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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief
Ramya is neurodivergent. She has dyspraxia, which means she has trouble writing by hand, and is a little clumsy in general. If she concentrates, she can manage, but she is also forced to go to “special needs” classes, where they try to get her to learn to write by hand.
But, because she is this way, she finds she has the ability to see things that no one else sees, and she can resist sirens, who charm everyone else into doing their bidding.
Her grandfather recognizes this in her, and wants to teach her to handle her abilities, but her mother wants nothing to do with that. She wants her fit in. She wants her to be “normal”.
I love how the author is also neurodivergent, and knows that being put in a box is not the best solution. That people whose brains work differently just need to adapt in ways that work for them. As someone with dyslexia, I know I had to come up with ways to read that made sense to me.
I do love the descriptions of Edinburgh, Scotland, and what she sees there, including statues that walk and talk to her, that others can not see, including her cousin.
This is one of those books that likes to rip your heart out, as Ramya feels as though she is all alone in the world, and acts that way as well. I also love how she is trying to tell the world that their idea of the fae folk, and other creatures is all wrong, such as the librarian vampire.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book comes out from Random House the 10th of October, 2023. .
But, because she is this way, she finds she has the ability to see things that no one else sees, and she can resist sirens, who charm everyone else into doing their bidding.
Her grandfather recognizes this in her, and wants to teach her to handle her abilities, but her mother wants nothing to do with that. She wants her fit in. She wants her to be “normal”.
I love how the author is also neurodivergent, and knows that being put in a box is not the best solution. That people whose brains work differently just need to adapt in ways that work for them. As someone with dyslexia, I know I had to come up with ways to read that made sense to me.
I do love the descriptions of Edinburgh, Scotland, and what she sees there, including statues that walk and talk to her, that others can not see, including her cousin.
This is one of those books that likes to rip your heart out, as Ramya feels as though she is all alone in the world, and acts that way as well. I also love how she is trying to tell the world that their idea of the fae folk, and other creatures is all wrong, such as the librarian vampire.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book comes out from Random House the 10th of October, 2023. .
The book was nice but took too long to end. Personally, the events immediately after the ‘final battle’ felt like the author was trying to meet a certain word limit. Aside from the drawn out ending, I found the book to be quite interesting. I enjoyed the way the human world is separated from the ‘monster’ world and the pathways between them. I also found it cool how the mythical creatures in this book are re-imagined and don’t follow the traditional description. It makes the book more engaging in my opinion, as you get to imagine all the new characteristics when reading.
adventurous
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
A beautiful book for Edinburgh-lovers and book-lovers alike! The only thing I found jarring, as a Scottish primary teacher, were the use of English terms within a Scottish school… something I realise is pedantic but there you go. There’s already a queue of kids in my class waiting to read this gem of a book. Thank you, Elle!
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked it, but a little less than the author's two other books. It was just a little less to my taste. I still enjoyed the characters and the focus on family and the idea of all the myths being super wrong. But the plot didn't really pull me in personally.
4.5 rounding up. Read aloud to 14 and 11yo and all 3 of us loved it. The world, Edinburgh, the characters, themes and plot. Great read-aloud as it's well-written with just the right amount of description and dialogue. We will all wait eagerly for book 2. Added some new sights to our list of places to visit when we go to Scotland.
MC with dysgraphia. Helpful discussions of neurodivergent experience.
We also liked this author's [b:A Kind of Spark|51256288|A Kind of Spark|Elle McNicoll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581691019l/51256288._SY75_.jpg|75985144]
MC with dysgraphia. Helpful discussions of neurodivergent experience.
We also liked this author's [b:A Kind of Spark|51256288|A Kind of Spark|Elle McNicoll|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581691019l/51256288._SY75_.jpg|75985144]
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes