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blewballoon's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was enjoying this book just fine and then I'm not sure what happened, but around the 60% mark I started to feel exasperated with it and just wanted to finish as quickly as possible.
I liked the concept of the magic seamstress who could imbue her embroidery with emotion, and the tension that her magic came with a price and it would weaken her if she used it too much. I was baffled by the juxtaposition of this setup with a multitude of other (arguably more valuable and powerful) forms of magic that cost nothing for the users. People can just shoot lighting, have Elsa's Frozen powers, sprout plants everywhere, and more! This made it seem out of place that the main character's abilities would be so valuable, half the time she didn't even sew the right emotion into the garments that were commissioned of her. Speaking of, the book tries to make it seem like there's a little bit of a found family situation going on with the group of royals she is working for, but every time they are like "aww you work too hard, just relax!" it doesn't hit right because the reason she is working so hard is because of the complicated garments they have ordered her to create in such a short time frame?
I thought the political aspects of the plot were a bit weak and/or nonsensical.How the hell could the prince regent keep the fact that the country was out of money hidden from anyone? They specifically say he's hiding it from Parliament? What? It was so obvious that was what he was hiding, but it didn't make sense. At the end most of the issues are basically resolved by "people inexplicably became a lot more chill about everything, and they just talked about stuff off-page and it all worked out."
Ultimately I probably could have looked past all of the above if I liked the romance more. I was looking for some cute tension with the premise of a seamstress falling in love with her client (like a gender swap of The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews) but I felt let down by the small amount of sewing/fitting/garments in the story. Kit kind of does the bare minimum in terms of being a love interest. He's outwardly a jerk most of the time and he turns on Niamh at the slightest discomfort. Their bickering/banter didn't feel healthy because the power dynamic was off-balance. I'm not even sure if having Kit's perspective would have helped.
I'll cut myself off there, I feel like I've complained enough. The audiobook narrator was pretty good, and the cover is gorgeous. I also didn't mind the writing style, there were some really pretty yet effective descriptions. I would try this author again.
I liked the concept of the magic seamstress who could imbue her embroidery with emotion, and the tension that her magic came with a price and it would weaken her if she used it too much. I was baffled by the juxtaposition of this setup with a multitude of other (arguably more valuable and powerful) forms of magic that cost nothing for the users. People can just shoot lighting, have Elsa's Frozen powers, sprout plants everywhere, and more! This made it seem out of place that the main character's abilities would be so valuable, half the time she didn't even sew the right emotion into the garments that were commissioned of her. Speaking of, the book tries to make it seem like there's a little bit of a found family situation going on with the group of royals she is working for, but every time they are like "aww you work too hard, just relax!" it doesn't hit right because the reason she is working so hard is because of the complicated garments they have ordered her to create in such a short time frame?
I thought the political aspects of the plot were a bit weak and/or nonsensical.
Ultimately I probably could have looked past all of the above if I liked the romance more. I was looking for some cute tension with the premise of a seamstress falling in love with her client (like a gender swap of The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews) but I felt let down by the small amount of sewing/fitting/garments in the story. Kit kind of does the bare minimum in terms of being a love interest. He's outwardly a jerk most of the time and he turns on Niamh at the slightest discomfort. Their bickering/banter didn't feel healthy because the power dynamic was off-balance. I'm not even sure if having Kit's perspective would have helped.
I'll cut myself off there, I feel like I've complained enough. The audiobook narrator was pretty good, and the cover is gorgeous. I also didn't mind the writing style, there were some really pretty yet effective descriptions. I would try this author again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Chronic illness, Classism, Homophobia, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Alcohol, and War
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was a bit of a let down from A Far Wilder magic.
It was fine, but I wasn’t super taken with Kit as the love interest. I felt like the middle was the strongest and the beginning was pretty decent. It was just as it started to build towards the end it started to fall flat.
I did enjoy Kit and Niamh’s softer, more romantic moments. And I felt like every character felt well-rounded and unique. It was just the plot itself that wasn’t speaking to me. It didn’t feel very well paced and once I hit the end it felt rushes and ill-planned.
The themes the characters explored, the world building, the dynamics, and the foreshadowing I loved so much from A Far Wilder magic were there. Which was mostly what kept me reading. The plot just felt somewhat convoluted, like it was reaching to play out specific regency setting tropes/was taking a lot from Jane Austen and Bridgerton. It felt like it wasn’t sure if it was trying to make a political statement and tell that story with the romance or play out a more traditional regency romance.
Overall I’m not super sure how I feel about it. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Violence
scarlett_f's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Most unusual, disjointed romance I think I've read. Whiney, repetitive protagonist. Boringly clumsy. Skip this for a better read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Misogyny, Confinement, Death of parent, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Classism, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
natraf_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I loved this ! A perfect, soft hearted, forbidden romance between a prince and a commoner. This book had me in all the feels wishing for them to be able to be together despite what was expected of the prince’s responsibilities. I loved seeing Kit come out of his cold personality and warm up towards Niamh. I am a sucker for a good grumpy sunshine! Kit had shouldered many responsibilities and expectations of what being a prince meant. Seeing Kit come into his emotional side, finding solace and comfort in Niamh warmed my heart so much. These two balance each other out perfectly and are truly meant to be!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Outing, War, Alcohol, Slavery, Classism, and Death of parent
ziracrow's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Xenophobia
dani_reis's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Addiction
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
shannonvonpesach's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really wanted to love this...but I just couldn't!
Loved the magic very much but the character, except Rosa, weren't very loveable for me. It was a lot of discussions, fights, smoking and more discussion that made me feel less and less enthusiastic about the story.
I loved Rosa character of sassyness and sarcasm but that was about it.
Also, why isn't there more info about Niamh's sickness...
Loved the magic very much but the character, except Rosa, weren't very loveable for me. It was a lot of discussions, fights, smoking and more discussion that made me feel less and less enthusiastic about the story.
I loved Rosa character of sassyness and sarcasm but that was about it.
Also, why isn't there more info about Niamh's sickness...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
deductionist's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.75
I really wanted to love this book. However, its flaws start to stack up over time until they are too glaring to ignore.
- The magic and how this world operates with it should've been focused on more. The scenes where it's utilized are the highlights of this book. The political drama could've been more on which kingdoms still retained the most magic. Rather than replicating real-world history.
- Niamh's illness ultimately has very little bearing on the plot except for a scene. The illness
does not really get solved either by the end of the book, either. She just limits her magic use. Is she really not attempting to find anyone with the magic to help her live long with Kit? - For how often Niamh falls, stumbles, trips, etc; I wish that it was shown in her character. Little scars from sewing injuries, or bruises here and there on parts of her body that bumped into things. Something that showed it's more than a quirky trait.
- I'm REALLY not a fan of the obvious England and Ireland parallels. It's hard for me to root for a romance when it involves the son of the man who killed so many of Niamh's people. I feel like this aspect of the story doesn't get treated with nearly as much gravity as it should. Niamh
Looking at the portraits of Kit's family and going "yeah they'd want me dead for just being here." And hiding in some curtains all quirky rubbed me the wrong way. - Predictable. If you've read books of this sort, you'll get the major story beats rather fast.
- Not a fan of the way the story ended and its loose ends.
What happened to the king? Will they limit his spending or cut him off entirely once they're allied with Rosa's people? How does the kingdom view this marriage? How do their allies? Is there really no way to restore the waning magic in this world? Is there no way to help Niamh? Does Jack pay reparations once he's able to all the families of the people his father killed? The kingdom is suffering, but yay thislast minute wedding happened. - The writing is fine, I enjoy the ideas that are within this story. I just wish those ideas were explored more, and more time was put in areas that needed expanding.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse
becca_w_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Classism, Violence, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Medical content, Alcoholism, Blood, Sexism, Terminal illness, Addiction, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, War, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Confinement, Abandonment, Outing, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
jennanaps's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Racism, Colonisation, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse