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twinkspo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
audrey9024's review against another edition
3.0
buku kritis identitas. writing style kayak middle grade tapi konfliknya terlalu berat kayak YA. the characters weren't very likeable and i get it, that's the point. but it was still pretty annoying.
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this! As I started this book I couldn't help but think of the main character, Maeve, as a mashup of Michelle from Derry Girls and Maeve from Sex Education. So Maeve gets in trouble a lot, she's the much younger sibling of 5 and is constantly treated like the baby of the family so is rebelling a little. She also has these impulses she can't control. One day she throws a shoe at a teacher and is forced to clean out the Chokey (I love the Matilda reference!) where she finds a cool walkman with an old mixtape (need a playlist!) and some tartot cards. She starts giving classmates readings and is preternaturally good at it. But then she gives her ex-best friend. Lily, a reading that goes badly and Lily ends up disappeared.
There is so much going on in these pages and it could have been messy but O'Donoghue does a masterful job weaving everything together. I thought I was going into a cute tarot card drama set in a Catholic school but I got so much more. It was so much more impactful than I expected. I never knew where the story was going and I really love when an author can do that. This is my favorite type of fantasy book, where it's set in the real world and ordinary people get extraordinary powers. The story combines elements of fantasy, mystery, and magical realism.
I loved the witchy vibe and the atmospheric Irish setting. The addition of the illustrated tarot cards throughout the book was a bonus and I love how we get to learn tarot as Maeve is learning. I loved all of the characters. Even the secondary family characters are real and fleshed out. Fiona is such an excellent friend and I loved how Lily had these assumptions about the cool, beautiful girl and she is forced to question those assumption. Roe is such a complicated and lovable character. O'Donoghue expertly handles gender identity and expression throughout the book. She is a journalist and I can see that in her writing in a good way, in how she notices all the little things and how she handles dialog.
The writing is good, the story is good, the pacing is good, I laughed out loud a lot, the characters are good...it's just so good! I ordered book 2 immediately upon finishing!
There is so much going on in these pages and it could have been messy but O'Donoghue does a masterful job weaving everything together. I thought I was going into a cute tarot card drama set in a Catholic school but I got so much more. It was so much more impactful than I expected. I never knew where the story was going and I really love when an author can do that. This is my favorite type of fantasy book, where it's set in the real world and ordinary people get extraordinary powers. The story combines elements of fantasy, mystery, and magical realism.
I loved the witchy vibe and the atmospheric Irish setting. The addition of the illustrated tarot cards throughout the book was a bonus and I love how we get to learn tarot as Maeve is learning. I loved all of the characters. Even the secondary family characters are real and fleshed out. Fiona is such an excellent friend and I loved how Lily had these assumptions about the cool, beautiful girl and she is forced to question those assumption. Roe is such a complicated and lovable character. O'Donoghue expertly handles gender identity and expression throughout the book. She is a journalist and I can see that in her writing in a good way, in how she notices all the little things and how she handles dialog.
The writing is good, the story is good, the pacing is good, I laughed out loud a lot, the characters are good...it's just so good! I ordered book 2 immediately upon finishing!
libraratinglibros's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.0
nyxesss's review against another edition
Dnf 52%
The FMC is a bitch that abandons her best friend just to climb the social ladder.
The FMC is a bitch that abandons her best friend just to climb the social ladder.
jasmineanisa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hannah_rachel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
5.0
autumnmurphy97's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
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
4.0
plantsandbooksandrocks's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
3.0
buddy read with mori and kaylee:)
here’s my review from the fable app bc i heart fable:
3 stars overall because I knew from the beginning fantasy isn’t my thing so I don’t want to be unfair. My enjoyment was more like a 2.5… or a 2. This suffered from a pacing issue where it started off waaaay too unrealistically fast and then halted, which made the middle a drag to get through. I didn’t really care for the characters (Maeve especially!) or plot, but oh well, it was an easy read.
✧ ✧ ✧
♡fable book club picks with kaylee and mori♡
╰┈➤ 1. the lost library by rebecca stead and wendy mass
╰┈➤ 2. the bromance book club by lyssa kay adams
╰┈➤ 3. all our hidden gifts by caroline o’donoghue
here’s my review from the fable app bc i heart fable:
3 stars overall because I knew from the beginning fantasy isn’t my thing so I don’t want to be unfair. My enjoyment was more like a 2.5… or a 2. This suffered from a pacing issue where it started off waaaay too unrealistically fast and then halted, which made the middle a drag to get through. I didn’t really care for the characters (Maeve especially!) or plot, but oh well, it was an easy read.
✧ ✧ ✧
♡fable book club picks with kaylee and mori♡
╰┈➤ 1. the lost library by rebecca stead and wendy mass
╰┈➤ 2. the bromance book club by lyssa kay adams
╰┈➤ 3. all our hidden gifts by caroline o’donoghue