Week 27
How is it…July already. I mean, obviously, the passage of time, but also, jesus h. christ. Thinking of everyone dealing with the unprecedented heatwave right now.
Reviews may be slightly slower as we get into Camp NaNo, which, as per Twitter, I am attempting to do…calmly. Stay tuned.
This week: FOR THE WOLF by Hannah Whitten and SORROWLAND by Rivers Solomon
#43) FOR THE WOLF by Hannah Whitten
Ruling: not monstrous enough.
It’s possible that my own expectations got in the way of enjoying this book, and if so, I will own that. You tell me you’re writing a Little Red Riding Hood retelling where the wolf is also the romantic lead, though, and I expect him to be a little more…idk…wolfy.
FOR THE WOLF has a great hook: Red is the second daughter of the queen, in a world where second daughters are “for the wolf” - meant to go into the woods as a kind of sacrifice, to keep the kingdom safe from monsters. Along the way, she discovers that things are ~not what they seem~
There were some things that I did enjoy about this book: the magic system is interesting enough, and the connection between the woods and the other characters was neat. Always into some plant-related body horror. Marriages of convenience, also a good time, though in my opinion perhaps not used to their full potential.
Ultimately, I think, I’m just a little underwhelmed. I didn’t majorly connect to the characters or to the stakes, and thereby also didn’t particularly connect to the romance at the centre. It’s fine, it was all fine, I got through the whole book which is more than I can say for other things, it just didn’t really leave an impact.
Also, not to seem like a one-issue reviewer, but where are the queer people? Was every single person in this allocishet, or did I miss something?
#44) SORROWLAND by Rivers Solomon
Everything that Rivers Solomon writes is moving and beautiful and aching and SORROWLAND is no exception.
This book follows Vern, freshly escaped from a community that was meant to be a paradise for Black Americans, but has instead turned into a religious cult environment. She runs into the woods, pregnant, pursued by a taunting stranger, and haunted (literally) by images of the dead.
I feel like saying much more risks spoiling the story, and the twists and turns that it takes. All I can really say is that, as is the case with much of Solomon’s writing, the subject matter is handled in ways that provoke thought and feeling.
SORROWLAND deals with some pretty heavy subjects: abuse of all kinds, racism, homophobia, transphobia, interphobia, ableism, settler colonialism, and probably more that aren’t currently coming to mind at this moment. Yet, this story stands out to me as being profoundly hopeful in a lot of ways, and despite the pain within it, I wouldn’t say that “sorrow” is the predominant emotion I come away with.
Also, so very much about family, the various kinds and complications therein. If you’re looking for a really in-depth exploration of what it means to be a family, and what it means to be a mother, especially, you should pick this book up.