Interesting premise and characters that drew me in right away. However I almost abandoned the book due to a particularly upsetting section describing cruelty to a dog which put me off. Despite this, I am glad I completed the book as I did enjoy the female characters and their development. Recommended to readers who enjoy historical fantasy. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

The setting and multiple POVs really sold this story for me. It was well-rounded, immersive and entertaining from beginning to end. Recommended!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for a honest review.

I don't like to DNF a book. But I had to with this one. I just didn't feel as if it the story was going anywhere. In fact, I couldn't even really concentrate on the book which led to me just being confused.

I just want to say this is my personal review. The book just was not my cup of tea

The Gifts by Liz Hyder it’s like the loudest person at the party you’ll either love them or hate them. I read this book last year and because it is rare I never read a book I can’t find something to like about it I waited to give it another go due to how much I disliked it. Maybe dislike it’s too harsh a term I just didn’t jive with the book and having read most of it a second time I watch again found myself confused not following along it is broke up into sections as opposed to chapters and I guess I just totally missed the whole point I didn’t get it and I think the second time I enjoyed it less than I did the first and I feel bad saying that because Liz Hyder is definitely a talented author and so don’t want to disparage her talent I think the problem lays more with me then with her in the book. Not every book is going to be for every person and The Gifts definitely isn’t for me. I want to thank Sorsa books landmark and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind a dictate my review.

Rich historical detail and bold speculative storytelling meld beautifully here. A touching story that expertly balances the known and unknown, questions answered and unanswered.

This book was just not for me. I can't handle animals being harmed, so that did it for me as well as being just too slow of a burn.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This was a really neat concept for a novel. I loved the interplay of religion and science in a fantasy setting and the ways the plot and characters here made you think.

I devoured this book. A mix of science, religion, myth, feminism, and magical realism, The Gifts grants the reader a unique journey back to 1840 England. Who are these angels suddenly sprouting their wings? And to what lengths will they go to free themselves from than man who would keep them captured for his gain forever? The time period was so vivid, I could taste and smell it. From the cold winds knocking me atop a racing public coach, to my itchy costume mustache, to the fetid air in a moldy stone basement, each scene came to life with all that is beautiful and ugly. Full of memorable and spunky strong female characters for the time, this book serves up a gift of historical girl power.

My only criticism is they there is not a clear why and how disclosed. I would have liked a smidge more science myself, but that fantastical leap is left up to the reader to discern.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I unfortunately had to DNF this read. I really liked the beginning however as I got further into it I lost interest. I still would love to try other books by this author and publisher. I also think that if I revisit this book at a later time it might be better for me. I don't have a rating at this time so the two star rating has to do with liking the beginning then losing interest.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I feel like the discussion revolving around science and religion is a constant topic in our society. The Gifts explores this topic when women spontaneously grow wings from their bodies. The color of their skin and their religious beliefs are moot, what do they do now? And what does everyone they encounter do in reaction?

Of course, in our patriarchal society there’s a man waiting in the wings (pun intended) to profit from this remarkable phenomenon. This man, a religious surgeon struggling to make a name for himself, doesn’t even take into consideration that these women are humans worthy of independent thought. Not chattel. Who would think they’d like to make decisions about their newly altered physical existence?? 🙄

I really enjoyed the overall themes of this historical fiction fantasy, but the pacing is a bit slow at times. If you’re a historical fiction and fantasy fan and like character-driven novels then I’d recommend this one. Just be prepared for the slower bits.

I received an eARC and ALC of this book courtesy of @netgalley @sourcebooks and @dreamscape_media and I thought the audio version was quite good! The narrator, Tuppence Middleton, did a great job of keeping to storyline moving and engaging the listener.

A slow paced, fantastical read. I love how the five lives intertwined and found it to be thought provoking.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In late 1840, a young woman staggers through a Shropshire forest as a huge pair of wings rip themselves from her shoulders. A surgeon, desperate for fame and fortune, becomes obsessed with her and is amazed when he discovers more creatures like her. But his obsession threatens his marriage and the specimens he hopes will save her. It's up to a female journalist to solve the mystery.
I appreciated the message that each person has Gifts they can use. The reminder prompted me to identify and use my gifts.
While women played a big role in this book, men still saved the day. I didn't like that.
The five different perspectives were confusing at times. But I loved the short chapters! And the writing style is engaging. I could see the drama and eagerly wanted to find out what happened next.

In 1840s London, a surgeon acquires something that could make all his dreams come true: the body of a woman with wings growing from her back. All he needs is a live specimen, and there are rumors of other women sprouting wings. Meanwhile, his artist wife is coming to terms that their marriage is not all she hoped it would be. Her husband keeps secrets and lets his ambitions rule him. They've also yet to have the child she desperately wants. A storyteller is making her way to London after being disowned, hoping to find her cousin. An aspiring botanist is struggling to break into the field due to her gender and race, alone except for her faithful dog. A young woman takes up journalism and begins to hear stories of an angel pulled from the Thames…

Told from multiple perspectives, the Gifts weaves a story that combines historical fiction and magical realism beautifully. It had a slow start and came off a bit cluttered at first with all the perspectives, but I really do recommend sticking it out. The storytelling and characterization is remarkable, and more than makes up for its slower start.

This really felt like multiple stories rolled into one, but they were all so effortlessly combined. The chapters were short and snappy, providing little glimpses into each character’s narrative and then moving the story along. Although there were many characters, there was not a single perspective I would have cut from the novel. This was a poignant and heart wrenching read, and is definitely one of the top contenders for my favorite read this year.

Trigger warnings: animal abuse, imprisonment/captivity, suicide, miscarriage/stillbirth.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me a digital galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I feel as if I quite literally had to drag my brain through this book.

It feels unedited, both by the author and the writer. There is also some very descriptive animal violence, this may turn away some readers, especially considering that there is no warning prior to beginning this novel, that this is something we should be prepared for.

a beautiful story with some engaging scenes

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

The Gifts is a book about two competitive physicians in the 1800s, one of whom stumbles across a women with a set of wings. As the book progresses, several more women develop wings. I thought the premise sounded interesting and I love a good historical novel with magical realism or fantasy elements!

Oh man. Where to start? Well, first of all there are a bunch of different perspectives that changed way too fast for me and it was very hard to keep up with who was talking and what was going on.

Second, there is a very descriptive act of killing a dog at the beginning of this book that almost made me DNF it right there. It's done in the name of science but I found it very graphic and honestly wish I could delete it from my mind because I keep thinking of it at random times. I honestly wish I did DNF the book because later, women are kept captive and are also described in terrible conditions. I don't think that I'm a super sensitive reader, but these plot elements really bothered me.

If that's not enough, I didn't connect with the characters at all and the plot was super thin. I ended up skimming a lot of the book and wish I DNFed it sooner to save myself the time. The premise was cool but none of the other elements helped bring up to anything that I was interested in reading.

I do not recommend reading this book because I found it very upsetting. I'm giving this book one star because honestly wish I hadn't read it, if only because of the death of the dog. While this wasn't my cup of tea at all, if you are more into gore, morally gray or immoral characters, and old-timey medicine, you might like this better. HUGE CW for animal abuse, though. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the electronic advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a great read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

Dark, yet hopeful, fantasy set in the Victorian era. In The Gifts, we follow four women, disparate, but connected by fate, and the man whose actions bring them together. Etta wants to be a botanist, but is disregarded by most, and lives a solitary life in the caretaker's cottage near her family home. Natalya, a storyteller, is also alone, cast out by family and traveling to London to hopefully find a fresh start. Mary, an aspiring journalist, lives with her uncle Jos, who had taken her in after the deaths of her parents. Jos' recent struggle with alcoholism leads to Mary having to fight to keep them afloat. And Annie, an artist, lives with her husband, Edward, an up and coming surgeon with dreams larger than his means. These four women, each with their own gifts, are drawn together by unexpected and magical circumstances. But powerful women are always held back, in this case by Edward, the doctor with dreams of grandeur and a serious God complex.

First off, content warning for animal abuse. I hate reading about it, though I get why it's included, to help set the stage for some other despicable events that occur later in the novel. Other than that, I was immersed in this vivid historical fiction piece and the magical realism within. Though the very beginning was a bit confusing for me with the changing pov, each of the protagonists have their own unique voice, and it became clear as the story progressed. I loved Etta, Natalya, Mary, and Annie, and sympathized with their struggles. And as you would expect, despised Edward. The small romance element was sweet, not integral to the plot, but enjoyable nonetheless. The setting is realistic, and it feels like this could have truly happened in the Victorian era, with history none the wiser. The ending perfectly wraps up the story. Though on the longer side, the short chapters make this novel easy to digest. Well worth the read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

I gave this a two out of five stars. I lost interest while reading this. It was pretty boring to me and I didn’t care about the characters.