"This story had almost been lost. How many other stories had been lost, because no one thought they were worth saving?"

Dang if Anne Ursu hasn't done it again. How she manages to weave these stories about struggling against patriarchy and the core fears of being female in a male dominated society into fantasy for middle graders is nothing short of astounding. It's definitely because these are themes that speak to the soul I think, but how she is able to make them both comprehensible and empathetic to her target audience is truly a feat.

This is a book about girls who are being denied thought, voice, and belief, and the men telling them it is for their own good. (It even has a line about gaslighting in it that is a pun that had me snorting. Well done, Anne.) I love Marya as a character and narrator. I felt all of her confusion and pain and fear wholeheartedly. I also really love that the girls in Rose Hall became a solid team, despite the system created to turn them against each other. So. Deep.