never has a book been more true to the first line of its marketing blurb

Not the Naomi Novik I know 😭 what happened to all her beautiful prose? I didn't expect her writing style to change so much with the shift to YA. Really interesting magic system & world building but just drowning in exposition. I felt like I was following the threads of a rambling teenager's diary...which perhaps was intentional?

I would not have made it through the first half if not for the audiobook. The second half is stronger once Galadriel started interacting with other people and the plot picked up. I'll be reading book 2 with the hopes that it keeps improving.

I love an Agatha Christie mystery, and it's normally a comfort read for me, so when I saw I hadn't read or heard of this book, I was surprised and delighted. Now I see why it's a lesser known work 🥲

The usual cleverness with which the crime & deduction is conducted was entirely missing. Instead, this felt like watching an Austin Powers movie, but without the satire...

The number of times Poirot mentioned the "little gray cells" really became grating and the orientalism was oppressive.

I listened to the audiobook for Michelle's narration (which I loved for her other books), but the topic of this one is better suited to where you can see photos of her outfits (😅 seems obvious in hindsight). This did not read like a memoir but rather a collection of essays/interviews with her styling team.

The author's note in the beginning is a must read 🥹

Gothic novel meets Nigerian family saga meets reincarnation myth, this book is very different from Braithwaite's debut My Sister, the Serial Killer but equally as successful. She brings a refreshing, distinct authenticity to every genre she approaches.

Having just read Rebecca and now revisiting Cursed Daughters 4 months later in this review, I'm struck by the similarities to the gothic canon. Instead of a rambling English mansion, we have the Falodun house. Built generations ago, the house hold memories and heartbreak, serving as a retreat for the Falodun women after the family curse bites down, and their marriages fall apart. Eniiyi is haunted by Monife, who has left her imprint on the house and on Eniiyi herself, since everyone always says she looks exactly like her dead aunt.

Braithwaite adds to this mix magical realism and West African witchcraft. The dialogue and cultural context is uniquely Nigerian, as the characters navigate tribal prejudice and intergenerational family dynamics. I found the portrayal of witchcraft especially interesting as it reminded me of stories I heard while living in Kampala, where every few streets had a poster advertising a witch doctor.

Ultimately, this story asks questions about fate and the agency of women. The conclusion feels revolutionary in our patriarchal society.