I’m looking at other reviews for this book on various sites and I’m seeing that my rating–and even my interpretation and reading of this book–is very I’m looking at other reviews for this book on various sites and I’m seeing that my rating–and even my interpretation and reading of this book–is very different from most others. Mainly in that I loved every single bit of this book and totally understood every choice the author made.
It started out a little rough in the first 10% or so, as I tried to get my bearings and figure out what exactly was going on and why the author chose the narrative and prose styles used. Once I had that down I totally tucked into this beautifully-written, tragic, and yet triumphant book.
Some readers will have an issue with the prose and narrative in this novel, and that’s understandable. It’s a mix of lyrical prose, a touch of freeform poetry, and an ephemeral time-stream-of-consciousness. It’s definitely experimental, but devastatingly beautiful and perfect for this book (unlike some other books with experimental writing I’ve read this year so far).
There are just so many layers and themes in this book: misogyny, halcyon summers, how there are some places where you are always your authentic self to the exclusion of all others, and how there are some people you can only be your authentic self around without worrying about the eyes of the world outside judging you and holding you to certain expectations.
I especially loved the constant references to the term “naiad”. Naiads, in mythology, are female guardians of still waters. They can be deadly (look at what happened to poor Hylas), and the waters they inhabit have the ability to heal. In Greek mythology, boys and girls cut off a lock of their hair and tossed it into the local spring inhabited by their naiad at their coming-of-age ceremony. Once you read the book you’ll see why the double-meaning of naiads (both in an etymological way and an unmentioned mythological way) makes a stunning amount of sense in a macabre and beautiful manner.
Also, There’s a poem mentioned, quoted, and repeated in parts by Emily Dickonson called “My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun”, which is about keeping women silent–about taking away their voices. And this theme looms very large in the book.
I was entranced by this stunning book, written so carefully and gorgeous I couldn’t stop reading. I knew what was going to happen. I knew what was happening. But that was absolutely okay with me because it let me get lost in the words… and those words were worth the entire trip.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more
This book is as much screwball comedy as it is a romantic comedy. To me, it’s as much “What’s Up, Doc?” as it is “My Girl Friday”. It’s zany, kooky, aThis book is as much screwball comedy as it is a romantic comedy. To me, it’s as much “What’s Up, Doc?” as it is “My Girl Friday”. It’s zany, kooky, and whimsical in all the best ways. It’s like someone merged the show “Bewitched” with the movie “Bringing Up Baby” and just waited to see what chaos Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and the rest of the cast would get up to when they combined witchy powers with screwball comedy plot.
It was so good. Pages kept turning. My Kindle stayed in my hand. I kept smiling. I was completely diverted, smiling endlessly from ear to ear. I ignored everything around me in favor of my fixation on what happens to the three titular witches (Gwen, Trudy, and Milo) after their “cousin” Tannith drops a mysterious letter on each of their doorsteps one night and then disappears without a trace. Once those letters are dropped, events start to unspool that upend the lives of everyone in the family. Their days go from mundane and inane to insane and enlightening. Everything changes in a rapid order when these people are used to everything moving slower than molasses in winter.
I was fully invested in all three of these witches who are suddenly caught in cagey Tannith’s game: scared Milo, bored Trudy, and insecure Gwen. Each of them utterly stuck in a rut, only to be shoved out of that rut when Tannith’s forces their hands. Only things don’t exactly work out exactly as Tannith planned.
This book is charming, funny, witty, and quick. It’s light on its feet and will make you smile. There’s really nothing better than a book like that when you’re feeling a bit down or when you are looking for something sweet and cute. Plus: bunnies, toads, and a cute black cat that probably needs a therapist. You can’t go wrong....more
Being a woman with a science degree myself (I mention this often in my reviews of books that include geography as a component of the plot, since that Being a woman with a science degree myself (I mention this often in my reviews of books that include geography as a component of the plot, since that was my field of study), I love books of the STEMinist persuasion, and this book is no exception. Part historical crime fiction and part closed loop mystery, this novel has a curious charm about it even as it reminds us of just how bad discrimination is academia was toward women in the 1920s (it’s still bad today, of course).
I’ve become a bit wary of novels taking place in the 1920s as of late, as they seem to be full of cliches and stereotypes of the decade without taking into account not everyone spoke the same, imbibed or partook of the same drinks or substances, or dressed the same. I was pleased Khvavari chose to forge a different path than a lot of authors and not indulge in the same tired cliches. It made for refreshing dialogue and thoughtful prose.
Seeing as the novel is set in 1923 London, there was no doubt Khavari was going to have characters in her novel that had either seen battle in WWI or had relatives that had been killed there. After all, between soldier deaths and civilian deaths, the UK and Northern Ireland lost nearly 1.4 million people in the war (this is, of course, nothing compared to the Russian losses or the untold number lost in the Armenian Genocide). Brothers, fathers, and sons were all lost. Estates, inheritances, and titles were all thrown into disarray. The 1920s were a time of upheaval all over the world. Khavari is sensitive to the topic without tiptoeing around it, respective without kowtowing. It was appreciated.
Lastly, I appreciated the great amount of attention paid to the importance of empirical research, even if it’s gained through less-than-ideal means. Science is nothing without methodology, people!
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for granting me early access to this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more
Even when just reading the first few pages of this book I knew I had been absolutely correct in how interesting, moving, and excellent it would be. ItEven when just reading the first few pages of this book I knew I had been absolutely correct in how interesting, moving, and excellent it would be. It sucked me right in and I was swept away by the compelling stories of the diverse characters and what not only happened to them on the day humans became incapable of physically harming one another, but also how each responded to those events and how they came out on the other side.
This book is labeled as dystopian when it’s anything but. It’s also listed as thriller and/or mystery, and it’s neither of those either. This is pure speculative fiction with a hefty side dose of philosophy and terrific prose. It proposes a thought experiment and then lets stories unfold, almost as if the author had started out with these different characters and their origins and then let the chips fall where they may. Will the two immigrant children make it to America? Will dictator-led countries fall apart? What will happen to the brother of the last known victim of gun violence?
But it also asks us, in the spirit of the book’s title: what about the damage already done? How does it feel to all of a sudden be free of a domestic abuser’s fists? How does a domestic terrorist come to terms with not being able to terrorize anymore? Who is already so broken down by violence worldwide that this new world seems not only confusing, but almost horrifying? Can we even still harm our fellow man anymore? Will those intent on doing harm find a way, somehow?
The book is a page-turner with lovely writing and compelling scenarios, which keeps you wanting to read and read because there’s just another victim or perpetrator on the next page willing you to read their story. You just can’t help but read on and on, waiting to see how it all turns out at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. ...more
I've been wanting to read this for ages, so I checked out a digital copy from my county library system through Libby. And it was even better than I thI've been wanting to read this for ages, so I checked out a digital copy from my county library system through Libby. And it was even better than I thought it would be. Delightfully droll, incredibly diverting, fantastically funny, and just such a refreshing read when everything is grey and gloomy outside. Can't wait for the next book in the series....more
Got this around 7:30 am and dropped the book I was in the midst of reading to IMMEDIATELY tear right through this one as fast and happily as I did theGot this around 7:30 am and dropped the book I was in the midst of reading to IMMEDIATELY tear right through this one as fast and happily as I did the first book in this series, "Dare You". I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. Holy cow! I mean, I love Ella & Brooke: they make magical mm together, but this was something else. Book one gives you a TON of time to fall utterly in love with Bash, but "Dare Me" gives you almost the whole book to give you time to fall in love with KIERNAN, away from Chicago, the firehouse, and his family, which is something I think we readers needed to do. We needed to see him as a fish out of water, in Bash's world, to see who he was as JUST Kiernan the human who somehow had his whole world turned upside down by Bash in the first book, so we could see how much conviction and passion he had behind his feelings if he was removed from his comfort zone and placed smack dab in the line of fire of all of Bash's protective friends. It was HOT, well-written, HOT, sweet, funny, HOT, irreverent, and now I'm pouting and stomping my feet like a toddler because I have to wait until the end of September for "Truth or Dare". DAMMIT. ...more
This review is for Sara Cate’s contribution to this anthology, “A Boy of Fire and Ash”, made possible by Sara and by being a member of her street teamThis review is for Sara Cate’s contribution to this anthology, “A Boy of Fire and Ash”, made possible by Sara and by being a member of her street team. Thanks, Sara!
Whooooo! She does it again! This short-story, a spin-off from her full-length novel “Burn For Me”, takes the same tropes from that book and flip-turns it into a sexy, sinful male-on-male story. We have a young, traumatized, sexy mechanic/college student/rugby player and an older English professor who are drawn together with sizzling chemistry and a solid plot, which is always a bonus when you’re working on a shorter number of pages.
It was nice to see Everly and Cullen again, and to see them after their relationship has settled after “Burn For Me”, especially since it puts Everly in a position to be a foil for Thomas. She’s unapologetic and unashamed of her love for Cullen and how he treats her, which both lends what Thomas and Everly are doing an impish air about it (look what we’re getting away with!), while somewhat lessening the forbidden aspect of it (the administration seems not to care too much about it, so who’s going to say anything about it?).
I was thrilled to read this, because reverse age-gap? Professor/student? Versatile? Mechanic? An SS Impala? Yes. Yes to all of this. Ticking my boxes. Some of my favorite things. And they are done well, the Sara Cate way. ...more
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