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thecourtofreading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
"walking along a blade's edge was only fun until the blade stopped being a metaphor."
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, and Sexual content
eleanorspress's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Minor: Body horror, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
thelittlestmermaid's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Isobel is a fine character. She's not the most entertaining main character ever, but I still enjoy her.
The action at the end of the book wasn't given enough time to shine, I think. While finishing up the book with 10 pages left, I was thinking there was no way on earth it would wrap up in such a small number of pages. I think the story would've benefited from a little less traveling through the fae world and a little more dealing with the conflict at the end. And the whole "summer land is rotting" thing just was never really explored, which also drove me a little bit bonkers. All this stuff that could've been explored in a series, even just a duology, was crammed into a book that's barely 300 pages long. I dunno, I just wanted to learn more about all the stuff going wrong in the world and the consequences of the characters' actions.
Fun book, though! Highly recommend if you're not like me and want every book to be ridiculously long and detailed.
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
its_van_vulpen's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
literarypenguin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The writing was so exquisitely beautiful and made the atmosphere of this book just a wonder to read. I loved the way Margaret Rogerson described fae and the fae world. I never once felt lost or confused and everything felt well thought out and clear. The humor in this book was witty and charming and at times truly unexpected. It felt natural and not forced even the slightest bit.
Isobel was a joy as a main character. I loved how passionate she was about her art and her painting. She is also very loyal and protective of her family and would do anything for them and give anything to make sure their safe. She was willing to do anything to keep and protect her Craft and the thought of her losing it was a fate worse then death to her. I loved how compassionate and intelligent she is, knowing how to talk to a Fair Folk and see past their glamour and honeyed words.
Rook was a very charming character. He was the perfect blend of cocky and vulnerable. No matter what he said or did he always care for Isobel and would go to great heights to protect her. He was also a very skilled fighter and was definitely no pushover when it came to a fight. I couldn’t help but fall in love with his character.
I feel like the beginning of the romance was a bit too fast and love at first sightish but both of the characters were so adorable and sweet that I couldn’t help but adore their relationship. The chemistry was definitely there and interactions between the two of them were so cute. I loved them traveling together in the forest and the challenges they faced.
The plot was very good but at times it did drag a bit especially toward the end. I also really loved the side characters and enjoyed them just as much as the main characters. I felt like they offered a lot more to the story and made the world so lively.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more from this author and hopefully more stories set in this world.
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
naomidanae's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
esmeray's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
valyn_grebe's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Blood
humanmosquito's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Isobel as a protagonist had a fun inner monologue that overrode any issues I had about 1st person POV.
Rook was charismatic and silly with a Howl-esque touch to him.
I found the slow reveal of the antagonist unexpected but obvious when you stopped to think back about it and the lack of explicit (sexual) content was a refreshing plus.
However the plot is where the main issues with the book lie. It felt slightly rushed and stalled in parts and there was a slight wobble after the first arc where it took a while to restart. Additionally the romance lacked the passion Rogerson was trying to convey but nevertheless, sweet. It was obvious in some places that this was a debut novel but it doesn't detract from the beautiful, ugly world Rogerson created.
I liked the ending but can understand why some readers would find it underwhelming--I've always been one for quiet endings-- And I would love for the writer to revisit the world of Whimsy some time in future.
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Medical trauma