I keep recommending this book yet struggling to even explain what it is or why I am recommending it. I was confused and delighted, excited, mesmerized, and tantalized. Lavery brings to life to foreign in a way that feels so personal it feels like memory. The book riddled with retellings of classic stories in a classic and modern voice that brought new meaning to the story for me and still wove together the narrative/stream-of-consouness.
I would recommend
I read through this book quite quickly and enjoyed. I then for the next 25 hour I could not stop thinking about it. The book can be read as a simple magical coming of age story. Or about overcoming predgidous. Or as a fantasy adventure. It can as be read as a critique of capitalism and castism. It has all the appeal of HP but without the sexism and morality tropes. While it has shade of dark like Garth Nix, Novik maintains her delightfully unique voice. I am greatly looking forward to the sequel.
I would recommend this to anyone almost anyone who participates in partner dance or plays music. It was fascinated but sometimes required familiarity with artists that I lacked. I found my self stopping to listen to the songs mentioned by the author. Even though it was academic and I, not the intended audience, baraka makes so many compeling connection that it was an intelectual joy all the same.