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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Sexual assault depicted in the novel's climax — handled with narrative weight, not gratuitously
Language
Barely any
Mild language throughout
Sexual Content
Some
A sexual assault is depicted; some romantic content throughout the novel's multiple timelines
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: the novel's theme of love as a wound passed down through generations, and the traumatic climax, create significant emotional intensity
What this book is about
Ava Lavender is born with the wings of a bird, inheriting the strange legacy of three generations of women whose lives were shaped — and sometimes shattered — by love. Leslye Walton's magical realist debut weaves the sorrowful histories of Ava's grandmother and mother into the story of Ava's own coming of age, building toward a climax that earns its darkness. Beautifully written and deeply felt, this YA novel uses its magical elements as a metaphor for the ways love marks us irreversibly.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Sexual assault depicted near the climax of the novel
Generational trauma and women broken by love as sustained themes
Dark magical realist content throughout
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