Review: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows--the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.
Lace Paloma may be new to her family's show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it's a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace's life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.
Beautifully written, and richly imaginative, The Weight of Feathers is an utterly captivating young adult novel by a talented new voice.

MY TAKE:
The book's summary made me think of Romeo and Juliet, and since I love a good forbidden romance story, I decided to give this one a try.

In The Weight of Fathers, the Palomas and Corbeaus have been enemies for years. Lace Paloma and Cluck Corbeau paths cross after a terrible event occurs, and as they grow closer, they begin to fall in love. The problem is, does their love have a place with the Corbeaus' and Palomas' feud and history?

The start of the book threw me for a little bit. The tone was not what I had expected from the summary. I was worried about how I would describe it at first. In my notes, I described it as trippy, surreal, like having an out-of-body experience or seeing the world through a misty glass. grab me.

I guess it was partly because of this that the first half or so of the book didn't really hold my attention. As the story went on, though, and Cluck and Lace's romance blossomed, I suddenly found myself invested in their story. The main plot twist of the story didn't come as a surprise to me, though. It was actually kind of expected, I think. However, it's not so obvious that the big reveal becomes pointless.

As an outsider, it's easier to see how twisted the feud is and how both sides are at fault. The matriarchs of the two families are just terrible people. Family-centric, sure, but they're both cruel and harsh as well. Cluck' brother Dax was a jerk, and Lace's male cousins weren't nice, either. Of the supporting characters, the one I liked the most was Lace's dad. He was awesome and I think Lace couldn't have asked for a better father.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. Cluck and Lace's relationship felt realistic.
2. There wasn't an unbelievable magical solution to everything.
3. This story feels different from a lot of the YA novels currently saturating the market.

THE BAD:

1. The style and tone of the novel won't appeal to everyone. 

READ IT IF:

1. You like magical realism.
2. You love Romeo and Juliet.
3. You hate it when there's a neat but unrealistic ending to a story.

RATING:


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