A review by ehmannky
Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely gorgeous. The prose is pretty, the setting is beautiful, and the emotional core of this story is stunning. I loved all the hard edges of the Nomeolvides girls, and how they find love that fits them all the same. And it's all so queer! Which I knew it would be going in, but it was still so delightful to read. In getting at a deeper theme for a second, I loved the emphasis on people taking responsibility for the harm their ancestors did, even if they had no idea they were perpetuating the harm. I think taking ownership of those wrongs is the only way to start towards reparations, and that you must be willing to relinquish power and control in order to push those reparations through. I felt that the fairy tale setting of this story offered a real tangible way of paying reparations as directly healing all those involved, and I was so happy with the ending.

Also, I know this has nothing to do with the writing, but the hardcover edition I have is maybe the prettiest book I own. It is truly lovely to hold. 
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