Seatbelt sign is on for the entire ride, folks. Sky Daddy answers questions you probably wouldn’t have thought to ask, and in ways you absolutely wouldn’t have expected. I found the story to be surprisingly engaging and pretty thought provoking. Going into the read, I was looking for a smooth brain experience and a little bit of steam. Boy was this a raunchy thought exercise!! I also really wish someone had witnessed the many facial expressions I couldn’t help making throughout the read - the most common was:

I was kind of surprised by the relatively low average rating this book has, and I think it may be partly due to people going into it with the wrong expectations. This book isn't about a haunted house mystery: it's about the relationship between two women. Or, rather, it's about the relationship between two girls who, as they got older, grew apart.

Who is Mayra? The title character of the novel is one of those two women. She isn't our protagonist, and yet she is the strongest presence in the book. She overshadows Ingrid (our protagonist), the haunted house, the surrounding marsh. This book is about Mayra, about Ingrid's "friendship bordering on obsessive love" with Mayra, and about the effect Mayra's presence had on her life and on the formation of her identity.

As tends to happen with horror, don't expect clear answers and a tidy tied-up-with-a-bow ending. Mayra and Ingrid's relationship is messy, shifting, destructive yet liberating. That is what this book wants to portray and express: a female relationship in all of its complexities, unsaid truths, hurt, and love.

This is also definitely a slow burn: the plot only really moves forward in the last 75 pages, but up to that point this is more of a character study than anything else. As a fan of haunted house stories, that is maybe my only complaint: although I loved the book as a whole, including the parts that were purely focused on Ingrid's feelings about Mayra and their relationship (so, most of the book), I do wish the haunted house element had been stronger and more present throughout the story.

Don't get me wrong, there are multiple scenes before those last 75 pages that clearly let us know that something out of the ordinary is happening, but the intensity and fear only ramp up at the very end. This also makes the ending feel a bit rushed for some readers. I was satisfied with the ending, but I do love horror that doesn't give you everything on a silver platter but rather has you think and interpret the story as you go, without too much explicit help from the author. Which is to say, that semi-open endings don't really bother me as long as they make sense with the story, and I think this one did.

Some aspects of this story reminded me of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (I wrote a post about it here). Other aspects also reminded me a bit of Bunny by Mona Awad, mostly in the nearly symbiotic relationship between Ingrid and Mayra and the weirdness of the atmosphere. The writing was also very strong, with good prose and a clear voice that I quite enjoyed.

All in all, I thought Mayra was both an interesting and a fun read, with surprisingly good writing (especially for a debut!) and an emotionally complex story to tell. If you think you might like it based on my review, I encourage you to give it a go. I will definitely read whatever the author publishes next.

4.75 rounded up

I've read all of Kitasei's books so far, and I think she's getting better and better with each publication! This is her first book not set in space, and excuse the silly pun, but it definitely feels the most grounded (🥁).

My favorite part of this book is the character development of each of the sisters and their relationship with each other. I'm a sucker for stories about sisters, and this book delivers in spades. I even teared up a little! The flashbacks felt so natural and seamless, and each little memory felt like something that would seem insignificant to outsiders but extremely important to those experiencing it, just like in real life. I also loved how each sister had their own POV, and we could see the different ways each sister saw herself and each other. Some of the flashbacks were also mentioned in multiple POVs, but each time added a different layer and meaning to the memory. I feel like I related to each sister in different ways (Skipper's insecurity and longing for more, Carmen's resentment and need to feel useful, and Nora's hunger for knowledge), which really made them feel even more nuanced and real. Their interactions with each other also felt so layered and realistic, from their bickering and insults to their unconditional dedication and sacrifice. Their bickering also added some much-needed humor to what is mostly a fairly heavy story.

The worldbuilding was also so seamless, with information only explained if it was relevant to the story or characters. The world this book takes place in feels so realistic in a mostly depressing way, but the interesting thing is that it's mostly a backdrop for the story of these three sisters. This could technically be considered a dystopian, but it actually felt fairly hopeful to me with its focus on family and the little things people do to better their own lives and those that they love. I also thought it was interesting that the countries were never named (though it seemed to be implied that the sisters are from the US), allowing the readers to fill in the blank with the brief mentions of geopolitics. It's just another way for the worldbuilding to be a vehicle for the character development rather than a huge focus. I also love that this book inspired me to learn more about agriculture in the real world and how a few major corporations have a monopoly on seeds.

The main weakness of this book is the plot/mystery. I wouldn't recommend anyone pick this up for the mystery itself as it's all fairly straightforward. I was still 100% invested in finding out what would happen next, but mostly to see how it affected the sisters. I wasn't really surprised by any of the reveals but that actually didn't feel disappointing due to the lovely prose and character development. I loved the bittersweet ending and how it really showed the growth of each of the sisters because of what they experienced throughout the book.

I'm looking forward to whatever Kitasei writes next, as this book has cemented her becoming an author whose books I will always pick up!