Review: The strange and beautiful sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

‘Magical realism, lyrical prose, and the pain and passion of human love haunt this hypnotic generational saga.

Foolish love appears to be the Roux family birthright, an ominous forecast for its most recent progeny, Ava Lavender. Ava—in all other ways a normal girl—is born with the wings of a bird.

In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naïve to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.

That night, the skies open up, rain and feathers fill the air, and Ava’s quest and her family’s saga build to a devastating crescendo.

First-time author Leslye Walton has constructed a layered and unforgettable mythology of what it means to be born with hearts that are tragically, exquisitely human.’

After I finished this book last night, I was lying awake for ages trying to write a review that would do this book justice, but I failed. Now that I had some time to think about it I still can’t find the right words, but I will give it a try anyway.

It’s just hauntingly beautiful!

‘Love makes us such fools’ is a quote from the book that probably sums it up perfectly. The book is about love, heartbreak and the scars it can leave in people’s lives. It’s about how the small things, the things unsaid and the foolish things we do, can change the course of our lives and the lives of the people around us.

It’s hard to sum up the book without giving away any spoilers. All I can say is that it is probably the most beautiful story I have read to date and I will without a doubt read it again and recommend it to everyone who asks me about it. Just don’t expect a typical YA novel about Angels, boy gets girl and happily ever after love. It is much more than that.
I know, this is probably the most useless book review ever and I was considering not putting it up on my new blog because it’s just not doing the book justice, but I’m going to do it anyway. So please bare with me, I’m new to this blogging thing 😉