Thank you to NetGalley and Levine Querido for the eARC!

I really enjoyed “When The Angels Left The Old County.—it was one of my faves of 2023–and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read Sacha Lamb’s sophomore novel. The magical elements are sparse in the beginning, which made me worry I would find it too dry to continue, but I stuck around for the relatively quick pacing. In some ways, I’m glad I did. This is an interesting queer take on dybbuks, and since Sacha Lamb’s debut, I’ve loved how they intertwine gender into different supernatural and religious concepts. (Although at times, this can lean more towards the allegorical side.) The marketing banks on the queer rep, though, which I think is slightly misleading as it’s handled in a more complex(and subtle?) way inside the context of the historical setting. And for those who are looking forward to the promised lesbianism, there’s not much of it. 

Although there was political tension, literary censorship and murder tied into the story’s plot, the writing style still maintained a cozy, fable feel. It complimented some of the fantastical elements well. I’m not a history nerd, but the 19th-century Russia setting felt immersive and seemed to be very researched. I also liked the sprinklings of Yiddish throughout. (I was alright with using Google, but I’m curious to see if there will be a glossary in the finished version of this book, like Lamb’s debut.)

The POV changes are slightly confusing. While the logic of them was explained towards the middle of the book, when it wasn’t just flashbacks anymore, it could be hard to keep up with who was who. The ending was also very abrupt, and had me wondering if I was missing a couple of details or pages in my digital copy. It’s a major reason why I lowered my rating, especially because I think it squashed some of Sorel’s potential as a character. But I will also have to read the finished version and see how it is edited.