The Memory Trees
5.5
Rate It
Book
The Memory Trees is a dark magical realism novel about a mysterious family legacy, a centuries-old...
A Companion to Latin American Women Writers
Brigida M. Pastor and Lloyd Hughes Davies
Book
This volume offers a critical study of a representative selection of Latin American women writers...
The Harpy
9.0
Rate It
Book
From the acclaimed author of The End We Start From, The Harpy is a fierce tale of love, betrayal and...
Gothic Magical realism Adult
Finding Esme
9.0
Rate It
Book
Twelve-year-old Esme’s life changes when she discovers dinosaur bones on her family’s peach farm...
Texas Middle Grade magical realism
ClareR (5789 KP) rated The Rain Heron in Books
Aug 23, 2021
Further away, near the sea, another mans jealousy of nature has terrible consequences, causing poverty and abandonment of a seaside village.
These threads of story are interwoven with that of a woman who lives alone in the mountains in order to escape the effects of a military coup. But the soldiers come looking for her - and for the Rain Heron.
This is a book about mans need to control nature and their inability to. The more man tries to control it, the more damage is done.
I loved the feel of this novel. It’s a fable of our modern times, about how our actions are having a lasting and devastating effect on our climate and nature.
I would most definitely recommend this book, and Arnott’s previous book as well, Flames, if you haven’t read it. Both are masterpieces in magical realism. Rain Heron is a timely book as we come to realise just what an impact climate change is having on our world, and comes highly recommended from me!
Violeta
10.0
Rate It
Book
One extraordinary woman. One hundred years of history. One unforgettable story. Violeta comes...
Historical fiction Magical Realism Literary Fiction Feminism
Devotion is set in the early 19th century in Prussia. Hanne, her family and friends are Old Lutherans, and must worship in secret in the woods. For Hanne, a child of nature, this is the ideal place of worship. But it is dangerous for them all.
Hanne doesn’t make friends easily, and so when Thea arrives in the village with her family, she unexpectedly finds her soul mate.
All the families in the village are given the opportunity to emigrate to Australia, where they will be able to worship their religion without the threat of violence. But the journey doesn’t go as planned. Too many people are packed in to too small a space. Disease is rife. And with disease, comes death.
This is a truly beautiful book. The descriptions of the landscapes and nature of both Prussia and Australia are evocative. The characters are fully rounded and easy to empathise with. In all, it’s my favourite kind of book: slow, quiet, gorgeous prose and imagery on every page.
The real surprise was the magical realism. If I’d known it was in this book, I wouldn’t have been put off one bit, and it really does add something extra special. Oh my god, I cried buckets. It’s just perfection.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this wonderful book through NetGalley.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Nov 27, 2022
Somewhere Between Light and Time
Book
Have you ever met a stranger and felt that you already knew them? The story begins in the 1800s...
historical fiction magical realism bookbuzz
Becs (244 KP) rated Marrow Charm in Books
Dec 20, 2019
I was honestly surprised that I ended up loving this novel as much as I did. I had extremely high expectations for it and IT. DELIVERED. When I first picked it up, it took a good minute to actually get into the story. But once it clicked into place, I was devouring Marrow Charm with a thirst. It is heart-wrenching, action packed, enemies to lovers (kinda, a girl can dream), dark and oh so magical!
Marrow Charm follows a morally gray heroine, Azzy Brimvine in a world destroyed by magic. The magic plaguing the lands caused humans to retreat underground. But every so often, magical borne plagues will wipe out masses of human cities. These plagues create aberrations by striking those with magic. When Azzy’s brother is infected, she sets out with her mentor to the Above determined to save him. But, the world in the Above is not all gum drops and unicorns. It is plagued with monsters and humans, wild and cunning. Azzy must brave the perils that litter the Above to reach her brother before the Gate is opened.
Marrow Charm is a bit slow in the begin, but as you continue on it does pick up quite quickly. Once you hit that sweet spot though, your attention is gripped to the point where you don’t even want to put the book down because you are just enthralled in the complex world and characters. I would say the book starts picking up a few chapters in. This could also be a me only thing as I was slumping a bit when I started Marrow Charm, and we all know how slumps can ruin a book!
I was enthralled with not only the characters and their stories, but also the world. Kristin’s writing style is eloquent and breathtaking, and they included a couple of different themes throughout the story! Such as, family and friendship. It was really nice to see both of these take place when the main character had such a life of hardship. And don’t get me started on the complexity of the characters and world!
The characters are written in a way that draws the reader to them but they are also realistic in a way where their actions and thoughts are extremely relatable. This was really interesting to experience when reading, as I was not expecting to enjoy the characters as much as I did. The complexity of the world was also something that surprised me! There was no clear “good-side” or “bad-side” and the descriptions of everything was extremely well-done! You can tell that there is a higher, dark presence that is interwoven into the world but what it is, is unknown. Even at the ending of the novel. This was kind of a bummer, as I wanted to know what that presence was. But it also set it up nicely for book two: Skin Curse.
I can’t gush about Marrow Charm enough! It’s seriously one of my top books of the year and I can’t stop recommending it to everyone. If you are a fan of dark tales with fantasy and magical elements but also a hint of realism, then this is the book for you! But be warned, it does read ‘heavy.’ In the end though, the ‘heavy’ presence makes sense.
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com