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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
[4.5]
Elle McNicoll is fastly becoming one of my favourite authors.
Elle's sophomore novel, Show Us Who You Are, was the closest I got to crying at a book. All of the characters, even the villain, were so well-developed and the discussions on neurodivergence were so good. Like A Charm once again has a neurodivergent heroine, Ramiya Knox, who has dyspraxia. I loved how she wasn't afraid to tell people what she actually thought about the situation, rather than trying to be polite for the sake of not getting into trouble, and Ramiya definitely gets into some scrapes in this book.
The setting of this magical Edinburgh was wonderful, and made me want to visit the city. Prior to this, I don't think I've ever read a book set in Edinburgh before. All of the different magical creatures Ramiya meets in this book were excellent. You can see where Elle draws on from popular creatures like vampires and fae but writes them in her own way, and I loved the frequent use of bookshops to send information to the main character. The writing was brilliant and worked with the story & Ramiya's voice, you can easily see the evolution of Elle McNicoll's writing from A Kind of Spark to Like A Charm, despite the books being published a mere two years (approximately) apart from each other. Also, I loved the friendship that Ramiya forms with her cousin Manny after previously not talking to him much at all.
So overall this book was brilliant and I look forward to seeing what direction it takes in the sequel! I can't wait to read more of this magical Edinburgh!
Elle McNicoll is fastly becoming one of my favourite authors.
Elle's sophomore novel, Show Us Who You Are, was the closest I got to crying at a book. All of the characters, even the villain, were so well-developed and the discussions on neurodivergence were so good. Like A Charm once again has a neurodivergent heroine, Ramiya Knox, who has dyspraxia. I loved how she wasn't afraid to tell people what she actually thought about the situation, rather than trying to be polite for the sake of not getting into trouble, and Ramiya definitely gets into some scrapes in this book.
The setting of this magical Edinburgh was wonderful, and made me want to visit the city. Prior to this, I don't think I've ever read a book set in Edinburgh before. All of the different magical creatures Ramiya meets in this book were excellent. You can see where Elle draws on from popular creatures like vampires and fae but writes them in her own way, and I loved the frequent use of bookshops to send information to the main character. The writing was brilliant and worked with the story & Ramiya's voice, you can easily see the evolution of Elle McNicoll's writing from A Kind of Spark to Like A Charm, despite the books being published a mere two years (approximately) apart from each other. Also, I loved the friendship that Ramiya forms with her cousin Manny after previously not talking to him much at all.
So overall this book was brilliant and I look forward to seeing what direction it takes in the sequel! I can't wait to read more of this magical Edinburgh!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
When you think Elle's books are not gonna get any better, she writes a masterpiece of work. This is stunning. I loved Rayma and was rooting for her the whole time. This book along with her other two books are some of my absolute favourites books of all time. They are just spectacular. It has KELPIES IN THIS BOOK!!! I look forward to Elle's next book!! I am just in love with her work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Grief
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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