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heartbrekker's Reviews (797)
I would not recommend this novel to people. To be quite honest, it confused me and even made me uncomfortable a few times. The premise immediately set me on the edge of my seat, and I was very excited to try a E. K. Johnson title for the first time. It promised me takeovers and gene mutations, but honestly all I got was a few shapeshifting moments and the brothers already running the station. Even when the Harland comes back to stir up trouble, their presence means nothing because they are easily fooled by the trios plan.
The stakes were supposed to be high, and instead I felt hardly anything.
Anyway, most of the novel takes place land locked on this space ship. This made reading monotonous and boring throughout all of the middle portion of the novel because the escape from Harland was so early on within the novel, and even with the rebels and Harlan plots at the end, they never really had an sway over Brannick.
Then with such few pages, none of the relationships stuck with me. I felt nothing when a significant character "died," and I was weirded out that as Fisher and Pendt grew closer, Pendt would bring Ned up into her head and how he was her first for many things as she was making out with Fisher. It was just this weird brothers and Pendt situation.
Moreover, the entire marriage and pregnancy plot point seemed illogical and downright creepy. Pendt met the boys at 17, and then within a short period of time (her 18th birthday/ afterwards) she becomes married, pregnant, and tied to these brothers like property just to keep her freedom (don't even get me started on Pendt ending up with Fisher who is not the father of the baby but rather his brother Ned). It's just love triangle gone crazy at this point. Plus, the sad reality for Pendt is that I'd argue she only chained herself to another group of people. Pendt never felt like she truly had her own authority and decisions, and I think that's the downfall of this story. She was stagnant instead of this bright, powerful star. It made no sense to me.
Lastly, the rebellion was this side show readers never truly got to witness. There's a moment at the end where they come into play, but otherwise, Pendt is either telling us what the rebellion is doing through her POV, or Ned's referenced since he ran away to join them. They're the elephant in the room because we know nothing about them.
Overall, I'm not trying to be harsh on this story. My disappointment is just rampant.
The stakes were supposed to be high, and instead I felt hardly anything.
Anyway, most of the novel takes place land locked on this space ship. This made reading monotonous and boring throughout all of the middle portion of the novel because the escape from Harland was so early on within the novel, and even with the rebels and Harlan plots at the end, they never really had an sway over Brannick.
Then with such few pages, none of the relationships stuck with me. I felt nothing when a significant character "died," and I was weirded out that as Fisher and Pendt grew closer, Pendt would bring Ned up into her head and how he was her first for many things as she was making out with Fisher. It was just this weird brothers and Pendt situation.
Moreover, the entire marriage and pregnancy plot point seemed illogical and downright creepy. Pendt met the boys at 17, and then within a short period of time (her 18th birthday/ afterwards) she becomes married, pregnant, and tied to these brothers like property just to keep her freedom (don't even get me started on Pendt ending up with Fisher who is not the father of the baby but rather his brother Ned). It's just love triangle gone crazy at this point. Plus, the sad reality for Pendt is that I'd argue she only chained herself to another group of people. Pendt never felt like she truly had her own authority and decisions, and I think that's the downfall of this story. She was stagnant instead of this bright, powerful star. It made no sense to me.
Lastly, the rebellion was this side show readers never truly got to witness. There's a moment at the end where they come into play, but otherwise, Pendt is either telling us what the rebellion is doing through her POV, or Ned's referenced since he ran away to join them. They're the elephant in the room because we know nothing about them.
Overall, I'm not trying to be harsh on this story. My disappointment is just rampant.
PSA: I’ve deleted my review and voided my rating because I no longer support ED. I will not stand for her blatant Antisemitism plot device in her books, nor her disregard for BIPOC communities. She’s bullied numerous authors, specifically some within the AAPI community and Hafsah Faizal. Never will I support an author like this, and I am sorry for my ignorance and previous support for these books.
PSA: I’ve deleted my review and voided my rating because I no longer support ED. I will not stand for her blatant Antisemitism plot device in her books, nor her disregard for BIPOC communities. She’s bullied numerous authors, specifically some within the AAPI community and Hafsah Faizal. Never will I support an author like this, and I am sorry for my ignorance and previous support for these books.
To start off, The Light of the Midnight Stars has just as much beautiful, wondrous prose as The Sisters of the Winter Wood. I am obsessed with so many quotes, and I cannot wait to go back and reread them. Rena has such a way with words. I'm marveled and in love with them.
"Every star has memories. Every star burns with the story it has to tell. It is our job to listen to the stories... The stars never forget; they see everything, and they remember, even when it feels like we are in a time of darkness."
My main critique for this story is that this story tries to encompass so many themes, moments, ideas, and scenes (that are seemingly separate from one another) that it does not come together at the end. The beginning/ first 1/2 of the book does not suffer from this, but once the family leaves their way of life due to persecution, the plot started to ramp up and go in a thousand different directions for each sister. I think if Rena had decreased the amount of allegory and storytelling, at times, then this novel could have flowed smoother. I just felt as if I never had a chance to take my bearings for each scene because none of them felt as connected. I spent mere moments with a sister before being ripped to another in dire circumstances. The worst part is that this leads me to have little connection to each sister, so when big scenes of death or pain happen in the latter half of the novel, I'm left baffled but with no visceral emotion. Plus, there were plenty of characters' endings that I never got confirmation on. The whole family never has confirmation on Guvriel or Isaac's mother. These characters' end happened during the chaos of leaving their home for another, but I still want some sort of clarification because I do not think it is believable that these characters would know nothing. Isaac seemed the type of father/ son to find out what happened to his mother. It just didn't make sense to me.
"Some evil is so unspeakable that the only way we can fight it is by telling a story. Over and over again, until history stops repeating itself."
Now something this story shined with was representation. Not only for Judaism and Jewish culture (I cannot speak on the rep specifically but many Jewish reviewers have said this is a powerful portrayal) but even LGBTQIAP+ representation. Sarah is attracted to both sexes, and many have termed her bisexual even though that term is never used within the story itself. The start of the book has a heavy focus on the sisters marriage and marriage prospects (which can be a bit uncomfortable in comparison to modern day), but once they escape, Sarah starts a relationship with Theodor/ Theodora. Theo (I'm going to use a nickname, so I don't have to utilize both names every time), in my interpretation, is gender fluid because sometimes they wish to be traditionally feminine and called Theodora while other times Theodor is preferred. Some people on here have labeled Sarah and Theo's relationship lesbian, but I do not think that is correct because Theo basically refers to their identity as gender fluid. These terms are never used (lesbian, gender fluid, etc.) because the time period is the 1500's, so it's not easily discernible to label either. I hate labeling character sexuality/ identity in books when these terms aren't used, but I do want to paint the picture of these characters. A lot of Theo and Sarah's conversations were heart wrenching and powerful, and I really wish this story was more so about them than the sisters. Sarah's lore included both folklore and elements of historical fiction, and I think this unity could have been executed better if the focus solely was on Sarah. I'd love to know more about Sarah Theodora's life than the little portion at the end, especially because her relationship with Ivan is... intense. There's just many questions/ confusion I have about this part of the story, which receives only a few pages at most.
"That's the first step towards acquiring wisdom- writing, then learning, and only then, turning words into action."
Overall, I'm giving this poetic story a 3/5 rating because while there were things I adored, there were also parts that didn't work for me. I think it's a fair rating, and I still am very happy to have read it. I'm, of course, going to continue to read/ review Rena's books because she's still an auto-buy for me. The Sisters of the Winter Wood is her debut, and I highly recommend it for sister bonding and Jewish representation. It's magical.
TW: extreme Antisemitism; sexual assault/ violence (r**pe off-screen); extreme misogyny; sexual content between minors and adults (historically common for 1500's girls but still a point to make); major grief; infanticide; murder: buried alive, burned at the stake, burned while trapped inside buildings; etc. I know there is probably even more triggers, but these are the ones that came to mind.
"Every star has memories. Every star burns with the story it has to tell. It is our job to listen to the stories... The stars never forget; they see everything, and they remember, even when it feels like we are in a time of darkness."
My main critique for this story is that this story tries to encompass so many themes, moments, ideas, and scenes (that are seemingly separate from one another) that it does not come together at the end. The beginning/ first 1/2 of the book does not suffer from this, but once the family leaves their way of life due to persecution, the plot started to ramp up and go in a thousand different directions for each sister. I think if Rena had decreased the amount of allegory and storytelling, at times, then this novel could have flowed smoother. I just felt as if I never had a chance to take my bearings for each scene because none of them felt as connected. I spent mere moments with a sister before being ripped to another in dire circumstances. The worst part is that this leads me to have little connection to each sister, so when big scenes of death or pain happen in the latter half of the novel, I'm left baffled but with no visceral emotion. Plus, there were plenty of characters' endings that I never got confirmation on. The whole family never has confirmation on Guvriel or Isaac's mother. These characters' end happened during the chaos of leaving their home for another, but I still want some sort of clarification because I do not think it is believable that these characters would know nothing. Isaac seemed the type of father/ son to find out what happened to his mother. It just didn't make sense to me.
"Some evil is so unspeakable that the only way we can fight it is by telling a story. Over and over again, until history stops repeating itself."
Now something this story shined with was representation. Not only for Judaism and Jewish culture (I cannot speak on the rep specifically but many Jewish reviewers have said this is a powerful portrayal) but even LGBTQIAP+ representation. Sarah is attracted to both sexes, and many have termed her bisexual even though that term is never used within the story itself. The start of the book has a heavy focus on the sisters marriage and marriage prospects (which can be a bit uncomfortable in comparison to modern day), but once they escape, Sarah starts a relationship with Theodor/ Theodora. Theo (I'm going to use a nickname, so I don't have to utilize both names every time), in my interpretation, is gender fluid because sometimes they wish to be traditionally feminine and called Theodora while other times Theodor is preferred. Some people on here have labeled Sarah and Theo's relationship lesbian, but I do not think that is correct because Theo basically refers to their identity as gender fluid. These terms are never used (lesbian, gender fluid, etc.) because the time period is the 1500's, so it's not easily discernible to label either. I hate labeling character sexuality/ identity in books when these terms aren't used, but I do want to paint the picture of these characters. A lot of Theo and Sarah's conversations were heart wrenching and powerful, and I really wish this story was more so about them than the sisters. Sarah's lore included both folklore and elements of historical fiction, and I think this unity could have been executed better if the focus solely was on Sarah. I'd love to know more about Sarah Theodora's life than the little portion at the end, especially because her relationship with Ivan is... intense. There's just many questions/ confusion I have about this part of the story, which receives only a few pages at most.
"That's the first step towards acquiring wisdom- writing, then learning, and only then, turning words into action."
Overall, I'm giving this poetic story a 3/5 rating because while there were things I adored, there were also parts that didn't work for me. I think it's a fair rating, and I still am very happy to have read it. I'm, of course, going to continue to read/ review Rena's books because she's still an auto-buy for me. The Sisters of the Winter Wood is her debut, and I highly recommend it for sister bonding and Jewish representation. It's magical.
TW: extreme Antisemitism; sexual assault/ violence (r**pe off-screen); extreme misogyny; sexual content between minors and adults (historically common for 1500's girls but still a point to make); major grief; infanticide; murder: buried alive, burned at the stake, burned while trapped inside buildings; etc. I know there is probably even more triggers, but these are the ones that came to mind.
"Asteroid fallout, carbon emissions, and radioaxon releases all had something in common: Time was the best medicine. Climate might change. oceans might rise. Species might mutate, or vanish. But given enough time, nature would do what nature does best: break down the elements that didn't belong."
Yeah- if that quote above didn't do it for you then.. I don't know what because it certain obliterated my mind and thought process, and it is just one example of many via Joan's thought provoking prose. If I'm being honest, I have not read that many activist books for the environment besides Winterkeep, which is a fantasy book in another world, but The Ones We're Meant to Find just sucker punched me into another stratosphere. I couldn't put it down because the characters were so dynamic and visceral. I couldn't think about anything besides climate change and dystopia futures where our earth tries to kill us more than humanity already does... and just WOW. Wow was the only word to come to mind after I finished. It may sound cliché or boring, but it's truly what I was left feeling/ thinking.
"We're nothing as timeless as stars in orbit. More like two grains of sand before the tide rushes in. Here, then not. Human."
For starters, Cee and Kasey are two very different characters- not only through their differing points of view (one in first and the other in third)- but also through their goals, hopes, and grief. Cee has been stuck on an island for three years, desperately trying to find her way home to her sister Kay. While Kasey on the other hand, griefs for her dead sister Celia and struggles with the impending doom of humanity due to environmental destruction. I don't really want to say anything more than this because part of the beauty/ intrigue of this novel is going in blind. You'll enjoy it 110% more if you know next to nothing. The story unfolds in such a powerful way that I never would want anyone to experience it differently.
"None of us live without consequence. Our personal preferences are not truly personal. One person's needs will deny another's. Our privileges can harm ourselves and others."
The reason this is not a full five star rating comes down to the fact that Kasey did not interest me as much until about halfway into the novel, and this isn't me saying she's boring by any means, but Cee was not enthralling that I had a hard time switching back to Kasey. After finishing the book, I think I would enjoy Kasey's POV to a deeper level than my initial read through because I know everything now. Kasey is very interesting once all these pieces come together. Maybe when I reread my rating will change, but for now I'm going to leave it.
"The sea was a trillion strands of hair, infinitely tangled on the surface and infinitely dense beneath. It distorted time: Minutes passed like hours and hours passed like minutes out there. It distorted space, made the horizon seem within reach. And it was the perfect place for hiding secrets."
Overall, this is definitely going on my Top Reads of 2021 list. This is the sort of dystopia, sci-fi I've been searching for, and I'm so thankful to Joan for writing it. It did more than engross me and that's all I ever ask from a writer. Joan He will always be an auto-buy author for me, so I urge you all to step into this futuristic world of humanity. Journey into this terrifying world and let me know what you think once on the other side. Thank you to Macmillan for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own; quotes may be subject to change slightly in the final draft, but these are them according to the eARC from NetGalley.
TW: environmental destruction/ natural disasters, major grief, suicide, drowning, isolation, gas lighting, terminal illness, death of a parent (off-screen), violence, and murder (off-screen). I may have missed a few other TW's, but these are the one's that stuck out to me upon reflection. I try to typically write triggers as I read, but I was so enraptured by the book that I forgot sometimes to do so.
Yeah- if that quote above didn't do it for you then.. I don't know what because it certain obliterated my mind and thought process, and it is just one example of many via Joan's thought provoking prose. If I'm being honest, I have not read that many activist books for the environment besides Winterkeep, which is a fantasy book in another world, but The Ones We're Meant to Find just sucker punched me into another stratosphere. I couldn't put it down because the characters were so dynamic and visceral. I couldn't think about anything besides climate change and dystopia futures where our earth tries to kill us more than humanity already does... and just WOW. Wow was the only word to come to mind after I finished. It may sound cliché or boring, but it's truly what I was left feeling/ thinking.
"We're nothing as timeless as stars in orbit. More like two grains of sand before the tide rushes in. Here, then not. Human."
For starters, Cee and Kasey are two very different characters- not only through their differing points of view (one in first and the other in third)- but also through their goals, hopes, and grief. Cee has been stuck on an island for three years, desperately trying to find her way home to her sister Kay. While Kasey on the other hand, griefs for her dead sister Celia and struggles with the impending doom of humanity due to environmental destruction. I don't really want to say anything more than this because part of the beauty/ intrigue of this novel is going in blind. You'll enjoy it 110% more if you know next to nothing. The story unfolds in such a powerful way that I never would want anyone to experience it differently.
"None of us live without consequence. Our personal preferences are not truly personal. One person's needs will deny another's. Our privileges can harm ourselves and others."
The reason this is not a full five star rating comes down to the fact that Kasey did not interest me as much until about halfway into the novel, and this isn't me saying she's boring by any means, but Cee was not enthralling that I had a hard time switching back to Kasey. After finishing the book, I think I would enjoy Kasey's POV to a deeper level than my initial read through because I know everything now. Kasey is very interesting once all these pieces come together. Maybe when I reread my rating will change, but for now I'm going to leave it.
"The sea was a trillion strands of hair, infinitely tangled on the surface and infinitely dense beneath. It distorted time: Minutes passed like hours and hours passed like minutes out there. It distorted space, made the horizon seem within reach. And it was the perfect place for hiding secrets."
Overall, this is definitely going on my Top Reads of 2021 list. This is the sort of dystopia, sci-fi I've been searching for, and I'm so thankful to Joan for writing it. It did more than engross me and that's all I ever ask from a writer. Joan He will always be an auto-buy author for me, so I urge you all to step into this futuristic world of humanity. Journey into this terrifying world and let me know what you think once on the other side. Thank you to Macmillan for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own; quotes may be subject to change slightly in the final draft, but these are them according to the eARC from NetGalley.
TW: environmental destruction/ natural disasters, major grief, suicide, drowning, isolation, gas lighting, terminal illness, death of a parent (off-screen), violence, and murder (off-screen). I may have missed a few other TW's, but these are the one's that stuck out to me upon reflection. I try to typically write triggers as I read, but I was so enraptured by the book that I forgot sometimes to do so.
