writemare31's reviews
241 reviews

Really questionable advice/information.

What I liked: Deep and lasting female friendship, inner exploration, exploration of the divine, finding freedom, pure honesty and authenticity, atmospheric South Carolina wildlife, art, mysteries of the psyche, and most importantly the power and necessity of revelation. 

What I didn't like: At times the writing style grew a little too sappy or cheesy for me, despite the good ideas.

To me, this book felt like a collection of deep, descriptive, beautiful short stories. There was a large cast of characters tied together through familial connections, though those connections became taut and stressed as they crossed continents and generations. Each chapter tended to focus on a different character and explored their perspective. There were some stunning lines in this book, immensely creative and satisfying scenes. There was a deep darkness to it as well; it does not resolve your conflicts or aim to make you comfortable. It won't coddle you.

There is a lot to appreciate in this book. The depictions of women are diverse, each character with their distinct personality and troubles, all of them portrayed with depth and care. 

This book did not hit five stars for me because the plot was sprawling. If you asked me to outline the events, I could only name two that actually bring cohesion to the book, and the last one is in the final chapter. The ending felt slightly rushed or forced. I was often fighting confusion as I read through this, despite the clear artistry in the writing. Sometimes a little structure is needed to help bring that artistry to its full potential. 

If I had read almost any of these chapters as stand alone stories, they likely would've earned five stars. 

Great introduction to in-depth water magic. Provided tons of rituals, both long and short, monthly and potentially daily. Information on the history of water magic and water priestesses was particularly interesting--there could have been more of that, what was here was really a teaser, just enough to get a sense of the tradition and the potential therein. 

Definitely will make you more aware of the power and importance of water, and ways in which you might show gratitude for it. 

Well thought out, great voice.

I have seen some reviews of this book that say 1) this book is about white feminism and 2) it shouldn't have been set in the 90s, because the presence of racism and sexism is so strong. I'd like to respond to these claims.

First, this book addresses white feminism, it does not support white feminism. White feminists are directly confronted with the problematic (and extremely damaging) nature of their actions in this book. While there isn't a lot of representation, the effect of systemic racism as well as the effect of apathetic and/or racist white people are clearly represented as not only negative but fatal.

Second, as someone from the South, I didn't see a big problem with the timeline. Even if the housewives seem a little old-fashioned for the 90s, I think Charleston housewives fit into the book pretty well. Either way, whether the timeline is right or not, sexism was a huge point of this book. It played out in person relationships and in the plot really strongly. This made the novel stronger, in my opinion. It humanized the trope of the housewife.

As with a lot of horror, the bad guy turns out to something bigger than just a monster. Here, the true antagonist is the sexist, racist, capitalist structure of Southern society. I think that's awesome. Paired with a great cast of characters, high tension and some comedic moments, I sped through this book. 

Exploring the arctic in the form of poetry that almost reads like entries in a logbook. Exploring also the meaning of the endless; eternity, endless horizon, endless whiteness. Exploring identity and love in this space of nothingness. Stagnation, technology, the political aspect of the polar landscapes. Climate change, extinction, death, memento mori of whiteness. 

This book completely changed and greatly improved my tarot practice. The information is invaluable. I did lower my rating because the frequent typos and editing mistakes--probably not the fault of the author herself. Highly recommend. I will keep this as a reference for as long as I read tarot. 

Douglass's dark times and eventual freedom make for an incredible story, both powerful for its personal significance as well as its cultural implications.