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From Dust, a Flame
Hannah’s whole life has been spent in motion. Her mother has kept her and her brother, Gabe, on the road for as long as she can remember, leaving a trail of rental homes and faded relationships behind them. No roots, no family but one another, and no explanations.
All that changes on Hannah’s seventeenth birthday when she wakes up transformed, a pair of golden eyes with knife-slit pupils blinking back at her from the mirror—the first of many such impossible mutations. Promising that she knows someone who can help, her mother leaves Hannah and Gabe behind to find a cure. But as the days turn to weeks and their mother doesn’t return, they realize it’s up to them to find the truth.
What they discover is a family they never knew and a history more tragic and fantastical than Hannah could have dreamed—one that stretches back to her grandmother’s childhood in Prague under the Nazi occupation, and beyond, into the realm of Jewish mysticism and legend. As the past comes crashing into the present, Hannah must hurry to unearth their family’s secrets in order to break the curse and save the people she loves most, as well as herself.
All that changes on Hannah’s seventeenth birthday when she wakes up transformed, a pair of golden eyes with knife-slit pupils blinking back at her from the mirror—the first of many such impossible mutations. Promising that she knows someone who can help, her mother leaves Hannah and Gabe behind to find a cure. But as the days turn to weeks and their mother doesn’t return, they realize it’s up to them to find the truth.
What they discover is a family they never knew and a history more tragic and fantastical than Hannah could have dreamed—one that stretches back to her grandmother’s childhood in Prague under the Nazi occupation, and beyond, into the realm of Jewish mysticism and legend. As the past comes crashing into the present, Hannah must hurry to unearth their family’s secrets in order to break the curse and save the people she loves most, as well as herself.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2022
43 people are currently reading
9383 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Podos
15 books380 followersRebecca Podos is the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of YA and Adult novels. What If…Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force? is her latest. Homeward for a Spell, the sequel to her adult fantasy debut Homegrown Magic, co-written with Jamie Pacton, comes out next. By day, Rebecca is a Senior Agent at Neighborhood Literary. She serves as a co-director of the Communications and Fundraising Committee for Literary Agents of Change, and on the Board of Directors for QT Library, a nonprofit, queer and trans lending library based in Boston.
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Want to read
July 2, 2020Jewish contemporary fantasy with f/f!!!! Hello that is all I need in this world!!
January 3, 2024
There is a lot to salivate over Rebecca Podos’ “From Dust, a Flame.” First and foremost, the MC, Hannah, has quilts everywhere! As a quilter, this pleases me immensely (I suspect the author is either a quilter or a quilt hoarder). The author mentions genealogy frequently; she is a woman after my own heart! To make matters even better, the MC’s maternal grandmother was born in the Czech Republic and lived there during the war (my relatives were born there but moved to Vienna after WWI where my grandma was born). And, like the MC’s family, people didn’t want to talk about what happened during the war—it was like pulling teeth to get even a nugget of truth from them.
To top all of this off, Podos is an incredible writer. In fact, she is one of the strongest writers I’ve seen. Her sentences are both fluid and beautifully descriptive. But there were numerous issues with the story itself that hindered my reading and stopped me from finishing this book, namely:
- The MC’s nickname is Hannah Banana. This irked me because it reminded me too much of Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The author is obviously creative, and I wished that she would have applied this to a different nickname for the MC.
- I can’t figure out how the MC equated an obituary with help. It just didn’t seem believable to me.
- Is it really necessary to include F-bombs in YA literature? Is it necessary to include them in ANY novel? I’m not opposed to filthy language (just ask my relatives), but it seems like whenever an author includes cussing in a novel, the speech always seems stifled for some reason.
- The morphing begins at the very end of Chapter 1. Maybe I’m just impatient, but I want something to grip my attention on the FIRST page. Instead of the morphing beginning at the end, if it started at the **very beginning** it would have glued me to the spot.
- The author is really good at explaining Jewish traditions for non-Jewish readers BUT there are no translations for Hebrew/Yiddish words.
- I know it may sound ridiculous, but I got thrown off by the zigzagging chapters. Some were only about 1,500 words, while others seemed to be r-e-a-l-l-y long. I needed to see some consistency with chapter length to prevent my OCD from kicking in.
- After the MC discovers that she’s growing animal canines in her mouth, she proceeds to start talking about schoolwork and getting in to college??? Now, if Podos had made a small wisecrack about being automatically accepted into Werewolf U, it might have been okay. But she spent far too long discussing her brother, her collegiate prospects, and her grades because—OMG! She’s growing canines! All of those extraneous paragraphs that the author inserted after the MC’s morphing discovery made the situation seem unbelievable.
What really killed this novel for me was when I was halfway through Chapter 4. Smack dab right in the middle of the book, the author changed POV. For the first 3 1/2 chapters, Podos used 1st person. A few lines were skipped, followed by a bolded title, and then we start reading about Hannah’s mother in 3rd person. This really detracted from the story. And it wasn’t necessary—we could have learned all about the MC’s mother from Hannah’s viewpoint and her experiences.
After the fourth chapter, it felt like the story was dragging excessively, almost to the point where Hannah’s amazing morphing was no longer the focus of the story. And still, the F-bombs continued.
This book could have been hands-down amazing. The author is a **really** good writer and the idea for this story is spot-on amazing. But there were too many issues with the way the story was structured. So many, in fact, that I had to stop reading at the 17% mark (page 66).
To top all of this off, Podos is an incredible writer. In fact, she is one of the strongest writers I’ve seen. Her sentences are both fluid and beautifully descriptive. But there were numerous issues with the story itself that hindered my reading and stopped me from finishing this book, namely:
- The MC’s nickname is Hannah Banana. This irked me because it reminded me too much of Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The author is obviously creative, and I wished that she would have applied this to a different nickname for the MC.
- I can’t figure out how the MC equated an obituary with help. It just didn’t seem believable to me.
- Is it really necessary to include F-bombs in YA literature? Is it necessary to include them in ANY novel? I’m not opposed to filthy language (just ask my relatives), but it seems like whenever an author includes cussing in a novel, the speech always seems stifled for some reason.
- The morphing begins at the very end of Chapter 1. Maybe I’m just impatient, but I want something to grip my attention on the FIRST page. Instead of the morphing beginning at the end, if it started at the **very beginning** it would have glued me to the spot.
- The author is really good at explaining Jewish traditions for non-Jewish readers BUT there are no translations for Hebrew/Yiddish words.
- I know it may sound ridiculous, but I got thrown off by the zigzagging chapters. Some were only about 1,500 words, while others seemed to be r-e-a-l-l-y long. I needed to see some consistency with chapter length to prevent my OCD from kicking in.
- After the MC discovers that she’s growing animal canines in her mouth, she proceeds to start talking about schoolwork and getting in to college??? Now, if Podos had made a small wisecrack about being automatically accepted into Werewolf U, it might have been okay. But she spent far too long discussing her brother, her collegiate prospects, and her grades because—OMG! She’s growing canines! All of those extraneous paragraphs that the author inserted after the MC’s morphing discovery made the situation seem unbelievable.
What really killed this novel for me was when I was halfway through Chapter 4. Smack dab right in the middle of the book, the author changed POV. For the first 3 1/2 chapters, Podos used 1st person. A few lines were skipped, followed by a bolded title, and then we start reading about Hannah’s mother in 3rd person. This really detracted from the story. And it wasn’t necessary—we could have learned all about the MC’s mother from Hannah’s viewpoint and her experiences.
After the fourth chapter, it felt like the story was dragging excessively, almost to the point where Hannah’s amazing morphing was no longer the focus of the story. And still, the F-bombs continued.
This book could have been hands-down amazing. The author is a **really** good writer and the idea for this story is spot-on amazing. But there were too many issues with the way the story was structured. So many, in fact, that I had to stop reading at the 17% mark (page 66).
Want to read
November 24, 2020
May 9, 2024
...the people we love don’t belong to us. All we own is our love for them, and that’s ours to keep forever.
ya jewish queer urban fantasy about curses, golems, family, and faith. i also liked the kafka-esque beginning with hannah's daily mutations. slower first half, but more gripping in the second.
i loved hannah and gabe's relationship, and ari was fun and spunky. i wasn't quite sure what the tone would going to be the first third of the book or so, but as more family past was uncovered it became more sure of itself. the theme of family complications and love was very touching and emotional at times.
I’ll wake in the middle of the night, and remember where I’ve been and what I’ve lost. And then I wish that I were bloodless. I wish I were clay. I believe the past can drive you mad as anything.
the interweaving of jitka, malka, and their family's past history and jewish mythology was well done and intriguing. i really enjoyed seeing jewish mythology done this way in a fantasy book and would love to see more books like it, esp once the demon is more properly introduced.
A love that does not pretend away pain, but grows to encompass it, like a scar around a healing wound. A love that exposes and embraces the best and worst of us. A love that stays.
ya jewish queer urban fantasy about curses, golems, family, and faith. i also liked the kafka-esque beginning with hannah's daily mutations. slower first half, but more gripping in the second.
i loved hannah and gabe's relationship, and ari was fun and spunky. i wasn't quite sure what the tone would going to be the first third of the book or so, but as more family past was uncovered it became more sure of itself. the theme of family complications and love was very touching and emotional at times.
I’ll wake in the middle of the night, and remember where I’ve been and what I’ve lost. And then I wish that I were bloodless. I wish I were clay. I believe the past can drive you mad as anything.
the interweaving of jitka, malka, and their family's past history and jewish mythology was well done and intriguing. i really enjoyed seeing jewish mythology done this way in a fantasy book and would love to see more books like it, esp once the demon is more properly introduced.
A love that does not pretend away pain, but grows to encompass it, like a scar around a healing wound. A love that exposes and embraces the best and worst of us. A love that stays.
March 27, 2022
Actual Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“People come and go in our lives. They leave impressions on us, like letters in dust. Then she bends over and blows on the sugar, scattering the grains across the tabletop onto the floor. Inpermanent things can still change us forever.”
Rebecca Podos’ writing could go either way for me. Where Like Water still stands among my favourite YA-contemporary novels, The Mystery of Hollow Places did absolutely nothing for me. Her latest release was a wonderfully positive surprise, that combined what I loved in Like Water with what I wanted from The Mystery of Hollow Places.
From Dust a Flame is a Jewish-inspired contemporary-fantasy with themes of family, self-discovery and retracing your (cultural and familial) roots at its core. We follow 17-year old Hannah and her adoptive brother Gabe, who’ve never had a place to truly call home. Every year-or-so their free-spirited mum uproots the family to move cross country; no trails left behind, no extended family to inform, and no explanations provided. That silence is forcefully broken when Hannah falls victim to a curse that mutates her body in impossible ways overnight. Their search for answers leads Gabe and Hannah down the path of her Jewish ancestry, along myths, legends and the tragic history that their family has carried for generations.
From Dust a Flame does a great job of balancing all the elements it introduces to create a story that offers plenty of (fantastical) plot and action, but sacrifices nothing on character development along the way. There’s a lot to love here, with its representation of Jewish culture being front and centre in a way I haven’t seen done in YA before. Hannah’s journey of discovering and claiming a culture and history that she hasn’t grown up with, but has nonetheless shaped her life in many ways, is wonderfully done. There’s discussion on generational trauma, religion vs. culture and balancing your own desires with cultural- and parental expectations.
In addition we have LGBTQ representation (which is wonderful, as it is in all Podos’ work), discussion on bodily autonomy, perfectionism, (academic) pressure and much more. Combine all that with the fantastic sibling-relationship dynamic between Gabe and Hannah, and a good helping of supportive friendship and non-cringy budding romance along the way, and you have an absolute winner of a novel.
In short: From Dust a Flame is YA contemporary-fantasy in its finest form, that I won’t be likely to forget soon.
“People come and go in our lives. They leave impressions on us, like letters in dust. Then she bends over and blows on the sugar, scattering the grains across the tabletop onto the floor. Inpermanent things can still change us forever.”
Rebecca Podos’ writing could go either way for me. Where Like Water still stands among my favourite YA-contemporary novels, The Mystery of Hollow Places did absolutely nothing for me. Her latest release was a wonderfully positive surprise, that combined what I loved in Like Water with what I wanted from The Mystery of Hollow Places.
From Dust a Flame is a Jewish-inspired contemporary-fantasy with themes of family, self-discovery and retracing your (cultural and familial) roots at its core. We follow 17-year old Hannah and her adoptive brother Gabe, who’ve never had a place to truly call home. Every year-or-so their free-spirited mum uproots the family to move cross country; no trails left behind, no extended family to inform, and no explanations provided. That silence is forcefully broken when Hannah falls victim to a curse that mutates her body in impossible ways overnight. Their search for answers leads Gabe and Hannah down the path of her Jewish ancestry, along myths, legends and the tragic history that their family has carried for generations.
From Dust a Flame does a great job of balancing all the elements it introduces to create a story that offers plenty of (fantastical) plot and action, but sacrifices nothing on character development along the way. There’s a lot to love here, with its representation of Jewish culture being front and centre in a way I haven’t seen done in YA before. Hannah’s journey of discovering and claiming a culture and history that she hasn’t grown up with, but has nonetheless shaped her life in many ways, is wonderfully done. There’s discussion on generational trauma, religion vs. culture and balancing your own desires with cultural- and parental expectations.
In addition we have LGBTQ representation (which is wonderful, as it is in all Podos’ work), discussion on bodily autonomy, perfectionism, (academic) pressure and much more. Combine all that with the fantastic sibling-relationship dynamic between Gabe and Hannah, and a good helping of supportive friendship and non-cringy budding romance along the way, and you have an absolute winner of a novel.
In short: From Dust a Flame is YA contemporary-fantasy in its finest form, that I won’t be likely to forget soon.
Want to read
March 7, 2019i will continue to slam "want to read" on every jewish fantasy book until i die!!!
March 15, 2022
From Dust, a Flame was a magical book to jump into. Even though I knew next to nothing about this book before diving into it, I was very excited to see what was within. Luckily, for me, this book did not disappoint one freaking bit.
From the characters to the secrets, I was completely hooked. Especially after meeting Hannah and Gabe. I seriously enjoyed their sibling dynamic so much. If I could, I would want them to be in my family. As for finding out about a secret family? Well, that hit a little too close to home.
Other than that, I really enjoyed going through two timeframes throughout this. Mostly because we would be missing out on so much information if we didn't get both the past and present. Especially when you are dealing with three generations of a single family. So, in other words, everything meshed really well together, and I never found myself confused or bored.
In the end, I just really enjoyed the representation in this book. Okay, if I'm being honest here, I enjoyed every second of listening to this audiobook. It gave me all the feels and I wasn't disappointed one bit.
From the characters to the secrets, I was completely hooked. Especially after meeting Hannah and Gabe. I seriously enjoyed their sibling dynamic so much. If I could, I would want them to be in my family. As for finding out about a secret family? Well, that hit a little too close to home.
Other than that, I really enjoyed going through two timeframes throughout this. Mostly because we would be missing out on so much information if we didn't get both the past and present. Especially when you are dealing with three generations of a single family. So, in other words, everything meshed really well together, and I never found myself confused or bored.
In the end, I just really enjoyed the representation in this book. Okay, if I'm being honest here, I enjoyed every second of listening to this audiobook. It gave me all the feels and I wasn't disappointed one bit.
April 23, 2022
Despite the quite frankly terrible cover, this love letter to the weight of Jewish history was so much better than I anticipated. Although Hannah wakes up with different coloured eyes, then spines, then a tail, the story was less about that and more about her and her brother Gabe finding their family and discovering their mother's secrets. This was such a comforting story.
April 2, 2022
reviewed on instagram
Rep: Jewish sapphic mc, Jewish lesbian li, gay character with ADHD, Black Jewish side character, nonbinary side character
Rep: Jewish sapphic mc, Jewish lesbian li, gay character with ADHD, Black Jewish side character, nonbinary side character
Want to read
November 11, 2021don’t know what this is about!!!!! adding anyways cause it’s pretty!!!!!!!!!!!
Read
August 10, 2023 Thank you so much to Netgalley and Rebecca Podos for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Judaism is more than religion, you know. More even than ritual and tradition. It’s family… We are all the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah. We are all united by the actions and sacrifices and the covenant of our ancestors. We were all born into the ancient story of our people, which still unfolds today. Know this, and everything else can be learned.”
A riveting and layered YA sapphic fantasy filled to the brim with Jewish folklore and history. This is a story about family, identity, isolation, truth, and culture. But most importantly, this is a story about stories. And how important it is to know your own.
This book wonderfully discusses the danger of repressing your burdens and the importance of openly sharing familial history and culture. By displaying the timelines of three descending generations of women and illustrating the trauma they endure, the fear they live by, and the burdens they carry (physical and conceptual), this book is able to demonstrate the effects of generational trauma. It shows how the weight we carry from our ancestors is not chosen, but lives in us regardless, and that we must pass down our culture and our stories and our knowledge because that is how cycles are broken and damage can be confronted. It also portrays the feelings of isolation one can feel when cut off from their loved ones through forced distance, through fear, and through lack of communication and the trauma and loss that can occur when one isn't connected with their family.
My favorite part of this work was how jam-packed it is with Jewish stories and mythology. It offers up a conversation about the way stories literally and metaphorically weave and influence our history and culture. It asks us to question what we accept as truth and what could be possible. Something about the way this book is written made me genuinely believe in its lore. It encourages an open mind and a willingness to learn, and now I can’t wait to go pick up some non-fiction books about Jewish lore to gain even more knowledge about my own culture.
Additionally, I just love Gabe. He’s the best older brother of all time.
CW: underage drinking, blood, parental abandonment, death of family members (grandmother to MC during plot of book offscreen, other family members in flashback mention), grief, discussion and portrayal of WWII/The Holocaust, anti-semitism (theme), death by starvation (offscreen, mention), child death (mention), injury, violence, confinement, kidnapping
“Judaism is more than religion, you know. More even than ritual and tradition. It’s family… We are all the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah. We are all united by the actions and sacrifices and the covenant of our ancestors. We were all born into the ancient story of our people, which still unfolds today. Know this, and everything else can be learned.”
A riveting and layered YA sapphic fantasy filled to the brim with Jewish folklore and history. This is a story about family, identity, isolation, truth, and culture. But most importantly, this is a story about stories. And how important it is to know your own.
This book wonderfully discusses the danger of repressing your burdens and the importance of openly sharing familial history and culture. By displaying the timelines of three descending generations of women and illustrating the trauma they endure, the fear they live by, and the burdens they carry (physical and conceptual), this book is able to demonstrate the effects of generational trauma. It shows how the weight we carry from our ancestors is not chosen, but lives in us regardless, and that we must pass down our culture and our stories and our knowledge because that is how cycles are broken and damage can be confronted. It also portrays the feelings of isolation one can feel when cut off from their loved ones through forced distance, through fear, and through lack of communication and the trauma and loss that can occur when one isn't connected with their family.
My favorite part of this work was how jam-packed it is with Jewish stories and mythology. It offers up a conversation about the way stories literally and metaphorically weave and influence our history and culture. It asks us to question what we accept as truth and what could be possible. Something about the way this book is written made me genuinely believe in its lore. It encourages an open mind and a willingness to learn, and now I can’t wait to go pick up some non-fiction books about Jewish lore to gain even more knowledge about my own culture.
Additionally, I just love Gabe. He’s the best older brother of all time.
CW: underage drinking, blood, parental abandonment, death of family members (grandmother to MC during plot of book offscreen, other family members in flashback mention), grief, discussion and portrayal of WWII/The Holocaust, anti-semitism (theme), death by starvation (offscreen, mention), child death (mention), injury, violence, confinement, kidnapping
July 8, 2021
*Spoiler free, 4.5 stars*
I'm not sure what drew me to this book. It might have been the title, it might have been the cover, both of which are amazing. And it sounded really, really good. A girl who has spent her entire life moving wakes up one day to find herself with eyes with knife slit pupils, and through this, discovers a history she didn't even know she had. It sounded really, really good, and I was very intrigued.
This book is so, so good. There are so many wows about it.
The writing is one of the things I loved most about it. It's hard to describe, but it's just GOOD. It feels comforting in way, and I know that's weird, but it's true. It took hurt and pain and so much emotion and wrapped it up in love.
This is a book about stories, stories within stories within stories. It's a tale that travels through generations, three stories unfolding at once, and the pain that ripples across them, but also the love that is cemented into every action. The way that this book three generations, three people, and wove their stories together into one, highlighted their connection, was truly wonderful. The parallels and how it was crafted was truly top notch. Hannah is the main character, but the others still felt like fully fleshed out, real people. I felt like they got their own stories, even as they were being told within the overarching plot. And for me, that's a big thing! I'm usually not a fan of these types of interwoven plots. And this one was one of my favorite things about the book!
The familial love was another thing I loved. It's not an easy familial love. There is so much deep rooted pain, and it's a lot to grapple with. The relationships aren't always steady, but that's part of the beauty of it. The messy, complicated relationships, and the messy, complicated feelings. And the love that runs underneath everything, because they truly do love each other. It's a book with that kind of love at it's heart, and the hard decisions that sometimes comes with it, but how they love is still there regardless.
And the sibling relationship, oh my gosh. I love Gabe so much. He is amazing, and I want a Gabe book.
This book is also super queer! There is a f/f relationship and I love it a whole lot! It discussed sexuality subtly, which I thought was amazing. It's not the biggest thing going on, but it's still there.
This book is also extremely Jewish. It discusses faith, belief, and Jewish myths. Hannah grapples with her faith and the identity that she didn't even know she had. I can't comment on it other than it was there, but I did want to mention it because it's what this book is all about.
I'm not sure what drew me to this book. It might have been the title, it might have been the cover, both of which are amazing. And it sounded really, really good. A girl who has spent her entire life moving wakes up one day to find herself with eyes with knife slit pupils, and through this, discovers a history she didn't even know she had. It sounded really, really good, and I was very intrigued.
This book is so, so good. There are so many wows about it.
The writing is one of the things I loved most about it. It's hard to describe, but it's just GOOD. It feels comforting in way, and I know that's weird, but it's true. It took hurt and pain and so much emotion and wrapped it up in love.
This is a book about stories, stories within stories within stories. It's a tale that travels through generations, three stories unfolding at once, and the pain that ripples across them, but also the love that is cemented into every action. The way that this book three generations, three people, and wove their stories together into one, highlighted their connection, was truly wonderful. The parallels and how it was crafted was truly top notch. Hannah is the main character, but the others still felt like fully fleshed out, real people. I felt like they got their own stories, even as they were being told within the overarching plot. And for me, that's a big thing! I'm usually not a fan of these types of interwoven plots. And this one was one of my favorite things about the book!
The familial love was another thing I loved. It's not an easy familial love. There is so much deep rooted pain, and it's a lot to grapple with. The relationships aren't always steady, but that's part of the beauty of it. The messy, complicated relationships, and the messy, complicated feelings. And the love that runs underneath everything, because they truly do love each other. It's a book with that kind of love at it's heart, and the hard decisions that sometimes comes with it, but how they love is still there regardless.
And the sibling relationship, oh my gosh. I love Gabe so much. He is amazing, and I want a Gabe book.
This book is also super queer! There is a f/f relationship and I love it a whole lot! It discussed sexuality subtly, which I thought was amazing. It's not the biggest thing going on, but it's still there.
This book is also extremely Jewish. It discusses faith, belief, and Jewish myths. Hannah grapples with her faith and the identity that she didn't even know she had. I can't comment on it other than it was there, but I did want to mention it because it's what this book is all about.
August 15, 2022
This is Young Adult/Fantasy. I liked the premise. It was unique and creative when it came to Jewish folklore.
Even given the premise, this one was only 3 stars. For the Fantasy genre, I wanted more world building in order to see what the author wanted me to see and also to believe it. I also wanted the same when it came to the character details. So 3 stars.
T
Even given the premise, this one was only 3 stars. For the Fantasy genre, I wanted more world building in order to see what the author wanted me to see and also to believe it. I also wanted the same when it came to the character details. So 3 stars.
T
April 7, 2022
It's not you, it's me.
March 1, 2023
My brain was not on when I listened to this so I remember basically nothing now. But I did enjoy it. And there's lots of monsters from Jewish lore which was awesome! Will be rereading this for a more detailed review at some point.
Rep: Jewish questioning-mspec cis female MC, adopted white gay cis male side character, Jewish sapphic cis female side character, various Jewish side characters.
CW: Abandonment, child death, cursing, death, antisemitism, kidnapping, grief, death of parent, body horror, violence, blood. Moderate: confinement, genocide mentions, war mentions, injury/injury detail, alcohol consumption. Minor: mention of dementia, homophobia/homomisia.
Rep: Jewish questioning-mspec cis female MC, adopted white gay cis male side character, Jewish sapphic cis female side character, various Jewish side characters.
CW: Abandonment, child death, cursing, death, antisemitism, kidnapping, grief, death of parent, body horror, violence, blood. Moderate: confinement, genocide mentions, war mentions, injury/injury detail, alcohol consumption. Minor: mention of dementia, homophobia/homomisia.
March 13, 2022
What a beautiful cover! I was so, so excited to find a book based in Jewish folklore and mysticism. What a creative premise. I was really hoping to see myself in this. I did, but not--it wasn't exactly how I expected, and that's totally fine. These are three stories in one. This is a tricky device to pull off. "Holes" by Loius Sachar, did an amazing job. Here...this book had to work for it, and it didn't always succeed as the story went on. Too much of a good thing, in this case. The book dragged as the pages went on. The family tree at the beginning was pointless, and while lots of family is mentioned, it felt like a list of names was being rattled off to show that families were large decades ago. There's no sense of really knowing anyone outside of the three main characters. Gabe's changing style didn't come across as organic, and I was annoyed. It felt like, "wink wink, nudge, nudge, here's some Queer signifiers for the gaaaaay brother who is of course a theatre nerd." With Ari, her name alone is a signifier. It's a somewhat unusual name for someone feminine, but her mom calls her Arielle and I suddenly understood. -Her- signifiers, style, and way of expressing herself was a -lot- smoother, more convincing, and more organic.
Why was the stuff about Shoah in there? I didn't--it seemed--why? This is a story about Jewish demons and mythology. Is it just expected in literature now to ram mentions of genocides in? Because if it is, can we fucking lay off one of the most famous ones and go to others? There have been plenty! Spain in 1492! England! Eastern Europe! Heartless of me to be doing this, but IT'S OVERUSED. People died. I'm not denying the tragedy, the long-reaching affects, and how it still shapes today but CAN LITERATURE SHUT UP ABOUT IT FOR TWO SECONDS?! ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAS -NOTHING- TO DO WITH THIS PARTICULAR STORY. A real-life tragedy that we still live in the shadow of has become fucking set dressing in any work that mentions Jewish people I've read for the past couple years, and -tired- and -old- set dressing, at that. RRGH..
Malka's mother is an enormous stereotype, as is the father in sooo many different ways. Her sisters are underdeveloped. Why are there multiple ones, then, if the author's not going to flesh them out or do anything with them? How am I supposed to believe Siman and Malka are in love, if it's entirely expressed in stares? Tons of plot points are underdeveloped and rammed in, with an undercurrent of subplots that drove me nuts because the author did nothing with them. The book's ending was nothing. It screamed "this is totes gonna be a series, guys! Totes, totes!" and then I look it up and there's not an indication I could find.
In "People Love Dead Jews" by Dara Horn, she talks at one point about how Western books are written. Clear arcs and clean, definite endings unless it's part of a series. Several Jewish-written stories have endings that...are not. They could be considered weak unless you're watching for them to evolve a certain way, and I learned a lot from that paragraph. This book was not an example of that at ALL. The mom is immediately missing and has fled or whatever. It's that way the entire book, and made me feel like her character was pointless. The structural choices this book made had me feeling that several passages were a waste of time, and I instantly predicted the cliche of Hannah's father. Make it mean something, author.
I wanted to absolutely adore this book. It got me following Throwing Sheyd on twitter, and for that, I am so excited, but--there was a lot of missed opportunity and fumbled choices in this book. If it does wind up a series, I will read all of them to just try and figure out this first book in context. I'm so glad to read a fiction book about and for Jewish people, and centering on Jewish demons and mythology, at that! I didn't think I'd find one in my lifetime, let alone that was indeed engaging even if it had structural and character problems. I wish Podos success and a few series.
Why was the stuff about Shoah in there? I didn't--it seemed--why? This is a story about Jewish demons and mythology. Is it just expected in literature now to ram mentions of genocides in? Because if it is, can we fucking lay off one of the most famous ones and go to others? There have been plenty! Spain in 1492! England! Eastern Europe! Heartless of me to be doing this, but IT'S OVERUSED. People died. I'm not denying the tragedy, the long-reaching affects, and how it still shapes today but CAN LITERATURE SHUT UP ABOUT IT FOR TWO SECONDS?! ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAS -NOTHING- TO DO WITH THIS PARTICULAR STORY. A real-life tragedy that we still live in the shadow of has become fucking set dressing in any work that mentions Jewish people I've read for the past couple years, and -tired- and -old- set dressing, at that. RRGH..
Malka's mother is an enormous stereotype, as is the father in sooo many different ways. Her sisters are underdeveloped. Why are there multiple ones, then, if the author's not going to flesh them out or do anything with them? How am I supposed to believe Siman and Malka are in love, if it's entirely expressed in stares? Tons of plot points are underdeveloped and rammed in, with an undercurrent of subplots that drove me nuts because the author did nothing with them. The book's ending was nothing. It screamed "this is totes gonna be a series, guys! Totes, totes!" and then I look it up and there's not an indication I could find.
In "People Love Dead Jews" by Dara Horn, she talks at one point about how Western books are written. Clear arcs and clean, definite endings unless it's part of a series. Several Jewish-written stories have endings that...are not. They could be considered weak unless you're watching for them to evolve a certain way, and I learned a lot from that paragraph. This book was not an example of that at ALL. The mom is immediately missing and has fled or whatever. It's that way the entire book, and made me feel like her character was pointless. The structural choices this book made had me feeling that several passages were a waste of time, and I instantly predicted the cliche of Hannah's father. Make it mean something, author.
I wanted to absolutely adore this book. It got me following Throwing Sheyd on twitter, and for that, I am so excited, but--there was a lot of missed opportunity and fumbled choices in this book. If it does wind up a series, I will read all of them to just try and figure out this first book in context. I'm so glad to read a fiction book about and for Jewish people, and centering on Jewish demons and mythology, at that! I didn't think I'd find one in my lifetime, let alone that was indeed engaging even if it had structural and character problems. I wish Podos success and a few series.
July 12, 2022
Oh, look, a character with the maiden name Loew. Wonder where this is going...
I mean, okay, the acknowledgements that mention Throwing Sheyd were a delight and Podos does a pretty good job of not making this a "I have heard of one Jewish thing and it's a golem" story. There's a ton of stuff in here; the golem is just one among many and that makes it more reasonable from my perspective.
Ditto regarding the Holocaust. And, I mean, it's a Jewish fantasy story so where would we be without golems and the scars of intergenerational trauma?
I did like it, though! Like, none of my complaints are about the book itself which, as it stands alone, tells its story well and has delightful characters and skillfully melds plot and story and culture and what it means to be human.
And also sometimes it feels like every story is about the outsider (it is, after all, so much easier to explain the intricacies of Jewish ritual when your main character doesn't know it either) and the overprotective parents and just...I loved what this book did in a new way and some of the familiar choices were a bit too familiar.
(Also fascinating to see the other fantasies that emerge within the text—here's the disabled female rabbi and no one is making even the slightest deal about it; here are a bunch of reasonably observant Jews being totally accepting of their queer family members. May it be soon and in our day. For all the demons, there's also a lot of writing the tikkun olam into being for all the people who don't have it yet.)
I really want to see more Jewish mythology in stories and also I want to see it with Jews who are themselves also already embedded in Jewish culture
I mean, okay, the acknowledgements that mention Throwing Sheyd were a delight and Podos does a pretty good job of not making this a "I have heard of one Jewish thing and it's a golem" story. There's a ton of stuff in here; the golem is just one among many and that makes it more reasonable from my perspective.
Ditto regarding the Holocaust. And, I mean, it's a Jewish fantasy story so where would we be without golems and the scars of intergenerational trauma?
I did like it, though! Like, none of my complaints are about the book itself which, as it stands alone, tells its story well and has delightful characters and skillfully melds plot and story and culture and what it means to be human.
And also sometimes it feels like every story is about the outsider (it is, after all, so much easier to explain the intricacies of Jewish ritual when your main character doesn't know it either) and the overprotective parents and just...I loved what this book did in a new way and some of the familiar choices were a bit too familiar.
(Also fascinating to see the other fantasies that emerge within the text—here's the disabled female rabbi and no one is making even the slightest deal about it; here are a bunch of reasonably observant Jews being totally accepting of their queer family members. May it be soon and in our day. For all the demons, there's also a lot of writing the tikkun olam into being for all the people who don't have it yet.)
I really want to see more Jewish mythology in stories and also I want to see it with Jews who are themselves also already embedded in Jewish culture
December 14, 2022
Thank you @balzerandbray for my #gifted copy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥 genre: YA fantasy
🖊 author: Rebecca Podos
📚 format: physical book
📖 read if you like: coming-of-age novels, sapphic romance, The City Beautiful, Jewish rep, golems
Thoughts:
So I didn’t know much about this book before picking it up, and oh my, did I go on a fun ride.
Hannah’s mom has kept her and her brother Gabe constantly moving. But on her 17th birthday, that changes. Hannah wakes up with golden eyes, and her mom, determined to find someone to help, disappears.
When their mom doesn’t return and they learn that their maternal grandmother has died, Hannah and Gabe decide to visit the family they’ve never met.
When the two arrive at their grandparents, things take a turn for the weirder. The deeper they dig into family secrets, the more they realize their lives could be at stake.
The first part of the book is “slow,” and I have quotation marks because it didn’t feel slow. But there’s a lot of setting up that Podos has to do. I really liked that nothing felt super rushed and loved how the plot unfolded.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥 genre: YA fantasy
🖊 author: Rebecca Podos
📚 format: physical book
📖 read if you like: coming-of-age novels, sapphic romance, The City Beautiful, Jewish rep, golems
Thoughts:
So I didn’t know much about this book before picking it up, and oh my, did I go on a fun ride.
Hannah’s mom has kept her and her brother Gabe constantly moving. But on her 17th birthday, that changes. Hannah wakes up with golden eyes, and her mom, determined to find someone to help, disappears.
When their mom doesn’t return and they learn that their maternal grandmother has died, Hannah and Gabe decide to visit the family they’ve never met.
When the two arrive at their grandparents, things take a turn for the weirder. The deeper they dig into family secrets, the more they realize their lives could be at stake.
The first part of the book is “slow,” and I have quotation marks because it didn’t feel slow. But there’s a lot of setting up that Podos has to do. I really liked that nothing felt super rushed and loved how the plot unfolded.
November 17, 2022
I love anything including mythology, especially jewish mythology, so this was really cool. I loved the discussion of family history and the ways it affects us, the things we give up and will do for family. plus, a bit of a mystery discovered through journals and dreams and a little bit of a historical element? really cool! i really related to Hannah and thought she was, 80% of the time, a likeable and strong character. overall I really recommend this to YA fantasy fans but didn't love it as much as I might have a couple years ago. for my own enjoyment id give this book 3 stars but I gotta support jewish sapphics so im giving it 4 hahahah.
March 28, 2022
1/5
Thought out the book I was waiting for it to get interesting for me but it never did. I just kept reading til it was over.
Thought out the book I was waiting for it to get interesting for me but it never did. I just kept reading til it was over.
September 21, 2022
I thought this was really interesting take on Jewish Folklore. I loved how it was told by different generations of women. Once you find out the story of Malka’s Grandmother, you can kind of predict how it was going to end. I still stayed up late reading it though.
February 5, 2023
So many things to love about this book. As a huge YA fantasy fan, to have a book with such beautiful Jewish representation is huge.
March 31, 2022
This book has it all— intergenerational trauma, lesbians, and the obligatory golem/Gollum joke. BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS: we are living through a golden age of queer Jewish YA fantasy novels right now, and I am so grateful that I'm here to witness it.
From Dust, a Flame is one of those books that feels like healing. It perfectly captures so many things about mothers and daughters, about Jewishness, and about magic, and I will be recommending it to every single person I talk to for the next four to six weeks.
(side note: i made it all the way to page 364 without getting choked up and i am very proud of myself for that)
From Dust, a Flame is one of those books that feels like healing. It perfectly captures so many things about mothers and daughters, about Jewishness, and about magic, and I will be recommending it to every single person I talk to for the next four to six weeks.
(side note: i made it all the way to page 364 without getting choked up and i am very proud of myself for that)
March 30, 2022
I have no words other than I fell in love and I loved this so much and I need everyone to read it now BUT
full review coming soon
full review coming soon
November 17, 2021
From Dust, A Flame is Jewish-legend inspired paranormal, historical, mystery YA fiction genre-mash-up that is as entrancing as it is unique.
A slow and confusing beginning had me questioning why I had picked this book up and checking the synopsis to make sure I had the right book. But by a quarter of the way in I was hooked. It’s a great book, strong characters, a strong sense of identity and unique. It’s also rooted in legends and mythology that is not often brought to the page - and it’s about time it was.
When Hannah wakes up one morning to discover that her eyes have changed shape and colour, it’s just the beginning of a living nightmare. Every night she falls asleep and every morning she awakes with a new and strange physical transformation. Her mother promises answers, but when she leaves and is not heard from again, Hannah and her bother know they must find their own solution. They journey to their mother’s home to meet the family they had never even heard of before. There, they discover a tale from history that would be hard to believe if they had not seen the strange changes that are taking over Hannah’s body. If they can piece together the clues they might be able to save their family.
From Dust, A Flame is a genre mash-up, part historical fiction, part mystery and part paranormal. Diverse characters, unique fantasy.
There is a lot to enjoy about this book. Once I got my head around the plot and we got through the setting up of the story, it was compelling reading. Gender identity, belonging, family, mother-daughter relationships, history, trauma from the Holocaust - there are so many themes woven seamlessly into this story. You could easily have an entire story on just one and yet they all fit so well into this complex story and none of them detract, only add to, the mystery and magic of the plot.
I particularly enjoyed Hannah’s relationship with her brother, who is her support. They make a great team. And when Ari joins them in their quest, she brings an insider’s knowledge to this world that Hannah and Gabe have stumbled into, as well as a love interest for Hannah.
A perfect addition to any library shelf or TBR pile - just good luck trying to figure out what genre to put in under.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
A slow and confusing beginning had me questioning why I had picked this book up and checking the synopsis to make sure I had the right book. But by a quarter of the way in I was hooked. It’s a great book, strong characters, a strong sense of identity and unique. It’s also rooted in legends and mythology that is not often brought to the page - and it’s about time it was.
When Hannah wakes up one morning to discover that her eyes have changed shape and colour, it’s just the beginning of a living nightmare. Every night she falls asleep and every morning she awakes with a new and strange physical transformation. Her mother promises answers, but when she leaves and is not heard from again, Hannah and her bother know they must find their own solution. They journey to their mother’s home to meet the family they had never even heard of before. There, they discover a tale from history that would be hard to believe if they had not seen the strange changes that are taking over Hannah’s body. If they can piece together the clues they might be able to save their family.
From Dust, A Flame is a genre mash-up, part historical fiction, part mystery and part paranormal. Diverse characters, unique fantasy.
There is a lot to enjoy about this book. Once I got my head around the plot and we got through the setting up of the story, it was compelling reading. Gender identity, belonging, family, mother-daughter relationships, history, trauma from the Holocaust - there are so many themes woven seamlessly into this story. You could easily have an entire story on just one and yet they all fit so well into this complex story and none of them detract, only add to, the mystery and magic of the plot.
I particularly enjoyed Hannah’s relationship with her brother, who is her support. They make a great team. And when Ari joins them in their quest, she brings an insider’s knowledge to this world that Hannah and Gabe have stumbled into, as well as a love interest for Hannah.
A perfect addition to any library shelf or TBR pile - just good luck trying to figure out what genre to put in under.
The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.
Find more reviews, reading age guides, content advisory, and recommendations on my blog Madison's Library
March 24, 2022
I loved the Jewish Folklore and I was particularly intrigued by the demons. I don't think I was fully understanding everything including what the different timelines were showing us until the end. But, that's ok, I still really enjoyed the ride. Loved seeing some Jewish Folklore I recognized and a lot that I didn't. This is my first book by Rebecca Podos but, it won't be my last.
May 7, 2022
Actual Rating 2.5/5
Genres: Fantasy, Mythological, drama sub-genres: women’s fiction, romance, action
Central conflict:person vs supernatural
Synopsis: The novel follows a girl name Hannah who suffers from low self esteem and struggles to get the attention of her mother. One day she is afflicted with a curse that manipulates her body into a different animal every night. Her mother promises her that she will come back and never does… Hannah and her adoptive older brother, Gabe find a letter that connects them to Hannah’s Jewish heritage- a call to action.
Main Theme: Running away from one's problems and never addressing them hurts the people around you not just yourself.
Warning: mild spoilers (not ending spoilers)
This is the first work I’ve ever read from Podos and was told that the book had critically acclaimed reviews/awards- understandably my expectations were high. However, I think these expectations were not met and left me disappointed.
The book tackled generational trauma and Jewish history with a mystical element more palatable for a younger audience. I think this book spoke to many younger teens who could relate to Hannah. Those who seek different facets to gain validation (Hannah's shard of glass). However, Hannah felt like a flat character. In fact most of the characters felt devoid of any real personality instead they were stereotypes and caricatures. Hannah is the disaster bi, Gabe is theater kid, and Ari is the brooding “not like other girls” girl. I thought the book was going to subvert these expectations and develop these characters beyond these stereotypes but the novel never attempts to get out of its own comfort zone.
On the topic of comfort zones I also disliked how the setting was stuck in one place. I originally jumped into this novel thinking Hannah and Gabe were going to travel around and piece by piece learn how to use Hannah’s curse as a gift. I can acknowledge that my review could be biased because I was expecting something else however, the novel felt like it was being set up for this grand adventure and mystery. Instead, Podos did not expand beyond the world-building of Hannah’s world- consequently making the novel feel stationary and boring. There is no sense of progression because of the setting because of this there is not much idea of tension or how much time Hannah and Gabe were spending at Fox Hollow. Instead, every day that progresses in the novel followed the same formula- Hannah and Gabe get a small snippet of information and then cuts to a flashback-repeat that formula for the entirety of the novel making it feel repetitive and boring. The setup took too long to build that the stakes no longer felt important.
Other more nit-picky stuff:
Podos did not use the advantages of the fantasy genre to create something exciting. Instead, Hannah’s curse was not used as creatively as I thought it would be and at some points, it feels like Podos forget Hannah even had an extra limb or appendage. Hannah’s curse as a symbol could have been pushed further. The message of embracing one's flaw could have applied to Hannah's curse however, Hannah’s curse is simply just a curse. Half the time the reader forgets about the curse and Hannah doesn’t even do anything with her curse. It would have been much more fun if Hannah’s wings could make her fly, fins for swimming, or the ram horns giving her more strength. But maybe that’s just the part of me that wanted a fantasy action book.
Hannah and Malka’s relationship is complicated in fact most of the relationships in the novel are the driving force of the narrative. However, the book does not nearly go into enough detail about how these relationships mend themselves over time- instead, it was just one argument and all of a sudden years of pain is poof gone. Instead of dragging out the first half of the novel (which pretty much goes over the synopsis and felt redundant), there should be more emphasis on characters and relationships. Most of the relationship conflicts in the novel are solved with an argument and then a simple sorry and “I love you”. The book felt like it was using generational trauma to enable the toxic behavior illustrated in the book which I know was not Podos’ intention but an issue of pacing.
I think one thing Podos needs to realize is that a book can be YA without trying too hard to be “cool with the kids”. It felt forcibly “woke” by shoehorning every character to be part of the LGBTQ+ community yet not discussing the complications of religion. There is nothing wrong with having an entire cast of characters be part of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact it’s overdue because of how many books have purely straight relationships. However, most of the characters feel like their personality is boiled down to being gay. This is not what real representation looks like. There is also an instance where Hannah shuts down the potential conversation by generalizing the entire religion as “Technically, Jews don’t believe in hell anyway.” Yet Rabbi HaLevi says “Jews may not believe in the afterlife—heaven and hell—but Judaism unequivocally does” https://www.jewishboston.com/read/ive.... This did not feel like real representation as Galan from The State press writes, “Filmmakers have to be responsible for what they put out there. Characters who are only tokens for filmmakers matter to a lot of people and contribute to the misrepresentation of entire races, genders, and communities” https://www.statepress.com/article/20.... More strict denominations of the Jewish faith see homosexuality as a sin and can be prescribed with the death penalty. I would like to preface this that I am not Jewish and I do not want to speak over Jewish voices however, I think it could be important to unpack the nuance of Judaism and sects. The novel as a whole felt like a corporate marketer was trying to make a book to appeal to the younger generation.
This did not help with the inclusion of forced dialogue. Podos’ strong point is definitely her imaginative description and flowery language. However, having the dialogue this weak and forced created a more noticeable contrast. Take this instance as an example, “Just the four-year-old in a princess dress who wandered off at the Fox Hollow Memorial parade, then had to ride around the town green on the 4-H float while they called out her parents by name through a bullhorn, because of course everyone knew who she was”. “Oof”, Gabe contributes from the back. The flow and delivery is choppy- what teen actually talks like this? As a Gen Z myself my best advice for the author is to be more herself. Podos proved her writing capabilities with her attention to detail- YA books do not need to be hip or cool to try and bridge generational gaps with the audience. Make the audience accommodate to your writing.
The payoff was not as satisfying. I did not feel like the characters learned something beyond themselves. The ending was rushed and mainly too coincidental how Hannah was able to defeat the main villain. Speaking of the main villain I wonder if it was intentional but the villain did not feel creative or even all that evil. The characterization of the villain is pitiful and a parallel to Hannah- someone who just wanted love and validation. Whether the Villain was supposed to be a bigger symbol of the consequences for those that seek validation from others it does not excuse with how anti-climatic the reveal was. For a twist villain it did not deliver nor was it menacing and create a real sense of danger or threat.
In conclusion I would only recommend this book to a more younger audience (pre-teens) and would caution others that the book may not be what they expected it to be.
Genres: Fantasy, Mythological, drama sub-genres: women’s fiction, romance, action
Central conflict:person vs supernatural
Synopsis: The novel follows a girl name Hannah who suffers from low self esteem and struggles to get the attention of her mother. One day she is afflicted with a curse that manipulates her body into a different animal every night. Her mother promises her that she will come back and never does… Hannah and her adoptive older brother, Gabe find a letter that connects them to Hannah’s Jewish heritage- a call to action.
Main Theme: Running away from one's problems and never addressing them hurts the people around you not just yourself.
Warning: mild spoilers (not ending spoilers)
This is the first work I’ve ever read from Podos and was told that the book had critically acclaimed reviews/awards- understandably my expectations were high. However, I think these expectations were not met and left me disappointed.
The book tackled generational trauma and Jewish history with a mystical element more palatable for a younger audience. I think this book spoke to many younger teens who could relate to Hannah. Those who seek different facets to gain validation (Hannah's shard of glass). However, Hannah felt like a flat character. In fact most of the characters felt devoid of any real personality instead they were stereotypes and caricatures. Hannah is the disaster bi, Gabe is theater kid, and Ari is the brooding “not like other girls” girl. I thought the book was going to subvert these expectations and develop these characters beyond these stereotypes but the novel never attempts to get out of its own comfort zone.
On the topic of comfort zones I also disliked how the setting was stuck in one place. I originally jumped into this novel thinking Hannah and Gabe were going to travel around and piece by piece learn how to use Hannah’s curse as a gift. I can acknowledge that my review could be biased because I was expecting something else however, the novel felt like it was being set up for this grand adventure and mystery. Instead, Podos did not expand beyond the world-building of Hannah’s world- consequently making the novel feel stationary and boring. There is no sense of progression because of the setting because of this there is not much idea of tension or how much time Hannah and Gabe were spending at Fox Hollow. Instead, every day that progresses in the novel followed the same formula- Hannah and Gabe get a small snippet of information and then cuts to a flashback-repeat that formula for the entirety of the novel making it feel repetitive and boring. The setup took too long to build that the stakes no longer felt important.
Other more nit-picky stuff:
Podos did not use the advantages of the fantasy genre to create something exciting. Instead, Hannah’s curse was not used as creatively as I thought it would be and at some points, it feels like Podos forget Hannah even had an extra limb or appendage. Hannah’s curse as a symbol could have been pushed further. The message of embracing one's flaw could have applied to Hannah's curse however, Hannah’s curse is simply just a curse. Half the time the reader forgets about the curse and Hannah doesn’t even do anything with her curse. It would have been much more fun if Hannah’s wings could make her fly, fins for swimming, or the ram horns giving her more strength. But maybe that’s just the part of me that wanted a fantasy action book.
Hannah and Malka’s relationship is complicated in fact most of the relationships in the novel are the driving force of the narrative. However, the book does not nearly go into enough detail about how these relationships mend themselves over time- instead, it was just one argument and all of a sudden years of pain is poof gone. Instead of dragging out the first half of the novel (which pretty much goes over the synopsis and felt redundant), there should be more emphasis on characters and relationships. Most of the relationship conflicts in the novel are solved with an argument and then a simple sorry and “I love you”. The book felt like it was using generational trauma to enable the toxic behavior illustrated in the book which I know was not Podos’ intention but an issue of pacing.
I think one thing Podos needs to realize is that a book can be YA without trying too hard to be “cool with the kids”. It felt forcibly “woke” by shoehorning every character to be part of the LGBTQ+ community yet not discussing the complications of religion. There is nothing wrong with having an entire cast of characters be part of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact it’s overdue because of how many books have purely straight relationships. However, most of the characters feel like their personality is boiled down to being gay. This is not what real representation looks like. There is also an instance where Hannah shuts down the potential conversation by generalizing the entire religion as “Technically, Jews don’t believe in hell anyway.” Yet Rabbi HaLevi says “Jews may not believe in the afterlife—heaven and hell—but Judaism unequivocally does” https://www.jewishboston.com/read/ive.... This did not feel like real representation as Galan from The State press writes, “Filmmakers have to be responsible for what they put out there. Characters who are only tokens for filmmakers matter to a lot of people and contribute to the misrepresentation of entire races, genders, and communities” https://www.statepress.com/article/20.... More strict denominations of the Jewish faith see homosexuality as a sin and can be prescribed with the death penalty. I would like to preface this that I am not Jewish and I do not want to speak over Jewish voices however, I think it could be important to unpack the nuance of Judaism and sects. The novel as a whole felt like a corporate marketer was trying to make a book to appeal to the younger generation.
This did not help with the inclusion of forced dialogue. Podos’ strong point is definitely her imaginative description and flowery language. However, having the dialogue this weak and forced created a more noticeable contrast. Take this instance as an example, “Just the four-year-old in a princess dress who wandered off at the Fox Hollow Memorial parade, then had to ride around the town green on the 4-H float while they called out her parents by name through a bullhorn, because of course everyone knew who she was”. “Oof”, Gabe contributes from the back. The flow and delivery is choppy- what teen actually talks like this? As a Gen Z myself my best advice for the author is to be more herself. Podos proved her writing capabilities with her attention to detail- YA books do not need to be hip or cool to try and bridge generational gaps with the audience. Make the audience accommodate to your writing.
The payoff was not as satisfying. I did not feel like the characters learned something beyond themselves. The ending was rushed and mainly too coincidental how Hannah was able to defeat the main villain. Speaking of the main villain I wonder if it was intentional but the villain did not feel creative or even all that evil. The characterization of the villain is pitiful and a parallel to Hannah- someone who just wanted love and validation. Whether the Villain was supposed to be a bigger symbol of the consequences for those that seek validation from others it does not excuse with how anti-climatic the reveal was. For a twist villain it did not deliver nor was it menacing and create a real sense of danger or threat.
In conclusion I would only recommend this book to a more younger audience (pre-teens) and would caution others that the book may not be what they expected it to be.
January 3, 2022
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
3.8
Hannah's mother has never been the most forthright person- she moves them as often as she can, she never talks about her family, and there's not much anyone can do to change that. But she's never disappeared before. Though, Hannah's never woken up a monster before either. After Hannah's 17th birthday, her body starts transforming, and her mother runs off to find a mysterious healer. There's nothing for Hannah and her brother to do but wait- until an obituary for a grandmother they didn't even know about arrives in the mail. Could their mother be with this newfound family? And, if not, could there at least be answers there?
This story plays with some classic YA tropes while also feeling very unique.
I love the family dynamics in this story. Finding hidden/secret family isn't a new concept, but I love the way it's done here, particularly taking in the Jewish faith. I also really, really adored the sibling dynamic between Hannah and Gabe, which was cute and realistic.
This book takes place at two different times, with an extra story weaving through the past as well, and it hits each other those settings with care and bring light to them. The historical moments feel so emotional and honest, and they carry over into both of the other stories as well, bringing understanding upon understanding like a matryoshka doll. There is a softness as well as a twistiness, keeping things falling together in a way that makes the picture slowly clearer.
The romance in this was also surprisingly sweet. I loved the two different points of self exploration/discovery for Hannah, and the cute moments she's given in between the drama and mystery of it all.
I will say, I expected more of the golem. I enjoyed them- and their neutral pronoun- and I can see the metaphorical importance, but I wanted more plot importance as well.
I was also disappointed in the standard, flat Big Bad Guy feeling of the antagonist. I wanted more depth, and instead he wound up feeling cartoonish to me.
Over all, this is a fun Jewish fantasy! The characters are great, and Podos nails the atmosphere.
3.8
Hannah's mother has never been the most forthright person- she moves them as often as she can, she never talks about her family, and there's not much anyone can do to change that. But she's never disappeared before. Though, Hannah's never woken up a monster before either. After Hannah's 17th birthday, her body starts transforming, and her mother runs off to find a mysterious healer. There's nothing for Hannah and her brother to do but wait- until an obituary for a grandmother they didn't even know about arrives in the mail. Could their mother be with this newfound family? And, if not, could there at least be answers there?
This story plays with some classic YA tropes while also feeling very unique.
I love the family dynamics in this story. Finding hidden/secret family isn't a new concept, but I love the way it's done here, particularly taking in the Jewish faith. I also really, really adored the sibling dynamic between Hannah and Gabe, which was cute and realistic.
This book takes place at two different times, with an extra story weaving through the past as well, and it hits each other those settings with care and bring light to them. The historical moments feel so emotional and honest, and they carry over into both of the other stories as well, bringing understanding upon understanding like a matryoshka doll. There is a softness as well as a twistiness, keeping things falling together in a way that makes the picture slowly clearer.
The romance in this was also surprisingly sweet. I loved the two different points of self exploration/discovery for Hannah, and the cute moments she's given in between the drama and mystery of it all.
I will say, I expected more of the golem. I enjoyed them- and their neutral pronoun- and I can see the metaphorical importance, but I wanted more plot importance as well.
I was also disappointed in the standard, flat Big Bad Guy feeling of the antagonist. I wanted more depth, and instead he wound up feeling cartoonish to me.
Over all, this is a fun Jewish fantasy! The characters are great, and Podos nails the atmosphere.
March 22, 2022
This was a little slow for me to get into, but I really got into it in the second half. The teen characters felt very realistic.
February 8, 2022
I really wanted to absolutely fall in love with this one (I have an inclination for books with Jewish characters and culture, and any book that quotes R. Huna is going to automatically have me dancing in my seat a bit) but it just...didn't gel for me. The writing was great, the relationship between Hannah and Gabe was beautifully done, and I loved the way that the story was based on lesser known Jewish mythology. But I didn't really feel like the story connected for me emotionally, and I was let down a bit by the secondary characters - it didn't seem that there was much differentiation among the the family especially, which made it hard to feel like an effective coming home/reunion/relationship building story - and the golem element felt somewhat underbaked. There were also a couple of nitpicks in terms of Jewish stuff - non-family members pay shiva calls rather than sitting shiva, the Hebrew was backward in every instance, you wouldn't say "in the same Talmud" but instead something like "in the same tractate" or "on the same daf," plus it was pretty hard to pinpoint the Eggers family religiously/denominationally when they were seemingly Conservative but the non-Malka daughters were always in long skirts and everyone was going to Stern, a distinctly Orthodox/Modern Orthodox school - but more than anything I was confused by the setting, which felt very atmospheric and fitting for the story but didn't read in a way that made sense to me from a Jewish perspective (a kosher bakery in some random upstate town?? Are you paying the ashgiach to live there?).
Overall, it's a good book, but missed greatness for me - perhaps because of a lack of expectation management?
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Overall, it's a good book, but missed greatness for me - perhaps because of a lack of expectation management?
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.
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