Review: RIVER WOMAN, RIVER DEMON by Jennifer Givhan

 

River Woman, River Demon by Jennifer Givhan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Eva's husband is arrested for the murder of a friend, she must confront her murky past and embrace her magick to find out what really happened that night on the river.

Eva Santos Moon is a burgeoning Chicana artist who practices the ancient, spiritual ways of brujería and curanderisma, but she's at one of her lowest points--suffering from disorienting blackouts, creative stagnation, and a feeling of disconnect from her magickal roots. When her husband, a beloved university professor and the glue that holds their family together, is taken into custody for the shocking murder of their friend, Eva doesn't know whom to trust--least of all, herself. She soon falls under suspicion as a potential suspect, and her past rises to the surface, dredging up the truth about an eerily similar death from her childhood.

Struggling with fragmented memories and self-doubt, an increasingly terrified Eva fears that she might have been involved in both murders. But why doesn't she remember? Only the dead women know for sure, and they're coming for her with a haunting vengeance. As she fights to keep her family out of danger, Eva realizes she must use her magick as a bruja to protect herself and her loved ones, while confronting her own dark history.

A psychological thriller that weaves together the threads of folk magick with personal and cultural empowerment, River Woman, River Demon is a mysterious incantation of reckoning with the past and claiming one's unique power and voice.

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This is a stunning book. Highly lyrical language, beautiful imagery, believable and authentic characters, and a murder mystery that had me guessing right to the very end.

I loved the genre-blend of crime/detective story with Chicana brujería and curanderismo practices--Jennifer Givhan really pulled this off and I can't wait to read more of her work. There's a lot of very important discourse in this book about race and brutality, and I really admire the way that Givhan tackled these points. Eva is also one of the best characters I've ever read. She's flawed--deeply flawed--and there were so many times where I was begging her not to do something because I could see it was a mistake--but we get to see her learn from her mistakes, and that's what I really appreciated. Eva also stays true to her core values, and I really liked that.

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Review: AGAIN, AGAIN by E. Lockhart

 

Again Again by E. Lockhart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud comes a complex novel about acceptance, forgiveness, self-discovery, and possibility, as a teenage girl attempts to regain some sense of normalcy in her life after a family crisis and a broken heart.

If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

After a near-fatal family catastrophe and an unexpected romantic upheaval, Adelaide Buchwald finds herself catapulted into a summer of wild possibility, during which she will fall in and out of love a thousand times--while finally confronting the secrets she keeps, her ideas about love, and the weird grandiosity of the human mind.

A raw, funny story that will surprise you over and over, Again Again gives us an indelible heroine grappling with the terrible and wonderful problem of loving other people.

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Oh, this book. I mean, I should know by now that E. Lockhart's books leave me feeling absolutely destroyed after (in a good way!). I've read We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud, and so I should've been prepared for what Again, Again would do to me. But I wasn't.

Like all her books, Again, Again has lyrical, beautiful prose. I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Tavia Gilbert), so I didn't actually realise until reading other reviews afterward that this book has passages that are written in verse. I LOVE novels that dip into verse every now and again, and now I'm thinking I may have to get the ebook or a paperback because of this. But the writing is just so beautiful. It's haunting. It's compelling. It's addictive.

Adelaide is seventeen years old. Her younger brother is a drug addict and in rehab. Adelaide lives with her father who teaches at her boarding school, while her mother lives elsewhere to look after the brother. And this is a complex novel of love and family, of heartbreak and loss, of hope and new beginnings.

I actually don't know what genre to classify this as. It's contemporary--but it's also an 'issue' book. It's got some thriller aspects as well as magical realism (there are talking dogs). And plus, you've got the whole time stuff. I LOVED how every so often, the narrative goes back a page or two and retells the events according to what would've happened if a character had done something different. We follow that 'pathway' until we're either back at the same scene's starting point again, or until we get to the new part where the plot divulges and there are multiple routes again. This has an affect of layers--the novel's built up on these layers, and the writing is truly amazing as, because of this layering and retelling effect, the characterisation of Adelaide and her love interest(s) are built up. Because we've got details from the other 'alternate scenes' that don't apply to the current scene/pathway, the reader knows more about Adelaide's love interest than Adelaide herself knows at any time. It's like we've got the power of hindsight--a twisted, alternate hindsight--while Adelaide is navigating her relationships. It's disorientating and dizzy to read--but it's compelling.

And Part 5 of the book has Adelaide finally go for a different love interest. And, you know what? It works--because we've seen how toxic and bad the previous relationship was (on its multiple play-throughs) her new relationship here feels healthier and more organic, even though way less page-time is dedicated to it.

There are some truly heartbreaking moments in this book. But there's also humour too. And so many of the situations Adelaide finds herself in are so, so relatable.

Like all of Lockhart's books, Again, Again left me feeling wistful afterward. It made me feel like I'd lost something huge the moment I finished it--and I was so sad that the book was over.

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Review: A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This has to be one of the best YA fantasy/magical realism books I've read in a long time. I've actually been in a reading slump recently for fantasy--it's actually become rare (unfortunately) that I finish a fantasy, as I'm mainly into thrillers now. But this wasn't the case with A SONG BELOW WATER. This is a refreshing and authentic story.

This book is about two sisters, Effie and Tavia. It's about Black Girl Magic, Sirens, Oppression, and Racism. And it's about secrets and identity, and not knowing quite how you fit in--I especially loved Effie's story as she discovers what she is. Her sister's a siren, and there's this whole mystery over what she is. And the reveal at the end--it was perfect. (Oh and the sisters are more like 'soul sister's--they're not related by blood, and I loved what this book says about family.)

The worldbuilding is so rich and beautifully layered. Again, I find magical realism kind of hard to get to grips with, but the moment I started reading this, I was drawn in. It felt like I was really stepping into this world, and all the mythical creatures that walk this alternate Portland just seemed like they fitted in there. It was seamless.

A SONG BELOW WATER is such a relevant book for these times as it explores how Black women are treated and it's about its young Black characters finding their voices in society. There were a lot of scenes in this book that I found chilling--particularly how sirens (all of whom are Black in the book) are often given collars that silence their voices. This book really makes us think.

I actually came across A SONG BELOW WATER following the recent #BlackLivesMatter movement where the publishing industry encouraged everyone to read books by Black authors. This is one of them that I discovered, and I am so glad I did--and I'll definitely be interested in anything more that Bethany C. Morrow writes.