More of an invisible companion’s pov on a relocation than an adventure tale. Investing enough that I kept picking it up & finished it, but not engrossing enough to keep me from putting it down & walking away for a few days. (Good for a few-chapters-at-a-time-read vs a binge-it-all-read). The antagonist is overly clear but the character development of everyone other than that person is well done.

This was an interesting read but an absolutely brutal one. Very bleak so read with care, especially if you’re Jewish, queer, disabled, or a woman.

Enjoyed it just about as much as I expected to. LOTS of words that were unfamiliar to me as an American English speaker. Reading it on my kindle, it was frustrating that many of the words didn’t have entries in the dictionaries available. BUT there is a glossary at the end that I discovered after reading the whole thing.

Pacing is a bit odd. The beginning is meandering w/ a lot of minor interactions documented and then the last five or so chapters area a whirlwind of major events.

Gruesome and ugly in a way that feels appropriate for the time period. 

Surprisingly little to do with the actual plague beyond it being the reason that the group must travel to outpace the pestilence,  The ending twist was frankly unnecessary and didn’t really shock me. 

CW: ableism, antisemitism, homophobic hate crime, suicide by hanging, traumatic childbirth scene, age gap sexual encounter b/t master and apprentice, some medical gore

A solid audiobook for background noise while I was cooking. I actually really enjoyed this overall, it wasn't anything life-changing but I quite liked that, really well written though. Plus the twist at the end I actually wasn't expecting.