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emmylux7's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
this is a perfect example of an interesting concept that was fumbled from beginning to end.
let's begin with the characters...
our 2 leads/love interests Lina & Eva had as much chemistry as I do with avocados... i hate avocados. they barely interacted, and when they did it was in short bursts of dialog mixed with animosity and sarcasm. there were a few opportunities for them to bond presented, like when Lina attempts to research how to stop the curse plaguing her village. after learning Eva and a few other characters tried to the year prior. but this was quickly dropped within a couple pages. this book even had the "push up against the wall, one hand by her head, with one finger on their lips to quiet them" scene & I felt nothing. I had to skip back the audio book at least 3x before realizing what was happening. cause their had been 0 development for them, & it was past the midway mark. when they finally did kiss amongst falling stars I thought "damn, this is would've been hot if actually cared." YIKES!
i preferred Eva's character a bit more than Lina's, especially Eva's social anxiety. her comment about wanting to stab someone in the eyes with her hairpins if she had to be surrounded by people for one more moment was very relatable. i think Eva had the potential of being a more interesting character if she were given more chapters. or had been written by a more adept author. unfortunately, we are mainly hearing the story from Lina's pov and it was incredibly bland and as stated earlier cringe. beyond preferring dancing to reading, the only other "notable" thing about her is that her ankle was broken off page and it hurts really bad you guys! i didn't understand her motivations to save thomas & especially her brother. Even Eva pointed this out at some point; which was the only time I genuinely laughed.
the other 3 semi important characters were Finley, Thomas, and Yara. you're introduced to the two boys within a handful of pages so lets start with Finley. right off the bat he comes off as your typical YA older brother, whose a but of a player. my main concern with him was the number of times Lina talks about his anger. that he has tunnel vision, and even says that he has scared her. Later it's revealed that Finley pushed Lina down some stairs which led to her ankle being broken. i was very uncomfortable by this information, especially as someone who has trauma from similar situations. not once is Finley described as abusive or an abuser. it's said mostly in passing with a shrug and hope that maybe one day he'll get better. Lina even says she hopes one day her & Finley could laugh at this when they're older. BITCH WTF?!
Thomas on the other hand is very much a plot device. He's a bit of a pariah in this small town since escaping from being a sacrifice the previous year. I don't understand why Lina is so insistent upon saving him. beyond him being cute and carrying her after a different ankle injury that one time. also sidebar; the audiobook narrator took it upon herself to give him a scottish/irish accent. which wasn't bad, but made zero sense since EVERYBODY else had an american one. Lina, Finley, and Thomas are from the same isle, they should have a similar dialect.
finally there's Yara, one of the other witches and Eva's friend *shrugs*. She's mostly relegated to flirting with Finley, and doing your basic water bending moves. and commenting on how she's surprised Eva chose a girl since she hates everyone. honestly same.
now what about the antagonist? there barely is one. beyond the quickly approaching full moon tidal wave thing? theres an elderly male witch we'll call M (idk how to spell the name) who 1) wants to sacrifice thomas because reasons or 2) let the tidal wave consume the island because fuck it i guess. ALSO his magic is that he SPITS and things happen. i wish i was kidding.
and even more egregious of all, he hypnotizes Lina to throw herself off a balcony into the ocean. and instead of it being described as scary, it was a paragraph of flowery language. you are talking about a character being forced to commit suicide! this is not the time for purple prose. in what world is that ok?!
now since this is getting a bit long ill keep the rest hopefully short and sweet...
the setting/worldbuilding: possibly medieval? i mean cobblestones were described at one point. the multiple failed attempts at flowery language was dreadful. there was no whimsy, only confusion.
it's mentioned right at the beginning that Lina dyes her hair blond, which involves bleach? or maybe magic does it? i don't know cause this was never brought up again.
then there's the fact that every single character has a nicotine addiction. at one point Lina takes Eva's cigarette out of her hands. only to find that it tastes sweet... I had to pause the bk & say outloud; DOES THIS BITCH HAVE A VAPE?! i can't even. obviously she did it with magic but still!
magic system: i couldn't fucking tell ya... one of the older witches in charge FUCKING SPITS! whilst Eva pulls out her hair and also ribbons so she can do things. and Yara likes water. there is literally no rhyme or reason for how or why. The author should've just given them all the ability to change appearances like Eva and be done.
if i hadn't been listening to this on audiobook i would've dnf'd. if anything it made for good bg noise while i was at work. so unless you looking for a bland love story with no stakes then this is the story for you.
let's begin with the characters...
our 2 leads/love interests Lina & Eva had as much chemistry as I do with avocados... i hate avocados. they barely interacted, and when they did it was in short bursts of dialog mixed with animosity and sarcasm. there were a few opportunities for them to bond presented, like when Lina attempts to research how to stop the curse plaguing her village. after learning Eva and a few other characters tried to the year prior. but this was quickly dropped within a couple pages. this book even had the "push up against the wall, one hand by her head, with one finger on their lips to quiet them" scene & I felt nothing. I had to skip back the audio book at least 3x before realizing what was happening. cause their had been 0 development for them, & it was past the midway mark. when they finally did kiss amongst falling stars I thought "damn, this is would've been hot if actually cared." YIKES!
i preferred Eva's character a bit more than Lina's, especially Eva's social anxiety. her comment about wanting to stab someone in the eyes with her hairpins if she had to be surrounded by people for one more moment was very relatable. i think Eva had the potential of being a more interesting character if she were given more chapters. or had been written by a more adept author. unfortunately, we are mainly hearing the story from Lina's pov and it was incredibly bland and as stated earlier cringe. beyond preferring dancing to reading, the only other "notable" thing about her is that her ankle was broken off page and it hurts really bad you guys! i didn't understand her motivations to save thomas & especially her brother. Even Eva pointed this out at some point; which was the only time I genuinely laughed.
the other 3 semi important characters were Finley, Thomas, and Yara. you're introduced to the two boys within a handful of pages so lets start with Finley. right off the bat he comes off as your typical YA older brother, whose a but of a player. my main concern with him was the number of times Lina talks about his anger. that he has tunnel vision, and even says that he has scared her. Later it's revealed that Finley pushed Lina down some stairs which led to her ankle being broken. i was very uncomfortable by this information, especially as someone who has trauma from similar situations. not once is Finley described as abusive or an abuser. it's said mostly in passing with a shrug and hope that maybe one day he'll get better. Lina even says she hopes one day her & Finley could laugh at this when they're older. BITCH WTF?!
Thomas on the other hand is very much a plot device. He's a bit of a pariah in this small town since escaping from being a sacrifice the previous year. I don't understand why Lina is so insistent upon saving him. beyond him being cute and carrying her after a different ankle injury that one time. also sidebar; the audiobook narrator took it upon herself to give him a scottish/irish accent. which wasn't bad, but made zero sense since EVERYBODY else had an american one. Lina, Finley, and Thomas are from the same isle, they should have a similar dialect.
finally there's Yara, one of the other witches and Eva's friend *shrugs*. She's mostly relegated to flirting with Finley, and doing your basic water bending moves. and commenting on how she's surprised Eva chose a girl since she hates everyone. honestly same.
now what about the antagonist? there barely is one. beyond the quickly approaching full moon tidal wave thing? theres an elderly male witch we'll call M (idk how to spell the name) who 1) wants to sacrifice thomas because reasons or 2) let the tidal wave consume the island because fuck it i guess. ALSO his magic is that he SPITS and things happen. i wish i was kidding.
and even more egregious of all, he hypnotizes Lina to throw herself off a balcony into the ocean. and instead of it being described as scary, it was a paragraph of flowery language. you are talking about a character being forced to commit suicide! this is not the time for purple prose. in what world is that ok?!
now since this is getting a bit long ill keep the rest hopefully short and sweet...
the setting/worldbuilding: possibly medieval? i mean cobblestones were described at one point. the multiple failed attempts at flowery language was dreadful. there was no whimsy, only confusion.
it's mentioned right at the beginning that Lina dyes her hair blond, which involves bleach? or maybe magic does it? i don't know cause this was never brought up again.
then there's the fact that every single character has a nicotine addiction. at one point Lina takes Eva's cigarette out of her hands. only to find that it tastes sweet... I had to pause the bk & say outloud; DOES THIS BITCH HAVE A VAPE?! i can't even. obviously she did it with magic but still!
magic system: i couldn't fucking tell ya... one of the older witches in charge FUCKING SPITS! whilst Eva pulls out her hair and also ribbons so she can do things. and Yara likes water. there is literally no rhyme or reason for how or why. The author should've just given them all the ability to change appearances like Eva and be done.
if i hadn't been listening to this on audiobook i would've dnf'd. if anything it made for good bg noise while i was at work. so unless you looking for a bland love story with no stakes then this is the story for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide
the main character is forced to commit suicide.solenekeleroux's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
oliverreeds's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
the characters dont act like real humans and when they do theyre garbage humans. every character either has a savior complex or a victim complex and its so unlikeable. i LOVE unlikeable characters but these characters were supposed to be likeable. the plot was not great. it didnt even get started until page 200 which ALSO isnt usually an issue for me but the characters were so horrible if became one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Violence
imaginingly's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i loved this book but my brain was moving quite slowly with it especially with the beginning. i loved that “enemies” came together to save their shared home and i also loved the ending so much, amazing!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
thebalancedbookshelf's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I loved the concept of this story. Witches and magic in a seaside town is such a desirable setting. While their were aspects to love about this there were also some that fell flat. The main one being I wish there was more time in between when the person is picked and when they are sacrificed. It’s hard for me to believe that they would grow such a deep connection after only one month and without having a lot of interactions. I think the relationships in all of the characters needed more development but I still like the path that they end up on.
Another complaint I had was Linas relationship with her brother. His actions are very abusive and are portrayed in this manner but the author never really addresses it and in the end let’s him off the hook. I thought there was going to be a deeper dive into their relationship and why he is like this but she forgives him and jokes about it. I think his actions of grabbing her and making her break her ankle would have been passed off as a mistake if the author didn’t layer in all of these other abusive tendencies such as yelling, controlling who she likes and physically hitting things when he was upset. It seemed extreme to go into these details and not give him any fault. I’m disappointed in the way that panned out.
What I did like about the story is that while it is a standalone the pacing wasn’t bad and we get a nice conclusion. The concept of witches sacrificing humans to the tide is very interesting and I liked that we learned about past sacrifices as well. I enjoyed the history behind all of the sacrifices and the threat of the mainlanders. I wish we could have learned more about the magical system and more detail about the spell work involved in the sacrifices. I also would have loved to learn more about Natalia and the town itself.
I think that there were some hits and misses but overall this wasn’t bad for a standalone novel. We got clear resolutions, some character development and a a lot of magical scenes. I do wish there was a little bit more expansion on the relationships, both romantic and sibling.
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse and Toxic relationship
morevna's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This wasn't a bad book and maybe I'm a little spoiled from reading mostly trilogies, but I thought this lacked some depth overall.
What really bothered me, though, was the fact that the literal abusive behavior of some characters is always excused by those around them and almost everyone else - everyone except for Eva (who, sadly, turns a blind eye to the abusive person in her closer circle too). I think it's an absolute shit message to put into a YA book. Physical or emotional abuse shouldn't be excused or overlooked, even if it's family. Maybe especially if it's family. That's just a really, really shitty take. We also don't roll with the boys will be boys bullshit here. It's abusive. Full stop. They're abusers and assholes. And so is everyone else who acts as shitty as them. End of story.
Now that that's out of the way: I wish there was a sequel because the end felt like a cliffhanger. It could also give us more insight into the world, the witches' world and what happens next between Eva and Lina.
Also: Eva is awesome. I love her
What really bothered me, though, was the fact that the literal abusive behavior of some characters is always excused by those around them and almost everyone else - everyone except for Eva (who, sadly, turns a blind eye to the abusive person in her closer circle too). I think it's an absolute shit message to put into a YA book. Physical or emotional abuse shouldn't be excused or overlooked, even if it's family. Maybe especially if it's family. That's just a really, really shitty take. We also don't roll with the boys will be boys bullshit here. It's abusive. Full stop. They're abusers and assholes. And so is everyone else who acts as shitty as them. End of story.
Now that that's out of the way: I wish there was a sequel because the end felt like a cliffhanger. It could also give us more insight into the world, the witches' world and what happens next between Eva and Lina.
Also: Eva is awesome. I love her
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Blood
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