Sarah McCarry

When a sudden discovery upends her fiercely ordered world, Tally sets out on an unexpected quest to seek out the reclusive musician who may hold the key to her past--and instead finds Maddy, an enigmatic and beautiful girl who will unlock the door to her future.

A Novel

About a Girl

I have to say I don’t know the first two books. While reading I didn’t have the feeling I have to know them? I understood the book perfectly, I’d say.

Anyway, on to the review. I like Tally’s character but it took some time. At first I thought of her as cold and rather conceited. At first I thought it would be a story about finding love, little bit family drama, you know the drill. Just your everyday-problems. I was so wrong! The first half more or less was exactly that. But then. Oh yes, but then. I don’t want to spoil so I won’t say anymore about this.

You may wonder why I have ‘only’ given 3 stars out of 5. The reason is I was sometimes not exactly bored but on my way to being bored. Sometimes the writing was a little bit wordy. And I have to be honest, I would have liked to get to know more about Shane. Shane’s character was the one I was interested in the most but he is more or less a side character. Since the book’s told out of Tally’s point of view and she doesn’t know what’s going on with him, the not knowing is okay.


I got the e-copy as an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

 Bruna Acioly Leão

*4.5*

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

How do I even begin to talk about this book? It was so incredibly weird and it had all the makings of a book that would go totally wrong, but somehow, for me it went right. The writing was beautiful and poetic, the story was full of mystery and dark romances and Greek mythology references that kept me wanting more at every turn. It was one of those books that don't quite have a solid conclusion, and it was frustrating but at the same time it was satisfying. If that makes any sense.

Anyway, first let me try to summarize what the story is about. This is the third book in a series, but I have not read the first two books and I do not think that is required, since each of the books is based on a different set of characters. They are different generations of a family that is deeply affected by forces of magic that are hard to explain. This book follows Tally (and she is the daughter of one of the main characters from the first book), a girl who wants to be an astronomer and after her eighteenth birthday goes on a quest back to the home hometown of the mother who abandoned her to discover her origins.
There she discovers a town that is deep in mystery and magic, a man who may or may not be her father who is trying to forget the past, and a girl who may or may not be a monster, who helps Tally discover her own self. 

That's a good as I can summarize it anyway. Among the things that I loved about this book were: the beautiful writing, the flow of the prose, which kept me reading on and on. The way the author wasn't afraid to experiment. As readers we tend to seek concrete answers to everything in a story, but that's not always what happens in life, or in art. Even or main character, who sees herself as a scientist, starts out wanting everything to be rational, and comes to realize that not everything in life can be explained. I do feel like I was able to connect to Tally, even if the other characters were a bit outside of my understanding.

I also loved the diversity of the characters: most o them are non-white, non-convetional, there is a transgender character and the main character is bisexual (among others). So if that's something you're looking for, there you go.

All that being said, I do think that if the story had been more clear or had it been broken down into a couple more chapters (the whole things is just huge chunks of text with almost no break, seriously) it would appeal to more readers. I would recommend it, but take it with a grain of salt if that's the kind of thing you don't like. This book worked for me, but it really isn't for everyone.

I'm not sure I'm that interested in reading the previous books, though maybe they would shed some more light into the overall story arc (anyone who has read them, please let me know).

Jessica 

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As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

If there is one thing you must know before picking up a novel written by Sarah McCarry: it’s that her writing is extraordinarily unique and real. She makes sure that her descriptions are on point and that nothing is left out. Everything is well thought out and planned and while it shows promise in her writing it sometimes come off as cold and dull and there were more than a few parts in the story I had to sit it down because I got bored. In all the good qualities of her writing, it’s often at the back of your mind that it’s very ramble filled. I have a bit of mixed emotions on this book because as good as it was in its highlights, I felt like I wanted more from it by the ending.

As for her characters? They are intelligent and intense in all the right ways; so very realistic in terms of their personality. I promise you that upon reading her works, you will feel a great deal of emotions towards her characters (good and bad) and the plots that follow, even if the outcome of it all disappoints you in one way or another. About A Girl feeds on your curiosity and brings you into the story instantly. One thing I found particularly good about the story is how often it reminded what it’s like to be a teenager; so curious, so hormonal, so sure of yourself and unsure at the same time.

About a Girl A Novel

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