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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
An adorable story of love, family, and friendship.
Our two main characters, Jolina and Claudine, initially started as the best enemies but with the help of some magic eventually became the best of friends. They are both nuanced and childish but are guaranteed to touch the hearts of young readers with their charismatic and genuine personalities. [b: Sugar and Spite|601037|Sugar and Spite (Savannah Reid, #5)|G.A. McKevett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329679878l/601037._SY75_.jpg|2109628] very well represents the Filipino warmth and culture and teaches about choices and their corresponding consequences. It’s an easy read which I know I would’ve have enjoyed as a kid but still definitely enjoyed now as an adult.
I have all the love for this book, and a thousand more extra for Jolina’s loyal pet dog, Kidlat!
Our two main characters, Jolina and Claudine, initially started as the best enemies but with the help of some magic eventually became the best of friends. They are both nuanced and childish but are guaranteed to touch the hearts of young readers with their charismatic and genuine personalities. [b: Sugar and Spite|601037|Sugar and Spite (Savannah Reid, #5)|G.A. McKevett|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329679878l/601037._SY75_.jpg|2109628] very well represents the Filipino warmth and culture and teaches about choices and their corresponding consequences. It’s an easy read which I know I would’ve have enjoyed as a kid but still definitely enjoyed now as an adult.
I have all the love for this book, and a thousand more extra for Jolina’s loyal pet dog, Kidlat!
Amazing book about just how important the bonds are between pets and their owners and also a great friendship story. Plus it takes place in the Philippines and there’s magic!
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Technically, I guess this is a 3.5 but I enjoyed it quite well so I bumped it up to 4 because it was cute. The characters did annoy me at times but they’re also kids so I let it slide quite a bit.
I went back and forth on whether I liked Jolina or not. Sometimes I would and then she would say or think something slightly annoying and then I wouldn’t like her again. But also she’s a child! Who’s recently moved to a new place so that almost gives her right to be annoying (in my eyes). In the end I did like her so that was good. I liked Claudine more but also I’m a sucker for the mean girl turns into a friend trope. It’s one of my favourites and I don’t mind seeing it repeatedly because I’ll enjoy it every time. I liked that both of them were cat and dog people and that was cute to see.
I did like how the book let both of them be messy and that didn’t bother me. Books should have kids be messy characters more often. It won’t make them annoying, they’re kids and a lot of people want messy characters nowadays. I really like messy characters and I think kids being messy make even more sense because, well, they’re kids! Their personalities are still developing, they’re still developing, and we shouldn’t force adult expectations about their personalities just because we’re adults (or insert your age here).
I went back and forth on whether I liked Jolina or not. Sometimes I would and then she would say or think something slightly annoying and then I wouldn’t like her again. But also she’s a child! Who’s recently moved to a new place so that almost gives her right to be annoying (in my eyes). In the end I did like her so that was good. I liked Claudine more but also I’m a sucker for the mean girl turns into a friend trope. It’s one of my favourites and I don’t mind seeing it repeatedly because I’ll enjoy it every time. I liked that both of them were cat and dog people and that was cute to see.
I did like how the book let both of them be messy and that didn’t bother me. Books should have kids be messy characters more often. It won’t make them annoying, they’re kids and a lot of people want messy characters nowadays. I really like messy characters and I think kids being messy make even more sense because, well, they’re kids! Their personalities are still developing, they’re still developing, and we shouldn’t force adult expectations about their personalities just because we’re adults (or insert your age here).
I liked the plot! It started out quickly and then wrapped up quickly as well. It’s under 300 pages so of course so the plot has to advance fast. It was a sweet one as it shows the start of a friendship that doesn’t start out the way you’d necessarily want it to. But friends can come in any ways and quite often from unlikely places.
I liked the low fantasy aspect of the book – I kept reading the synopsis before I picked it up because I didn’t know if it contained actual magic or like suggestive magic? But then I read and saw that it was magic – but also had that bit of suggestive magic. Or rather, your intentions and emotions influence your magic/the way you cast the spells. Which is something I like!
The other characters were sweet. I liked how close Jolina and Claudine were with their families and also might be friends with the other’s in the future.
I liked the low fantasy aspect of the book – I kept reading the synopsis before I picked it up because I didn’t know if it contained actual magic or like suggestive magic? But then I read and saw that it was magic – but also had that bit of suggestive magic. Or rather, your intentions and emotions influence your magic/the way you cast the spells. Which is something I like!
The other characters were sweet. I liked how close Jolina and Claudine were with their families and also might be friends with the other’s in the future.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
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
emotional
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
A heartwarming tale of friendship with a surprisingly tender end that gave me a lot to think about.
Oh, Flamingo!’s song Sigurado plays in the background.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
very short and heartwarming! it has a sapphic couple which i didnt expect and the plot was wrapped up nicely. i did notice that there's a detail that was overlooked
When Jolina moves from the big city to a small island village, she doesn't feel like she belongs. It doesn't help there's a girl not making things any easier for her. But because she comes from a family who knows how to create magical potions, she feels she can come up with a potion to make her bully her best friend. However, she realizes that she should have been careful what she wished for.