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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Really more like 2.5 for me. This book just wasn't for me personally. I felt like I didn't really understand what was happening in the beginning and it was just a SLOW book from beginning to end. This might be a great book for others, but for me personally, I will not continue with the next book.
Moving, Chill Inducing Story!
Buckle up for a fantastic story that will have you standing and clapping for the FMC! The twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat while you follow along Effy figuring out the greatest mystery of her literary world. Written so poetic and beautiful that you can feel the water and drown right along the characters. This story is absolutely for any woman who has been called crazy by everyone in their life. Sometimes we’re not actually crazy and there is a Fairy King we have to overcome and start speaking up for ourselves!
Buckle up for a fantastic story that will have you standing and clapping for the FMC! The twists and turns keep you on the edge of your seat while you follow along Effy figuring out the greatest mystery of her literary world. Written so poetic and beautiful that you can feel the water and drown right along the characters. This story is absolutely for any woman who has been called crazy by everyone in their life. Sometimes we’re not actually crazy and there is a Fairy King we have to overcome and start speaking up for ourselves!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
very beautiful and atmospheric writing that made it very easy to really dive into the world.
the development of the relationship between the mcs felt a bit superficial and too quick at times tho - i liked them together but i expected more build-up and details around them!
i really enjoyed the story itself and the dark academia vibes mixed with faeries and folktales (although it could have been a little darker for me personally), but especially the way that women and proving gender prejudices wrong played a big role in this and how topics like misogyny and sexism were handled
the development of the relationship between the mcs felt a bit superficial and too quick at times tho - i liked them together but i expected more build-up and details around them!
i really enjoyed the story itself and the dark academia vibes mixed with faeries and folktales (although it could have been a little darker for me personally), but especially the way that women and proving gender prejudices wrong played a big role in this and how topics like misogyny and sexism were handled
I spent a lot of time reading this book and struggling through it and that largely came from it being a book that I had a hard time relating to, but I've been trying to read more books by women and this book ended up being perfect for that goal in more than just ticking the box. It's a story that has a lot to do with women being treated unfairly (which is insanely vague, but I don't have the life or academic experience to elaborate on) and because of that this book takes its really good story and creates a lot of meta-commentary on the books industry and world at large.
Whenever talking about books by people that don't match my lived experiences, I waffle around the topics of the book and the author's own story quite a bit because I don't want to assign meaning to the wrong places. (Combined with the fear of creating meaning where there isn't any as a subconscious desire to seem smarter and perhaps more morally elevated than I am?) When trying to talk about this book from my perspective I don't feel that I have much to add other than a shrug and a strong recommendation that you go read it. This book gave me a new perspective and, combined with being a legitimately good story, that is going to be an easy 5 stars any day.
This book won't be my favorite read of the year (that book is objectively meh at best) but this book is certainly going to be the most meaningful of the year (unless my reread of Sea of Monsters comes with some mind-blowing revelation about Theseus that I missed the first 8 times I've read it) and I am very happy I picked it up.
Whenever talking about books by people that don't match my lived experiences, I waffle around the topics of the book and the author's own story quite a bit because I don't want to assign meaning to the wrong places. (Combined with the fear of creating meaning where there isn't any as a subconscious desire to seem smarter and perhaps more morally elevated than I am?) When trying to talk about this book from my perspective I don't feel that I have much to add other than a shrug and a strong recommendation that you go read it. This book gave me a new perspective and, combined with being a legitimately good story, that is going to be an easy 5 stars any day.
This book won't be my favorite read of the year (that book is objectively meh at best) but this book is certainly going to be the most meaningful of the year (unless my reread of Sea of Monsters comes with some mind-blowing revelation about Theseus that I missed the first 8 times I've read it) and I am very happy I picked it up.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Took me a little to get into it, but when I was in I WAS IN. I think any woman/ young girl can see themselves in Effy. From Eddy’s struggles with institutionalized sexism & mental illness to her sexual assault experiences , Ava wrote this in a way I think a wide range of people can relate to.
When Angharad said every wanting man has a crack the fairy king can slip into👩🏽🍳💋 Anyone who experienced SA (whether as a child like Effy or an adult like Angharad) knows the duality of a predator; charming and alluring to draw you in and a monster later. Such a great metaphor and one I think will definitely sit with me for a while. Also THE END WHEN EFFY MAKES THE DEAN FIRE CORBENIC. Phenomenal
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
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:
Yes
I really enjoyed this one! I read it a few months ago but couldn't put it down then. After letting it sit for a while I didn't love it quite as much, but it's still quite good. This book mostly talks about misogyny and the gendered harm men enact on women and even though the significant plot reveal was predictable, I still really appreciated how it explored misogyny in the world of academia, literature, and popular culture. The two stories being told mirror each other and both feature women freeing themselves to some extent from the oppression they've been facing from men and telling their own stories. I also loved how the book blurred reality and fairy tales, though I felt a little bit let down by how that was resolved in the end. Especially for older teens/younger adults I thought this book told a beautifully rendered, atmospheric story about literature, stories, misogyny, and the impact of misogyny from childhood to the end of life. However, as I've seen other reviews mention, I didn't like the worldbuilding with the war and random xenophobia. It could have been interesting if it was developed and explored but the story mentioned very serious significant things mostly in passing and depicted xenophobia in a pretty cursory, offensive way. So definitely still a good read for most of it but be aware of the bungled worldvuilding and unnecessary and offensive conflict.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes