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emily_319's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Murder, and Violence
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
đź’ My thoughts đź’: This book was fun. I enjoyed the read even though I'm not the target YA audience. Sure, it had many of the characteristics of YA fantasy that made me roll my eyes as a teenager, but it also had a lot of interest and charm that kept me reading even so. I really wished there was more about Isobel's family and her goat siblings.
đź“š The gist đź“š: Portrait artist Isobel lives in a dangerous world where the Fae regularly visit her human village because they crave human crafts in exchange for perilous enchantments. Isobel succeeds in laying low for a long time, until her unique artistic abilities capture the attention of the Fae court.
đź“’Representationđź“’: N/A
đź’• For readers looking for đź’•: magic, scary but enchanting fae, interesting human-fae relationships, cunning female characters, curses, political intrigue (but make it fae)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Grief and Kidnapping
thecourtofreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, and Sexual content
eleanorspress's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I just finished reading this for the second time and wow, it is just as amazing as I remembered! Such great characters, super interesting plot, just the right amount of world building, beautiful but not overdone descriptions, and a believable and sweet romance. Some of the interactions between the main characters were really hilarious, I love Rook with my whole heart, and Isobel was such a great heroine. There are definitely “unknowns” in this book that are never quite explained since it is on the shorter side- not things that are central to the plot, but there are times I wish things were expanded upon. I also wish that we saw a little more of the specifics of Rook and Isobel’s time spent together in the early parts of the book, I think even one more scene while she was painting his portrait could have made their relationship feel that much more real. However all in all I loved this book and would highly recommend it! Also, this is YA but I think older audiences would totally enjoy it as well because the writing is so good and I don’t find it falls into the common YA tropes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
thelittlestmermaid's review against another edition
adventurous
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Reread this for the first time since 2018 and lowering the rating by one star. I enjoyed it very much, but I just don't think it is as good as the other books I've rated 5 stars recently. It's a little too insta-lovey for my taste, though that didn't stop me from eating up all of the romance, lol. I love Rook. Give me a broody fae love interest in every book, please, and thank you.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, and Violence
its_van_vulpen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Murder
literarypenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
This was such a delightful and enjoyable book.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Blood and Gore
Minor: Sexual content
naomidanae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
esmeray's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book had a a good world building for how quickly it got through it. But the characters fell flat for me. I listened on audio book and might have enjoyed it more reading a physical copy. It was enjoyable I just found myself questioning the characters often.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
thequeenofembers's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence