Review Detail

PERSEPHONE'S CURSE is an enthralling YA magical realism story. The book follows Winter (Winnie) and her three sisters, who have long been told that they are descended from Persephone and her daughter, Melinoe. They are all teenagers now, and they are not sure if they believe the stories - but Winnie can see ghosts, mostly just Farthing women from the past, and Clara seems to know things about what will happen. All the sisters can see Henry, the ghost tied to their attic who plays Monopoly with them and has been there always as they grew up.

After Beatrice comes back from college early, the sisters feel off-kilter. When Winnie learns a secret that Evelyn is keeping, she does something she regrets, setting them on a course to uncover their heritage and change their worlds forever.

What I loved: This is a poetically written story with writing that feels ethereal and dream-like throughout. The sisters seem mythical in some ways with ties to Little Women that are spelled out in the story. That being said, it felt like they captured the nuance and challenges of sisterhood well. It is challenging but wonderful to belong and be seen so thoroughly, and these four sisters are all of that to each other.

While the story is told from Winnie's perspective, the reader gets to know each of the sisters through the telling, and they each felt unique and whole. The characterizations were absolutely fantastic, and it was easy to love and be consumed in the knowing of each of the sisters. The secondary characters were likewise compelling, including their aunt who tells wonderful stories and Maybe, the unusual young woman who works at a dark magic shop. Interestingly, Henry felt the least full and the most peripheral, even as he is in the middle of the story, and I found this perspective most intriguing with a focus on the women/girls.

Themes around friendship/sisterhood, love, magic and stories, inheritance/ancestry, forgiveness, and home were all really compelling. This is a story that wraps around the reader and sticks with them, even after the last page is turned. The ending was ultimately satisfying with the plot wrapped up nicely.

Final verdict: PERSEPHONE'S CURSE is a riveting and consuming YA magical realism about sisterhood that I highly recommend! This would work well for fans of THE HAZEL WOOD, THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE, and THE RAVEN BOYS.