3.5

Well that only took me /over a year/ to read. Good lord. I hate when it takes me this long to get through a book, but this little historical fiction novel wasn't really what I was expecting. It felt much more like a biography than I was initially expecting, and it didn't really get very interesting until the end. It was a really well researched story, however, and I enjoyed the author's note in the back. Levine is one of my go to authors, and I typically love her work, but this was just really slow for me. I think adding a few additional elements would have helped this to be more engaging, as I can't see many middle schoolers getting through this.

I really loved Loma's character. She wasn't an overly brave or spunky protagonist, but she was doing a lot of brave and spunky things. I wish certain elements to her had been more explored--like what she might like instead of a husband, which she was very fixated on, and how she might use her connections for good, etc.--but in the end I think it left her in a place for a lot of growth in that area. It was set in the middle ages, so there weren't many options for women back then, but Loma's unique life would have set her up splendidly. I would be interested in a sequel!

So overall, this had many elements of Jewish history, especially concerning the expulsion from Spain in 1492 which the whole book is building to, and is a very rich historical novel about a young Jewish woman's life.

"Every day you are given opportunities to make the world better by making yourself a little uncomfortable and asking, 'Who doesn't have this same freedom or opportunity that I'm enjoying now?'" (69)

I forced myself to take this one chapter at a time, and I'm so glad I did. This book is so loaded with really important topics. I think everyone should read it. As a white middle class woman that was raised in a Christian home, I've faced very little discrimination for anything other than my sex, and seeing all the ways race impacts life for Black Americans and other non-white citizens was eye opening. One of my favorite aspects of this book that I think was so important was Oluo's emphasis on how the feelings of the privileged should not be a priority. We need to be focused on those being hate crimed, those being judged and disregarded solely due to the color of their skin, and advocate for them, doing all that we can to support them when they need it and walk with them through this fight to racial justice.

If you're a white person, you're going to screw up. You're going to say the wrong thing, not understand, hurt people, and more. Because race hasn't ever been something you've had to think about. I've never considered that race would be such a big factor in so many areas because it's not for me, and so it's so hard to understand. I will never fully understand because I have not faced that, but that's not the point. The point is listening to and lifting up the voices of those who have faced these hardships based on their race. The point is to trust them, and to hear their voices.

There were so many important discussions in this book. I've already got a cue of people lined up to borrow this book, and I can't wait for the conversations we're going to have. Another thing Oluo mentioned was that this fight may feel insurmountable, but it's not. Those in power want us to think that it is, but we have to remember that that's not true. We can fight this, and we will. Together.

Some quotes:

"Talk about racism is inevitable in today's society, but it often doesn't seem to get much further than an argument about whether or not something is about race." (14)

"When we acknowledge racism as part of a system, instead of being limited to our ability to win over racists, we can instead focus on how our actions interact with systemic racism." (32)

"The concept of privilege violates everything we've been told about fairness and everything we've been told about the American Dream of hard work paying off and good things happening to good people." (63)

Cute little spooky story about a boy who loves creepy things--until he gets sucked into a nightmare of his own. Loved the Scheherazade vibes this book had, and the great twists and turns all throughout!

I fluctuated between 4 and 5 stars all throughout reading this. It was a hefty book, but I was sucked in from the first page. I loved the writing. I loved the world (if a bit confusing at times). I loved all the characters. It was a fascinating story, and there were so many mysteries that kept me on the edge of my seat!

I read this while reading Ijeoma Oluo's book So You Want to Talk About Race, and the way they paired was really moving. As I read this novel, I saw so many threads of what Oluo talked about in her book, and the real impact they have on Black Americans. By the end of this book, I was enthralled in the Bree's rich history, and rooting for her to succeed at every turn.

I did have a few issues with the book--the plot sagged at some points, and all the characters seemed weirdly obsessed with Bree. I also was not a huge fan of the romance. Nick was sweet, sure, but their relationship developed really quickly. There were some moments and insinuations about Nick's character too that had me questioning his goodness (like how he treats Sal, who is a creep sure but has a complicated history that Nick is very aware of).

But also just ... MAGIC. You've gotta love the magic.

2.5 stars

Ack. This book had so much potential. ACK. Where do I even start?

I think first off, this book is really important. It has a very diverse cast, which makes it valuable in way that a lot of classic YA Fantasy novels aren't. But it did read like a YA Fantasy novel, and the plot was all over the place. There never was a plan, which would be fine if the cards were played right, but the lack of plan caused lack of direction, unbelievability, and plot holes. So many plot holes. This book had so much potential and was such an amazing concept, but there were no surprises (okay, I'll admit I didn't see one thing coming but even then, it wasn't entirely what it at first appeared to be. that was so vague but spoilers). And when you have a four hundred page book, readers need to be asking questions and getting answers. In this, the same questions were being asked from the moment Sophia escaped the ball, and no answers were given until the end, when they didn't really matter anyway. What little they did do seemed so pointless, and they learned either nothing, or just affirmations of things they already knew. So overall, it was just a really unsatisfying book to read. If it had had some major macro edits, it could have been a really phenomenal read, but ... alas.

The core idea was really interesting and cool, and the spin on the classic Cinderella tale was really neat. (Also ... critique of organized religion much? That was a really cool parallel to analyze.) It was kind of a melting pot of a bunch of neat, unique, and intriguing concepts that needed some sorting.