Reviews

The Second Death of Edie and Violet Bond by Amanda Glaze

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logan08's review against another edition

4.0

I appreciate so much that there was an element of romance near the end but that it didn’t take over the rest of the story or become overpoweringly sappy. The focus on the main elements of the story were so refreshing in terms of books like these that can go off the rails. Absolutely amazing. I wish there had been a bit more about Violet or more time with their father but it was an absolutely amazing book nonetheless

jessicareads85's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

loreleiseyes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My experience reading this book was phenomenal! This is a perfect read of you are looking for a perfect mix of thriller, fantasy and a smidge of romance. The sisterhood in this book was so undeniably inspiring and unique. The settings and characters were probably my favorite aspect. All the characters were extremely lovable and realistic. I couldn’t be anymore satisfied with the plot development and don’t feel like anything was unfinished. The pacing was a tad bit slow but I believe it fits the theme. I was surprised to find out this was based off two real twin sisters, it made it even more fun to read. I can’t wait to read more from Amanda Glaze!

camiclarkbooks's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Content Warnings

otterdreamer's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.5

lizzkuk's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I'm not sure what I expected when I picked this book off my shelf that's been sitting there for at least a year and in which I have no memory of when I got it, but the story pulled me in and didn't let go for the entirety of the book. In middle and early high school, I was obsessed with stories about ghosts, spirits, hauntings, and the mystery of old and abandoned buildings so I was quickly hooked. This is an interest I forgot about for a long while and this book really reminded me of that time so I feel like it might've influenced my rating but, I did truly enjoy this story a lot as well as the writing style of the author. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for her next work.

darakuhn's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? No

2.75

crochetchrisie's review against another edition

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4.0

I blazed through this in a day so it was pretty good. :) I didn't really connect with the characters but I understood them and I enjoyed the plot. Really impressive for a first novel, imo.

bzliz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Coming into this, I was expecting a dual POV between the sisters but I’m glad that wasn’t the case. It would’ve felt tedious since Violet was so sheltered from Edie’s experience with their mother’s death. I haven’t done a lot of reading on the Spiritualism movement but this was interesting enough that I may look into it more.

Sometimes books with mystical elements get wishy-washy with their rules for the world but not here. There was no hand waving over the details. It spells out exactly what gifted people need in order to commune with the dead or cross into the Veil- the liminal space between living and dead. Edie was a delight and I enjoyed the dynamics between her and Laws, as well as her and Violet. She really embodies the YA trope of a traumatized teen who needs to learn how to trust again.

My copy of the book included an excerpt annotated by Amanda Glaze and I appreciated the peek into her mind. It was my favorite scene (I’m a sucker for a little romance) and seeing Glaze’s breakdown of Violet lowering her defenses was sweet. I wish more books included some author annotations.

The only reason I’m not rating this higher is because I had to truly focus to gain some momentum. The beginning was a little slow and I could tell that if I put it down, I might not pick it up again for weeks.

Content Warnings

littlebookishfairy's review

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dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

3.0

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