I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Dark, but propulsive. There are so many trigger warnings that I didn’t properly prepare myself for, including rape and child abuse. It’s not a book that I could pick up at any time, so it took me a while to finish––I had to mentally prepare myself to read. However, what an incredibly unique book featuring magical realism through the lens of Filipino Folklore! This was my favorite aspect of the book, because it was told through the perspective of Aswang, a spirit that must finish its quest before it can move on.

Also, this is an incredible accomplishment for a debut!

The best book I ever wrote! Ha! Netgalley wants me to review the books in my queue. I'm told this review must be at least 100 characters long so I will just continue on to say hello to my most amazing publisher.

This book was such a fierce read. I had to make sure my head was prepared for the gripping writing and visceral detail. Such powerful voices narrating a harrowing ordeal that is full of mysticism, history, and memorable characters.

I love finding books that I've read through NetGalley in real life. I recently found A Tiny Upward Shove by Melissa Chadburn and Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig (both of which I really enjoyed) at Owl's Nest Books in Calgary.
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A Tiny Upward Shove is about a woman who wakes up as an Aswang (a mythical creature in Filipino folklore) after being murdered by Willie Pickton, the serial killer. Read this one if you liked The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka and if you can stomach really graphic descriptions of violence (definitely check the trigger warnings). As one goodreads reviewer put it "whoa. this is the darkest, saddest, awfulest, most unbearable story, but it is so very real and so important."

DNF at 58%.

Clearly well-written and thoughtful, but so difficult to read. Just a never-ending saga of abuse, which is the point. It might wrap up in a satisfying ending, but I can't bear to read the rest to get there.

I wanted to like this. I liked the diversity and the idea, but I was sitting in a creative writing workshop during my senior year of college where everyone was sharing their stories and trying to get into Iowa's creative writing workshop.

I just don't think this one was for me. It was too graphic and dark for me to be able to really want to continue reading it, although I see the merits and catharsis in reading this type of fiction. I just couldn't this time. Thank you for the early access.

Hooolllllyyyyy moly you guys this book.

I cannot believe this is a debut. It's amazing and awful and magical and gritty and I always love love love books that include folklore. This is by no means an easy book to read, but it is incredible and dark and rich and if you love those things you should pick this up.

Thanks so much for the review copy!

I struggled to finish this book. It was extremely graphic and nuanced. It took a lot fo work and focus to finish because of the heavy topics and excruciating detail. While i am usually ab le to handle graphic detail about rape, violence, drugs, etc i found this book too much to enjoy - be aware.

i want to start by saying, i really enjoyed what i read of the book so far; so this “certified snoozle” is a dnf and not a 0 pup rating.

i am half filipino and i grew up hearing stories about aswang (pronounced: “uh-swung”; in the stories i knew, the aswang is a vampire like creature who preys on pregnant women and children)

so when i read the description of the book on netgalley, i was ready. i started reading the book and i loved it right from the start. the first few chapters set the tone for what an aswang is in the context of the story and the generational creation of this family’s curse. as the story continued, it was told through the eyes of the deceased marina salles who, herself, has become an aswang. it is told in two voices: the young and living marina who carries us through the story of her life and how she dies and the angry and transformed aswang marina describing the life of her killer before they meet and searching for him after he’s killed her with the intent to kill him as well.

as you can imagine, the story has a deeply intense plot and, while i thought the writing was beautiful and steeped in a familiar culture, the content was way too much for me to continue. i found myself exhausted reading through a few pages and wanting to find anything else to take my mind away from it. i think in the context of everything else going on and with the anniversary of my diagnosis and everything that comes with it, it was just too much to bear.

will i try to come back to it? yes. definitely. i want to go back and start over. read the book through in its entirety because it has the potential to be a book i would greatly enjoy. but it is definitely something i need to be in the right frame of mind for.

… now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some reading to do.

I was interested to read this having lived in the Philippines. But I will be honest, I should have known it would be a bit dark for me. I had a hard time pushing through this book

When I first read the blurb for this arc I was immediately interested in what I thought would be a fascinating look at Filipino folklore and culture. What I got was a raw, visceral read that can only be described as haunting. While beautifully written, it is the kind of book you have to drink in small sips, for as the story unfolds, the subject matter gets more harrowing and harder to swallow. Trigger warnings abound; child abuse, domestic abuse, neglect, rape, drug use, and the somewhat fictionalized tale of the true serial killer Willie Pickton.

In the same vein as My Dark Vanessa, My Absolute Darling, and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, the emotions this debut evoked forced me to pause every few chapters as I craved a mindless distraction of scrolling Instagram to reset my heart. The beauty of my life is that I recognize the privilege I have in doing just that, unlike the women portrayed in this novel.

The story is told through the POV of an Aswang, once the body of an 18 year old “throwaway” Marina who was murdered on a farm in Port Coquitlam, but now a spirit that can access all of her memories. She weaves the heartbreaking story together of how Marina came to be the person she died as, while the spirit must decide if she will take Willie’s life or honor Marina’s greatest desire; become an agent of justice or mercy.

Simply put this is an unforgettable story and I’m blown away that it’s a debut. Chadburn is a powerhouse of an author and has created a work of art that puts a magnifying lens on all that we prefer to look away from. Life is gritty, and dark, and Indigenous women continue to go missing or are murdered, and this story pays homage to those who have died. If you haven’t heard of this book or author yet, I have a feeling you will after it’s pub date April 12.

Thank you NetGalley for this powerful arc.

I absolutely loved this book. I adored how folklore and heritage was woven into modern storytelling to creating such a truly compelling narrative. The characters were interesting and the structure of this novel was unlike anything I've read before. A truly impressive work.

What I liked about it is the plot. The story is gut-wrenching and highlights the issues of domestic/child abuse, rape, violence, drugs, and neglect. The story from the eyes and perspective of the aswang is interesting. What I didn't like about it is how some Filipino words are just inserted in here and there, although, I find the usage of the words without explanation refreshing.

I had to walk away from this book for a period of time not because it was a bad, poorly written book but because the skillful, staccato like telling of the story’s horrors became overwhelming for a time. Unlike a bad book that you close and never intend to return to, I always knew that I would come back and finish it. I am left with so many thoughts at the end about childhood and it’s legacies especially now when we seem to be on the cusp of the promise of more undesired births. This brilliant writer has offered up lots of food for thought. It is not such a done deal that an unwanted child can just be offered up to the arms of a loving family. Is there a back story that would break your heart if you knew it about the down and outer that you walk by on the street or pass in your car? Maybe better to have a charitable thought rather than look down your superior nose.

I only vaguely knew about the subject matter of this book before going in, and I think it's definitely one that deserves a more detailed understanding of trigger warnings before beginning. Because, dang, this book is dark.

I knew it revolved around a girl named Marina and her killing by a serial killer in Canada, but I didn't realize how much darker and sadder the story would get as it delves into Marina's past and how she wound up at the hands of such a horrible man. And while so many horrible things are told within these pages, Chadbum writes with tenderness, understanding and hope.

Outside of subject matter, I did have a bit of trouble getting into the story. It took maybe 30% of the book for me to start getting into it and reading at a steadier pace. I think Chadbum's writing just didn't connect with me as much as I wanted it to. And maybe also had to do with the fact that a lot of the early narrative is about Marina as a young girl (below 11ish), and I feel like I don't enjoy narratives that focus on young children as much. When she got a bit older, I got more interested in the story.

I also thought the story might be a bit more mystical (and lyrical in the writing), so I think that threw me off a bit.

More of a 3.5 for me, but definitely one to pick up if you're interested in the premise!

CW: Graphic rape, murder and child abuse.

A Tiny Upward Shove is an ambitious novel that intertwines Filipino folklore, murder, and the lasting traumas of the unwanted and forgotten women of the world. Marina, a prostitute, is murdered in the opening pages of the book by Willy Pickton (who is based on a real serial killer of the same name). At the moment of her untimely murder, an Aswang is called forth by her ancestral heritage. In Filipino folklore, an Aswang is a shape-shifting, mythical creature that attaches its spirit to a family for seven generations until it fulfills the unfinished business of the afflicted.

But how did Marina get there? Selling tricks to score another hit? This story is not a simple narrative of her life, but a deep look into a flawed system and a fractured humanity that led to another nameless murder. The author oscillates between the story of Marina’s Aswang seeking vengeance for her murder and the events that led to that singular moment. The brutality of the narrative doesn’t consume the reader, but rather penetrates the façade that every child is wanted and cared for. This is not an easy read, but it feels like a necessary one.

A completely different type of book, I enjoyed the fantasy and the Filipino folklore, traditions, and rituals. It wasn't easy to read about the rape and murder, but it all culminates in an amazingly beautifully written story. The beauty of the spirit, the aswang, which needs to finish its quest to allow the soul to move forward is one that is enthralling.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishing house for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for honest feedback.
3 stars
It took me a while to actually get into this. I loved the theme but i don't think the writing style is something i look for in books i read.