making stuff up for plot convenience/drama, it really felt like the progression of the story and the end result thereof made sense.
3. The representation was amazing. This has nothing to do with how fast I read the novel, but seriously the representation was phenomenal. It didn't feel like each character was that token diverse character, and while each character hammered it into the reader's brain what they were, one of the major themes of this novel (at least in my opinion) is coming to terms with one's self rather than tying one's whole self to one trait/characteristic (i.e. identity, family, appearance).
4. Finally, the writing flowed very well, and for the most part the imagery and descriptions were really good, though there were some issues I had with it.
And with that, let's move on to some negative thoughts I had while reading this:
1. First and foremost, the fact that most of the drama that occurs in this novel is due to keeping secrets/miscommunication/misunderstandings wore on me after awhile. I understand why Blanca and Roja did what they did and I can't say that it isn't realistic given their circumstances, but it got on my nerves after some time.
2. The characters were good, but some of them felt just a tad one-note. Honestly, Roja to me felt like the most complex character, with Blanca having some good character moments sprinkled in. Yearling and Page, on the other hand, were pretty one-dimensional in my opinion. Yes, they both got some hard-earned character development towards the end, but the dialogue they were given wasn't that engaging or deep.
3. On the subject of writing, while I did enjoy the descriptions for the most part, there were some sections where it felt like overkill. Yes, McLemore has an outstanding way with words and I felt like I was in those woods with the del Cisnes, but there were some parts were I felt she overdid it a bit.
And there you have it. Despite my complaints, I would seriously recommend this book to others. It is a fantastic retelling deserving of all the praise it has received. I will definitely be giving some of her other novels I try in the future, what a splendid novel from a very talented author.
lbarsk's review against another edition
3.0
So it took me a million years to read this book because I get most of my reading done on the subway, and I’ve been SO TIRED this month that I can’t focus on what I’m reading. But that’s not a reflection on this story, which was a wonderful new take on old fairytale tropes. The aspects of queerness and sisterhood were particularly lovely to me, as was the element of the many different forms that family, birth and found, can take.
goodem9199's review against another edition
3.0
So weird. I loved the writing, but after reading nearly half the book and still having no idea what the hell was going on...I had to move on.
juanitamfm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Overall it was a good story. It just dragged in parts for me and it felt a little like they talked in circles when it could’ve been more clear, but I did like the 4 main characters and I like how the author did a diverse twist on a classic fairy tale to make it more inclusive and to add elements that were lacking back then.
maxine_december's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
3.75