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helloitskel's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-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? Yes
4.5
nose_in_a_book's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
No 🌶️
It’s interesting with this book that some of the things I most enjoyed were at the hands of things I definitely didn’t. Most notably the relationship between Winn and Delly.
The driving plot of this book isn’t the romance but instead a convoluted revenge plot. Honestly, it doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny in terms of logic or believability but I do like how luxurious the plot is in terms of time. No one is particularly rushed to do anything but the tension doesn’t dissipate in response either. No matter how non-sensical the plan is, the book commits to it all the way until the end which makes it enjoyable somehow.
I also enjoy the cast of characters that we spend the most time with. It’s a group of women that are, for the most part, given space to be complexly flawed without apology. The glaring exception is Winn. Winn has one personality trait and it is to be exceedingly patient. She’s even-keeled, kind, and affectionate. She stands up against any discrimination she sees happen before her and defuses tension. She is the very definition of a White Savior even though she doesn’t technically seem to be white.
I struggled a lot with Winn being so one dimensional. On the one hand, her steadiness gave Delly a safe place to slowly and honestly unpack the trauma she’s carried around her entire life. I loved the interaction between Delly’s perception of herself, Winn’s view of her, and the one I as a third party viewer was able to form somewhere in the cracks. The redemption arc is a slow burn in the best of ways. But Winn was never given the chance to have negative characteristics in turn. There is one fight toward the end where I thought maybe, finally, we’d see something but even then Winn is collected as ever. It felt distinctly untruthful and therefore broke the spell a bit for me.
The end of the book seems to leave room for a sequel and I would be interested to see if that one focused on Winn’s issues, whatever they are, since this one focused so heavily on Delly’s. There’s potential here, I think.
It’s interesting with this book that some of the things I most enjoyed were at the hands of things I definitely didn’t. Most notably the relationship between Winn and Delly.
The driving plot of this book isn’t the romance but instead a convoluted revenge plot. Honestly, it doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny in terms of logic or believability but I do like how luxurious the plot is in terms of time. No one is particularly rushed to do anything but the tension doesn’t dissipate in response either. No matter how non-sensical the plan is, the book commits to it all the way until the end which makes it enjoyable somehow.
I also enjoy the cast of characters that we spend the most time with. It’s a group of women that are, for the most part, given space to be complexly flawed without apology. The glaring exception is Winn. Winn has one personality trait and it is to be exceedingly patient. She’s even-keeled, kind, and affectionate. She stands up against any discrimination she sees happen before her and defuses tension. She is the very definition of a White Savior even though she doesn’t technically seem to be white.
I struggled a lot with Winn being so one dimensional. On the one hand, her steadiness gave Delly a safe place to slowly and honestly unpack the trauma she’s carried around her entire life. I loved the interaction between Delly’s perception of herself, Winn’s view of her, and the one I as a third party viewer was able to form somewhere in the cracks. The redemption arc is a slow burn in the best of ways. But Winn was never given the chance to have negative characteristics in turn. There is one fight toward the end where I thought maybe, finally, we’d see something but even then Winn is collected as ever. It felt distinctly untruthful and therefore broke the spell a bit for me.
The end of the book seems to leave room for a sequel and I would be interested to see if that one focused on Winn’s issues, whatever they are, since this one focused so heavily on Delly’s. There’s potential here, I think.
rynflynn12's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rcpope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.5
thisboricuareader's review against another edition
3.0
I'll say I think this was a me thing. I like some concepts of this book and the pacing was not bad, I just felt lost sometimes with he magical elements. Or plot wise I got lost. Like I said, maybe it was a me thing.
meg_leigh's review
The prose was just a bit much for me and I had to stop. Seems like a cute story though!
amberlinn's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.25
I thought this was a fun read that didn’t quite fit into one genre. It was like a cozy mystery masquerading as a fantasy novel.
I initially picked this one up based on the description, but realized after that it was a second book so I read the first and I’m so glad I did. So much of the language (slang) terminology, and general concepts were introduced in the first book, even though the ties between the stories on the surface are minimal.
Overall I enjoyed the adventure, but am not sure it’s a story that will particularly stick with me.
I initially picked this one up based on the description, but realized after that it was a second book so I read the first and I’m so glad I did. So much of the language (slang) terminology, and general concepts were introduced in the first book, even though the ties between the stories on the surface are minimal.
Overall I enjoyed the adventure, but am not sure it’s a story that will particularly stick with me.
mrs_mary_b's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
magerman's review
adventurous
funny
slow-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? Yes
3.75