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A review by megsbookishtwins
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
4.0
disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
On the eve of her divining – the day she will discover her fate – Lil and her twin sister are captured by the evil Boyar Valcar. They are taken far away from their traveller community and into the hands of cruelty and slavery. Lil and Kizzy are forced to work in the castle kitchens where Lil learns about the Dragon, a terrifying figure of myth who takes girls as gifts. When Kizzy becomes one of these girls, Lil will stop at nothing to get her back.
trigger warnings: threats of sexual assault, mild horror, gore, kidnapping.
The Deathless Girls is a feminist retelling about the three brides of Dracula. Gothic and atmospheric, Kiran Millwood Hargrave weaves a magical story about revenge, survival, love, and sisterhood.
One of my favourite things about The Deathless Girls was the sister dynamic between Lil and Kizzy. The two were in conflict with how to survive. Lil wished to be quiet and meek to not attract attention, do what they say and stay alive where as Kizzy refused to go quietly – she put up a fight, she was bold and defiant. I loved how this affected their dynamic.
I loved the culture and heritage shown throughout this book. Lil and Kizzy are Romani travellers and it is shown in a very much respectful manner which I loved.
The Deathless Girls is very much a slow paced novel, and while it features vampires it isn’t really about vampires as they actually play a very small role in the novel. It is the story of sisters and of their love and of their pain and suffering but also of their revenge and their power. It isn’t Dracula’s story, it is Lil and Kizzy’s story. If you go into this expecting a supernatural horror novel you will be dissapointed as it features a much more subtle but a more prevelant horror – being a woman in a violent world where the threat of sexual assault it always there. It is an everyday horror. It is a beautifully written and atmospheric novel.
The Deathless Girls also features a f/f romance, which I wasn’t actually aware of until I read it so that was a pleasant suprise. The romance wasn’t as well developed or as fleshed out as it could have been, but a nice romance nonetheless.
Overall, is a atmospheric novel which I highly recommend.
On the eve of her divining – the day she will discover her fate – Lil and her twin sister are captured by the evil Boyar Valcar. They are taken far away from their traveller community and into the hands of cruelty and slavery. Lil and Kizzy are forced to work in the castle kitchens where Lil learns about the Dragon, a terrifying figure of myth who takes girls as gifts. When Kizzy becomes one of these girls, Lil will stop at nothing to get her back.
trigger warnings: threats of sexual assault, mild horror, gore, kidnapping.
The Deathless Girls is a feminist retelling about the three brides of Dracula. Gothic and atmospheric, Kiran Millwood Hargrave weaves a magical story about revenge, survival, love, and sisterhood.
One of my favourite things about The Deathless Girls was the sister dynamic between Lil and Kizzy. The two were in conflict with how to survive. Lil wished to be quiet and meek to not attract attention, do what they say and stay alive where as Kizzy refused to go quietly – she put up a fight, she was bold and defiant. I loved how this affected their dynamic.
I loved the culture and heritage shown throughout this book. Lil and Kizzy are Romani travellers and it is shown in a very much respectful manner which I loved.
The Deathless Girls is very much a slow paced novel, and while it features vampires it isn’t really about vampires as they actually play a very small role in the novel. It is the story of sisters and of their love and of their pain and suffering but also of their revenge and their power. It isn’t Dracula’s story, it is Lil and Kizzy’s story. If you go into this expecting a supernatural horror novel you will be dissapointed as it features a much more subtle but a more prevelant horror – being a woman in a violent world where the threat of sexual assault it always there. It is an everyday horror. It is a beautifully written and atmospheric novel.
The Deathless Girls also features a f/f romance, which I wasn’t actually aware of until I read it so that was a pleasant suprise. The romance wasn’t as well developed or as fleshed out as it could have been, but a nice romance nonetheless.
Overall, is a atmospheric novel which I highly recommend.