The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore (review)

Iridescent scales mark the back of sixteen-year-old Lace’s body, as they mark all female members of the Palomas, a family of traveling performers that earn their living by pretending to be mermaids for paying tourists. Black feathers fall from the hair of the Corbeaus, including eighteen-year-old Cluck, who constructs the feathered wings that make the spectacle of his family’s acrobatic dances in the trees seem even more magical. The two families have a decades-old rivalry, one so strong that it moves Lace’s abuela to kick Lace out of the family after she is rescued by Cluck during a chemical plant explosion. Believing that Cluck has cursed her, Lace seeks him out to lift the scourge but instead finds herself falling in love with him, and together they uncover the cause for their families’ deep-seated hatred. Lush, elegant language, peppered with Spanish and French phrases, lends this romance an ethereal feel well suited to the book’s magical elements. Behind the fantastical details is a realistic backdrop that reveals the decidedly non-magical secrets behind the families’ shows and the human error that causes the plant explosion. The contrast reflects Lace and Cluck’s relationship; alone, their passion transcends their families’ history, but the interference of the real world leaves their affair broken and unmoored. Romance fans will know, however, that true love overcomes any obstacle, and they’ll be enchanted by Lace and Cluck’s journey towards each other.