Review: When the Moon Was Ours

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
Grade: B-
Release date: October 4, 2016
An ARC was provided by St. Martin's Griffin via a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for review consideration.
Summary: To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. 

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: I got to be on the blog tour for Anna-Marie's debut, The Weight of Feathers, last year, and I fell in love with her words. I didn't realize how much I'd missed her way with words until I started reading When the Moon Was Ours earlier this month. 
I'm not sure I liked WtMWO as much as TWoF. There was something about the Bonner sisters that rubbed me the wrong way. I'm also not into fiction with witches (or implied witches). I know magic is a big part of magical realism, but it felt different in this book in a way that I didn't love. (So it's probably nothing wrong with the book; it's just personal taste.) I liked Aracely and her relationship with Miel; it's not a mother-daughter situation, and it makes a lot more sense once you find out certain things that I won't spoil. Sam's mom is a quiet gem. I was a bit wary of her for a while, but she's great. 
There's a bit of swearing (some s-words and at least one f-word), and some descriptions of foreplay. Nothing terribly explicit. There is a triggering scene if you're sensitive to potentially suicidal thoughts.

The Verdict: Absolutely gorgeous cover. Lovely words. I'm iffy on the rest.

Buy: Read Between the Lynes  Barnes & Noble

Will I be adding this book to my library?: Not sure yet.