Book Review: The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

Name: The Strange & Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Author: Leslye Walton
Number of Pages: 301 in Hardcover
Published: March 25, 2014 by Candlewick Press
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Historical Fiction, Romance

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.

I featured this on my October Random Reads and decided to read it right after Winterspell. I can’t even remember when I got this for I have hauled a lot of books lately. I’ve joined Random Reads so I could read all the neglected books I’ve got. When I first see this, I am so intrigued by the cover and I recalled, I assumed that this is another one of those Angel books that’s good versus evil stuff. Then, I realized “Hey wait. Wings of a bird you say?” Not so Angel I thought.

The writing is so amazing. Mesmerizing even that I can’t afford to put it down. This really hooked me. This is something new for me basically because I’m used to reading high fantasy books. It was like reading an old best friend’s diary (Not that I’m going to read my best friend’s diary. LOL) or like watching an intense teleserye (TV drama series from the Philippines). I’ve experienced a riot of emotions when reading it. The book elated me and then broke me into pieces at the same time. Well, it did break my heart for most part. The plot is a little confusing though since it flowed through generations of a family. It started with the great grandmother and father up to the most recent children, but I got over that quickly because I was pulled into a bizarre, but definitely intriguing and tragic family history. I can’t even find the right words to describe how I feel when I’ve finished reading it or find words to let this review be sensible enough. I just love the book. Really.

The POV is with the main protagonist Ava. I love her. She’s gone through a lot like her great grandmother, grandmother and mother. I think I sound stupid. LOL. She’s charming and broken, if I may say. The rest of the characters are so note worthy too. Ava is the main one I believe, but this mostly include her grandmother and mother’s struggle through life. I really think you should read this so you can relate to all the characters since words won’t be enough for me to really dig in deep with each. Their family actually has gone through a series of unfortunate events that’s pulled together with some magical force. A lot of heart break that rooted from loving a person, from wanting to be love and from refusing to love as well. So there. Love is the root of all heartbreak.

“Love makes us such fools.”

I’ve read this a lot from the book, from several of the characters and I know that this is true somehow. The feels of this book really got me. Further discussing it would lead, I’m afraid, to spoilers so I would zip it right there. It will ruin the mystery of the book. 😀

I recommend this for all readers who would want a book with so much FEELS in it. This is an easy read, but I nearly cried from a lot of parts.

This is definitely a five star ♥