shysheepys's Reviews (88)

The Boatman's Daughter starts slow, in the first chapter, but from there it goes FAST. Intertwining stories, all in a fucked up small town, blend together to create the narrative of Miranda Crabtree and her fight for her found family. This was WEIRD, but I loved learning the Slavic folk lore within. I wanted nothing more than the best for Miranda, Littlefish, and the girl, and I think thats what kept me reading. I loved this, even the fucked up bits that made me squirm. Not for faint of heart, will make you squeamish and also cry. Spoilers:

My only grievance is that some of the folklore mmonsters felt really shoed in. Even when there was a setup for them, there weren't enough signs that, hey, maybe this wasn't just a murder, maybe there was more to it. Still, at the end, everything got tied together.

The art is beautiful. The character design is amazing. You really get a feel for the main four pretty quickly. The plot is a bit rushed, and its DEFINATELY set up for another volume because it ends on such a cliff hanger, which is the main drawback of the book IMO. I wish it was a bit longer, to really flesh out some of the plot a bit more!

This was SO CUTE. The character design is amazing. From the different sizes to different vibes that characters had, all was wonderful. The fashion for even the nonhumanoids was breathtaking. I wanted nothing more than the best for all three of the main characters. I squealed multiple times. The cutest possible dragon!!

I loved this. It took me a while because I spaced out each short story, reading 1-2 in a sitting and I highly reccomend that. It gives you time to think about the pieces and really revel in the story and meaning.

Now for a more in depth-ish review of each story:

Reckless Eyeballing: Ok, prob a 3/5. It was good and the premise of cop turning bad was interesting. 
Eye & Tooth: A sibling duo and some hope for the future. Another 3/5
Wandering Devil: Honestly, I can't remember liking this one that much or the premise, but its been maybe a month since I read it. I don't want to rate it, seems unfair!
Invasion of the Baby Snatchers: Alien pregnancy. I'm squeemish. 5/5
The Other One: Don't cheat on people, it'll end badly. I liked the alternation between normal and texting. 4/5
Lasiren: 5/5 Such a short piece but really intricate and wonderful story telling. I loved the fairy-tale feeling.
The Rider: 5/5 HELL YEAH revenge and murder and ghosts but in a great way
The Aesthete: 2/5 not really my personal type of story. Just made me a lil sad.
Pressue: Societal pressure and literal pressure? The ending made me gasp and I reread it multiple times!! 5/5
Dark Home: Something sinister from home follows a grieving woman home. Creepy and drawing on old gods. Love!! 4/5
Flicker: Confusing, possibly on purpose. 3/5
The Strongest Obeah Woman in the World: Honestly, didn't vibe with this one, so I skipped it. No rating for fairness!
The Norwood Trouble: A bit confusing near the end. But I did love the community protection. 4/5
A Grief of the Dead: Another I skipped, didn't vibe with at the time. My bad!
A Bird Sings by the Etching Tree: Amazing. I want to hug these women and give them a better life. Good for them for snuffing wrong doers. 5/5
An American Fable: Another that hit the old gods and folk tale vibe. I'm so glad he won..? 5/5
Your Happy Place: Another 5/5. Made me want to cry.
Hide and Seek: SOO good. I want nothing but the best for these boys. I thought it was a zombie-esque thing and I guess it kinda was, but it was not cheesy in any way. I like the short descriptions of magic that left it feeling whimsical and depressing at the same time. 5/5
Origin Story: Sadly, another skipped one. I found the format was making me extra confused

I've never cried so hard reading a book. Just because Silas is so... relatable? In his thoughts and feelings? There are some things he thinks about that I've never been able to put into words for myself. 

This book was so intriguing that I sat and read it over a 5 hour span and did not want to move. Though I did break it up, I stayed up late two days in a row to finish it. I absolutely did not want to put it down. It is, however, not for the faint of heart. 

Honestly, I don't know how this is considered a YA novel other than the characters being in their teens. I'm an avid horror reader, and this book made me cringe so hard every other scene. In a good way? Its beautifully written and the story and plot are top tier, too. Even some twists I didn't see coming.

The ending reminds me of this tweet thats been stuck in my head, something along the lines of "If you're trans, you have to keep on living. If you accomplish anything, good. But you have to keep on living." And really, yeah, sometimes thats all you can do.