Dark and Deepest Red

-1 because why did we go to the present?

4.5* « they held a knife to her back, and she had twisted it from their hands without them even noticing. » a book just as touching as it is enchanting! the writing is beautiful, and i loved reading through the different characters’ perspectives. i really felt for them, although i have to admit i was much more invested in lala & alifair’s storyline than the 21st century one. i would have loved to see more of alifair, actually, but maybe i’m just being biased. « we are aspen trees, you and i, you cannot tear our fates apart, even to save me. »

3,5 i think everyone needs to read this book at some point, really heartwrenching story

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

I do love the connecting future and past storyline situation but this like their other books just didn’t hit.

In Dark and Deepest Red, Anna-Marie McLemore excelled once again in crafting an emotionally engaging and beautifully interwoven tale on gender identity. Dark and Deepest Red is a lush retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Red Shoes". The novel is narrated from alternating perspectives of three characters: Rosella (a Mexican American girl), Emil (a Romani American), and Lavinia (Emil's distant ancestor). Through these narratives, McLemore weaves a beautiful story that also tackles various heavy subjects that are commonly experienced by marginalised groups. The standout of Dark and Deepest Red is definitely McLemore's refreshing and lush brand of magical realism. The poetic and visually appealing writing style gripped me early on in the novel, creating an atmospheric vibe to the backdrop. Something I really enjoy with magic realism is that the genre gives me a lot of space for personal interpretation and rooms for imagination. But McLemore's prose is breathtaking that I felt like I could also taste and smell the backdrop. For example the flowers and the fruits mentioned in the novel. I'll include a few quotes I love from the book below. I think these quotes not only had incredibly word-painting, they're also emotionally touching. Through proses like these, McLemore did a great job at emotionally engaging me with their characters and weaving their messaging in the storytelling! "It was the year the glimmer left blood on the rosebushes, and I dreamed of nothing but red staining the petals and twists of thorns." "If I wanted the kind of shoes my friends were wearing - shoes the might spark love, or inspire the making of midnight polvorones - of course I would have to sew them myself." "This was a dance as hard and violent as a possession. It had all the fury of vengeance." "Some dark star. A glint in a constellation that, as it moves across the crystalline spheres, brings misfortune and deadly magic." "It is bright as the red jewels of the berries studding the yew branches above them. It is the breath that stays between them as the sky grows dark and fills with the living sapphires of the stars." While I highly enjoyed the writing style, there are a few drawbacks in this novel. I think the biggest issue is probably the length of each chapter. It took me quite some time to completely engage in each character's headspace because the chapters are so short and the perspectives alternate throughout the novel. So I have found that I was engaging much more in Rosella's narratives than in Emil's narratives - partially because Rosella's chapters had more backstories while Emil's chapters are heavily dependent on the Lala flashback scenes. I think the characters would stuck with me more if each chapter is longer because right now the alternating perspectives felt a bit choppy at first. Apart from the pacing issue, Dark and Deepest Red is a lush and poignant fairytale retelling which explores both about gender identity and the experiences of being marginalised. N.B. this book contains the following triggers: blood, transphobia, racism, hysteria / madness, death, and sharp objects (3.5 stars out of 5)

DNF @ 50% ***2.5

Find my full review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads. McLemore always creates a world that is so atmospheric and haunting, one that doesn’t allow a reader to escape so easily. It causes the reader to truly think about everything that McLemore chose to include in that single novel, from the characters and their background, to the world that they are dropped into. Even if it seems like it’s somewhere on this Earth, there is so much more to it than it seems, and I feel like that’s truly the magic of McLemore and their writing.

Excuse me as I quietly sniffle and wipe my tears on the couch in hopes that my roommate won't notice that I'm crying. I'm very very glad that I liked this. I adored Wild Beauty but DNF'd Blanca & Roja, so Dark and Deepest Red was my test to see if I actually like McLemore of if Wild Beauty was just a one-off. While I definitely liked Wild Beauty more than this one, I still really enjoyed this and will absolutely be reading the rest of her novels So what's going on here? Dark and Deepest Red is told in a dual timeline. One is set in Strasbourg in 1518, following Lala and her aunt during the Dancing Fever that they would be blamed for if word got out that they were secretly Romani. Lala takes it upon herself to keep not only her family safe, but the boy she loves as well. The other timeline follows Emil, a descendant of Lala, and Rosella during a week that happens every year in their town where something magical happens. This year, the red shoes that Rosella's family makes compel those who wear them to do things they normally wouldn't have the guts to do. For Rosella, they make her dance in the same way those afflicted with the Dancing Fever did 500 years prior. While Rosella struggles to understand why she cannot stop dancing, Emil begins having dreams of his ancestor during her trial and knows he must learn about his family and Romani history, something he has made clear he does not wish to know about, in order to help Rosella before she becomes a danger to herself. What I loved Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. I loved so much about this. The timeline that takes place in 1518 was just so beautiful and magical, and incredibly atmospheric. Lala and Tante's fear was tangible, as was the love and longing shared between Lala and Alifair. Unsurprisingly the writing style was gorgeous, as is expected with anything written by Anna-Marie McLemore. I adored the characters from 1518, and that ending !! Oh my god. Actual tears. Completely unexpected and so moving. I also really enjoyed learning a bit about the Romani people. I admit I know very little about them, aside from the very basics of the unjust history they have endured, so reading bits about their beliefs and ways of life was really interesting and something that I would like to learn about (particularly their death practices). The ending of this book though, I really can't get over it, it was so beautiful. And the author's note too; I usually don't read (or in this case, listen) to the author's note, but for some reason I did this time and I'm very glad I did! What I didn't love I really wasn't a fan of the dual timeline to be honest. I had pretty much no interest in the present day timeline up until the last, I don't know, 5-10% of this book? It didn't captivate me whatsoever, I didn't care for the characters, and I actually found it to take away from my enjoyment from the 1518 timeline. Maybe it just wasn't executed very well for my tastes, but there were many times where I was really into the story, whether it be a suspenseful moment or something really emotional, and then all of a sudden I was transported out of that into a story that wasn't particularly interesting. I found it to be pretty jarring and usually didn't transition very well. There have been other books where I've enjoyed a dual timeline (I can't think of a single example right now but I know they exist), but in Dark and Deepest Red I really didn't think it was necessary to have it. The present day story didn't add enough to make it worth being taken out of the story set in the past. Overall thoughts Incredible. Magnificent. 10/10 would recommend. So close to, but not quite, perfection but close enough that this story will be held near and dear to my heart for years to come!

Really enjoyed this!

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can also be found here at Booked J. As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. If you've had the pleasure of reading Anna-Marie McLemore in the past, you know how magnetic and hypnotic the prose is in this novel. Everything about it paints an uniquely intriguing quality. I could get lost in Dark and Deepest Red; in this love story, in this world. Sometimes, we find books that remind us why we adore reading--this is one of those books. (It also was the perfect read for a hazy, rainy and overly chilly day.) As if Dark and Deepest Red wasn't appealing enough by the simple fact that Anna-Marie McLemore penned it, it is a retelling of The Red Shoes. Further, it features real historical events and cultural moments, as well as a spotlight the trans experience. McLemore's writing, and development, is rich and all consuming. The characters, the POV, the setting, the experiences--all tied into the prose? All signs point to a work of art. Truly. Reading this novel felt like a jolt of electricity to my veins. Reading this novel felt like someone had captured my heartbeat and translated it into a song. Each page lures you into it atmospheric setting and plotline, captivating you instantly and holding you in place. In short and without spoilers? Dark and Deepest Red is as compelling and vivid as one might expect from McLemore. I couldn't put it down and found myself longing for it to not end. If you are a fan of McLemore's past works, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this story. It is pure magic.