Weight of Feathers

The Weight of Feathers – Anna-Marie McLemore – St. Martin’s Press Thomas Dunne – Published 15 September 2015

♥♥♥♥♥

Synopsis

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find.

Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she’s been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

My thoughts

A bird may love a fish, but where would they live? Reading The Weight of Feathers was like entering another world, part fantasy, part dream-like childhood holiday and part small-town romance, with just a tiny bit of Shakespearan Romeo and Juliet thrown in for good measure. And yet it felt like something out of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was the perfect combination for an intriguing, magical and original novel. Absolutely breathtaking.

Continue reading