This book was quite a surprise for me. I don't usually dive into memoirs, but this one really caught my attention. In the beginning, I felt frustrated with Tara's parents, particularly her father's strong ideals. Then the way he treated her mother after she became the birthmaiden also didn't sit well with me. I even found myself really upset when Tara didn't choose to go with her grandparents. But I guess it’s unwise of me to expect much of a conditioned child.

However, as the story unfolded, my perspective began to shift. I started to realize that sometimes, it's challenging to grasp the choices people make until we've walked in their shoes. Family dynamics and the weight of generational expectations became clearer to me. Yet despite this newfound understanding of mine, I couldn't help but still feel anger toward Tara's family at various points in the story tho.