Book Review – The Change

Author: Kirsten Miller

DISCLAIMER.

1. Trigger Warnings. Should you desire trigger warnings, please seek them out.  If you do not know where to look for said warnings, I found this article from Book Riot to be a helpful starting place.
2. Spoilers. I apologize in advance, but there may be some small spoilers.  I try to limit discussion to information found in the back cover copy.  If you are sensitive to spoilers, you may want to skip My REST section.  

SETUP.

From the Publisher: Three women with unexpected new powers take matters into their own hands to confront the evil lurking in their wealthy beach town.

MY WHY; or, What I Thought I’d Like About This Book.

An girl gang on the cusp of menopause and life changes with potential magical abilities. Yes, please!

And a murder investigation? Done. Sold.

NOTEWORTHY ELEMENTS. (You decide if they are Pros or Cons.)

1. An Examination of Women. Jo, Ness, and Harriett are definitely the female leads, but all of the women in this story have their own story, how they got to this point in their lives, and Miller shares their story. Miller shows how “The Patriarchy” impacts and affects each woman’s life.

2. Magic Lore. I love the lore Miller created around the magic. Women are born with this power or ability, and it lays dormant until she is free to use it fully, usually around menopause. Yes. Love it.

3. Themes of Power and Wealth. Power, wealth, status. Who has it and what does that mean? What does that look like? How is it used? Abused?

4. Narration Format. For the most part, this story is told in a linear format, meaning going from point A to point B in chronological order. However, as mentioned above, Miller examines almost all of the women that appear in this story and that means cut away chapters. Chapters that “cut away” from the main action. I listened to the story via audiobook, and these cut away chapters were a little jarring at first, but I appreciate that Miller was showing us that none of these women are caricatures, that they all have history and a reason for doing what they are doing, even smaller side characters that just pop into the main story. Miller explores how they got there.

MY REST. (Reaction. Experience. Summary. Thoughts.)

Okay, go with me here. After I read this story, I definitely had feelings, so I tried to visualize this book. How could I describe it in pictures? So this is what I’ve got….The Change is like if the Ghost Whisperer (yes, Jennifer Love Hewitt), Poison Ivy (DC Comics villainess), and Dark Pheonix (Marvel Comics villainess) form an awesome girl gang, think the Golden Girls but with more racial and sexual diversity, and they decide they need to Run the World, a la Beyoncé, so first of course they need to burn it down.

I’m being glib, but I really enjoyed this story. I felt seen and empowered and the ending was satisfying. What more could I want in a book?

Thus concludes my in-depth review of Kirsten Miller’s The Change. Hope you’ve enjoyed. I’ll catch you next time I pick my head up out of a book.