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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
leer_amor's review against another edition
4.0
I was really looking forward to this book since McLemore’s book Lakelore was so amazing, and while I did enjoy this novel and thought it was a beautiful and unique retelling, I felt that the pacing was a bit of an issue. There were a few time skips that werent explicitely stated and confused me a bit. And there was a bit of a lack of description for surroundings. That said, the fig lang was gorgeous and I absolutely loved the mentions of pepitas and cascarones, two things I have never seen in any book by a Hispanic or Mexican author Ive read so far. Good vibes, good soup.
gabalodon's review against another edition
3.0
I think this book could easily have been a four star read for someone just a little less fussy about magic rules than I am. There were a lot of logical leaps that characters made about what the rules were of the supernatural shenanigans going down and they were apparently correct leaps but how? Why? What are the rules?? How do they know the rules??
In that sense and in others, this book leaned very heavily into the aesthetic - which by all means was very beautiful and delicate - but it was often, imo, at the expense of developing character personalities and weaving the plot together coherently. I liked the four different POVs, but every time a chapter ended there would be an abrupt shift in setting and we'd be addressing a different plot point or different character tension, and since each chapter is only a couple pages, it impacted the flow of the story itself. Characters would show up where it was convenient for the aesthetic and to move the plot forward but their reasons for bouncing around so much seemed somewhat flimsy. There was also a lot of repetition in the phrasing and imagery. So overall, a lot of frosting and not enough cake.
That all being said, the frosting itself was very good. The underlying story had a lot of promise and the imagery was gorgeous, and the parallels between the characters and the exploration of genderqueer themes and colorism were extremely poignant. I just wish everything else going on in the plot made more sense, or even that it made as little sense to the characters as it did to me.
In that sense and in others, this book leaned very heavily into the aesthetic - which by all means was very beautiful and delicate - but it was often, imo, at the expense of developing character personalities and weaving the plot together coherently. I liked the four different POVs, but every time a chapter ended there would be an abrupt shift in setting and we'd be addressing a different plot point or different character tension, and since each chapter is only a couple pages, it impacted the flow of the story itself. Characters would show up where it was convenient for the aesthetic and to move the plot forward but their reasons for bouncing around so much seemed somewhat flimsy. There was also a lot of repetition in the phrasing and imagery. So overall, a lot of frosting and not enough cake.
That all being said, the frosting itself was very good. The underlying story had a lot of promise and the imagery was gorgeous, and the parallels between the characters and the exploration of genderqueer themes and colorism were extremely poignant. I just wish everything else going on in the plot made more sense, or even that it made as little sense to the characters as it did to me.
eletricjb's review against another edition
3.0
I spent this whole book going, dang this is a lot like When the Moon was Ours, and do you know why that is? Because it was written by the same damn person. Good work, me.
Anyway, Anna-Marie McLemore is a master of imagery, and the storytelling was great, but...it was still a little too disjointed to pull me all the way in.
Anyway, Anna-Marie McLemore is a master of imagery, and the storytelling was great, but...it was still a little too disjointed to pull me all the way in.
thebookishunicorn's review against another edition
4.0
"The story of the ugly duckling was never about the cygnet discovering he is lovely. It is not a story about realizing you have become beautiful.
It is about the sudden understanding that you are something other than what you thought you were, and that what you are is more beautiful than what you once thought you had to be."
In true Anna-Marie McLemore style, this books' prose is just as magical as their stories are.
It is about the sudden understanding that you are something other than what you thought you were, and that what you are is more beautiful than what you once thought you had to be."
In true Anna-Marie McLemore style, this books' prose is just as magical as their stories are.