Queer Book Review: Rivers of Eden By R.E Levy

 

Rivers of eden

 

Rivers of Eden. ARC. Genre: historical fantasy/fiction. 

Queer scale: Flaming. Enjoyment level: Alright.

Rivers of Eden, was set in 1890 in Dakota Territory, however the book doesn’t really mention this except in the description on the back cover. Honestly, it may have been better for my enjoyment if that had not been known, as the description having a more nebulous ‘past date’ would have meant any of the small inconsistencies in the setting, would have been easier to gloss over. Also I know authors have this problem all the time, where the cover artist clearly did whatever they wanted, but I spent a big portion of the book confused over the author’s descriptions of the main characters and the differences on the cover! It probably doesn’t help that the main character, Margaret isn’t really described until you get much further into the book, yet Emma is described on the second page.

This brings me to the actual story. The two women, Margaret and Emma are in love with each other. This is very apparent in the first chapter. 

    However, it is confusing once you hit chapter two, because Margaret is now married to a man, joseph, and has a child. There isn’t much to explain the sudden time jump and it’s a bit jarring. Back to the first Chapter the women do some sort of ritual, and we aren’t really sure where they learned this spell, or what it’s supposed to do. They don’t seem to know why they are doing it other than Emma really wants to do it. These events seem like they are implied to affect the rest of the story, but the reader isn’t really sure if these later events are related to this first chapter. If they are, for example, then why didn’t the bad things happen before Margaret get's married or before she’s had a child?

However despite the above complaints. I enjoyed R. E. Levy’s insight into Margaret’s mind and her thoughts throughout the book. If you are looking for a wlw with a predictable ending, this is a wonderful short read!  And honestly, having more Queer books is something I truly want! For an author to put themselves out there and self-publish a book it's a wonderful thing worth supporting!

So if you would like a copy or are intrigued by the description above, here is where you can find the author:

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