hsteel's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
katiedalton's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I really really wanted to like this. The start was so strong. Loved the alternating perspectives of Helen and Juliet. Learning about the curse, the witch history.
It lost me when we went into each of Helen’s past lives in detail. Especially the point where they learn about the curse and in repetitive detail tell the reader what we learned in the first third of the book with Helen and Juliet’s stories.
The last third of the book picked up the pace but felt weird after the slow repetitive feeling of the middle section. Plus there was some weird out of character actions thrown in with Sandra. That felt very out of place with the rest of the story.
Pair that with a 3 hour long chapter (I listened to the audiobook) and none of the book flowed. It could’ve been amazing with a great editor or a new eye of “what the fuck is going on? Let’s rework this”
Also very graphic detailing of rape and sexual assault that I was not prepared for going into this book. That I would argue served no purpose to the overall storyline.
It lost me when we went into each of Helen’s past lives in detail. Especially the point where they learn about the curse and in repetitive detail tell the reader what we learned in the first third of the book with Helen and Juliet’s stories.
The last third of the book picked up the pace but felt weird after the slow repetitive feeling of the middle section. Plus there was some weird out of character actions thrown in with Sandra. That felt very out of place with the rest of the story.
Pair that with a 3 hour long chapter (I listened to the audiobook) and none of the book flowed. It could’ve been amazing with a great editor or a new eye of “what the fuck is going on? Let’s rework this”
Also very graphic detailing of rape and sexual assault that I was not prepared for going into this book. That I would argue served no purpose to the overall storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Gore, Death, and Abortion
Minor: War, Suicide, Murder, and Drug use
renettereads's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
“‘All I ever want is time with you.’”
In 2012, Helen is living her fourth life. Not that she knows it, of course. At the beginning of this book we meet her some months after having separated from her husband Roger. When she goes on a blind date with Luke, she starts to remember snippets from a previous life. As it all starts to slot into place, she realises she’s cursed to live through a doomed romance time and time again before dying, and is now at risk of running out of time to finally break the cycle.
This was such an interesting read for me. It gave me quite an Invisible Life of Addie LaRue vibe in that it was really atmospheric, isolated to a small cast of characters, and journeyed through a stretching timeline. I loved seeing how each iteration of this person was so vastly different and how each of those parts influenced one another.
The plot isn’t overly complicated and yet it felt like a lot was happening because we were basically catching up on four lifespans. Parts of this book was definitely a little dark, but it usually didn’t last very long and never felt unnecessary. Not when it all outlined struggles women face on the daily and I could appreciate that the author wanted to incorporate some of those heavier topics to create depth of character. Overall, I was gripped by the fresh take on witches and I particularly liked the pecurliarity of the love story.
In 2012, Helen is living her fourth life. Not that she knows it, of course. At the beginning of this book we meet her some months after having separated from her husband Roger. When she goes on a blind date with Luke, she starts to remember snippets from a previous life. As it all starts to slot into place, she realises she’s cursed to live through a doomed romance time and time again before dying, and is now at risk of running out of time to finally break the cycle.
This was such an interesting read for me. It gave me quite an Invisible Life of Addie LaRue vibe in that it was really atmospheric, isolated to a small cast of characters, and journeyed through a stretching timeline. I loved seeing how each iteration of this person was so vastly different and how each of those parts influenced one another.
The plot isn’t overly complicated and yet it felt like a lot was happening because we were basically catching up on four lifespans. Parts of this book was definitely a little dark, but it usually didn’t last very long and never felt unnecessary. Not when it all outlined struggles women face on the daily and I could appreciate that the author wanted to incorporate some of those heavier topics to create depth of character. Overall, I was gripped by the fresh take on witches and I particularly liked the pecurliarity of the love story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Suicide, Rape, and Physical abuse
bluekelpie's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide, Sexual violence, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Sexism
sleepy_yoshi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The idea of being cursed and having to relive your life through out time is inherently interesting to me as I'm a huge fan of Fantasy and time as a plot device. It could be time travel, time loops or other forms of time manipulation...I'm in.
But this book suffers in that the first 250 or so pages, you're just slogging through the relationship drama with very little actual mention of the curse. And the first relationship imo is the weakest part of the book and a large point of frustration and annoyance.
At any rate, explanations were in order for the curse, but it takes so long to get there, that I actually considered DNFing the book. At that point it was definitely a 2/5 for me, but it picks up from there and I had a much more enjoyable time in the last 200ish pages. The second half delves into more interesting lives, the intricacies of the curse (my favourite aspect of the book), and some different romances. The latter part I'd put around 4/5 so I guess taking the average of 3 works here.
I'd actually be interested in reading the same story from Luke's perspective. I think that would have the potential to be quite a good novel.
But this book suffers in that the first 250 or so pages, you're just slogging through the relationship drama with very little actual mention of the curse. And the first relationship imo is the weakest part of the book and a large point of frustration and annoyance.
At any rate, explanations were in order for the curse, but it takes so long to get there, that I actually considered DNFing the book. At that point it was definitely a 2/5 for me, but it picks up from there and I had a much more enjoyable time in the last 200ish pages. The second half delves into more interesting lives, the intricacies of the curse (my favourite aspect of the book), and some different romances. The latter part I'd put around 4/5 so I guess taking the average of 3 works here.
I'd actually be interested in reading the same story from Luke's perspective. I think that would have the potential to be quite a good novel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship
toriwatson's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, and Suicide
manuella's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Abortion
antimony27's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Addiction, Violence, and Toxic relationship
julianalo's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Drug use