rating: 5/5 stars

Goodreads summary:

Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.

In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.

That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.

First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.

Review:

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I definitely would. Which is rare even for me to say.

I am weeping like a baby. Leslye Walton has to be one of the best writers and storytellers I had ever come across. I suddenly understand why this book was so adored a few years ago and I am absolutely ashamed that it took me so long to read it.

The writing style is hauntingly beautiful as it grips you and pulls at your emotions. The characters and their stories are so different from anything I’m used to. I tried describing this book to my sister but I just couldn’t find the words because it’s so peculiar and unlike anything I’ve ever read before.

I am beyond glad that the publisher took a chance on this book and published it. I am also beyond glad that I finally took a chance on this book that stayed on my bookshelf for years, waiting for me to pick it up.

I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Probably one of my favorite books of 2020.