Natashia Deón

Fascinating premise, but poorly executed. This book felt like two disparate plots barely strung together.

The historical fiction elements were well done and I was fairly invested in the life of Lou in the 1930s. However, the speculative fiction elements were not tied into the rest of the story well. For the majority of the book, Lou only gets hints that she is an immortal - her lack of memory, strange dreams, and rapid healing - with no real idea what they mean. But rather than a gradual build-up, learning more about what she is and what it means for her, they remain a minor part of the story until suddenly, in the last fifty pages or so the story pivots to focus on this plotline heavily.

All at once (view spoiler) It didn't make for a satisfying ending both because of the pacing issues and because it felt like it came from a different book than the rest of Lou's story.

I still thoroughly enjoyed the historical fiction aspects and some of Sarah's reflections on her life, but it was too much of a letdown to give above 3 stars.… (altro)