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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
Sequels to books I enjoyed make me extremely wary. Too often I find that they just don't seem to capture the same feelings as the original, and I'm left feeling slightly sad and unsatisfied. You just can't always capture lightning twice, I guess.
Not so with this book. Actually, I daresay I enjoyed this one even slightly more than the first. The focus of this book isn't on the cast from the first book (though they do play minor roles and cameos), but instead follows two sisters, Muna and Sakti, who are separated from each other while venturing through the fairy realm to England. Muna makes it to England and Prunella's school, but Sakti does not. The story follows Muna as she tries to reunite with her sister despite overwhelming opposition, and the discovery of why they were separated in the first place.
While I was able to guess the twist relatively early on, I still liked how the author handled it and still manage to make parts unexpected. The story just felt...fun. Like a magical romp with slightly high stakes, like a brighter Harry Potter, maybe. The story is self contained, nothing needs a sequel, and it leaves you feeling glad to have read it at the end.
Not so with this book. Actually, I daresay I enjoyed this one even slightly more than the first. The focus of this book isn't on the cast from the first book (though they do play minor roles and cameos), but instead follows two sisters, Muna and Sakti, who are separated from each other while venturing through the fairy realm to England. Muna makes it to England and Prunella's school, but Sakti does not. The story follows Muna as she tries to reunite with her sister despite overwhelming opposition, and the discovery of why they were separated in the first place.
While I was able to guess the twist relatively early on, I still liked how the author handled it and still manage to make parts unexpected. The story just felt...fun. Like a magical romp with slightly high stakes, like a brighter Harry Potter, maybe. The story is self contained, nothing needs a sequel, and it leaves you feeling glad to have read it at the end.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it kept a lot of what I enjoyed in the first book - the varying factions, the power struggles, and the comedy. On the other hand, the things I disliked of the first book felt magnified - characters that don't get enough development and romance that doesn't feel like enough time is spent with the characters genuinely beginning to like each other as opposed to it all coming together near the end. The twists in the plot also felt a lot more transparent, but still like they're meant not to b figured out.
I still enjoyed it, but it was more of a disappointment.
I still enjoyed it, but it was more of a disappointment.
I think I enjoyed the first book a little better, but this is a fun story with interesting characters, so I'm rounding up my 3.5 stars.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When a book is referred to as "a magical Jane Austen", it is not a good sign. It seems like it just means that the prose is stuffy.
The magic lore in this book is so messy and everything feels contrived.
The magic lore in this book is so messy and everything feels contrived.
I enjoyed reading it - having read the first in the series made a bunch of the plot basically completely obvious, which was a little annoying, but there are some decent moments anyway. I would read a book all about Mak Genggang, hope that's in the works! :)