This books started slow, but I loved it tremendously. It had the romantic, dreamy, vibe of The Night Circus, and a star crossed love that I am all in for. ( )

I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Actual rating: 4.5/5

I haven't had much luck with circus/performers-themed books this year, so I was a bit scared that I wouldn't like this book, or it just wouldn't live up to the hype. Luckily, neither of these things happened, and I enjoyed The Weight of Feathers really a lot! The writing was beautiful, occasionally throwing in French and Spanish expressions to reflect the characters' origins. Every chapter opened with a common saying in either French or Spanish and its English translation, which I personally thought was an awesome idea, since I always like seeing what popular sayings are in other languages. I really liked Anna-Marie McLemore's writing style, as she somehow managed to merge a deeply evocative, almost magical tone, with incredibly realistic descriptions and down-to-earth expressions.

This book definitely wasn't plot heavy, as the storyline is actually quite simple and it did remind me of a modern-day, travelling-performers Romeo and Juliet quite often. The star-crossed lovers theme is definitely very prevalent in the novel BUT if you're not a fan of YA romance don't run off just yet! This book also tackles really important themes and issues, like prejudice, superstitions and diversity. And there is also some serious family abuse going on, so it's definitely not a light read. The premise is actually quite simple. The Palomas and the Corbeaus have been at war for years, reaching such a level of hatred that even touching a member of the other family accidentally is considered forbidden, and is considered a means of spreading that family's evil.

So, when Cluck Corbeau saves Lace Paloma from a terrible accident in the town both families are performing in, she is shunned from her family and starts to believe he has cursed her. So she disguises herself as a local girl and joins the rival family in order to get Cluck to lift his curse. But this forces her to actually get to know the Corbeaus and their lifestyle, and learn the difference between fear and prejudice and reality.

I loved the characters! The book is narrated in third person, alternating Lace and Cluck's POVs, and I actually thought this worked really well. We got to see their deepest fears and wildest dreams and I came to care deeply for both of them. But even the secondary characters were really well-done. Even though they lacked the depth of the main characters, they were still interesting to read about, especially in contrast with Lace and Cluck. While the latter two developed enormously throughout the book, the other characters didn't change one bit, but not through any fault of the author. They are static, blocked in their prejudice and traditions and in their role as guardians of the family secrets. They don't grow because, quite simply, they don't want to, and it works wonderfully within the book.

Overall, this was a very good read and definitely an awesome debut! A wonderfully written book tackling very serious issues through a simple storyline and gorgeous characters, The Weight of Feathers is the one YA book you won't want to miss this year! And Anna-Marie McLemore is definitely one author whose new books I won't miss. ( )

The Palomas and the Corbeaus are more than traveling circus performers; the two families have magical bloodlines, and as with all magical acts, they have their secrets.

The white-scaled Palomas bury their secrets deep underwater; the black-feathered Corbeaus send them flying up to the highest boughs. One thing that’s not a secret: how much these two families hate each other. Lace Paloma and Cluck Corbeau first meet when she saves him from a beating at the hands of her cousins. After a chemical-rain disaster, Cluck repays the favor but ends up accidentally binding Lace to him and causing her exile from her family. Hoping to cleanse herself of Corbeau “black magic,” she ends up working for them, growing close to the deformed, scarred Cluck. The fabric of lies woven by both their families becomes unraveled, untangling long-standing myths as their own stories entwine. It seems Lace and Cluck are destined to repeat history when an unlikely event leads to answers to questions long left open. Slow momentum early on makes it hard to form attachments to the characters, but readers beguiled by the languorous language—a striking mix of French and Spanish phrases, wry colloquialism, lush imagery, and elevated syntax—will find themselves falling under its spell. The third-person narration alternates between Lace and Cluck, doling out twists and building to a satisfying, romantic conclusion.

A contemporary, magical take on an ever compelling theme. (Urban fantasy. 14 & up)

-Kirkus Review

I was eager enough to reread this that I checked out the immediate e-book rather than place a hold on a physical copy. I was in a wildly different time in my life when I read this book, and such a different person. I was so, so excited when two of my favorite BookTubers reviewed this. I glowed. I kept talking about it. And while looking up an old review of an entirely different book, I wondered, "How will my opinion of this change when I read it now?"

I was appalled at the high levels of domestic violence and stranger violence. I was horrified that I'd managed to forget it. Turns out I forgot a fair amount of this book, but I remember how much I liked the imagery. This is the most skillful retelling of "Romeo and Juliet" I think I've ever read, right down to a 'blink and you miss it' line explaining the romance took place over a week. It's very much a whirlwind romance and star-crossed on both sides. This book was Enemies to Lovers and Instalove, two of my most hated tropes, but so intricately weaved that I felt that I had to keep reading. I was unhappy with this. I liked how McLemore made the teens the scapegoats instead of the original Golden Children that Shakespeare had them. Both authors made the choices for wildly different reasons. I hated both families for how they treated their scapegoats, but that's what a scapegoat -is.- I'm one. I especially hated Luc's grandmother. What a controlling monster. And how lazy, to point at your own trash and a small child scurries forth to pick it up for you. That, among many other things she does. Dax was supposed to be the one I totally hated but no, he came in second place. Still an awful person, but he was more obviously.

After mulling it over, I figured out why I responded so positively to the Spanish-speaking versus French-speaking rivalry when I first read this: I grew up around it and was firmly on the side of the Spanish speakers. It was like McLemore was writing out parts of my teen years and huge hunks of my childhood that I rarely see in books. I liked how the grandfather's death was written, and everyone's reactions. It made sense as a plot point and enhanced Luc's characterization. So, a character death was a plot point for a young male antagonist. In some circles, I believe it's known as an Antifreeze Plot Point, and I frown at myself for not being more irritated. Enormous cliches fill the rest of the book, which I did remember from the first read and rolled my eyes at. The book ends with the two romantic leads driving off into the sunset and I wonder if I missed something.

I still admire and enjoy the writing style and imagery in this. The use of Spanish and French proverbs as POV-trading chapter transitions was a delight both times, and something I desperately wanted to use in my own writing somehow. Not gonna happen, but a wonderful choice that the author utilized. The book was originally such a hit with me, that I checked out other works of McLemore's, but I DNF'ed many. I'm glad I revisited this. ( )

Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Estoy obsesionada con la portada de The Weight of Feathers, es bastante sencilla y no me dice absolutamente nada sobre la historia, lo cual para algunos puede ser algo no bueno, pero en lo personal, me gusta el minimalismo y el misterio. Con solo la portada este libro tenía un lugar en mis lecturas seguras. Además, está escrito por una latina, la verdad es que sentía mucha curiosidad sobre la representación que se le daría en el libro.

The Weight of Feathers trata sobre dos artísticas familias rivales. Estoy en un poco en duda en poner familia cirquera, porque no es propiamente un circo, son dos shows bastante impresionantes, aunque toman algunos rasgos de libros sobre circos que leí con anterioridad.

Estéticamente, y con esto me refiero a vestuario y escenarios, este libro tiene uno bastante impresionante, la familia latina se caracteriza por sus sirenas, mientras la francesa por las hadas. Mis dos seres fantásticos favoritos.

El romance que The Weight of Feathers trae es adorable. Se sale un poco del tópico, en lugar de tener una cenicienta, tenemos un ceniciento, y en lugar de un chico oscuro y confundido, tenemos a una protagonista que se hace querer, no por ser extremadamente dulce, es su persona completa la que la hace un gran personaje. El libro se sale un poquito de las normas de género que generalmente traen los libros.

Y, ¿los dos juntos? Adorables a más no poder.

PERO

Si bien Anna-Marie McLemore trae una historia de romance bastante entrañable y los rastros de magia que se pueden leer al transcurso del libro me dejaron muy intrigada con lo que traerían los siguientes capítulos, la trama del libro se me hizo confusa muchas veces.

Es probable que sea cosa mía, desde que se introdujo el accidente, no lo entendí bien al inicio y, llegado al final no lo entendí al 100%. Y fue duro para mí, porque eso es lo que hace que esta rivalidad entre familias nazca, el problema era que yo no entendía exactamente porqué.

Luego está el tema de las supersticiones. Yo llegué a entender lo de la pluma y cierto color, en este momento no recuerdo bien si solo eran esos dos, porque ya había leído otro libro con esos detalles, Girl On Wire y The Girl Who Walked on Air, en esos libros me explicaron que y porqué eran de mala suerte, si no hubiera tenido la experiencia de los otros libros, creo que al terminar el libro habría quedado confundida.

The Weight of Feathers me ha gustado, fotográficamente sería una película bastante bonita para ver, sobre todo por el final tan wow. No solo por el twist, tengo muy marcada la escena final del libro, a lo photoset de tumblr. Tiene sus cosas que pulir un poquito, pero para ser debut, ha sido bastante interesante.

Además creo que es la primera vez que personas que no tienen ningún conocimiento del español o el francés, se han estado quejando porque no entendían algunas frases. bu bu babies

Me interesa seguir leyendo a Anne-Marie, tendré prioridad con sus próximos libros.

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