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prairieowl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
whatsmichireading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
3.5
Ballad for Jasmine Town is the second in Ringle's Eidolonia series, I haven't read the first one but I wasn't lost while reading this one. Ringle does a good job of setting up the story and giving you all the details you need. It also appears to be mostly tangentially connected to Lava Red Feather Blue as opposed to a direct sequel.
There was a lot of this that I really liked. I found the building political tensions of the world interesting (and familiar) and I found the romance between Rafi and Roxana to be really sweet. I liked that neither of them were willing to immediately give up their lives in an insta-love sort of way and they had to work their way through challenges in order to build something together.
The thing that fell flat for me that influenced how i felt about the book as a whole was Rafi being trans and how that was written. I was so excited to see how Ringle approached this with a witch who could change their body at will. Unfortunately she just sort of didn't. There's brief passing comments about it once or twice so that you know Rafi is trans, but it isn't fleshed out or real in any way. I feel like it should have been an intrinsic part of who Rafi was and how he moved through the world but it sort of ended up feeling like it was a throw away characteristic for the sake of having a trans character to say exists. With so much time spent in Rafi's internal life in the book I felt like we should have seen more of it. I'd love to hear from trans readers about their experience reading this.
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review
There was a lot of this that I really liked. I found the building political tensions of the world interesting (and familiar) and I found the romance between Rafi and Roxana to be really sweet. I liked that neither of them were willing to immediately give up their lives in an insta-love sort of way and they had to work their way through challenges in order to build something together.
The thing that fell flat for me that influenced how i felt about the book as a whole was Rafi being trans and how that was written. I was so excited to see how Ringle approached this with a witch who could change their body at will. Unfortunately she just sort of didn't. There's brief passing comments about it once or twice so that you know Rafi is trans, but it isn't fleshed out or real in any way. I feel like it should have been an intrinsic part of who Rafi was and how he moved through the world but it sort of ended up feeling like it was a throw away characteristic for the sake of having a trans character to say exists. With so much time spent in Rafi's internal life in the book I felt like we should have seen more of it. I'd love to hear from trans readers about their experience reading this.
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review
skudiklier's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this so much! The world was fascinating, the characters were so lovable and complex, and I was rooting for the relationships the whole time. The Wikipedia entries at the beginning were a super interesting start because in some ways it tells you how the book will end, but really it just leaves you slightly tense the whole book waiting for what you (kind of) know is coming.
I'd highly recommend this book, especially to fantasy and romance fans. I hadn't read Lava Red Feather Blue before this and now I'm excited to!
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.
I'd highly recommend this book, especially to fantasy and romance fans. I hadn't read Lava Red Feather Blue before this and now I'm excited to!
Thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
katemarlowe's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Another wonderful adventure by Molly Ringle, weaved with fantastical faery creatures that will leave you dazzled and ready to travel to their land...even without their enchantments. For this story, we're living half in/half out of the faery realm and dealing with much of the same issues our world is dealing with today (like racism against members of your own community and harsh immigration laws, you might even recognize some similarities in a certain leader shockingly elected despite outcry). I love all the characters, good and bad, each with unique talents and traits, and want to learn about every inch of Eidolonia!! And while not necessary, it helps to read about Ringle's first trip to Eidolonia in Lava Red Feather Blue.
mollyringle's review
This is my book. Here is the elevator pitch:
She's bi and a witch, he's trans and half-fae...and their town's doomed.
Hope you enjoy!
She's bi and a witch, he's trans and half-fae...and their town's doomed.
Hope you enjoy!
centavepub's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
michellehalket's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
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