Blanca and Roja

Blanca and Roja are sisters, born to a family line cursed to have two daughters only to have one taken by los cisnes, the swans, in the chosen daughter's fifteenth year. While they were born opposites, natural rivals, they refuse to accept that one day they will be parted. Instead, the pair does everything they can to make themselves as similar as possible, hoping to confuse los cisnes. "If the swans can't tell us apart," Blanca tells her sister, "they can't decide which of us to take." When the time that a sister is usually taken has passed, Blanca and Roja start to believe they have succeeded...until, finally, the swans appear.

The sisters are left alone in their house while los cisnes decide who they will take. Roja, with her show more bloodred hair and sharp edges, knows it is she who will be taken, but when she is attacked while confronting the swans, a bear comes from the woods to save her. The bear, however, is not what it seems--not a bear at all, but a boy from town named Barclay, who had gone missing not long before. Suddenly the sisters find their fates entwined with those of Barclay and his best friend, Page. Will los cisnes succeed in dividing the sisters forever? Or will the bonds being built between this foursome be enough to break the spell, free the sisters, and release Barclay and Page from their own prisons?

While I did dock a star because the narrative was difficult to follow at times, overall I thought this book was amazing. The characters were well developed, and it was fascinating to read about the del Cisne family traditions and experience this fairytale from a new cultural perspective. I especially love watching Roja, Blanca, Barclay, and Page evolve after the boys come into the sisters' lives and their relationships develop. This was such a unique reading experience, and if you're a fan of fantasy, fairytale retellings, #ownvoices stories...pick this title up. show less

4.5 star rating.

This was stunning. It was a whimsical and poignant modern fairy tale while also being this beautiful story of friendship and love and what it means to have stereotypes and expectations forced on you simply for existing as you. Who knew a retelling cross between Swan Lake and Snow White & Rose Red could be so damn good.

The atmosphere, the representation, the writing.... UGH Anna-Marie's MIND. Her power. I need to read all of her other novels now.

Student Review by: Hayley K (12th grade)
Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism
Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Good
Review:
Blanca & Roja tells the tale of the del Cisne family, who have been burdened for generations with a curse that transforms their daughters into swans. The swans are merciful and only take one of the two sisters (there are always two), leaving the favored sister as a human while the unfortunate sister is forced to exchange her skin for feathers. Two del Cisne sisters, Blanca and Roja are polar opposites in many ways, but they hold a strong love for one another and try to manipulate the swans to break the curse. The sisters’ plan seems to be working until Yearling and Page, two local teens who went missing in the show more woods, get thrown into the game ultimately entwining the fates of all four of them.
Blanca & Roja has elements of the fairy tales “Snow White and Rose Red” and “Swan Lake” centering around the concept of trust between people in stressful situations. The story is told from the points of view of Blanca - the protective and beautiful older sister, Roja - the wilder younger sister, Yearling - a boy who transforms into a bear for a period of time, and his friend Page - who is gender non binary. Although the alternating POVs can help progress the plot quickly, most chapters were short and the POV switches made it hard to connect the plot between the shifting characters. The relationship between Blanca and Page was well done with Blanca seeking to understand and accepting Page’s fluidity of gender identity. My ultimate dislike for the book was due to the slow pace of the plot making it feel as if the chapters kept dragging on. The chapters also felt like fragments to a story, making it difficult to follow along with the progressing plot. The book does work as a stand-alone and makes you cherish the bond Blanca and Roja have.

Recommendation: If you love fairy tale retellings, this one might be for you. show less

diverse teen romance with fairytale elements (Latina main characters and LGBTQA interest).
I generally like all of McLemore's books, and also liked this one, but I felt it was a little bit less successful because of how similar all of the narrative voices were--I had to keep checking the chapter headings to see which sister was speaking. It wasn't a huge deal, but for someone that generally has trouble with names and telling characters apart, it was a significant thing that I remember about the book.

I loved that one of the love interests was of non-binary gender (Page identifies as a "boy" but also feels that both "he" and "she" pronouns fit them most of the time), and the story also included lesbian grandmothers. The del Cisne show more aunt/cousin from a previous generation that was a trans-female was also a nice touch added to the background of the family curse. Also appreciated: the conversations about consent before kissing (and more than kissing).
I also loved (though others may not) that there was a noticeable amount of menstruation talk in here. For something that happens on a monthly basis and that half the population does not have the luxury or convenience of being able to ignore it, I have so rarely seen it openly talked about in books. show less

I adore this book. The prose is gorgeous, and the book has a lush, poetic feeling to it. I love the relationship between the two sisters. However, I did not find the romances very compelling, and I thought those portions of the book were weaker. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes fairy tales, or magical realism.

I received a copy of Blanca & Roja from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blanca & Roja is filled with gorgeous, lush prose, tender sisterhood, and a spark of queerness. I really enjoyed it; the story tugged at my heartstrings, and was enjoyable to read. It was, however, a slow read for me because of lyrical, metaphoric way in which it is written. The writing is beautiful, but not to be quickly skimmed.

"My hope for you, reader, for all of us, is two sides of the same wish: that the world gives us each the space to write our own story, and that we leave room for each other's stories. They are where our hearts survive."

Once again, McLemore's lush prose kept me turning the pages.

But, this time around, the story didn't click for me. Maybe it was the constantly shifting POV among Blanca, Roja, Yearling, and Page. Or maybe it was the short chapters (sometimes only a page long), which made reading feel choppy rather than fluid. Or it could be the source material ("Snow White and Rose Red"; "Swan Lake"), so even though this retelling had compelling parts, I just didn't connect deeply enough with its whole.

I'm still glad I read Blanca & Roja, show more and I would definitely recommend it to fans of fairy-tale retellings and magical realism, especially anyone who identifies as transgender and/or genderqueer, or someone who loves or cares about someone who identifies as such. Or for readers looking for stories that center Latinx characters within this genre. McLemore really does write beautifully inclusive stories.

3.5 stars

Notes to self:

"But I've always known it was earlier than that. And not just because the colors of girls are decided before they're born, though that's something I know to be true." (Page)

"There was no room for me to ask to be called both him and her. There were already too many people who thought I was just a failure as a girl. They wouldn't listen long enough for me to say that I had never been one. I was a boy who had to bear the same assumption so many girls endured, that I was simply the wrong kind of girl." (Page)

"When it came to our garden, no one knew better than Blanca that beautiful things so often choked things trying to grow." (Roja)

"The ugly duckling's great surprise was not the moment he saw himself in the pond. That came later. The moment of his greatest shock was when the swans embraced him, took him into their flutter of wings. It was the moment they made themselves his family. It was when they recognized him before he recognized himself." (Page)

"For me, the point where fairy tales and magical realism intersect is this: We find what is beautiful in what is broken. We find what is heartening in what is terrifying. We find the stars in the woods' deepest shadows. Snow-White and Rose-Red are not just sisters growing up in their mother's garden, but young women pushing back against what the world has decided for them." (Author's Note)
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