Trash Panda Reader

Lorelei Rivers, the trash panda reader, now writing book reviews. main blog is crazycatsiren. CR:

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"I like to read very much, but perhaps too much."

Penelope Featherington

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Spooky season is upon us! 🎃

I'm usually not interested in childbearing themed books, being happily childfree by choice. I don't know what it's like to be pregnant and I can't relate to the desperation of wanting a baby because I've never had any desire to be a mother of a human child. This book caught my attention when I saw it described as a feminist retelling of Rosemary's Baby. As a fan of classic horrors, I felt like I had to check it out. And hey, it's spooky season.

As it turned out, Anna and I have more in common than I thought. We're close to the same age. We've both been performing artists our whole lives. I can't relate to her longing to have a child more than anything in the world, but I can sort of understand. Evolution has put this into our biology, after all. As mammals, as primates, we evolved to want to reproduce. Our species wouldn't have thrived if the desire to procreate was never strong among enough members of the population. I know people who wanted to be parents more than all else in life and who are now living the dream, raising their children and loving their families. I'm not one of them but I'm happy for them. I've known at least one woman who struggled with infertility, so it's not something I'm completely uninformed in, the uphill battles that many women find themselves having to go through for something that seems to come so easily and naturally for others.

I can't relate to the pregnancy and wanting a child part, but I can certainly relate to the stories of medical misogyny. Modern medicine has unfortunately and shamefully failed women again and again, women of color even more so.

But the book did feel a bit long, and many parts repetitive. The storytelling could have been a bit more concise. There were inconsistencies, the storyline could have flowed better and the writing style has room for improvement. At times, events were messy and details didn't add up. I would've edited this book better. But overall, the book wasn't unenjoyable, and the ending was a surprising but creative development. I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

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"Unruly women are always witches, no matter what century we’re in." - Kate Moore

Society has always wanted to control women, especially women who do not conform to conventions, who will not fit into neat little boxes of womanhood and femininity, who refuse to march to the beats of men's drums.

Altha: She knew who she was and what she was capable of. She held the knowledge and secrets from nature that very few were privy to. But people feared unusual women such as her. When witch hunts spread across the land and she was arrested with accusations of witchcraft, she had to do what she must to survive.

Violet: Raised by a strict and conservative father who didn't understand or approve of those like her, she knew she was different, and she didn't want what the likes of her father had in mind for her future. It would take courage and sacrifice to take her life into her own hands and live how she truly wanted.

Kate: She escaped an abusive boyfriend and went into hiding in the cottage that belonged to her recently deceased great-aunt. In the wilderness of the countryside far from the city, she would learn to come into her powers, discover herself and her inheritance, and find her space to take up in the world.

Three women of three generations, who had been brutalized by men and survived. Who knew the meaning of freedom. Who shared a bond that transcended time.

A heartwarming debut by the author. The writing is fluid and the storytelling is poignant. I love how the timelines blend and intertwine. This is a beautiful book that tugged my heartstrings. I rooted for each of the three main characters, heroines in their own tales that echo each other's. As a wild woman myself, I feel like I can relate to the Weywards. Our kind has always been around, everywhere.

For sure I'm looking forward to reading the author's second book!

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I finished this book days ago and I still can't stop thinking about it.

This is one of those books that will grab you and hold on tight. I found myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I couldn't let go of it. The storytelling caught me and latched on firm.

Sabine: free-spirited, calculating, manipulative, sadistic, apathetic, sensual, alluring, cruel yet irresistible.

Charlotte: passionate, compassionate, empathetic, wore her heart on her sleeve, artistic, sensitive yet selfish.

Alice: shy, introverted, insecure, hoping to find herself and her place in the world, anxious, emotional yet fragile.

"It's a lie, you know, that you only get one story."

Each of these women has many stories to tell. Their paths cross and their stories intertwine in unexpected ways. They change each others' lives in ways they might never have imagined.

Desire, infatuation, obsession, love and lust, past and present, across oceans.

This is the first book by this author I've read. Her writing is very fluid and graceful. It was easy for me to form vivid mental pictures of her descriptions. The characters and plot came alive from the pages and brought up all kinds of emotions. I found myself feeling for the characters, drawn into their narratives, wondering what I would've done in their situations. A perfect read for Pride Month, for a fan of vampire stories. A toxic sapphic love story, but much more complicated than just that.

Some parts of the flashbacks and background stories, such as Alice's childhood, felt a bit long and could've been condensed. The book itself is certainly not short, over 500 pages. But overall, one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far. Highly recommend to everybody!