Review on Tea and Tomes 
 Ava Lavender was born with wings. But to understand her present, she must guide us through her past. Ava takes us from her grandmother's arrival with her family from France to New York City through to her own experiences. Ava explores the dreams and heartbreaks of her grandmother, mother, and herself. As she grows into a young woman, Ava longs for more than her sheltered existence. She ventures out into the world, even as she recognizes that world is full of dangers for a girl with wings. Ava invites us into a world where girls can be born with wings, but without the power to fly. 
 This was a slow build for me. At the start of the book I was enjoying myself. But I also was thinking too actively about the pacing for much of the time. When were we going to get back to Ava's story? Would there be enough time to fully explore her part? Had we spent too much time on backstory? I was thinking all of this even as I enjoyed the backstory, but the title tells me this is Ava's story. When were we going to get back to her? In the end, it was just as much the story of her grandmother and her mother. Ava got her due. And as a reader I got to see three stories, three generations of women, all heartbreaking in their own right, play out in a way that was wonderfully connected. I ended up loving that Ava was unable to tell her story without telling the story of the women who raised her. We were allowed to see how their past impacted their choices. This is powerful for me to read now, knowing so much about how my own mother's past has impacted my present. I think it would have been even more powerful for me to read as a teen when I had less perspective. 
 Because of the magical realism aspect of the book I did not expect to be as emotionally invested in the climax as I was. The characters were wonderful and compelling, but I expected myself to see them more as what they represented than as people. They were metaphors for larger ideas about love, heartbreak, and life in spite of it all. But when we got to the climax, I found myself crying. My stomach clenched. I started to feel just a little bit sick. This moment in the novel was intense. It was brutal and hard to read. It said a lot to say about human nature, and also how we treat women. The fact that it was not a surprise made it no less gut wrenching. Walton showcased some mighty powers here. But, be forewarned that it's tough. If you can be triggered by violence against women, you might want to pass. This book does not shy away from the hard issues of violence, sexuality, and the darker side of human nature, and it does it in a compelling, mature way that does not speak down to its readers. 
 This summer I read An Italian Wife which shared a lot of the same themes of growing up, having dreams, facing disappointments and broken hearts. The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender resonated with me much more. Both feature beautiful prose, although it should be noted An Italian Wife shares no magical realism. But Ava Lavender offered hope, even amongst the greatest heartbreak. And the beauty of it all felt more etherial. It still felt real and truthful, but in the poetic way it feels inside. An Italian Wife finds its beauty in exploring the gritty, ugly truth and exposing it. Both are fascinating in their own way. It's not really fair to compare them to one another, but their themes connect well, even as their endings take vastly different stances. 
 This is a great way for young adult audiences to introduce themselves to magical realism and transition into works such as Beloved. I'll admit that I'm not as versed in magical realism as I want to be. I haven't read One Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera, though you can bet they're on my list. I'm glad that The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is joining the ranks.