Excuse me as I quietly sniffle and wipe my tears on the couch in hopes that my roommate won't notice that I'm crying.

I'm very very glad that I liked this. I adored Wild Beauty but DNF'd Blanca & Roja, so Dark and Deepest Red was my test to see if I actually like McLemore of if Wild Beauty was just a one-off. While I definitely liked Wild Beauty more than this one, I still really enjoyed this and will absolutely be reading the rest of her novels

So what's going on here?
Dark and Deepest Red is told in a dual timeline. One is set in Strasbourg in 1518, following Lala and her aunt during the Dancing Fever that they would be blamed for if word got out that they were secretly Romani. Lala takes it upon herself to keep not only her family safe, but the boy she loves as well. The other timeline follows Emil, a descendant of Lala, and Rosella during a week that happens every year in their town where something magical happens. This year, the red shoes that Rosella's family makes compel those who wear them to do things they normally wouldn't have the guts to do. For Rosella, they make her dance in the same way those afflicted with the Dancing Fever did 500 years prior. While Rosella struggles to understand why she cannot stop dancing, Emil begins having dreams of his ancestor during her trial and knows he must learn about his family and Romani history, something he has made clear he does not wish to know about, in order to help Rosella before she becomes a danger to herself.

What I loved
Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. I loved so much about this. The timeline that takes place in 1518 was just so beautiful and magical, and incredibly atmospheric. Lala and Tante's fear was tangible, as was the love and longing shared between Lala and Alifair. Unsurprisingly the writing style was gorgeous, as is expected with anything written by Anna-Marie McLemore. I adored the characters from 1518, and that ending !! Oh my god. Actual tears. Completely unexpected and so moving. I also really enjoyed learning a bit about the Romani people. I admit I know very little about them, aside from the very basics of the unjust history they have endured, so reading bits about their beliefs and ways of life was really interesting and something that I would like to learn about (particularly their death practices). The ending of this book though, I really can't get over it, it was so beautiful. And the author's note too; I usually don't read (or in this case, listen) to the author's note, but for some reason I did this time and I'm very glad I did!

What I didn't love
I really wasn't a fan of the dual timeline to be honest. I had pretty much no interest in the present day timeline up until the last, I don't know, 5-10% of this book? It didn't captivate me whatsoever, I didn't care for the characters, and I actually found it to take away from my enjoyment from the 1518 timeline. Maybe it just wasn't executed very well for my tastes, but there were many times where I was really into the story, whether it be a suspenseful moment or something really emotional, and then all of a sudden I was transported out of that into a story that wasn't particularly interesting. I found it to be pretty jarring and usually didn't transition very well. There have been other books where I've enjoyed a dual timeline (I can't think of a single example right now but I know they exist), but in Dark and Deepest Red I really didn't think it was necessary to have it. The present day story didn't add enough to make it worth being taken out of the story set in the past.

Overall thoughts
Incredible. Magnificent. 10/10 would recommend. So close to, but not quite, perfection but close enough that this story will be held near and dear to my heart for years to come!