This was so well written. I was engrossed from the first page and it ticked all the boxes of my expectations. The character development was excellent. I would definitely recommend to others, a must read!

I gave this a two out of five stars. I lost interest while reading this. It was pretty boring to me and I didn’t care about the characters.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for giving me access.

This had all my favorite things; historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy. The Gifts is a complex novel with many layers. We follow multiple POVs, each with their own story and you can't help but to become invested in them. That being said, this one may better off be read as an audiobook to better differentiate between the POVs, but would still recommend giving it a try.

AHH! I am so thankful to Liz Hyder, Sourcebooks Landmark, NetGalley, and so many more for sending me both a physical copy and digital access to this twisty thriller before publication day which is April 25, 2023.

TW: animal cruelty, pregnancy losses, torture

Umm...it was interesting for awhile but then it didn't really go anywhere? There was no explanation, it just ended...is it even worth 3 stars? Probably not.

This was a good book, told in 5 different point of views, four of which are women, it also takes place in 1840, so if you enjoy your historical fiction with a little bit of mysticism then this would be for you. Etta, a biracial young female is out in the fields looking at various plants (she has an interest in botany) when she suddenly sprouts a set of wings. Mary another young woman lives with her Uncle Jos (who isn't really her uncle) in cramped quarters and hears about an Angel that had been dragged from the Thames River, she immediately starts to investigate (she's a budding writer). Edward, a doctor, had also heard about the Angel and had purchased the body from the person that found it, the body is of a female that has wings, he decides to dissolve the flesh and make a skeleton from the bones. Alice is Edward's wife, a gifted artist she is in the process of creating a painting of Edward, one that may make him very unhappy. Natalya is an outcast from her village and has journeyed to London in search of her cousin who she hopes will help her settle, she finds out that her cousin had passed and finds herself all alone, she's in a church one day when she suddenly sprouts wings. All of these points of view are very engaging and enjoyable, the whole story reads very quickly, each chapter is only a few pages long. The ending was brilliant and I would highly recommend. Thanks to #Netgally and #Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC.

This story has so much to offer: a dark gothic 19th-century feel, strong feminist protagonists, and magical realism as more "angels" appear.

A greedy (nasty) surgeon and four women tell this story. And while the characters are all interesting and well-written, I struggled with the separateness of their perspectives.

I also do not handle animal cruelty well, and the surgeon proves to be a vile man to all his "subjects." That is probably why he is a fitting villain for this tale.

The book delves into themes of greed, faith & science, as well as, class and power. While I would have enjoyed more of the fantasy element, I can understand the author wanting to maintain a strong historical atmosphere.

Thank you @bookmarked for the gifted book

Have you ever read a book and felt completely unsure about what you just read? That's sort of how I'm feeling after reading The Gifts. This book is a mix of historical fiction and fantasy that follows several different women in 1800s England as they confront societal views and pressures. I wanted to love this as it has many of my favorite things...fantasy, historical fiction, women confronting the patriarchy, etc., but something about it just didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

Let me start with the positives....

I really enjoyed the mix of science and religion in this book. We have a villain who is a scientific mind, but becomes convinced that God is sending him signs. The more he comes to believe that he's divinely chosen, the more he loses sight of logic and his morality. I thought that was explored well and in some ways relevant to some of the conflicts in the world today.

I also appreciated the look at women's roles in society. We have four strong, smart women who are basically held captive, sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally, by society's wants and needs. I thought this depiction was quite accurate to the times.

I also commend the author for coming up with a unique way to discuss medical development and experimentation in the 1800s. This is a concept that is explored a lot (The Way of All Flesh and Anatomy come to mind as recent examples), but this book takes a completely different approach. I didn't always love the choices the author made, but she certainly can't be accused of repeating previous narratives.

That said, there was a lot that didn't work for me..

While I love the idea of having four different women narrating the story, I felt that it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Occasionally, the POVs sound too similar and at times it made the story a bit clunky.

There are some pretty graphic depictions of animal abuse and experimentation on a dog. I understand that that might be authentic to the times that this book is set in, but it sort of crops up (at least the first time) with zero warning. I'm not even someone who is particularly squeamish, but had I known that scene was coming I'd have skipped over it. While I get that the author was trying to show who this scientist was ethically, I don't really think such detailed scenes of animal cruelty were necessary. I think it was used for shock value more than anything.

The elements of magical realism (the women sprouting angel wings) were interesting, but only explained in the vaguest of possible ways. There was some insinuation that the wings crop up due to extreme emotional duress, but it's never explained how or why. Is this an act of God? Is this a genetic anomaly? Why does it only happen to some women instead of all women who have suffered severe trauma? I wish the book had gone further in explaining what was happening.

The previous paragraph is quite funny when you consider that otherwise, the telling and explaining was quite heavy handed. We are spoon fed a lot of details about the setting, the characters, and the villain. It's only when it comes to the magical realism that the flow of information dries up. This is one of those cases of the book telling not showing overall.

And the conclusion...I got through the entirety of this book hoping that something profound would happen at the end to save it, but it was a fade to black for the most part. It sort of felt like the author was unsure of how to explain this magical element, so she just avoided it by giving us a vague ending.

All in all, if you enjoy historical fiction about the 1800s with magical realism elements, you might enjoy this one.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Liz Hyder, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the E-ARC of this book. This in no way affects the objectivity of my review.

I was so excited about this book, the premise and the comments from fellow reviewers. I was not ready for so much animal cruelty in the first few chapters. It stopped me in my tracks and I could not pick up "The Gifts" again in fear of more of that.

I'm usually a pretty hard core reader but perhaps it's an example of Liz Hyder's writing skills that the killing of dogs hit me so hard. Could not get past it.

Short synopsis: Set in the year 1840 in London, a dead woman is found in the Thames with wings sprouting out of her back. A renowned surgeon is given the woman, and he believes he’s been given a gift from God.

My thoughts: This is not at all what I expected from this book. I anticipated a woman given special powers, not a man dissecting women with wings. Beware, there are lots of triggers in this: kidnapping, unmedicated surgery, abuse, animal abuse.

What I liked: I liked the uniqueness of this story, it’s a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, magical realism, and literary fiction. I haven’t read anything like it before. I liked the women trying to break the barrier of what was expected of them and making strides towards women’s rights.

What I didn’t like: This was long and very slow paced. It took about half of the book for my interest to be piqued. There are quite a number of characters and perspectives and it took me a bit to really understand the characters and how they blended together.

I did a mix of audio and physical reading of this, I will say the audio was very well done. I liked that the character’s name was voiced at the beginning of the chapter so we could know whose POV the story was referring to. I do wish that I’d started this via the physical reading, I think I would have maybe learned to understand each character better that way.

Read if you love:
- Blend of genres
- Medical advances
- Womens rights
- Historical reads
- Multiple POV

Had the potential to be incredible (mix of fantasy + historical fiction) but the writing was too slow paced to keep my attention unfortunately. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

In the English countryside in October 1840, rumors of a "fallen angel" start to fly after a woman is seen stumbling out of the woods, giant wings on her shoulders. A surgeon desperate for fame becomes obsessed with the situation, and that obsession puts both him and the affected women in terrible danger. Narrated from five points of view, this is a slow-burn, gothic, magical realism tale that will spellbind readers.

This book was so good. The story and the characters were so well thought-out and written. I love books with multiple POVs and each character has a different storyline but they are all intertwined at some point. It was a bit slow-paced at times, but this is definitely a book that is hard to put down once you get into it. This book is full of strong and powerful women. Unfortunately, due to the time period, the 1800’s, they weren’t allowed to be strong and powerful.

One of my favourite parts of this book is the bond that develops between Etta and Natalya. Two very different women, from two very different lives but find themselves in the very same unique situation.

This being historical fiction, it touches on how, at the time, doctors were known for experimenting on basically whatever living or nonliving being they could. From animals to insects and even humans at times. This is a prominent plot in this book.

The Gifts is plugged a fantasy themed historical fiction from the perspectives of a handful of women.

Our time frame is the height of the medical boom in Victorian England. Where religion and science have come to a head and extremism in both factions can make for some spectacular discoveries and horrors.
Edward is a surgeon budding into the upper echelons of society when he comes across something that will guarantee his place in the world for him and his wife Annie.
A woman with wings, An actual angel. Not does he find one, he finds more. His hubris that God has surely chosen him for greatness by allowing him to find these creatures is really the main meat of the story. Its simply how his actions effect the others.
The structure of the story isn't terrible but its not as smooth as it could be. I found myself meandering through the book until the last 20% or so before it really held any true interest. Even knowing what I know about the practices of the medical field in this era there is a scene roughly 10% in that I seriously considered not even bothering to finish the book. (killing of an animal). It added absolutely nothing to the story and was expressed in other ways in the book that could have left the entire scene out.
I can see where many people might like this but this particular book did not work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Source Books for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a beautifully written book with elegant prose and brutal subject matter. It truly seems like things are the complete opposite of what they should be at times in this book and that's what makes it so utterly perfect.

The Gifts is a multi-genre book that contains a bit of everything. The crux of the story is that real women have mysteriously grown wings for no known reason and at the enter of them all is a surgeon who is obsessed with making a name for himself. Edward is this surgeon. The further he goes into his "research" the madder he seems to become as he believes the "angels" have been sent to him because of some favor he has from God above. Along with Edward, we also meet his wife who is being shoved further and further away from him each day to make room in his heart for his true love - - medicine and science.

There are several other characters as well that all tie into the women with wings and/or the doctor or his wife. It's definitely a situation where someone either knows someone or knows someone else who will know them and it all seems to connect together into one huge and messy puzzle.

I felt that the meaning behind this book was probably deeper than I realize. But for me the takeaway was that people often look to the magic of things on the surface and don't look any deeper to what someone or something truly represents. They are often afraid to speak their minds and it's the unspoken. words than can cause harm.

I really enjoyed this book. It flowed smoothly like a slow moving body of water and I felt filled up when I finished it. It was a true pleasure.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narration for this book was fabulous. The variety of voices that were accomplished was simply stunning and a true "performance" in itself. I found it quite enjoyable and no issues keeping up with the multiple characters. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the e-book and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to review both of these and the opinions contained in my reviews are my own.

Liz Dyer has created a compelling novel, an intriguing mix of historical fiction, magical realism, and feminist fable. Five characters narrate the story, set in 1840 in Victorian England. Etta, a member of the country gentry, has ambitions to become a botanist. Natalya is a gifted storyteller driven by disgrace, grief, and loss from her home in Orkney to seek a new life in London. Mary, a budding young writer, struggles to support her uncle and herself in London with odd jobs until she discovers journalism. Edward is a very ambitious surgeon who dedicates himself to success, no matter the cost. Annie, a talented artist married to Edward, fears for her marriage after 3 years of childlessness. When a body is found in the Thames River, an incredible winged woman, Edward buys the corpse for his scientific experiments, not realizing the impact his actions will have on the lives of all the characters. The threads that connect the characters are well delineated by Dyer and advance the plot to a dramatic, fitting conclusion.

Dyer manages to address multiple themes - love, friendship, gender, race, science, religion, obsession - with skill and effectiveness. Her women characters grow and use their creative gifts to break the societal chains binding women of the Victorian era, finding new hope and freedom. Dyer's novel will appeal to historical fiction fans, especially those who appreciate the struggles of women to gain rights and freedom.

#TheGifts #NetGalley

A beautifully written novel blending several genres together.
There were many subjects discussed in this book that though written in the past are present today.
I found this book to be a slow burn but I enjoyed each chapter and each characters point of view

This book initially got my attention because I love historical fiction and I wanted to branch out into other genres too, fantasy being one of them. This turned into one of the most disturbing reads for this year, possible ever.

The cruelty in this book, to humans and animals alike made me want to stop reading several times. Edward was absolutely wrapped up inside his ideas of grandeur and what he saw as his mission from God. What kept me reading is hoping he would see sense. While that didn’t happen the way I thought it would, I have to say that part was good.

One of my favorite characters was Natalya. The stories she told within this novel were fantastic.

Etta, Mary, Richard. I wanted to see how their stories ended too.

I have seen a few people say that this book will be one the reader either loves or doesn’t. Sadly, I fall into the does not like category.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the copy of this book. All views are my honest opinion.

It’s book review time. This month, I decided a little fantasy might be nice, mixed with a bit of historical fiction which is outside my wheelhouse. The Gifts by Liz Hyder was released yesterday (the 25th) from Sourcebooks Landmark. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it.

The Gifts follows a number of different characters on their journeys until it becomes clear how they all fit together. A woman who doesn’t really know what kind of man her husband is. The husband who doesn’t realize how far he has fallen in his path for righteousness and riches. Two women who lose everything before they can find themselves. And another young woman who follows her heart in an attempt to find her calling. It’s a story of fates intermingling and the strength it takes to look at the world even when you don’t like what you see.

So, I went into this book knowing that it was told from five different perspectives. That’s a lot, but manageable. What I didn’t know was that it’s written in third person omniscient, which means that we get thoughts and feelings from pretty much every character mentioned in this story. I hate this POV because it causes unnecessary confusion and is almost always a cluttered mess. This particular book has a few confusing moments, but it’s fairly good about separating people and their thoughts/feelings. It still seems cluttered, though. If you are wary about this POV, I admit this is one of the better examples of it that I’ve read, but I’m still bitter that I chose something with it. This is definitely a me thing.

For me, the pacing was slow and things were super repetitive. This seems to be a trend in most of the historical fiction I’ve read, so I don’t really know if it’s a pro or a con. I don’t care for it. I wanted to skip a lot of it. Is this something people enjoy? Being told basically the same stuff over and over? And then the ending feels rushed, even though it’s actually nicely paced, because everything else was so slow.

The characters were an interesting mix. I would’ve liked to learn more about Natalya. Her and Mary were my favorites. Annie and Etta came across as too perfect and didn’t really have any room to grow. I was a little annoyed that all the men were douches. Even Richard, though I don’t think he was supposed to be. The only male character with any hope of being a decent human being is Charlie and he’s just a kid. It was weird. I get the book is about tearing down the patriarchy and all that, but there should be at least one likeable dude.

The writing was nice. There were some lovely images and a few lyrical places. And there were grotesque places at times. Even though the book was long and slow, the writing made it a smooth read.

Ultimately, The Gifts wasn’t my cup of tea. Most of my issues with it were me problems, but I liked the writing, so I wouldn’t turn away from another book by Hyder.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Maybe 2 and a half. If you’re into historical fiction with a little fantasy splashed in, check it out. Otherwise, you’re not missing much.

In a Nutshell: A historical fantasy written in literary fiction style. Won’t work for every reader due to the slow pacing and the writing approach, but I liked the plot. Triggers galore!

Story Synopsis:
1840, England.
Etta: A young woman of mixed parentage, Etta is dealing with the grief of her pet dog’s passing when two huge wings suddenly rip themselves from her shoulders.
Edward: An ambitious surgeon, Edward is tired of being under the shadow of his best friend Samuel. When an opportunity possibly leading to fame and fortune comes his way, Edward knows he mustn’t let it go.
Alice: Edward’s wife and hobby painter, Alice knows Edward is up to something, but can’t get him to reveal more.
Natalya: Cast out from her community, Natalya is making her way to her cousin in London, unaware of what lies in store for her.
Mary: A poor but clever young woman, Mary finds herself investigating a weird rumour in London about the ‘Angel of the Thames.’
How the lives of these five characters get crazily intertwined forms the rest of the bizarre plot.
The story comes to us in the third-person perspective of these five characters.

Bookish Yays:
😍 The unique plot, combining historical fiction and magical realism in a literary writing style. When it comes to magical realism, over-explaining kills the fun. The author reveals just enough details to keep us invested, but doesn’t explain/justify the reasons for the fantastical elements. This keeps the magic alive.
😍 The story covers some excellent themes, especially highlighting how the craze for science and the obsession over religion can have common roots. Both are a wait for a ‘Eureka’ moment, a miracle. Usually, one is based in logic and the other in faith. But this book depicts how an overlap is possible. It becomes quite thought-provoking.
😍 Surprisingly for a historical fiction work, there are many strong female characters. The leading ladies are all shown realistically (limited by the men in their lives), yet they aren’t doormats. They create their own space, and can fight for themselves when the time comes.
😍 The 1840s atmosphere is convincingly recreated. (With a feminist twist, of course.)
😍 I rarely have a soft spot for foreshadowing, but this book uses it effectively. I liked the hinted tidbits that sealed the gap between scenes without disclosing major spoilers.
😍 Mary’s arc was my favourite as it contains all the necessary ingredients for a memorable character and an impactful track. Her rapport with Richard is charming. The other women’s arcs are also quite well-written. Most of the secondary characters make a mark in their limited roles; only a few are stereotypical.
😍 There is a minor homosexual track. Though mainly hinted at, I still loved how it was woven seamlessly into the plot.
😍 The ending worked very well for me. It didn’t force a perfect solution; rather, the plot led itself to a believable culmination.

Bookish So-Sos:
😐 I enjoyed seeing the scenes from five different points of view, four of which were women. The third person narration ensures that the proceeding is somewhat easy. However, five perspectives automatically means plenty of characters and, as the story progresses, plenty of interconnections as well. It takes some time to remember who is who. Moreover, the switch in character perspectives sometimes happens too often. Though this isn’t too confusing because of the third person, it takes some time to get attuned to.

Bookish Nays:
😟 While slower pacing is to be expected in a character-oriented novel, the progress drops almost to a standstill in the middle. For an almost 450 page book, this is a substantial hurdle as it creates a dip in the interest level.
😟 There are a few highly triggering scenes concerning dogs. While a couple of these scenes might have been essential to detail the nature of that specific character, the rest felt forced in. This might be traumatising for sensitive animal lovers, so proceed with caution. I had to zoom through those sections because it was too much for me, but I also didn’t want to keep the book aside. Furthermore, there are dark scenes connected to the medical procedures of those times.
😟 While I am okay with the magical-realism bits remaining unexplained, I did want an explanation of the realistic parts of the plot that were left hanging. These weren’t major loopholes, but they stuck out like gaps in the jigsaw.


All in all, I enjoyed this unusual historical fantasy. If you like character-oriented novels, don’t mind (or can skip over) triggering scenes, and have no problem with multiple perspectives or magical realism, do give this a try. As the long list of ‘ifs’ indicates, this isn’t a book for everyone.
I must add that this is a novel to be read, not heard. With a mix of long and short chapters, multiple characters, and interlinked arcs, this won't be a comfortable audiobook even if you are an attuned listener.

4 stars.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Gifts”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.