I don't read a ton of dystopia, and I have avoided the handmaid's tale, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This was a pretty scathing critique of society's biases - how free are we really? And how much are we willing to participate in oppressive systems to keep our own heads? I wish more time had been spent on the island, or exploring magic in general. I also think it's really dumb that they don't have a better test for finding if someone has magic still, seriously, are you lighter than a duck? I know it's demonstrating how idiotic it is to bothering testing/caring/destroying someone's autonomy, but come on, make the idiots a little interesting at least. ( )

This is a qualified pick for me. I like the premise of this novel, but it's not developed enough to provide the impact I think the author is going for. All of the elements are there---our relationship to our parents as we grow up; our desire for love, belonging, and community, and the things we sacrifice for that desire; destructive racism and sexism inherent in systems to keep certain groups in power---they just feel like they're behind glass.

The other thing I just cannot understand is why stay? It doesn't seem like Jo has any particular connection to where she grew up or to her parents or more than one of her friends, and there's no indication that characters in this world can't move to other states or countries, so why not leave? Maybe it's a result of my life moving around every few years that I'm unable to see why people stick around bad places, but I never get it. ( )

A very thoughtful mix of fabulism, outright fantasy, and dystopian speculative fiction based on an alternate history. Somehow more reality based than reality. Though it had some confusing bits that I felt sort of meandered away from the plot, I loved it. The things it had to say about society and misogyny hurt, but in a really cathartic way. ( )

A dystopian world where magic exists, with a lot of similarities to our own ( )

"From what she had seen in America, everything was simultaneously right and wrong. Like witches. We still thought of them as something taboo, criminal, bad, but there was a weird space where because of capitalism, they were still everywhere because they made money. It seemed to her that capitalism allowed anything to exist as long as someone could exploit it for money and power. And those things seemed to make room only for loneliness when it came to most people."

I really wanted to love The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings but it left me feeling underwhelmed. The book had strong writing and the world building in the first half was flawless. The social commentary was thought-provoking but was never explored deeply enough to add layers to the plot. It remained quiet when it should have been louder considering the level of horror being experienced by women and queer people in this dystopian world. The second half of the book felt rushed and almost like it switched genres leaving the climax and ending to feel anti-climactic.

I will say that the themes it touched on are what kept me going: mother-daughter relationships, abandonment, being biracial, intolerance, codified oppression of women and queerness, witchcraft and nature, patriarchy and misogyny, marriage and religion and gendered expectations. I do wish this was a series because this was definitely a good starting point for this world and would leave room for further exploration and character development. The bones of this story was quality and I would definitely read more from this author based on the writing style alone. Giddings did have a lot to say in this one. I do wish this one was longer so it could have packed a bigger punch because it had great potential. I would recommend this one for the gorgeous writing. Thanks to @amistadbooks for the gifted copy. ( )