I really enjoyed the concept and how the characters were used in this time-period, it had that element that I wanted and enjoyed from the description. I thought the overall concept worked in this universe and how the feel worked in the 1817 and the modern-day period. I enjoyed the intertwined element and how it was used to tell the story. Micheliny Verunschk was able to create a strong storyline and thought the translation worked overall.

I am at a loss for words after reading this book and if you know me, then you know this is a rarity. The writing left me reading sentences, paragraphs sometimes whole pages over again just so I could stay tightly wrapped in the words which transported and left me wholly changed. The tale so timeless and heartbreaking yet although set so many years ago has much really changed? The story of a girl, a boy, a family, a village and the all knowing invaders that come to “teach” them how to live correctly. The Queens disciples who saw people as trade items. Taking kids away from their homes so they could what? Show them off to teach people in other parts of the world how backwards they were? I will never forget the story of the little girl who in her earliest years communed with the jaguar and became otherworldly. I am just not yet ready to close this book so in another very rare move I will go back now and reread beacause she deserves no less than this in her remembrance.

There is power to be found in the voices we choose to amplify – the voices that were stolen from many indigenous women. The third person perspective sets this apart as a mythological fairy tale that shows the darkness that is hidden with stolen women. The story of people who are treated as a science experiment to be looked at and their stories are treated as dispensable. Verunschk sheds light on what they were trying to say while everyone else was too busy letting them be stolen from their land. This is a fast-paced read that really shows the beginning of generational trauma that is passed down a lineage.
The fast-paced nature of this translation had me craving for it to be longer. I would have loved to see the tension in their perspectives being written throughout the narrative. I think more time would have made this more profound to send that message along. The concept is a great way to tell the story about what their voices looked like but it lacked the depth needed to really get there. I would like to see some improvements in the language to truly draw out that suspense and character building. Still a great read to give a chance to! This overall contributed to my decision of a 3.5 out of 4 rounded up.
This is a translation and I feel some of the language was quite simple but still effective. The third person is what really saves this narrative and I think brings it to light. The original is in Portuguese and I am unable to compare the versions – but this still was effective. What does it mean to try to belong in spaces that were meant for you to stand out and never fit in? The standard is defined by those who have stolen what does not belong to them. You really get into the psyche in depth as you explore what happens to two children stolen from Brazil. The metamorphosis of the jaguar was my favorite part. Thank you Netgalley and W.W. Norton & Company for this advanced digital copy.
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