Reviews tagging 'Death'

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

12 reviews

piphux's review

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2.75

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puttingwingsonwords's review

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emotional 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

4.5

Wild Beauty is a story that goes much deeper than the synopsis on the back suggests. Much like the flowers that feature prominently in the story, under the fairy tale beauty are roots that dig deep into the earth. Read it if you like magical realism, stories about family, and/or mysterious modern fairy tales.
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enchantressreads's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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ifoundcallie's review

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reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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meagangrace's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

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softgalaxy's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

One of the most stunning books I’ve ever read. The descriptions of love, desire, grief, anger are poetry come to life. 

I highly recommend if you want to be swept away by flowery metaphors and rich, emotional storytelling.

It is a slow starting book. I nearly DNFed it as I was a bit overwhelmed by the detail of the descriptions. But I was intrigued by the mystery of La Pradera and the power of the Nomeolvides women. I’m really glad I stuck it out. I think I just needed to adjust to the style of writing.
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daphne_430's review

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emotional lighthearted mysterious slow-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

4.0

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atamano's review

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I love Anna-Marie McLemore's writing and storytelling so much I would like them to send me their grocery-lists, please.

Seriously this writing is so beautiful and atmospheric and transcendent and mysterious. I loved this story so much and the way the five Nomeolvides cousins were exactly like sisters in all the ways that counted. I loved the family curse and how that turned out in the end. I absoluely loved Fel and Bay. They were both amazing characters that fit so well in the story and just made me so happy. This book is magic.
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alouette's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

honestly, i wanted to like this book more than i did, which is part of why i read it in one day. the other part is from it being truly dreamy and engaging! but even if i couldn't put it down, i still felt it lacking in some respects. notably, the characters, who all blurred together for me. even though i was invested in the revelations, the reflections on how we are accountable for the sins of generations before us, i was not particularly moved by the grief, love, or other emotions that the characters felt. especially because none of them, aside from Fel, got an introductory interaction- just a jumble of names to be cemented by one or two scenes where their personality mattered, and many where it didn't. 

i also know little of the language of flowers or flower identification, so i felt a disconnect from that theme too. same for the themes of Christianity and the Latine connections/background. the immigration one i felt, but even that is because i come from an immigrant family, not because the writing made me feel much heart-wrenching emotion. i know it's a book of magical realism, but i wish it had been a little less abstract in exploring the themes and instead offered concrete foundations to make them more accessible. i understand that such a story as this comes from a writer writing for themself, and i admire that, but it wouldn't take much to bring in the context that would make this book touch the heart of even the least empathetic reader.
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