I absolutely loved this book. The fantastical writing style is amazing. There were many interesting twists in the story, like "When American soil could be seen from the ship, the passengers breathed a collective sigh of relief so strong, it caused a change of direction in the winds..." The magic was incorporated perfectly. For example, one of Emilienne's sisters transforms herself into a bird to attract the attention of an ornithologist. The plot was well done and, because of the omniscient third person narrator, the book feels a little like a myth. I really liked how Ava's, Emilienne's and Viviane's stories were all going on at the same time and how the stories were resolved,
This book wasn't just a book about Ava; it was about her entire strange family. All of the characters had interesting histories. I really liked most of the characters, and the marvelous writing takes you along on their emotional roller coasters. I enjoyed the intricate backstory for almost every character, as well as the house in Seattle. I would recommend this book for teen readers who enjoy magic realism and complex books.
